Growing up in India, Krishna Patel (BSc ’26) thought she had a clear picture of her future career. Until a science fiction movie shifted her focus from fine arts to biotechnology.<\/p>\n
Patel and Geoffrey Jensen (BSc ’26) received the Governor General\u2019s Silver Medal during Brock University\u2019s 120th Convocation on Friday, Oct. 16. One of Canada\u2019s most prestigious undergraduate academic honours, the medal is presented annually to the two graduating students with the highest standing of all graduates in a first honours degree.<\/p>\n
Patel, who was awarded the Distinguished Graduating Student Award – Biotechnology at Spring Convocation, decided to pursue a career in science after seeing Gattaca<\/em>, which explores a future shaped by genetic engineering, in 2020. That same year, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry or developing CRISPR\/Cas9 genetic scissors, a powerful gene-editing tool that allows scientists to edit DNA with remarkable precision.<\/p>\n The connection between the film\u2019s imagined future and real scientific advances made Patel reconsider what science might achieve.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat once seemed confined to science fiction appeared increasingly attainable,\u201d she said. \u201cI realized the immense potential of biotechnology and how the intersection of chemistry, biology and technology could translate ambitious ideas into innovations that could improve life and benefit society as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n After completing an undergraduate thesis in Professor of Chemistry Hongbin Yan\u2019s lab, she co-authored a publication on photoacids, molecules that change their acidity when exposed to light. Now pursuing a master\u2019s in Biotechnology at Brock, Patel is extending that research to more stable photoacids to examine changes in DNA conformation inside cells.<\/p>\n As well as pursuing her own academic goals, Patel has supported the success of other students as a chemistry and biology tutor at Brock\u2019s Learning Services throughout her time at the University and participated as a panelist in Brock\u2019s Smart Start Orientation.<\/p>\n Community has also been pivotal to Jensen\u2019s post-secondary journey. He credits friendships formed in residence with enriching his university experience.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a good group of friends in my classes was important,\u201d said Jensen. \u201cWe kept each other accountable, compared notes and perspectives and explained concepts to one another. That helped all of us understand the course material better.\u201d<\/p>\n In class, he was motivated to answer questions by his own curiosity and the understanding that a question from one person can help others understand a concept more clearly.<\/p>\n \u201cI never missed a class \u2014 lecture, lab or tutorial. Even when classes started at 8 a.m., I always showed up because that allowed me to absorb as much information as possible. I learned early on that I learned best by sitting in class and asking questions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Jensen, who received the Dean’s Medal for Mathematics and Science (Honours) at Spring Convocation, also competed in programming competitions with the Brock Computer Science Club \u2014 including the International Collegiate Programming Contest and CS Games \u2014 to expand his learning. As well as helping him build essentials skills by tackling new challenges, these opportunities allowed him to expand his network and eventually helped him land a full-time job at a technology company.<\/p>\n