About me!

Beatrix Berk, a rising senior at Franklin High School in Seattle, has been interested in science from a young age- when an obsession with rock-collecting sparked a curiosity for geology and other fields of natural sciences.

In the summer of 2023, Beatrix completed a research internship at the UW genome sciences Berg lab, where she spent 4 weeks completing a research project studying the tube formation of fruit flies. Admittedly, dissecting fruit fly ovaries to extract their eggs may be one of the most unique skills on her resume, and with this experience her attention was drawn to the field of biochemistry and genetics. Thus, her position at ISB is the perfect continuation of her journey in STEM. At ISB, Beatrix spent her summer working alongside the incredible Ilinca Hamza, under the mentorship of Drs. Jake Valenzuela and Chris Deutsch to study the effects of ocean acidification on diatom resilience.

Beatrix has always cared deeply for nature. She typically spends most of her summer camping and exploring the beauty of the PNW. During her junior year, a passion for conservation inspired her to start an Envirothon team at her high school to compete in a national environmental science competition. The self-titled “Franklin Nature Queens” made it all the way to the state competition within their first year of existence.

Apart from science, Beatrix is the editor of her high school’s yearbook. She loves photography and graphic design- talents which have greatly improved her experience in scientific research. In addition to a high school lacrosse team Beatrix is a part of, she also plays on high school and club soccer teams. Outside of year-round sports, she can be found binge watching tv shows, scavenging through clothing bins at the Goodwill outlet, or attending music events ranging from country festivals to techno raves.

Learn more about her project in the Baliga Lab here!