Bellevue College’s microbiology and genomics professor Dr. Gita Bangera, who created BC’s highly praised ComGen Project, has recently been invited to the United Nations. Dr. Bangera will be participating in a panel discussion on “Improving Education for Women and Girls in Science and Technology” and present information on BC’s student genomics.
The ComGen project was created after Dr. Bangera decided she wanted to provide BC students a rare opportunity: world class, hands on research. She received a grant from the National Science Foundation and because of her hard work and dedication Bellevue College was one of the first community colleges in the country to offer a program like this. The project allows students to do hands on DNA sequencing.
Students in her class not only work in a highly advance lab but also get the opportunity to work at a graduate level.
The panel that Dr. Bangera will be attending at the UN headquarters in New York is part of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women’s 55th annual meeting. This commission focuses on gender equality and advancement of women.
Dr. Bangera received a doctorate in microbiology at Washington State University and completed her Post-doctoral research at Harvard Medical School, University of Washington and University of Copenhagen, Denmark. According to her website, asides from being the Principal Investigator for the ComGen Project, she has been volunteering her time to mentor Bellevue College’s STEM to Stern students, “A cohort approach to early industry-based research experiences for community college students.”
Students who have been a part of the project have been able to present their research at conferences all around the country.