New microbiology club takes a closer look
Juniors Neha Sripathi and Gurleen Kaur channel their love for microbiology into a new eighth period club.
Juniors Gurleen Kaur and Neha Sripathi present about the gut microbiome at a club meeting. The gut microbiome is one of many specific aspects of microbiology that the officers hope to explore in depth. “The gut microbiome is something that’s really interesting, [such as] how it impacts your physical and your mental health,” Kaur said.
December 7, 2019
Juniors Neha Sripathi and Gurleen Kaur started a microbiology club to explore microbiology, the study of microscopic forms of life. The club meets every Friday during A block in Room 22. While there are already many clubs that fall under the expansive umbrella that biology encompasses, until recently, there hasn’t been a club specifically focused on microbiology, which is why Sripathi and Kaur decided to create one.
Both Sripathi and Kaur are currently taking the new microbial genomics and bioinformatics class that started this year, and Sripathi found herself drawn specifically to microbiology because of how applicable it is to the real world. Since the amount of time spent on microbiology in the class is limited, Sripathi decided to create a microbiology club where she and students with a similar passion could take an in-depth look at the science.
“I just I fell in love with the subject. The more I read about it, the more interested I get. It’s just such a vast, expansive topic,” Sripathi said.
Their plan for the club is to let the students who attend the club decide what subtopics they want to explore. Both Sripathi and Kaur are interested in doing labs too, but it is a process they are unfamiliar with. They have many factors to consider, including getting supplies, so right now they are considering doing small, interactive activities instead, as well as group discussions.
“We really want to do labs, but it’s kind of a hard thing to do because we’re not even sure how exactly to go about doing [them]. I was also thinking about doing smaller activities. So we’re hoping to do a combination of labs, and smaller activities and discussions,” Kaur said.
Both Kaur and Sripathi are excited to share their newfound love for microbiology with other Jefferson students. They received a high attendance and level of interest at their first meeting, which they really appreciated.
“There’s a huge amount of diversity that’s really been kind of untapped. If you have a stronger microbiology background that could be really helpful in the future.” Sripathi said.
