Jason Lim

Mary Gates Leadership Scholar, Autumn 2020

Mary Gates Research Scholar, Autumn 2020

Leadership Project: Science Apprenticeship for Youth (SAY) Program  

Project Description: The SAY Program aims to provide research experience for local underserved high school students to foster a passion for science. We’ve partnered with Stroke and Applied NeuroScience Center to create an age-appropriate experiment that we will bring to a local high school in the form of an extracurricular activity.

What have you learned throughout your leadership project?

Diversity work is not charity work. It is teamwork to solve complex issues.

Research Project: Large-scale genetic screening of hypoxic rescue of frataxin deficiency and ISC biogenesis in yeast  

Project Description: Friedreich’s ataxia is a neurodegenerative mitochondrial disease characterized by FXN mutations, diminishing functional frataxin levels. Hypoxia rescues frataxin deficiency in yeast through an unknown mechanism. I will elucidate genetic pathways of hypoxic rescue using large-scale genetic screening and study the oxygen dependence of synthetic lethal and FXN suppressor mutations.

What piece of advice do you have for future applicants?

Prepare early and don’t be afraid to fail.  I applied several times until I got the scholarships, and had I given up after a few failures, I would never be here! Also make sure to try new things and pour in your heart to the things you decide to do.