Double science awards success for UCLan students who juggle studies with parenthood

Third year biology student Monica Smithies and third year biomedical sciences student Nathan Parks dedicated their summer break to working as research interns - their projects were externally funded by the Biochemical Society and the Society for Reproduction and Fertility, respectively.

24-year-old Monica, who lives in Ashton, was then selected as the winner of the prestigious Eisenthal Prize by the Biochemical Society, after submitting her research project looking at the molecular aspect of embryo implantation, and she received £500 as part of her prize.

Monica juggles studying with being a mum to son Leo, 4, and daughter Leah, 2. During her time at UCLan, she has also been a Peer Assisted Study Session leader, helping first year students with their studies, and trained to be a Student Ambassador.

The married mother of two said: “When I found out I’d been awarded the prize, I just cried – I honestly couldn’t believe it. I have always wanted to study at university, and it’s amazing for the extra work we’ve done to be noticed and rewarded like this. I generally do pile my plate quite high, and always have lots going on: but I’ve found the staff and other students here so supportive I also have a great family behind me - I’m very proud of to be doing this for them, as well as myself.”

Fellow student, 22-year-old Nathan, also has a busy home life, he just welcomed a baby daughter Alina and manages sleepless nights alongside studying for his final year. After submitting an abstract from his eight-week summer project for Fertility 2023, he received a conference bursary from the Society for Reproduction and Fertility, allowing him to attend the international Fertility conference in Belfast in January.

Nathan, who lives in Preston with this family, said: “I have always wanted to get a degree under my belt, for the opportunities that can bring, and the facilities here for scientists are fantastic. I worked in pharmaceuticals before I started university; our project over the summer has inspired my passion for reproductive sciences, so that’s really helped in giving me direction for a future career. I’m actually hoping to go and study for a PhD at UCLan; the support I’ve had here from the lecturers has been amazing, and this is where I want to continue my journey to becoming a researcher in reproductive sciences.”

Both Monica and Nathan are members of the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Club, which is is overseen by Dr Stéphane Berneau, lecturer in Physiology and Pharmacology at UCLan, who supervised both their project applications to funders. The Berneau research team also includes Master and PhD students, who helped to support Monica and Nathan with their projects.

Dr Stéphane Berneau said: “I am so proud of what both Monica and Nathan have achieved as interns within the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. Monica is the first student from UCLan to win the Eisenthal Prize, so that’s a fantastic first for the university, and the conference Nathan will attend in January is on the international stage to present our research project - I’m so glad he will be able to experience that.

“While of course what have they achieved as individuals is outstanding, collaboration and support are absolutely at the heart of our research at the UCLan Biomedical Research Facility; it’s always a team effort. By bringing together the rich skillset of our undergraduates, postgraduates and academic researchers, we can further our understanding of scientific areas such as the current challenges of human fertility, with the aim of ultimately applying that real-world research to help improve people’s lives.”