Meet the team: Ruby Pippen
Introducing Ruby, student member of the DeNovocastrians iGEM team.
Ruby grew up in Western Sydney, before moving to the small town of Gloucester with her family at age 10. After graduating from Gloucester High School, she made the decision to move to Newcastle for her tertiary education. Attending the University of Newcastle has enabled her to stay close to home, which has made visiting family and friends a lot easier.
Ruby studies a combined law and science degree and is majoring in biological sciences. When asked what prompted this path, she said, “I was super interested in both areas in high school and couldn’t choose between the two, so I decided to study both as uni.” Since commencing her study at the University of Newcastle, Ruby has tended to lean more towards the science side, finding that most of the areas of law which interest her involve an element of STEM such as Health law, environmental law and intellectual property law.
It’s Ruby’s interest in biological science that lead her to joining the University of Newcastle’s 2020 iGEM team. As part of a another course she is taking, Ruby is required to conduct a research project. She had already inquired about one project when she saw an email stating that the university was forming an iGEM team.
She said, “I was actually glad when I found out that the project was no longer running because it meant I could join the iGEM team! I was excited to be part of a group of undergrad researchers rather than have to do a project alone. I already think I’ve learnt so much more than I would have if I had to undertake a project solo.”
Ruby’s main role in the project focuses on the benE gene which encodes a benzene transporter. Her aim is to clone and insert the benE gene into plasmid vectors.
Ruby has quite the green-thumb, devoting much of her spare time tending to her impressive collection of indoor plants and herb garden. She said, “I have thirty or more babies in my houseplant collection”. She also loves to cook, and is currently trying to teach herself basic embroidery in hopes of up-cycling old clothes.
“I’m basically a 20-year-old grandma” — Ruby Pippen
One of her favourite parts of the day is when she is joined for a coffee in the sun by her neighbour’s cat, Arlo, which tends to happen just about every morning.
