Celebrating Success Series: Michal Jezierski

This is the second article in our 2018 news series celebrating the high performance of Pembroke undergraduate students and recent alumni in their examinations!

Michal Jezierski is about to commence his second year studying Biological Sciences at Pembroke College. He recently achieved a Distinction in his first year examinations, so we caught up with him to congratulate him on his recent success, find out more about his extra-curricular activities this year and hear why he decided to study this subject at Oxford:

"The most enjoyable aspects of the course for me are the lectures, which are delivered by world-class researchers and the topics of which were beautifully interwoven with one another – perfectly reflecting the nature of biology. Also, the field course in ecology and diversity of life at Orielton was one of the best weeks of my life!

I am a bird ringing trainee under supervision of Department of Zoology’s professor Andy Gosler. Bird ringing is more of a hobby for me, but animal handling and associated study of taxonomy and ecology of birds has also advanced my biological knowledge beyond the topics covered in the course. As a Science Officer for Oxford University Polish Society, I have been able to practice my science communication and organisational skills.

I have just completed a summer internship under the supervision of Professor Peter Holland in the Department of Zoology, where I rotated between different projects in his lab. This internship was funded by Pembroke College’s Rokos Awards. My internship allowed me to develop lab-based skills and have a go at multiple molecular biology techniques that I had previous studied. This internship has hugely expanded my idea of biology and enhanced my research skills, which I will need in the future.

The Organisms course in the first year is definitely my favourite aspect of the Biological Sciences course so far. Our lecturers have given us an overview of the diversity of life, I enjoyed understanding the evolution of life and how it is interconnected, this is what pushed me to study biology!"