Toothpicks held by small, trembling fingers lifted dots of bacteria colonies, then in "x" formation streaked them across antibiotic-containing nutrient broth agar. As I leaned closely to assure that I had not pierced the agar, my nose wrinkled at its sickening-sweet smell. In the laboratory, the fume hood's hum, mechanical pipette's whir, and chairs' squeaky hinges fused with the crisp clinks of petri dishes into a sonority my ears came to recognize as "Enviro Lab No.6." Six weeks of my...

UCLA SMARTS,...