Weisheng Liang is a 2021 Canada Student Merit Award winner. She achieved this award for obtaining the highest standing of her class in the fourth and final year of her degree. Here is a brief biography of the winner.
Weisheng graduated from the University of Calgary in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with First Class Honours. Her academic distinction was recognised through numerous awards and scholarships, including the Louise McKinney Post-Secondary Scholarship, University of Calgary Alumni Association Jean Owen Scholarship, and President’s Admission Scholarship. She is honoured to be the recipient of the SCI Student Merit Award.
The various research opportunities Weisheng participated in during her undergraduate education were instrumental in developing her passion for Biochemistry. Through the Markin Undergraduate Student Research Program, she completed a summer project with Dr. Kenneth Ng after her first year to investigate the efficacy of novel non-nucleoside inhibitors for the human norovirus polymerase. This experience was transformative in fostering her love for research. As she became equipped with the relevant knowledge and laboratory experience gained through academic courses, she participated in more independent research projects. In the summer after third year, she began working with Dr. Vanina Zaremberg to complete a literature review on the physiological roles of ether-linked lipids funded by NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards. This project sparked her interest in lipid metabolism and led her to complete her fourth-year honours thesis in Dr. Zaremberg’s laboratory to purify and study an uncharacterised protein in S. cerevisiae. Following graduation, she sought opportunities to broaden her research experience and expand her repertoire of laboratory skills. Her aspirations brought her to Dallas, where she is currently working as a research technician at Texas A&M University with Dr. Yan Jing to explore bone cell differentiation in the context of craniofacial biology.
In her spare time, Weisheng enjoys baking, swimming, and curling up with a good book. She is also venturing into crochet.
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