Jill Walton is a current Microbiology PhD candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is a lifelong sustainability advocate and her research focuses on the bioremediation of pollutants in our oceans. She founded K-TESST after taking part in the UTK’s Community Engagement Academy. Hearing about the red-tape involved in many mail-in or drop off soil testing programs, she wanted to create a more accessible testing program where people could have more agency over testing their soil and water and learn what the testing metrics mean.