Name:
Tapoka Mkandawire
Job:
PhD Student, Wellcome Sanger Institute
What do I do?
I study how bacteria in our guts “talk” to a parasitic whip worm that can infect us– if we can understand the messages the bacteria send we may be able to beat the disease. I get to travel to Africa and South America to collect samples for my research and grow bacteria and worms in the lab.
Me in 3 (Three words to describe me)
- Persevering
- Friendly
- Open to new ideas
Fascinating facts about me
I love trying new food, my favourite colour is pink and if I could have any pet it would be a hedgehog! I love being outdoors
doing photography.
Skills I use in my job:
Observation – I have to look at tiny bacteria and worms under a microscope
Organisation – I need to be organised in my job so I make lists of all the tasks I need to do
Communication – When I have done a project, I write it up in a journal so I can tell others about my research findings
Teamwork – I work with other scientists around the world, it is important that we can all work together to contribute to a project
Can you extract DNA from Fruit?
To study bacteria and worms, I have to extract their DNA. Every living thing on the planet has DNA and it is quite easy to the get it out using some basic household items: Salt, water, washing up liquid and alcohol!
Make sure you get an adult to help you.
See how it’s done here:
www.yourgenome.org/activities/extracting-dna-from-fruit