Author: Adiki Puplampu
Date: 15 December 2023
A returning ELITE Program intern, Mofi Awoluyi’s interest in research was sparked in her first year as a program intern. A second year pharmacology major, Mofi spent her first year in the program in a mechanical engineering internship, doing work that, while interesting, was outside her area of interest. But this valuable learning experience only made her more excited to explore and develop skills in her own field.
During her internship this year, Mofi worked in Dr. Dominic Sauvageau’s lab in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. Her work was focused on inducing phages in methanotrophic bacteria with the goal of better understanding the bacteria and its interactions with the environment. Working largely independently, Mofi had the opportunity to guide her research process.
“Having the freedom to conduct my own experiments and to troubleshoot and to just make things in the way that I want, without heavy supervision has been really exciting for me.”
Looking to the future, Mofi would like to pursue a career in research, particularly health sciences research that helps others. When asked what she would tell other students thinking about applying to the ELITE Program, Mofi had this to say:
“I would just encourage them to apply by saying that it really helps to broaden your horizons and helps you to hold down a certain skill and meet new people and learn a lot of new exciting things.”