Kirsty Salmon will speak to high school girls about her scientific career.

A Brock alumna who is a molecular biologist and former competitive swimmer will headline this week’s Scientifically Yours event.

Kirsty Salmon, a former Biological Sciences student and Female Athlete of the Year in 1989, is now a microbial physiologist and molecular biologist. She will speak to the 56 scientifically-minded Grade 11 girls who will attend Scientifically Yours at Brock on May 5 and 6.

The 20th annual event encourages girls to enter scientific fields. Workshops include computerized music production, DNA fingerprinting and laser holography.

Salmon attended Brock for seven years, studying molecular cloning and restriction enzyme while competing on the University swim team. After receiving her BSc and MSc from Brock, she earned her PhD from McGill in 1999. She then took a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

She is now director of scientific projects at Verdezyne Inc., a California synthetic biology company. Her current research is focused on the production of biofuels, ultimately from non-food crops.

She was inducted into Brock’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

The two-day Scientifically Yours event concludes with scientific mentors attending a dinner with the students. Mentors this year include Lisa McTaggart, microbiologist for Public Health Ontario; Deena Errampalli, research scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Vineland) and Gina Grossi, assistant director and lead programmer with the St. Catharines video game company Silicon Knights.

Salmon’s keynote will be on May 5 from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. in Thistle 325.

Links:
• 2010 Scientifically Yours flyer (PDF)
• Verdezyne Green Chemistry by Design
• Silicon Knights