My research experience with the Lewis research group has been profoundly enriching, equipping me with a diverse set of skills and a deep understanding of the world of academia. Working in the lab allowed me to further develop my laboratory skills to a point that I am extremely comfortable with designing and running my own experiments with accuracy and safety. During my time in the lab I got to work with so many brilliant people that helped mentor me through the summer and provided excellent feedback and advice. I feel extremely confident going into my third year of my undergraduate with the skills I have learned, and hopefully I will be able to apply some of them to my future courses. I couldn't be more grateful with the opportunity that the Lewis research has group provided me.

I had an enjoyable experience doing research over the summer. I performed isotope tracing experiments on Neisseria gonorrhoeae using 13C-acetate to elucidate exogenous acetate utilization. These experiments helped me practice and improve the lab skills I will need for my future as I enter into a master's program. This experience allowed me to further familiarize myself with growing this fastidious organism, which will enable me to continue working with this organism for my master's project and contribute knowledge about this pathogen. This experience also increased my confidence in being more independent in the laboratory.

Throughout this summer, I learned how to code in RStudio in order to perform an analysis on bloodstream infection patients in Alberta. The Lewis Research Group was granted access to patient outcomes, demographics and proteomics data from blood isolate samples of patients infected with a common blood culture contaminant, Staphylococcus lugdunensis. I was tasked to filter this data set and use data visualization techniques in RStudio to determine any patterns that S. lugdunensis may follow when infecting patients. We were able to conclude that S. lugdunensis bacteremia is more serious and has a higher incidence of clinically significant bacteremia than previously reported.

The APEX access award enabled me to pursue summer research without having to hold down another job over the summer. By removing financial barriers, the APEX access awards helped me focus on my work and build long-lasting connections with people in my field. I am so grateful to the APEX access program for making this experience possible for me.

This summer I began working on the metabolic profile of antimicrobial resistant aconitase mutant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. These mutations modify antimicrobial resistant fitness by improving their ability to grow and reproduce, understanding the metabolic profile of these strains can help illustrate the mechanism by which fitness deficits are overcome. I worked with a team of scientists to grow four mutant strains each with a missense mutation on acnB (gene encoding aconitase) in addition to mutations that conferred resistance to ceftriaxone, an antibiotic. We found that (1) the growth profile of the mutants is distinct from the parent strains, (2) the location of the point mutations on acnB generated unique metabolic profiles, and (3) the fitness compensation phenotype may be associated with greater energy metabolism via the Krebs Cycle and the Pentose Phosphate Pathway.

Dr. Marija Drikic is the APEX Access Education Coordinator/Manager and Operations Manager at the University of Calgary, specializing in Metabolomics, Virology, and Microbiology. Originally from Serbia, she obtained her BSc and MSc from University of Trieste, Italy and her PhD from the University of Calgary. She also holds various certificates in communication, wellness and project management. In the past, she worked closely with the iGEM Calgary team and served as a Graduate Peer Coach at the Student Success Centre and Student Mentor at Apex Access Program. In her free time, she holds workshops on Communications and Project Management.