“Here we were able to combine our interests in physics and medicine while contributing to a current field with a very large societal benefit,” say high school students Marie Forsberg and Emilia Risberg who turned to Chalmers University of Technology to find a supervisor for their final high school project. Now they are exploring how to use UV light as an antibacterial aid in healthcare - and thereby combat antibiotic resistance.
They play in the same floorball team, that's how they got to know each other. Both are doing their third year of the science program but at different high schools in Stockholm; Emilia Risberg at Södra Latin high school and Marie Forsberg at Solna high school. It was also at floorball training that the idea was born: what if they could write their final high school project together? It's out of the ordinary, the teachers had said, but with Emilia's keen interest in physics and Marie's fascination with medicine, they realized there were big profits to be made if they could only find a way to combine their favorite fields.
Inspired by a lecture in laser
In their quest for a suitable topic, they had begun to approach UV light and how it can be used to purify air and water from bacteria. And suddenly a name popped up in Emilia's mind. That same spring, she had participated in the Wallenberg Physics Prize competition and, subsequently, been invited to the Department of Physics at Chalmers. Here she got to listen to a series of lectures given by researchers in the field of physics, and one researcher who left a particularly lasting impression was Åsa Haglund, Professor of Photonics with a focus on lasers. And an email exchange and a Teams meeting later, it was clear that their new supervisor Åsa could help them get even closer to a topic that would engage them both: how UV light can be used as in healthcare to disinfect wounds from bacteria - and thereby also contribute to the fight against antibiotic resistance.
“We felt that this subject suited us both very well. Here we were able to combine our interests in physics and medicine while contributing to a current field with a very large societal benefit,” says Marie. And Emilia continues:
“By researching how UV light can kill bacteria on the skin and in wounds, you can contribute to the development of aids against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. There is already research done in the field today, but there is still a lot to do and the subject is not saturated, which feels exciting.”
Since the start of the semester, they have had regular team meetings with their supervisor Åsa to get help in finding good sources on the subject, formulate a background and point to the work's main research question.
“We have had meetings every two weeks and Åsa has really helped us a lot. She has given us presentations, helped us understand and shared articles and videos. And it’s obvious that she is very committed to the subject and to our work. She is almost more excited than we are,” Emilia and Marie agree and laugh.
With the spotlight on ultraviolet light
Today, they are on site at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience at Chalmers to meet Åsa IRL and to be able to do the labs needed to progress in the work. In the department's laser characterizing laboratory, they have been able to test different diodes sending out ultraviolet light, and more specifically how the efficiency changes at different wavelengths.
“In the lab, we have looked at what difficulties ultraviolet diodes encounter in general. For example, all diodes have a maximum limit for how much current they can handle before they break. And here we need to test whether the diodes are sending out enough light, that is, if the efficiency is high enough at a certain effect to be able to kill bacteria on skin or wounds. We also check which wavelengths are effective against bacteria without damaging the skin,” explains Marie.
To gain access to the latest findings in the field, they have enlisted the help of Åsa's German research colleagues who focus specifically on how UV light can be used in healthcare.
“We did an interview yesterday with a German researcher who has done this type of clinical tests and who collaborates with hospitals. And they have been able to show that it is possible to use UV light on skin to kill bacteria, without damaging the skin. They have also tested how to use UV light to build walls of light between hospital patients to prevent viruses and bacteria from spreading between patients. But research needs more resources to progress,” says Emilia.
Curiosity towards the research profession
The test results in the lab consist of a range of graphs and numbers. Now they will need the help from supervisor Åsa to interpret the result to draw the right conclusions in their work, before they go back home to Stockholm again. In a month or so, the final high school project needs to be submitted for opposition. And after their visit to Chalmers, Marie and Emilia are not only assured that they will get their work done in time - but also that the research profession is significantly more exciting than they had previously thought.
“This is the first time I’ve seen what a researcher's everyday life looks like and it seems quite exciting, and definitely more fun than working in an office,” says Emilia. And Marie agrees.
“It is so obvious that the researchers here enjoy their job and that they are passionate about what they do. If you ask a question, they can talk forever about their topic. That’s not the case when you ask a question to someone who works in an office. Here people really seem to have fun at work.”
