Biotechnologist for the Biotechnology Regulatory Services at USDA
Kate Rappaport is a Biotechnologist for the Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) in the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service branch (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Her role is to provide regulatory oversight for organisms developed using genetic engineering in order to protect America’s agricultural resources. This is done through controlling the import, interstate movement, and environmental field releases of modified organisms into the country and between states according to the code of federal regulations to ensure the safety of these biotech products for the environment and for human consumption.
Kate Rappaport started her scientific career and education at Washington College in Maryland where she majored in Plant Sciences and Spanish. While in her undergraduate studies, Kate studied abroad in Spain at the University of Salamanca, which pushed her urge to travel even more. This same craving, or “travel bug” as she called it, opened more doors for her than she realized. After her undergrad she went on to serve in the United States Peace Corps in Guatemala where she stayed for 3 years before coming back to the United States. Her projects in crop diversification and vegetable production helped the indigenous community by adding new vegetables and fruits into their diets. Her service proved to be very fruitful for both the community and to herself because of how much she ended up learning from the experience.
After serving 3 years in the Peace Corps, she began her federal government career working for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), an agency of the USDA, where research on strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries is done. During this time, she also finished her masters degree at John Hopkins University in Advanced Biotechnology. This led her to her positions as a Plant Biologist and Biotechnologist for APHIS.
Kate emphasizes the path to a fulfilling career and life does not always follow a straight line, but more of a zig-zag path that consists of doing things that interest, educate, and fulfill you. We learned from her that in order to be a helpful member of your community, you must have the passion and willingness to do so.
Authors: Mona Tran and Jacob Jauregui
Kate Rappaport started her scientific career and education at Washington College in Maryland where she majored in Plant Sciences and Spanish. While in her undergraduate studies, Kate studied abroad in Spain at the University of Salamanca, which pushed her urge to travel even more. This same craving, or “travel bug” as she called it, opened more doors for her than she realized. After her undergrad she went on to serve in the United States Peace Corps in Guatemala where she stayed for 3 years before coming back to the United States. Her projects in crop diversification and vegetable production helped the indigenous community by adding new vegetables and fruits into their diets. Her service proved to be very fruitful for both the community and to herself because of how much she ended up learning from the experience.
After serving 3 years in the Peace Corps, she began her federal government career working for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), an agency of the USDA, where research on strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries is done. During this time, she also finished her masters degree at John Hopkins University in Advanced Biotechnology. This led her to her positions as a Plant Biologist and Biotechnologist for APHIS.
Kate emphasizes the path to a fulfilling career and life does not always follow a straight line, but more of a zig-zag path that consists of doing things that interest, educate, and fulfill you. We learned from her that in order to be a helpful member of your community, you must have the passion and willingness to do so.
Authors: Mona Tran and Jacob Jauregui