From biofilms to breast cancer and connective tissue to kākāpō, the annual Otago School of Biomedical Sciences Postgraduate Symposium once again showcased the diversity and quality of research carried out by postgraduate students in the school. And the Department of Biochemistry, as one of the five member departments of the school, contributed its fair share of the research on display.
Seven students from Biochemistry summarised their research for the rest of the school as short talks, and 14 students presented posters.
The keynote speaker was Biochemistry group leader and recent winner of a university Early Career Award for Distinction in Research, Dr Sarah Diermeier. She presented her work on long non-coding RNAs and new therapeutic targets in cancer.
Congratulations to the two Biochemistry students who won awards: Mareike Erdmann from the Lamont Lab won 2nd place in the 10-minute talks with her research on antibiotic-resistant mutations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Josh Scadden from the Krause Lab won 2nd place in the posters with his work on the immune modulating protein CrmB from the Variola virus.
Photo above: Mareike Erdmann, Lamont Lab, talking about her research into mutations in antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa bacteria.Photo below: Josh Scadden and Mareike Erdmann show their Symposium awards.
