CAS CONNECT 2014

35 Researching calcium-induced antibi- otic resistance on Pseudomonas aerugi- nosa : Imagine saying that five times fast. Microbiology and molecular genetics doctorate student Sharmily Khanam did almost just that. On April 10, Khanam gave a presenta- tion over this research in three minutes or less, with the use of only one visual slide, and to an audience with no background in the field of microbiology. Khanam’s presentation, representing the College of Arts & Sciences, was one of many in Oklahoma State University’s second annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, sponsored by Halliburton. Khanam says random conversations about her work inspired her to take on this challenge to explain such a technical subject to people unfamiliar with it. “Whenever I am talking to general people, when they hear about me work- ing on antibiotic resistance, they are very curious,” she says. “It’s a daily-life issue. I can at least deliver the message; that this is how it works, and we are trying to get better ways to treat (bacterial) infections.” THE BACTERIA BEHIND IT ALL Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an extremely antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogen that can cause severe or even fatal infections. Khanam says that most fatalities with it occur due to the adaptive nature of the bacteria. Research found that in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, where P. aerugi- nosa infections are very severe, elevated levels of calcium significantly influence the physiological properties of the bacte- ria. Khanam and her team study the link between calcium and the bacteria’s antibi- otic resistance. JOURNEY TO OSU Khanam received her master’s degree in molecular medical biology from the University of Knottingham in England. She visited the United States for the first time when her husband came to OSU for his doctoral work in theoretical phys- ics. She felt at home in Oklahoma, and its geography and friendly people reminded her of her home in Bangladesh, but Stillwater also had something else to offer. “I looked at OSU for my research because I wanted to work on bacterial pathogenesis,” Khanam says. “I found really good researchers here in the micro- biology department, and Dr. Patrauchan is, of course, one of them.” Dr. Marianna Patrauchan is Khanam’s adviser and heads the research on the effect of calcium on P. aeruginosa . In addition to providing guidance and knowledge in bacterial research, she also offered Khanam some powerful advice on her presentation. “She told me … talk about what we work for … what is our passion,” Khanam says. “Then I started working on it in a way so I can actually deliver the message in a more meaningful way.” PREPARING FOR THE COMPETITION Khanam used her academic connec- tions to give her presentation in front of as many people she could get to listen as she prepared for the 3MT Competition. “I even presented in front of my daugh- ter; she is a 4-year-old,” Khanam says. “I tried to just figure out whether they are able to at least follow what I’m doing. I’m trying to see whether it makes any sense to them or not.” Khanam frequently speaks at sympo- siums and conferences about her research, so she wasn’t nervous about speaking in front of an audience. She was nervous that she wouldn’t be able to get her message across to the 3MT audience. “I’m presenting something that I’m working for, and I’m so attached to it,” Khanam says. “I’m coming from a differ- ent language background, so that makes me very conscious. Maybe they won’t be able to understand it, and then that would be the reason they would not appreciate it.” BACTERIAL-FILLED FUTURE Although Khanam did not place at the competition, she knows her research is important and is worth appreciating, and is not in the field of microbiology for the accolades. She describes working on bacterial pathogenesis as her “aim in life.” She loves the passion of the academic setting but is not opposed to doing research at a private company or insti- tute. As long as the research is “challeng- ing” and “adventurous,” she says she would accept the opportunity to work with different researchers in a variety of environments. “Research is more like a philoso- phy,” Khanam says. “The more mentors, diverse mentors I get, the richer my philosophy of research would be.” OSU Ph.D. student strives to shed light on her research Three Minutes to Win It STORY BY Jamie Hadwin