Mentoring Success

Matthew Nicholaou, assistant professor and chair of the medical laboratory sciences (MLS) department, received an award from the Office of Undergraduate Research for mentoring undergraduate research students.

Nicholaou mentored MLS students Candace Adamson, Katie Wilkinson and Tyler Wilkinson, whose research on how to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria took first prize during a poster contest at the 71st Ogden Surgical-Medical Society conference. Nicholaou also mentored Northern Utah Academy for Math, Engineering & Science student Karissa Wang, who qualified for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair with her research on a new gene-editing tool.

“The best way for students to learn critical thinking and troubleshooting skills is to work on getting a failed experiment to succeed,” Nicholaou said. “It is an absolute pleasure to watch students struggle and succeed as they progress through their projects.”