MEDIA RELEASE: 28 February 2019 – R00032
Five Brock University students have earned spots in the Top 40 of a national video competition showcasing student research.
Graduate students Danielle Williams, Emily Ham, Michael McAlpine, Sarah Walker and undergrad Mateo Andrade join others vying for awards in the Science, Action! competition sponsored by one of Brock’s major funders, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
The five students submitted 60-second videos and brief summaries of their research to NSERC. Now that they’ve been named to the Top 40, they’re asking for the public’s support to make it to the second round.
The 25 videos with the most views on YouTube between now and March 27 will move on to the next round, where a panel of judges will select the winners.
All videos are posted on the Science, Action! website.
The Brock entries are:
Danielle Williams, a PhD candidate in Biotechnology, studies how plants can be used to create anti-cancer drugs. Plants produce a wide range of chemicals with important medicinal properties, many of which belong to a class of compounds called alkaloids. The aim of Williams’ research is to engineer yeast strains capable of producing alkaloids in a bioreactor system, which will make it possible to generate higher yields of these valuable chemicals at a lower cost. Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=WslLSXdu7nA
Emily Ham, a master’s student in Earth Sciences, studies how microplastics have become a cause for concern in recent years due to their widespread distribution and potential threat to aquatic life. Her research investigates the presence and pathways of microplastics in the Niagara region, which involves investigating treated wastewater, local stream water and agricultural soil samples from fields applied with wastewater biosolids. Results indicate that microplastics are widespread in the Niagara region, likely contributing to plastic concentrations in Lake Ontario. Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=_fITsR9_X18
Mateo Andrade, an undergrad Biotechnology student, works under the wing of experts in Assistant Professor Feng Li’s bioanalytical chemistry research group. His project involves the use of DNA nanotechnology to develop next generation point of care devices. Andrade hopes his research contributions will help to address meaningful biological and biomedical questions. Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=v5PGDSQQjdM
Michael McAlpine, a PhD candidate in Health Sciences, is researching how nutrition and diet can influence the human body. He’s working to determine the effectiveness of consuming polyphenols from tea to improve bone quantity and quality, as well as revealing the mechanisms that allow this to occur. Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=XgRsNqFVoXM
Sarah Walker, a PhD candidate in Biology working under the supervision of Professors Robert Carlone and Gaynor Spencer, studies neuronal regeneration in the central nervous system of the pond snail . Unlike humans, the snail can regenerate cells within its brain as an adult, making it a great system to investigate how regeneration works. Walker studies microRNAs, which are small, non-coding RNAs, and their distribution within regenerating cells using fluorescent tags to visualize their localization during different stages of regeneration. Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=8wo_3u9vfMo
“I am so proud of our students and the amazing research they are doing,” said Diane Dupont, Interim Dean of Graduate Studies. “To have five Brock students in the Top 40 in a national contest is an amazing achievement for the University.
“These videos are an excellent representation of the high calibre of research that occurs across our campus. These students have gone above and beyond to make their research accessible to a broad audience,” she said.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
* Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970
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