Student Spotlight: Shari Duarte

Shari Duarte was busy this summer with her SURCO funded research project, “Exploring Detergent Effects on S. flexneri Invasion Pasmid Antigen C.” She studied the bacterial pathogen Shigella flexneri, that, once infected, causes shigellosis—something about 360,000 people in the US are infected with each year.

"I have loved being able to become an independent researcher and develop a sense for the scientific method in a real laboratory setting. I love being able to carry out my own project from start to finish. Being able to conduct my own research has made me feel like a real scientist, not just a so-called science major that only knows her textbooks."