Reece Roberts

In 2022 I was fortunate enough to represent the Natural Science Committee (NSC) as the Vice-Chairperson and sit on the Academic Affairs Council (AAC) where I have been able to fully get involved with the academic aspects of Stellenbosch University and work with highly regarded SU professionals such as Prof Warnich (Dean of Science) as well as Prof Rewitzky (Vice-Dean of Teaching and Learning). This privilege has also allowed me to be a part of the Science Faculty Board at Stellenbosch University where I have been able to attend Science Faculty Board meetings and see and hear frustrations and suggestions certain lecturers have made in terms of scientific research and the limitations they experience.

completed the 3-week course on “MAKING SENSE OF GENOMIC DATA: COVID-19 WEB-BASED BIOINFORMATICS” . In order to complete this course someone would also need prior knowledge and experience of other bioinformatics platforms. During the course I was trained on how to use Galaxy (A Web-based bioinformatics pipeline) where I equipped skills relating to identifying viral variants in SARS-CoV-2. Here I learnt how to read and interpret different sequence analysis outputs as well as how variant calling contributes to epidemiological inferences. Reflecting on this course made me realise my interest in bioinformatics specifically as I enjoy being able to sift through tons of data and find meaning in real life applications such as SARS-CoV-2. During this course I scored 97% as my overall grade

During my honours year I assisted in teaching and demonstrating during tutorials and practicals for Genetics undergraduate students at Stellenbosch University

During this short course I learnt in depth the role of genes and proteins in controlling the activities of the cell and the cell cycle. In this course had looked into the dsyfuntion of genes and how it translates into the causes of cancer at a cellular level. Looking at how genes and chromosomes can be permanently altered when mistakes happen during DNA replication.

I was fortunate to be able to help as an assistant with Ad-Venture Inc with the Adcock Ingram group as part of a team building event at Champagne Sports Resort in KZN.