The Prize is awarded annually to one student at every qualifying university in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with each winner awarded a certificate and one year’s free Undergraduate Student Membership of the Microbiology Society.

Bedfordshire's recipient of the award, Wiktoria Bulik, is a Biomedical Science student, currently studying in her third year at the School of Life Sciences.

Following her win, Wiktoria said: “I am very grateful and happy that my work throughout the last semester was appreciated by the Microbiology Society UK. The prize will definitely make me motivated to develop my interests in microbiology further, as well as to perform better during the final year of my degree.”

There are many different areas of life sciences that Wiktoria could enter after she completes her studies, and she says she has not yet decided which she will choose to focus on.

Wiktoria said: “After graduating University, I hope to continue my studies within a life-science area - there are many fields that interest me which is why it is hard to decide yet.”

To qualify for entry to the Prize, students may be registered for any degree with a significant microbiology content, while winning students should have attained at least a 2:1 grade overall in their degree examinations at the stage at which the winners are announced.

Explaining the nomination process for the award, Wiktoria said: “Academics nominate a student and send their appropriate, marked microbiological work to the Microbiology Society. Afterwards, the Society decides whether the student should be awarded with the Undergraduate Microbiology Prize.”

Examples of appropriate work that can be submitted include best written dissertation on a microbiological topic, best microbiology presentation, or best examined microbiology module.

In Wiktoria’s case, it was Dr Anna Furmanski, Senior Lecturer in Immunology, who nominated Wiktoria’s ‘Identification of Unknown Organisms’ report for submission to the Microbiology Society.

Dr Furmanski, who is also Wiktoria’s course coordinator, said: “We nominated Wiktoria for this award because her assessed work in microbiology last year was excellent. The pandemic created significant challenges for all of our students but, despite this, Wiktoria has actively engaged with and excelled in her studies, all with an admirably positive attitude. 

“The most rewarding part of my job is watching our students grow in confidence and succeed and Wiktoria's achievement and her happiness in winning this Prize is simply fantastic to see!”  

Dr Thamarai K. Janganan, Lecturer in Microbiology and Biotechnology, is the academic microbiologist who runs the 'Identification of Unknown Microorganisms' lab practical and microbiology assessment and delivered the microbiology teaching that led to Wiktoria producing her winning work.

Speaking about Wiktoria’s win, Dr Janganan said: “Wiktoria had produced a high-quality report in her Medical Microbiology unit assessments during semester 2. In addition, she demonstrated outstanding knowledge and understanding of pathogenesis and diagnosis of clinically relevant microorganisms.

“Thus, she deserves the prestigious award, well done Wiktoria - I want to thank the Society for recognising the outstanding academic performance and providing this competitive prize for our students. I think it is excellent for the course and the University of Bedfordshire to motivate students.”

The Microbiology Society was formally established in February 1945 and has gone on to grow a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools.

In 2020, the Society celebrated 75 years since its founding with a year of activities dedicated to demonstrating the impact of microbiologists past, present and future.

The Undergraduate Microbiology Prize is one of many prizes and grants offered by the Microbiology Society, as it continues to champion excellence in the study of microbiology.

Nominations for the 2022 Prize will open in June 2022 and you can find out more information about the scheme by emailing prizes@microbiologysociety.org or via their social media @MicrobioSoc on Twitter and Instagram.