Emily Schmitz is originally from Austin, Texas and received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Freshman year, she took an elective course and learned for the first time about bioremediation, a strategy using bacteria to clean up pollution in the environment. Her interest was sparked and now, eight years later, she is just as enthralled with the idea as she pursues her PhD in the very same field. Emily is currently studying how to use unique bacteria to treat nitrate, methane, and nitrous oxide pollution from agricultural sources. After earning her PhD, she hopes to find herself in a position to continue to generate sustainable, microbial based solutions to environmental pollution challenges. Emily is deeply committed to science education, outreach, and sustainability and is a member of several organizations both on and off campus working to accomplish these matters. In her free time, Emily enjoys hanging out with friends, exploring hiking trails, and playing board games.