The Microbiology Zone was a themed Zone, jointly funded by the Society for Applied Microbiology and Wellcome. Lea is a PhD student researching how soil animals can help us produce environmentally friendly food, Emma is studying a particular bacteria that is infecting hospital patients with Cystic Fibrosis and Christopher works for a food safety company working to find new ways to treat diseases. Ash is a PhD student looking at the differences between the causes of Tuberculosis in humans and cows, Ananthi (the winner in this Zone) is studying alternative treatments to replace antibiotics and Aaron is working on ways to produce energy from grass using microorganisms.
This was a busy Zone, with a higher than average number of questions and Live Chats in comparison to the other Zones in November’s I’m a Scientist event. Questions in this Zone were balanced, with an even mix of interest in the theme, science in general, careers and the scientists’ personal lives. Lots of students were interested in the theme of microbiology with questions about bacteria and antibiotic resistance, as well as the research of the scientists.
