Sense of discovery drives science student

Diploma of Science student Angeles Romero
Diploma of Science student Angeles Romero

As a young girl growing up in Mexico City, Angeles Romero always wanted to make a big scientific discovery in the area biochemistry or biology. She would often visit local parks and collect plants and insects - fascinated by how they grew in the environment.

“I have always wanted to discover some new plant or animal life or make a breakthrough in the world’s understanding of biomechanics. When I go into postgraduate study, I would like pursue in the PhD in the area and become a researcher,” Angeles said.

At her high school in Mexico, the Insituto Politenico Nacional (IPN), she was able to analyse the biology of different plant specimens for the first time in a laboratory setting, record and report on the data.

When Angeles started her Diploma of Science at UTS Insearch, the pathway to UTS, she had multiple opportunities to build her research skills.

“At UTS Insearch we joined groups in my bio-complexity class and built aquatic ecosystems in five litre bottles. We added shrimp and algae then monitored how they developed in the ecosystem. Unfortunately, some of the shrimp died and some lived.

“From the group task, I practised report writing and data analysis. We then extracted the data into excel, and presented results in graphs and pivot tables.”

When Angeles goes to UTS, she would like to undertake a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and eventually study for a PhD.

“I would like to pursue a PhD in biology. I can see myself liking the lab life as long as I have a chance to present my results and attend conferences,” she said.