Westminster students have successfully completed one of the seven projects sponsored by the Westminster Green Fund in the 2022/23 academic year. Their project, Green Approach for Microbial Identification (GAMI), implements new technologies and techniques in Westminster Labs to reduce the need for single-use plastic during microbial identification processes.
The project is led by Dr Manal Mohammed, Senior Lecturer of Medical Microbiology and co-led by Dr Alistair Barr, Senior Lecturer in Life Sciences . Support from the Westminster Green Fund enabled the team to buy the latest kits and reagents to carry out their project and reduce the huge number of single-use plastics used in traditional culture techniques for microbial identification. This included Next-Generation Sequencing technology (NGS), which can quickly determine the sequence of the complete genome of pathogens. Analysis of this data can help identify pathogens and provide information on antibiotic resistance and virulence. It is also useful for outbreak investigation in real time. The GAMI project uses NGS Oxford Nanopore technology, a new low-cost portable sequencing device which produces high-accuracy sequence data in real time at relatively low cost.
Dr Mohammed said: “The new sequencing technology is more accurate and faster for microbial identification than conventional laboratory techniques and most importantly, it minimises the use of single-use plastics – reducing plastic waste and making our Westminster microbiology laboratories greener and operate in a sustainable way.”
The experience provided hands-on experience for students, enhanced their employability skills and prepared the next generation of Bio/Medical scientists for the future.
Sana Khan, a final year Biomedical Science BSc Honours student, said: “The GAMI project was a great opportunity to gain experience working with next generation technologies in the laboratory. In the laboratory sessions there was always something new to learn. As an aspiring PhD student, it was exciting to learn new laboratory skills and troubleshooting. Working alongside a PhD student has benefitted me immensely in my endeavour to pursue further education. The skills in bioinformatics that I have gained have significantly improved my CV and are more recognised amongst employers.”
Lina El-badaoui, a PhD student at the School of Life Sciences supervised by Dr Alistair Barr, said: “It was a great opportunity to learn about a new tool. It would be great to use NGS at the University more often for future projects.”
Sherdil Asif, a final year Medical Sciences BSc Honours student, said: “I have found the whole experience very engaging and informative. During my time on the GAMI project I have honed essential transferable skills such as presentation skills, communication, collaboration and my ability to explain complex concepts in simple terms. Most importantly, I have gained valuable experience in the laboratory working with cutting edge technology. All these skills and many more will hold me in good stead in my professional career.”
The Westminster Green Fund was established by the University’s Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) and Sustainability Team in 2021. This fund provides students with the opportunity to carry out sustainability-related projects and interventions that are co-created, designed and implemented by students and University colleagues working in partnership. This scheme is designed for all Westminster students, regardless of their course degree or level, and gives them the opportunity to bring their sustainable project ideas to life with funding available up to £5,000.
The Fund supports Westminster’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting understanding, awareness and change in environmental leadership, and by empowering students and staff to design and create sustainable local projects.
Learn more about the Westminster Green Fund advancing sustainability at the University of Westminster.
