WCM-Q pre-medical students present research posters at annual event

Doha, Qatar: Fifty six first year pre medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar (WCM Q) in February presented posters from their biology labora...

Doha, Qatar: Fifty-six first-year pre-medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) in February presented posters from their biology laboratory research. Their findings focused on the antimicrobial effects of natural substances obtained from plants, particularly specific plant parts.

The students, divided into groups of two and three, presented 20 posters, providing them with an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to conduct and communicate science.

The annual event, which marks the culmination of two semesters of research, allowed students to search the literature for a topic, after which they were provided with different bacterial species to test in the laboratory. The students then analysed the inhibitory effects of the phytochemicals for each plant species they used.

Professor of biology, Dr. Kuei-Chiu Chen said: “This project gives students a chance to design and execute their own experiments and then eventually write and communicate their results through poster presentations.”

Students Jassim Al Hail, Taleb Dahman, and Junseo Yoon presented a poster on the antibacterial effects of barberries (Berberis vulgaris) on Staphylococcus aureus and wild-type and ampicillin-resistant strains of Escherichia coli.