James Carrillo Discovers a New Taro Virus
Passion for gardening and plants cultivated an interest in molecular science
It’s not every day that a community college student makes a new scientific discovery. Yet, that’s exactly what happened when James Carrillo was still a student in Leeward Community College’s Plant Bioscience Technology program. He sequenced the DNA for a taro virus that had never been previously identified.
“I wasn’t looking to discover something new,” explained Carrillo. “It was great, but the experience of actually doing the work and actually learning how to do it was most important to me.”
Carrillo came to Leeward with a love of gardening and plants. “After I came, I got more interested on the molecular side of plants and biology,” he said.
He was recruited to participate in a summer mentoring program through the University of Hawai`i John A. Burns School of Medicine called the Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). The goal of the program is to channel students into fields in STEM, an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math.He was recruited to participate in a summer mentoring program through the University of Hawai`i John A. Burns School of Medicine called the Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). The goal of the program is to channel students into fields in STEM, an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. (More)
