Factors that Impact Microbial Diversity and How it is Important to Human Health
Aliki Stamati
Honors Project: Factors that Impact Microbial Diversity and How it is Important to Human Health
Honors Course: Honors Human Genetics
Instructor: Stephanie Levi-Blumer
My name is Aliki Stamati and I am on track to getting my Associates in Science from Oakton and transferring to UIC to study Biological Sciences in Spring 2025. During my time at Oakton, I have gotten to explore many honors courses that integrate the sciences and humanities and have gotten valuable work experience working as a Biology Lab Aide. I have taken various Honors courses at Oakton including, Honors Composition l, Environmental Science, and Human Genetics, as well as the Honors field study hybrid course that combined Native American Literature and Survey of Ecology. By learning about environmental science issues, health equity, and agricultural systems in my Honors curriculum, I feel that I've grown more passionate about the interconnectedness of human health, food, microbes and climate change. In the next couple years of my college career, I hope I can get more experience in Microbiology and Genetics through academic courses and internships in the STEM field.
During the Fall 2023 semester, I completed an Honors contract with my Human Genetics professor, Dr. Stephanie Levi Blumer. Through this honors contract, I was able to complete an independent research project of my choosing, in which I decided to research factors that impact microbial diversity in the human gut, and how microbial diversity impacts human health. Being able to choose a topic of my interest in relation to what I have already learned allowed me to explore topics that might not traditionally be taught in 100 level classes. I am so thankful to have worked with Dr. Levi Blumer, as she guided me through the research planning process and helped me in shaping my ideas. By engaging in this Honors Contract, I got to know Dr. Levi Blumer as a mentor, who I hope to continue to collaborate with in the future.
