A lot of people think research is intimidating or difficult. But it's all about finding a topic that you enjoy. 

I’m in my final year in molecular biology, in the honours program. I was looking into my options for research when I heard about the work that Dr. Tina Bott and Dr. Kimberley Harcombe were doing on antimicrobial resistance in plants. Antimicrobial resistance is a big problem that directly affects all of us, especially since research shows that bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to antimicrobials – also known as antibiotics. 

For example, in 2018, 25 per cent of bacterial infections in Canada were resistant to their first-choice antimicrobials – meaning that the first antibiotic prescribed was not effective in one-quarter of patients. That resulted in 5,400 deaths. By 2050, that number is predicted to increase to 40 per cent. So research on new antimicrobial compounds is important, and plants are a great source to start with.

I am specifically looking at Himalayan Balsam and Vetch – which are invasive plants in Alberta. There is some research showing that invasive plants use antimicrobial compounds to fight off pathogens. My research is trying to identify which compound exactly is causing this antimicrobial activity – that compound could then potentially be used as an antibiotic in the future.

I want to go to medical school in the future and all of this work into drug discovery is exciting to me – to do something that actually impacts people.

In research, there is a lot of uncertainty. A lot of experiments fail or they don't turn out as expected. Research really teaches you about failing. 

But you're never really alone. If you fail, there's likely someone supporting you and guiding you – it’s very comforting.

When I was optimizing my technique the first week, it all failed. That was about 10 to 15 hours of work. But the next week I set up a lot of controls and did a bunch of replicates. When that experiment turned out, I was super excited – I was even jumping around. I immediately texted my supervisors and they were just as excited as I was about that result – it was a huge thing for all of us.

There is a lot of collaboration with my honours supervisors and other students – it's actually a lot of women supporting women in research. It's so exciting to see the contribution of women in the field. 

I’m learning that nothing's really impossible. You just have to keep trying and believe in your work.

– Harjot, Bachelor of Science student 

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