During my senior year of high school, my Biotechnology career tech program allowed my fellow classmates and I to enter the Capstone Showcase Competition. Three classmates and I entered the competition, in which we competed against groups from our school and other schools from the nearby area. For our project we decided to research the effects of bacteriophage on antibiotic resistance, determining its efficacy as an alternative way to combat the rapidly growing population of bacteria that are no longer affected by antibiotics. To test this, we grew cultures of E. coli and transformed the bacteria to become Ampicillin-resistant using plasmid DNA. Next, the bacteriophage chosen, Coliphage T4r, was added to the transformed E. coli. The E.coli was then spread onto the agar plates and left to grow. The data collected showed that the bacteriophage inhibited the growth of bacteria, supporting the hypothesis. We compiled our data and displayed it on a poster board. We took our findings to Sinclair Community College for the competition. We presented our project to the panel of judges, who asked us questions about our data, as well as how we could extend our project in the future. Later, we attended the awards ceremony and it was announced our project “Counter Culture” had won first place. This project taught me that by truly applying myself, I can accomplish almost anything and I will use this as an example to motivate myself in the future.
The Ohio State University Honors and Scholars Program hosted a tailgate before a home football game. I went with two friends that I met in my dorm building. At the tailgate they served pancakes and we met new people. I appreciated the tailgate because it increased my sense of community and made the Ohio State campus feel much smaller.
For Spring Break of 2019, I and a group of my friends decided to visit Hocking Hills. Being mostly Biological Sciences Scholars we were excited to be surrounded by nature. The weather was perfect and was just becoming warm. We went on many hikes and enjoyed the newly blossoming trees and streams. It was a great break from school work and rejuvenated me to handle the rest of the semester.
During my third and fourth semesters at the Ohio State University, I was given the opportunity to work with an advisor to develop a STEP proposal. Second-Year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) allows second year students to earn up to $2,000 in scholarships for a project they develop. I decided to work on a Study Abroad program called Scientific Roots in Europe. During this program I will travel to London, England and Paris, France to visit homes of important scientists and laboratories where significant discoveries were made. I am very excited for this opportunity, as it will give me new experiences, deepen my knowledge of biology, and strengthen my independence.