ABOUT ME

Background

Hi, my name is Tommy and I am a student in the Marin Academy Research Collaboration (MARC) program. After moving to Marin from Windsor, England, I was excited by the opportunity MARC provides to run an independent experiment, conduct self-driven research, and spend time with peers who have STEM interests similar to mine.

I have always been fascinated by microbiology, as the field allows researchers to study, understand, and manipulate the mechanisms of life at the smallest level. After completing the Boston Leadership Institute's summer course in Synthetic Biology - where I was able to spend time in the lab and learn skills such as micropipetting, bacterial plating, DNA methylation, and gain experience with CRISPR - I knew that in MARC I wanted to further develop my lab skills, and work in the lab to gain a deeper understanding of microbiological research.

Credentials/Experience

Science: AP Computer Science Principles, MARC: Exploring Experimental Design, Advanced Biology (H), Neuroscience (H), Case Studies in Medicine, Human Anatomy and Physiology (H), Advanced Physics with Calculus (H), Advanced Chemistry (H), Marin Academy Research Collaborative: Independant Research I and II

Mathematics: Pre-Calculus (H), Advanced Calculus (H)

Additional Summer Courses: Boston Leadership Institute's Synthetic Biology, Boston Leadership Insitute's Neuroscience and Neurosurgery, UChicago's Pathways in Molecular Engineering

Accomplishments: Recipient of the University of Chicago's Pritzker Engineering Early Distinction Award and merit scholarship, 3rd place in Biological Sciences Division of the Bay Area STEM fair

Volunteer Experience: Swan Lifeline, Romanian Children's Relief

Work Experience: Camp Counselor at Strawberry Recreation District Camp, dental office worker at Suparna Vohra, DDS

Lab Skills: bacterial plating, streaking, lawns, mixing media, pouring plates, electron spectroscopy, measuring areas of restriction, DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, micropipetting, bacterial transformation, DNA methylation, mitochondrial extraction, ELISA

Motivation

From a young age, I have been driven to understand the series of chemical reactions we refer to as biological life. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was fascinated by immunopathogenesis and contagion, mainly the mechanisms that infectious diseases employ to be effective, and how these can be harnessed to further medicine and genetic engineering technologies.

I completed a semester-long project on the effects of ultraviolet light on lysogenic phages in my sophomore year and knew I wanted to continue working with the microorganism for my MARC project. Phages have immense potential as viral vectors, therapies for antibiotic-resistant infections, degrading biofilms, maintaining food safety, and more, but are constrained by obstacles like the small host range of phages and the evolutionary equilibrium. I am interested in exploring and comparing techniques of phage engineering to address these obstacles.

Past Projects

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