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Twenty-five university students across the country are finalists in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) Science, Action! video contest. Among them is Shreya Jain, an undergraduate Biology student at Â鶹´«Ã½ University. Shreya’s video now heads to the Science, Action! judges’ panel, where it will compete to become one of the contest’s Final Fifteen cash prize winners (to be announced in May).

In preparation for completing her degree, Shreya is conducting her fourth-year honours thesis project in the laboratory of Jean-Paul Desaulniers, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science. Shreya is investigating a class of molecules called short-interfering ribonucleic acids (RNAs), which are used to interfere with the expression of certain genes. Short-interfering RNAs show great promise as next-generation therapeutics, but also produce ‘off-target effects’ (undesirable side-effects). Understanding these effects will lead to safer and better targeted therapeutics in the future.

Shreya was inspired to enter the contest because she likes video editing and wanted to share her thesis experience through this unique video competition.

Shreya plans to start her Master of Science studies in Applied Biosciences at Â鶹´«Ã½ University; under the supervision of Denina Simmons, PhD, Assistant Professor, FSci, she will investigate the effects of contaminants on freshwater fish.  

Visit the section of the NSERC website to watch Shreya’s video.