Currently living on the prairie of western Minnesota, Cathe Smith does molecular diagnostics, metagenomics, and sequencing for a veterinary diagnostics lab and autogenous vaccine manufacturer. Thanks in part to her work, three new zoonotic viruses have been sequenced and described. Previously, her graduate research resulted in the discovery of six new species of Springtails. Outside of the lab, she enjoys crochet. She is currently working on a series of short horror stories based on the surrounding prairie.