March 2026- Fifty-six first-year pre-medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) in February presented posters from their biology laboratory research. Their findings focused on the antimicrobial effects of natural substances obtained from plants, particularly specific plant parts.
The students, divided into groups of two and three, presented 20 posters, providing them with an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to conduct and communicate science.
They worked together to execute their research projects from beginning to end, including reviewing the literature, formulating a question and a hypothesis, conducting laboratory experiments, and analyzing the data. The students then wrote a short synopsis of their findings and presented their work in poster format to fellow students and faculty members.
The annual event, which marks the culmination of two semesters of research, allowed students to search the literature for a topic, after which they were provided with different bacterial species to test in the laboratory. The students then analyzed the inhibitory effects of the phytochemicals for each plant species they used.
Dr. Kuei-Chiu Chen, professor of biology, said: “This project gives students a chance to design and execute their own experiments and then eventually write and communicate their results through poster presentations. By working through each step themselves, they develop important skills for their future careers as physicians and researchers. We encourage students to demonstrate their creativity while providing them with clear recommendations and guidelines on scientific writing.”
Read More: https://qatar-weill.cornell.edu/media-center/news/story/wcm-q-pre-medical-students-present-research-posters-at-annual-event
