We are proud to introduce the 2019-2020 Hawke Lab recruiting class!
This September, we added four promising McMaster students to the Hawke Lab roster. We are excited about the character and talent of our new trainees, and look forward to their performance at the lab bench.
Get to know our recruits below…
William Junior Khalil – Biochemistry, Level 4
- Favourite Movie or TV Show: Movie – Prisoner, TV Show- GoT Before Szn 8 :(, Chernobyl & When They See Us
- Dogs or Cats: Dogs, specifically fluffy Samoyeds.
- Would you rather use sandpaper as toilet paper or use hot sauce as eye drops?: Sandpaper as toilet paper, sometimes sacrifices have to be made.
- Why did you choose the Hawke Lab?: My initial desire was to work within a metabolic field of research, the work Dr. Hawke’s lab was doing fit the bill precisely. After looking at the previous site I knew immediately that Dr. Hawke and the people he’d bring in were my type of people. There was no debate after the interview with the panel, it was the perfect spot for me with a lovely group of grad students to hopefully help me grow as an individual.
Maya El-Zahed – Kinesiology, Level 4
- Favourite Movie or TV Show: Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Dogs or Cats: Cats
- Would you rather use sandpaper as toilet paper or use hot sauce as eye drops?: Sandpaper as toilet paper
- Why did you choose the Hawke Lab?: I heard about Dr. Hawke’s research in my undergraduate courses. As a kinesiology student, I am eager to apply the knowledge I have about exercise to satellite cell research in a clinical population.
Tirth Patel – Biochemistry, Level 4
- Favourite Movie or TV Show: Game of Thrones
- Dogs or Cats: Dogs of course!
- Would you rather use sandpaper as toilet paper or use hot sauce as eye drops?: Sandpaper as toilet paper (I think I can probably make this less painful than the hot sauce)
- Why did you choose the Hawke Lab?: I chose the Hawke Lab because it was the one place that combined my interests in stem cells, cellular metabolism and myopathy all together. Myopathy is a research topic I hold close to my heart as I’ve witnessed a loved one suffering from it.
Lauren Turner – Kinesiology, Level 3
- Favourite Movie or TV Show: Survivor; I love the show so much I even tried to recreate it on a family trip when I was younger! Unfortunately, I was voted off before the final round – I think my family was intimidated by my mental game and felt they had to get rid of the biggest threat early.
- Dogs or Cats: Dogs all the way, how could you not love man’s best friend?
- Would you rather use sandpaper as toilet paper or use hot sauce as eye drops?: I would choose hot sauce. With luck I could find the most mild hot sauce I know and use that – maybe it wouldn’t even hurt. Would Ketchup count as a hot sauce?
- Why did you choose the Hawke Lab?: I was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic in the summer of 2018 and diabetes research has had a direct impact on my life; major advancements of the last decade in insulin management systems have had a meaningful impact on my quality of life. I chose the Hawke Lab as I firmly believe research into T1D will result in further improvements into managing this disease over the next 10 years. In particular, as a very active person, the Hawke Lab’s focus on expanding knowledge into diabetes and muscle health is an area I am passionate about. I believe research into T1D will continue to improve the health and quality of life of those living with the disease – I am honoured to participate in this lab.
Michael Akcan – Medical Sciences, MSc Candidate
- Favourite Movie or TV Show: Kill Bill and the Office
- Dogs or Cats: DOGGO
- Would you rather use sandpaper as toilet paper or use hot sauce as eye drops?: I would rather use hot sauce as eye drops because i do not frequently use eye drops as often as toilet paper
- Why did you choose the Hawke Lab?: I chose the Hawke Lab because the lab members are awesome to research and learn with and muscle health is super important for your overall well-being.