Life Science visit from Biomedical Engineering PhD Candidate Erin Yablonski

PhD candidate Erin Yablonski visited our seventh grade Life Science class last week! Erin is getting her PhD at UVA in Biomedical Engineering, and she spoke to the class about her research and how her faith has shaped her career path in the sciences. Her experiences in lab science included designing the wastewater monitoring dashboard for Bangladesh's Prime Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic. She currently studies Enterotoxigenic E.coli, or ETEC, using metabolic network modeling to look at 1,500 types of the bacteria and builds models for each strain to remove genes that could destroy the disease-spreading microbe. ETEC causes severe health issues in developing countries and often affects travelers. "We use a form of advanced mathematics called linear algebra," said Erin, who discussed how both her love of math and science in school and God's call to love others has led her to a path where she can use STEM skills to make a difference in underprivileged communities. The Life Science students made connections with their current study of DNA, and learned about topics like metabolites, glycolysis, nucleotides, and the study of systems biology.