SCIENCE GOES VIRAL

Kinda Lutfi (Class of 2020) is looking ahead to unlocking new discoveries on how the human body fights pathogens as she studies her Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne.

Our immune system is the most complex part of our body outside the brain and we only know a fraction about it.

Kinda Lutfi (Class of 2020) hopes to be at the forefront of finding answers to questions about our immune system that have puzzled scientists for years as she studies her Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, with plans to major in Immunology in her third year.

"There is still so much we have not uncovered in relation to how our body fights pathogens effectively and how our body recognises itself," she said.

"We are currently in an age where technology is advancing at an unbelievable rate, and in ten years’ time, who knows how many unasked questions we can answer?"

Kinda's curiosity about the human body and its connection to the world around us began as a child. "The idea that our lives are made up of interconnected relations between Chemistry, Physics and Biology was something I was amazed by. [I also wondered] about the scientific explanation behind certain things: like how birds flew and why the universe was so big," she said.

As she grew older, she favoured pursuing Biology as it was the easiest to apply to her everyday life. "Biology allowed me to understand more about how we live, why we live and what facilitates our living. I would learn about cellular respiration and think, Wow, that's why we need oxygen."

Kinda's search for knowledge saw her complete VCE Biology in Year 11. She credits the freedom she was given to design her own experiments while studying Biology at Southern Cross Grammar with expanding her enthusiasm for the subject.

"[Southern Cross Grammar] gave me opportunities to plan my own experiments and experience the spontaneity of Science first-hand. In Biology, we were able to carry out our own experiments to create a scientific poster, which was exciting as I had heard of students at other schools who were given data sets [to base] their posters on. [For my experiment] I focused on a weakened strain of E. Coli, and tested out different antibiotics to see which ones were most effective. Although there were many confounding variables in my experiment, the whole process of creating [my] own experiment, collecting data, and having the opportunity to reflect on [my] experiment made an impact."

A native Arabic speaker, Kinda’s interest in language and commitment to enriching her learning also saw her study French in Year 12. Her aptitude for language has merged into her studies at the University of Melbourne where she has decided to study Spanish as her breadth subject, outside her Bachelor degree. Her aptitude for language will without a doubt benefit her as she works towards finding solutions to issues that impacts people across the globe.

As Kinda works towards making research breakthroughs in the future, she is also making the most of her first year at University, meeting new people and enjoying being a campus student. "[University] is quite spontaneous. Campus life and the people you meet gives you the agency to express yourself freely and do what you feel like doing at any given moment."