Sharon Okoroma

Prior to her time in the SSP, Sharon Okoroma had virtually no lab experience; however, she says the program helped her develop new skills and confidence in a very short time.

“Within one week, I went from learning basic pipetting skills to confidently working in tissue culture,” she recalls.

Okoroma took her new skills to the laboratory of Dawn Bowdish, a professor of medicine at McMaster and a member of the IIDR. There, she examined how the lung microenvironment changes with age, sex, and frailty.

Okoroma, a level-two Health Sciences student Queen’s University, says her time at McMaster taught her a lot more than just science.

“The SSP not only provided me with technical skills, but also underscored the importance of representation and support for underrepresented minorities in biomedical research and STEM fields overall,” she says. “I am grateful for the opportunity that the SSP has given me to continue advocating for equity and diversity in science.”

Meri Woldeyes

As a third-year Nursing student at McMaster University, Meri Woldeyes came to the SSP with a range of clinical insights but very little basic science experience.

“Research was foreign to me given my academic background, so I was uncertain going into the program,” she says.

But the SSP quickly put those uncertainties to rest, equipping her with the necessary “skills, supports, and resources” to help her gain confidence in a lab setting.

Woldeyes studied in the laboratory of Sara Andres, an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and a member of the IIDR. Her project focused on using high-throughput screening to identify compounds that inhibit the protein interactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a disease-causing bacteria associated with serious illnesses, like pneumonia.

Woldeyes says her experience with the SSP helped re-ignite her passion for learning and research and left her feeling grateful.

Tommy Akinnawonu

Tommy Akinnawonu, a second-year biomedical sciences student at Toronto Metropolitan University, spent his summer at McMaster learning the ins and outs of lab research.

Training in the laboratory of Matthew Miller, executive director of McMaster’s Global Nexus and scientific director of the IIDR, Akinnawonu’s research focused on quantifying existing immunity to H5N1 avian influenza in Canada based on previous exposure to H1N1 — a highly topical research project, as H5N1 cases continue to rise in the US.

Akinnawonu says of all the lab work he conducted throughout the summer, he particularly enjoyed x-ray crystallography, which allows researchers to examine the molecular structure of crystallized samples.

“We toured a beautiful crystallography lab and were able to try it ourselves,” he recalls. “Doing the experiment and seeing what our days of preparation turned out to be was really rewarding.”

Akinnawonu says above all, though, he’ll remember the “instrumental” support provided by his fellow Summer Scholars, by de Paoli, and by Felicia Vulcu and Vivian Leong, who helped facilitate this year’s program.

Julian Trinh

Julian Trinh says the SSP was “one of the coolest and most positive experiences” he’s had as an undergrad.

A fourth-year biology student at Toronto Metropolitan University, Trinh spent his summer at McMaster studying in the laboratory of Alison Holloway, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

There, he investigated the impacts of naphthenic acid fraction compounds from the Alberta Oil Sands on granulosa cells.

“Everyone in the Holloway Lab was so generous, and they fully embraced me as part of their team,” he says. “It has been incredible to learn and grow with the other scholars in such a supportive space. This program is something I’ll never forget, and everything I’ve learned will stay with me forever.”