AP Bio Students Win Protein Engineers Contest

SHP AP Bio student Millie Muir (SHP ’22) placed first in a protein engineers contest sponsored by Codexis, a global engineering company with headquarters in the Bay Area; classmate Tiffany Sanchez (SHP ’21) placed second.

Both students’ winning projects focused on how to engineer proteins that could potentially stop SARS-CoV-2 from infecting human cells. Click here to view their video presentations.

 

AP Bio teacher Diane Sweeney said, "Interestingly, a new study has just been published where researchers are using very similar proteins to those Millie and Tiffany designed to stop COVID-19—so perhaps they were even ahead of the curve. These students are incredibly talented in the sciences."

 

Muir says biomedical engineering is intriguing to her “because it has the potential to positively impact the lives of so many. I’m also drawn to the component of problem solving and theorizing that this field of science poses.”

 

Muir added that AP Bio is one of her favorite courses so far this year, along with a “wide variety of subjects that interest me, ranging in courses from STEM to ceramics.” Muir is also a talented student-athlete.