Chemistry Student Q&A: Saige Cunniffe
We met with Saige Cunniffe, a third-year Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry major to learn more about her diverse interests and experiences at the University of Guelph. She shared her passion for singing and theatre, and how it connects with her program of study.
What initially drew you to the Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry program?
I always knew I wanted to go into the sciences somehow, and chemistry was my favourite class in high school. Pharmacology sounded really fascinating, so when I started looking at chemistry programs, U of G’s program seemed like the perfect fit!
What opportunities has this program brought to you?
I’ve met a lot of amazing people and taken some interesting classes I never would have otherwise. I’ve also gained a lot of lab experience in addition to theoretical knowledge. As well, I’ve formed connections with interesting professors through this program. I’m volunteering in the lab of one of my profs from last year, which is an awesome opportunity that I’m very grateful for.
Tell me more about your lab experience volunteering for your professor.
This semester I'm volunteering in Dr. Kathryn Preuss's inorganic chemistry lab. They work with a lot of transition metals with the goal of synthesizing single molecule magnets (SMMs) that can be used in quantum computing to optimize data storage (imagine a data bit that's the size of a single molecule). I've really enjoyed the experience so far! It's been fascinating to see what research looks like as it's happening, and I find all the chemistry interesting too. It's been a great environment to learn more advanced lab techniques, some of which I've already applied in my classes. The hands-on application also helps a lot with understanding the underlying chemical theory.
What extracurricular activities are you involved in on campus?
I’m part of the University of Guelph Symphonic Choir and the student-run theatre club on campus, Curtain Call Productions. I joined the choir right at the start of my first year as a soprano and I’ve been in it ever since. I’ve always loved to sing but I’d never really sung in a choir before university, and I was determined to try it once I got the opportunity! Same for Curtain Call. I’ve always loved theatre and have been doing it since I was young, and I auditioned for the show they were doing in my first year, Heathers. I didn’t get cast, but I did end up as the Assistant Vocal Director, which I absolutely loved. The year after, I moved up to Vocal Director for Legally Blonde and loved it even more!
In what ways do you think the skills you've developed in theater and music, such as teamwork and communication, benefit you in your scientific studies and research?
Working on the creative team for the musical last year really taught me about communication between different members of a team and how important each member is to creating the final product. Nothing would get done if even one person didn’t do their job. This helps a lot in settings like labs and group projects, where you can’t do everything by yourself. You have to trust your partners to do their part and focus on doing yours. My extracurriculars have also given me invaluable interpersonal skills, which are incredibly important in a scientific field for aspects like networking and communication. No one’s going to know that you discovered something amazing if you can’t communicate it clearly!
Where do you want your career path to lead you?
I would really love to be a hospital pharmacist one day, and I also want to try to get involved in some clinical trial work. I’m very interested in drug mechanisms and effects, and someday I want to be on the front lines of new drugs being tested and given to patients for the first time.