Biotechnology students sweep awards at Ideas to Impact 2025

Congratulations to Mohawk College Biotechnology students who won both student poster awards at this year's Ideas to Impact Research Day hosted by IDEAWORKS.  

Judges Choice Award

Liam Grieve won the Judges Choice award for the Farm-to-Hospital group poster. Liam presented on behalf of group members Jessica Guyatt, Liset Cortez Velez, Solange Pesce, and Garrett Terpstra worked with Dr. Tiffany Leighton (faculty) and Felipe Campusano and Dr. Igor Kolotilin from Solar Grants Biotechnology Inc. This research featured genetically modified tobacco plants in a process known as molecular farming to produce a drug product called G-CSF, which is used during cancer chemotherapy regimes. The project aimed to express, purify, and test the tobacco-produced G-CSF against the bacteria-produced G-CSF, which is the current drug production method.

Student Choice Award

A team led by presenter, Areeba Irshad Ashrafi took home the Student Choice award. The team included Elahe Rezvani, Diana Rey Guerrero, Odalys Figueredo Torres, Leom Ossa Trujilo, Hitanshu Batra, Jessica Guyatt, Salintha Seneviratne, Matthew Clark, Mariajose Davila Dugarte, Dhairya Bhatt, Juan Cordoba Murcia, Ryan Loo, Ralp Jim Angelo Javier, Alyssa (Segato) De Bellis and Dr. Ethan Paschos. 

Their poster, Isolation, purification, and cultivation of cyanobacteria species from the Bay of Hamilton, featured their research studying local algae collected from the Hamilton Harbour. They used standard lab techniques to isolate these algae in high purity and confirmed their findings using DNA tests. This research not only showcases the variety of algae in the area but also helps detect harmful algae that produce toxins, which is crucial for protecting the local environment.