Nazgul Sakenova

1. Why did you choose this specialty for college?

When I was asked as a child who I would like to be in the future, I’d always give the same answer, a doctor. It may sound cliché, but the childhood dreams often influence the choice. At high school, biology was not my interest and I was keener on Humanities. I participated in Olympiads (high school student competitions) in literature and geography. Then at the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, I studied physics and mathematics. I started studying biology only three years ago within the University College London program. But just some six months ago I began my study of biology as a science at the Nazarbayev University. And it was an informed choice that is proving to be the right one – I am good in this field. I like my specialization. In a way you could say this this is a step towards that childhood dream I had.

2. What was your internship about?

I interned at a lab that is engaged in the structural biology of proteins. I had the opportunity to participate in determining the 3D structure of proteins and their interactions. Personally, this knowledge and experience will be relevant no matter what research on proteins I will conduct in future, whether it is developing a new drug or studying cellular processes. Additionally, I was given a task to solve an issue in bioinformatics. This is a field in biology, which virtually does not exist in Kazakhstan. Bioinformatics uses methods of applied mathematics, statistics and computer science to work with the data. This particular issue could not have been solved for six months until I joined the lab.

3. The outcomes of the internship for you?

First, I gained an actual experience. Second, the results of my work on bioinformatics was published in a scientific journal before I left Xiamen. I am already applying the recently obtained skills in the labs of the Nazarbayev University. Furthermore, I have seen the science in China, and having come back to Kazakhstan, I am eager to contribute to developing the science in Kazakhstan to reach the level in China. I intend to enroll to a PhD program, so this internship was a great start towards this goal. After the internship, I participated in a scientific conference in Barcelona and was invited to an internship in by a Japanese professor I met there. So this has been the start so far.