Jennifer Arca is a junior at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa pursuing a B.S. in Microbiology with Honors and a minor in Public Health on the pre-medicine track. On campus, she serves as a Natural Sciences Student Ambassador (NSSA) for the College of Natural Sciences, co-chair for Community Engagement with NSSA, and Finance Committee Member for the Pre-Medical Association. She has previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Hawai’i/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and currently works as an Optometric Assistant. Her research background includes a year-long bacteriophage research and genome annotation program, SEA-PHAGES, that resulted in two genome announcement publications, a UH Mānoa Horizons Volume 9 Undergraduate Journal publication: How Microbial Communities Contribute to Environmental Bioremediation Strategies, and ongoing bacteriophage research with Dr. Stuart Donachie.
These experiences have shaped Jennifer’s interests in one health, environmental pollution/health, and toxicology. Through the MSDT-One Health program, she hopes to gain a meaningful understanding of toxicology and explore how she can integrate this knowledge into her future studies and career.
Mentors:
Souvarish Sarkar
Amanda Carbajal