2023 Undergraduate Summer Studentship
Project title: Improving our understanding of the urine microbiome: the role of intracellular bacterial biofilms
How would you describe your research project to someone without a scientific background?
Bacteria in the urinary tract have learned how to live there by sticking together and attaching to cells. These bacteria might be very important to the urinary system, but it's hard to count them because they're stuck together. There are very limited studies about this. To learn more about these bacteria, we will look at urine samples from healthy people. We will use special tools to see the bacteria and count them accurately.
What impact do you hope this project makes once completed?
This project should give us insight into what causes recurrent inflammation of the bladder (or cystitis) in patients, particularly in women. If successful, this would be a step in the right direction toward those who suffer from such a condition.
How will the support from Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology help you?
Receiving this award as an undergraduate student is a great opportunity for me to gain valuable experience and skills that will benefit me in my future academic and professional pursuits.
What first attracted you to science?
For me, an early interest in science was sparked by a curiosity about the natural world and a desire to understand how things work. My exposure to science through classes taken in high school and university allowed me to explore my passion. As I have grown and developed my interests, I have particularly found myself attracted to the medical sciences.
What is your favorite distraction or hobby?
My favourite hobby is bird watching. I’ve been bird watching since I was 12.
If you could live in any other time, when might that be?
In the 1900s, so I can invent relativity first.