Pinetree Secondary graduate Janice Pang is finally relaxing this summer after working hard for many years on several significant scientific projects aimed at helping those with Type 2 diabetes.

The Science Fair Club at Summit Middle school is where Pang started on her journey studying the immune system. For her very first project she tried to improve the functioning of white blood cells by exposing them to bacteria. She has been hooked on science and science fairs ever since.

Throughout high school, Pang has studied inflammation and immune response in Type 2 diabetes. Pang chose to study Type 2 diabetes because it is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, and she was driven to help those affected.

As Pang’s projects became more sophisticated, she attended more science fairs, sharing her findings with the scientific community. She won a gold medal at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Charlottetown in Grade 8, and again in Lethbridge the next year. Pang’s work hit the international stage in her Grade 11 year, when she attended the International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh and won a Grand Award. In her Grade 12 year Pang once again attended the Canada-Wide Science Fair, this time in Montreal, and took home a silver medal.

Pang values the friends she has made during her time attending science fairs. “It’s an incredible time to be able to be surrounded by so many young scientists who are trying to change the world. They have so many ideas in their minds and it’s really inspirational.”

Amidst her scientific studies, Pang finds time to pursue other interests as well. She is an accomplished competitive curler. Curling since the eighth grade, Pang competed in the Junior Provincials and the BC Winter Games. She was also involved in the Red Cross’s Beyond the Hurt bullying prevention program at Pinetree Secondary, a program which gives all youth the tools to prevent bullying.

This fall, Pang will be studying at the University of British Columbia in the faculty of science. She hopes to continue to focus her studies on immunology and microbiology, and plans to branch out and study more inflammatory diseases in the future. The world of medicine will certainly benefit from Pang’s serious scientific smarts and distinct drive to help others.

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