Meet the team: Catherine Mackay
Introducing Catherine, student member of the DeNovocastrians iGEM team.
Catherine grew up in Lake Macquarie and went to school at St. Paul’s Catholic College. After high school, she enrolled in a Bachelor of Mathematics and Bachelor of Biological Science at The University of Newcastle.
“Math and science has fascinated me since primary school. Through winning science fairs with my crafty creations and being a speedy math legend, I realised I wanted to pursue STEM in my future.” — Catherine Mackay
During the last three years at university, Catherine has been elected treasurer of the UoN Math Club, become a Math tutor and garnered experience working as a cashier.
When asked about why she joined UoN’s 2020 iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) team, she replied, “I joined iGEM because it’s a really great opportunity to meet new people, build connections, gain laboratory experience and learn lots!”.
Catherine’s role in the project involves cloning the benABCD cluster of Escherichia fergusonii, and performing functional assays to examine benzoate degradation.
Aside from math and science, Catherine is passionate about sustainability, specifically regarding reusable water bottles and eco-friendly lunch boxes. She is also an avid plant enthusiast, rock collector, and tea drinker!
