All Posts – Page 4

25th March 202225th March 2022

Look on the sunny side! It’s Easter!

We can all agree it’s been an eggs-hausting term (brace yourself, I have so many egg puns it’s not even bunny!), but we’ve made it through the dark winter mornings and January blues, and Easter is finally in sight! Some of you might be desperate for this break, I for sure am, and some of you might be desperate for a month of exam prep and catching up on lectures…but it’ll come as no surprise to you that I am once again preaching about balance!

15th March 202221st March 2022

A Day In The Lab With Maria Kyriazi

Written By Maria Kyriazi

Edited By: Elysia Marrs

Interviewed By: Elayna Hugh-Jones, Elysia Marrs

Hi Maria, what do you study here at Newcastle University?

I am an MSci Biomedical Genetics student and currently, I am undertaking my third-year Research Project for the completion of my bachelor’s degree. Therefore, I am investigating a specific protein, SGO1 and its role in female chromosomal ageing.

What is your topic of research in the lab?

My research project focuses on investigating the potential mechanisms leading to missegregation errors that are detected with the maternal age effect. For instance, after the age of 35, women are more prone to born children with chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome (“trisomy 21”), or Edward’s syndrome (“trisomy 18”), which happens due to the decrease of a complex, known as cohesin, that holds sister chromatids together until the end of the second meiotic round. Essentially, I am investigating a specific protein, known as SGO1 (“shugoshin” = guardian in Japanese) that protects centromeric cohesion and, therefore, missegregation errors. My project aims to determine that this protein decreases in women after the age of 35, explaining the increased numbers of older women giving birth to children with chromosomal abnormalities after a certain age. To do so, I am using cutting edge technology, including immunofluorescence and dCas9 designed constructs which I visualize in fixed or live conditions using Zeiss LSM 880 Airyscan microscope.

12th March 202227th June 2022

Become a Productivity Powerhouse By Elysia Marrs

As students, we’re all striving for the balance between work time and down time. However, many of us fall into the procrastination cycle where your down time is seemingly fighting head on with your work time. But what if I told you it doesn’t have to be this way? Your hobbies and work schedule can coincide synergistically, resulting in a happier, less stressed version of you. In this blog post I’m going to outline a few tips to help set yourself up for success with a foundation of healthy habits, and to make more time for the things that are important to you.

11th March 202221st March 2022

How to conquer the kitchen…student style!

By Elayna Hugh-Jones

One of the most exciting, or perhaps daunting – depends on your perspective, parts of moving away from home, is that you can eat whatever, and whenever, you want. Now, I understand that the freedom to eat chicken dippers and potato waffles every day may be very appealing to you, however, with this freedom comes great responsibility…to keep yourself healthy!

8th March 202221st March 2022

The Legacy of Henrietta Lacks

By Evangelia Rakou Stage 2 Biomedical Sciences Student

Who is Henrietta Lacks?

It might come as a surprise to you that one of the people who changed the course of medical research was not even a scientist herself. Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman and mother of five who died from cervical cancer in 1951.

After complaining of vaginal bleeding, she was diagnosed with the disease and sadly passed away several months after her diagnosis. However, her cells continue to impact the world and revolutionise modern medicine years after her death.

8th March 202221st March 2022

Dr Marie Maynard Daly: The Mother of Genetics and Heart Diseases

By Luisa Roa Gil 3rd year Physiological Sciences student

Illustration of Dr Marie Maynard Daly by Matteo Farinella on Tumblr

You might expect to instantly recognise the name of someone that contributed to the discovery of DNA structure, revealed the cause of high blood pressure, and became the first African-American woman to obtain a chemistry PhD, right?

However, you may be shocked by how many do not know the story of Dr Marie Maynard Daly – a woman who made multiple advances in science and opened doors for young scientists.

6th March 202221st March 2022

Study Tips for Exams

By: Caroline Elaine

Exams are coming up soon, have you started studying yet?

If you have, great! Keep up the good work! However, if you haven’t (like most of us), below are a few tips to help you get started. I suggest you should start studying now. Believe me, you won’t be able to cover all the lectures if you don’t start now.

“Study for knowledge, not for marks. If you have the knowledge, you will get the marks“
– Khursed Batliwala.

This is a good quote highlighting that studying should be enjoyable and that this knowledge will serve as a solid foundation for your next step in life. This knowledge will serve as a solid foundation for your next step in life. That is why it is important to study not only for exams but throughout your modules.

Here are my tips to help you study for the exams

6th March 20225th September 2022

Our Student Secrets For Your First Year of University

By Elysia Marrs and Elayna Hugh – Jones

#1 “Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan!”

Picture this, it’s 6pm on a Thursday, you’re just back from a long day of lectures, you’re hangry as hell and those birds-eye potato waffles are calling your name…but trust me, there is a whole world of foods and flavours at your disposal if you just meal plan! As Iona Gannon, 2^nd year nutrition student swears by, “an extra 30 minutes spent planning at the weekend will save you so much time and money, even just three speedy meals a week and you will thank yourself”. You never know, you might even be the next Gordan Ramsey, minus the raging temper hopefully!

The Late Late Show with James Corden News on CBS

28th February 202221st March 2022

Bored of the pub? Try the Great North Museum: Hancock!

By Kate Watson – 3rd year Biomedical Sciences

As a twenty-year-old student, there are many places I go to in Newcastle: clubs, parks and restaurants. When you’re only living in a city for a few years, you’ve got to try to make the most of it! I thought I’d visited everything that was worthwhile. How wrong I was!

A grand building on campus was hiding a multitude of wonders. I’d walked past it many times, but I’d never once considered going in. Who wants to spend their free time in a boring old museum?

5th November 202121st March 2022

The Secretive World of the Personal Care Industry

Procter & Gamble is one of the largest personal care companies in the world. If I gave you 10 seconds to find a P&G product, I guarantee there would be at least 5 in the kitchen cupboard. They are responsible for delivering Ariel, Fairy, Bold, Gillette, and so many more brands.

Naturally, working for such a large business means having access to a lot of confidential information, which can be very daunting at first. What if I get it wrong? What if I release millions of pounds worth of information to our top competitor?