Rorie Oglesby

My name is Rorie Oglesby.  I am a graduate of Santa Fe College in Central Florida, United States with a degree of Bachelor's of Applied Science in Industrial Biotechnology. I aim to use this knowledge and degree towards obtaining a career in environmental biotechnology, or a field that can help to alleviate the burdens of illness within humans such as genetic therapeutics, which despite seeming like vastly different interests, both share common methodologies between them!

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I have completed the first international internship in the country of Brazil of Santa Fe College partnered with University of São Paulo's (UNESP) Institute of Biotechnology (IBTEC) research facility. This accomplishment makes me the first ambassador of the Santa Fe College's international internship programs!

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I was also selected to be a recipient of the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship out of a wide pool of applicants, and now am an active participant in the Gilman Alumni program. I  help other students to realize their scholarly potential, and join in workshops helping me to constantly strive toward being a better worldly ambassador.

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The factors that led me to this field were realized when I went abroad for the first time to the country of Costa Rica and was immersed in the environmentally conscientious culture of the people. I met one individual who talked about her biotechnology career with such excitement that I could not help but be drawn into her world, where solutions to pressing issues could be solved with an educational background  in biotechnology.

 

This girl told me how the biotechnology lab she works in has been seeking solutions to plastic overflow through means such as altering bacterial enzymes to be inserted into microalga to excrete the enzymes that will break down plastic waste (Moog, 2019) . A colleague of hers worked with altering viral DNA and inserting them into insect cells to create proteins which in the future could help cure or treat such sicknesses as  sickle cell anemia, diabetes, and many more illnesses afflicting people and even animals.

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Plastic accounts for almost 90 percent of all trash in oceans and landfills today, and is just one example of a global issue that can be tackled using science. This has been a driving reason for pursuing biotechnology, as it relates directly to my passion for the environment and represents a concrete way of delivering solutions that truly matter. The driving force behind my interests will always be striving for a greater global good.

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Scientific Article detailing the marine microalga's process of digesting plastic:

• Moog, D., Schmitt, J., Senger, J. et al. Using a marine microalga as a chassis for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) degradation. Microb Cell Fact 18, 171 (2019).

• https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-019-1220-z

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Article on preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic uses of the insect cell and viral vectors:

• Kumar, N., Pandey, D., & Halder, A. Preventive, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications of Baculovirus Expression Vector System. Trends in Insect Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 163–191. (2017).

• https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61343-7_9

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Biotechnology is an thrilling, diverse and emerging field of science worth exploring and being excited about!