Micah Adetola - Summer STEM Virtual Work Placement Student - Weekly Reports

                                         

In April SATRO took the unprecedented (and sad) decision to suspend the Research Programme for this year due to COVID-19. We asked all our providers for a 'day in the life of' summaries to give the students a flavour of the many types of roles that are available in the professional environments. 

Following SATRO's hard work to develop an online policy. In May, we reached out to our wonderful providers to propose a virtual solution and to get around any social distancing rules. The response was amazing. We asked for suitable titles that the students could research over the summer and devise a short essay and either a PP or a poster with their findings. 

All students have been asked to provide a weekly update on their experience - please see below to see what Micah has been up to so far! 

 Week One

"I chose the Chemistry option and have looked into how catalysts can improve our life in the 21st century. This question choice interested me the most because catalysts are essential to life. They are present in detergents, used in industry and even in our bodies in the form of enzymes. I wanted to extend my knowledge further to discover some of the more unconventional uses of catalysts and even see if I could imagine how catalysts may be used to benefit future societies beyond our current generation. I also liked this question as it allows me to draw on biological knowledge despite it being a Chemistry question.

My research has primarily been focused on the present use of catalysts, such as in the well-known Haber process. I have also looked briefly into the historical uses of catalysts. However, most of my research has been centred around the current use of enzymes, especially in healthcare.

I have found it challenging to think outside the box and imagine new uses of catalysts, but I have had some interesting ideas, such as using enzymes to interfere with biological processes to delay human ageing. I would also like to extend my research further to include uses of catalysts in other areas of society, such as in improving the environment."

- Micah Adetola