Research News
Posted 5 May 2010
AIT Science Student Receives Prestigious Postgraduate Scholarship
A final year agricultural science degree student at Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) has been successful in the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) ‘Embark Initiative’ Postgraduate Scholarship scheme.
Kelsey McEvoy from Athy, Co Kildare will undertake doctoral research into how bacteria cause disease by adhering to, then invading human cells and how milk-derived proteins and lipids can inhibit this interaction.
Her research to be supervised by Dr Damien Brady of AIT’s Bioscience Research Institute will elucidate the mechanism by which the bacterium Cronobacter malonaticus interacts with human cells. Previous research has shown how a hydrolysed sweet whey formulation reduced the adherence of the bacteria to an intestinal epithelial cell line.
According to Dr Brady, “This work will augment current food-related research in the School of Science and strengthen inter-departmental collaboration within the school. Kelsey has been an excellent student throughout her undergraduate studies and she has exhibited a passion for scientific research, something which I know she will bring to her postgraduate research,” he said.
Kelsey McEvoy added: “I really enjoyed the clinical aspect of my veterinary nursing degree, but throughout my studies I gained a deeper appreciation of the content and training I received in the more scientifically-based modules. It became apparent to me that my true interests lay in scientific research, an area which this scholarship enables me to further develop.”
In 2009, Ms McEvoy graduated from AIT with a first class honours degree, BSc in Veterinary Nursing, and received the best student award, a prize sponsored by Bayer.
IRCSET’s ‘Embark Initiative’ supports basic research in the broad areas of science, engineering and technology.
