Wake Forest sophomore Hannah Martin (’17) works with chemistry professor Patricia Dos Santos in her lab in Salem Hall.
Wake Forest sophomore receives prestigious award to study dangerous bacteria
By Will Ferguson Office of Communications and External Relations
The notion that trillions of bacteria are packed into the human body is enough to give anyone the heebie jeebies.
But not all bacteria are bad, said Hannah Martin, a rising sophomore. On the contrary, there are many types of good bacteria that help humans digest food, process vitamins and minerals and protect the body from disease and infection.
Martin and Patricia Dos Santos, an associate professor of chemistry, are tackling the problem of how to target harmful bacteria while sparing beneficial bacteria that make it possible for humans to live healthy lives.