Because who else is going to?
Who the hell are ya?!Hey guys! I'm Mike! And I'm currently studying for an MSc by research in Biological sciences at the University of Warwick. I'm from a small town called, Calne, in Wiltshire........lots of fields and not much else! I did my BSc at the University of the West of England, in Bristol, so moving to Warwick is quite a step up! Whilst I was at UWE, I also did a placement at the Robert Koch institute in Berlin, which started the passion for research that I currently have.
So what do you do?
Basically, we're screwed! Humans are running out of antibiotics to treat diseases and infections. In fact, the World Health Organisation believes that we may run out of effective antibiotics by 2030, unless we start investigating new ones right now! My project is currently looking at causing bacteria to express genes which they don't normally express, in the hope that they'll produce new chemicals which may be antibiotic in nature (don't worry! This isn't some wild gamble, the bacteria we're looking at produce around 70% of all known antibiotics!).
Okay, so why hubbub?
When I got into Warwick, I was so excited, and couldn't wait to get here; then do a PhD. The problem is, the government don't provide much help to masters students, so I had to rely, mostly, on my parents; with my dad being my main rock. Unfortunately, my dad passed away on the 14th of December 2014, and I'd give anything to have him back. I know he was incredibly proud of me, and would have wanted me to finish my degree. Sadly, because of a lack of funds, I may no longer be able to do this, and it's breaking my heart.
What do you need?
Basically, I need tuition, some basic living costs; enough to pay paypals fees:
Tuition = £4000
Rent = £3312 (36 x £92)
Food and other expenses (approximately) £800
Thankfully, I was working over the summer, so have a little bit of money saved away, but this can't keep me forever! I really need your help guys, so every little thing you can contribute will help!
Anything else?
We've actually made some progress already with the project, and we're currently looking into genes that are homologous, although I can't give too much away. Needless to say, we're really excited about the way things are going.
And what about you? What else do you do?
Well, I'm really into my ice hockey. In fact, that was one of my draws to the University of Warwick. I got into the sport when I was at UWE, and have never looked back since. I even had my parents come along to a few games, as you can see from my facebook profile! But here I am just after I've started:
I also love comics, and cooking.
So please, please help me achieve my dream, and honour my dad's memory. He was my rock, and biggest influence; without him, I certainly wouldn't be the person I am today! Every little helps! So anything you can donate will be appreciated beyond magnitude!
