During her time in the YVoS program Fall 2024 session, Leslie Traqueña was a Master’s student in Microbiology at the University of Santo Tomas. Her research focused on the biodiversity distribution of marine-sediment-derived fungi in the northern part of the Philippines. In her work, she plans on extracting the secondary metabolites of each marine fungi, and identifying its antibiotic mechanism against multi-drug-resistant bacteria.
For her outreach project, Leslie created Bio-Kumustahan, a science communication program that combines “Bio” (life/biology) with “Kumustahan” (the Filipino term for “How are you?”). Bio-Kumustahan is a community program designed to connect undergraduate and graduate students in biology, microbiology, ecology, and medicine, while promoting collaboration with experts across various fields. It aims to explore diverse interests in science, introduce the One Health concept, and engage citizen scientists to bridge the gap between the science and non-science communities.
Recently, Bio-Khumustahan hosted thier first Sip & Sync event (right), connecting students with inspiring minds in bioinformatics, microbiology, and chemistry proving that the path in science is challenging but possible.
The event featured 𝑴𝒔. 𝑨𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝑨𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒈𝒂 (PhD in Chemistry student), 𝑴𝒓. 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒕-𝒁𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑬𝒏𝒓𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒛 (MSc in Bioinformatics student), and 𝑴𝒓. 𝑹𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒉 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒓𝒃𝒆𝒔 (MSc in Microbiology) sharing about their inspiring work during the first Sip & Sync session. Through their stories in how they fell in love with science, as well as the advice, lessons, and discoveries they shared, they sparked curiosity and motivation among the students. Their journey highlighted that while the path in science can be challenging, it is also deeply rewarding. Sometimes, all it takes is seeing someone a few steps ahead to start believing you can get there too.
Residing in the Philippines, a hub of marine biodiversity, Leslie seeks to highlight the unique contributions of Filipino scientists in environmental protection through research, advocacy, and programs. She aims to emphasize the importance of persistence in community communication and the role of empathy and cultural understanding in strengthening science communication across diverse regions. Leslie hopes to maximize the hidden potential of young scientists by bridging the gap between the scientific and non-scientific communities. She believes that by first helping undergraduate students explore their personal interests in science, she can gradually engage the broader public and introduce the concept of citizen science to foster greater community involvement.
