2008 Pilot Competition
ST MARY’S STUDENTS SCOOP THE 2008 BIOGENEIUS PRIZE POOL
Yasmin Soliman and Kayla Mizzi, both Year 11 students at St Mary's Anglican Girls School, were announced the winners of the 2008 BioGENEius Challenge of Western Australia.
The two students, who are both good friends, were presented with their awards on 4 March 2009 by the Minister for Commerce Troy Buswell. More than 150 guests attended the gala presentation ceremony including Nobel Laureates Professor Barry Marshall and Dr Robin Warren, senior academics, BioGENEius students and their families.
The 2008 competition attracted a diverse range of research topics including improving water quality, preventing the spread of dieback, wound healing, improving wheat yields as well as ageing and melanoma related research.
Yasmin Soliman's project on the ‘Identification of Wavelengths Needed for Optimum Spectral Discrimination of Skeleton Weed from Other Agricultural Weeds’ was conducted with the assistance of Edith Cowan University’s WA Centre of Excellence for Microphotonic Systems. The project aimed to distinguish a major weed pest from other weed pests so that it could be targeted by a laser sensor and eradicated in the field, minimising the use of pesticides in crops and pastures.
Kayla Mizzi's project was undertaken with the help of the Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders at the University of Western Australia. Her project focused on the ‘Identification of Branch Points and Investigation of the Splice Motifs as Additional Targets for Exon Skipping in the Dystrophin Gene Transcript.’ The project aimed to investigate an alternative therapy for muscular dystrophy.
In May 2009 Kayla and Yasmin will travel to Atlanta, Georgia USA to present their research as part of the 2009 International BioGENEius Challenge. Kayla and Yasmin will compete against selected students from USA and Canada.
The International BioGENEius Challenge is a centerpiece of BIO 2009 Conference. Last year Western Australia’s two participants Oliver Tester and Bindhu Holavanahalli won third and fourth place, generating a considerable interest in the State’s education and research capabilities.
This year’s competition included a “semi-final” stage where 10 students were selected to present their research to a panel of experts chaired by the Chief Scientist, Professor Lyn Beazley.
