Big congratulations to Melanie on her outstanding Bachelor thesis defence!
Melanie is presenting her cool Bachelor thesis. Photo Credit: Alef dos Santos.
When a bachelor thesis becomes a paper: celebrating Melanie Aurelle's success!
We are so proud to congratulate Melanie Aurelle on the successful defence of her bachelor thesis in the Yeşilbaş Lab! 🎓 Her project that named "Exploring Past Life on Mars: Growth of cyanobacteria on Fe-rich nontronites and Jezero regolith analogs for life detection under cryogenic conditions" is exactly the kind of bold, question-driven science we love to see from a bachelor student.
Melanie grew the cyanobacterium Synechocystis on iron-rich nontronite clays and Jezero crater regolith analogs, then used scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy to search for detectable biosignatures under cold, Mars-relevant conditions — the same kind of spectral fingerprints that rover instruments like SHERLOC and SuperCam are hunting for on the Red Planet right now. Her dedication, curiosity, and scientific rigor shone through from her very first day in the lab to her confident, polished defence. 🔬
What makes this milestone extra special: Melanie's work was of such high quality that it is becoming part of an upcoming research paper, on which she will be a co-author alongside our team members. Watching a bachelor project grow into a peer-reviewed contribution is one of the most rewarding journeys we get to be part of in the lab.
Congratulations, Melanie!!! What a brilliant defence and a wonderful start to your scientific path. We can't wait to see where it takes you next! Warmest wishes from the whole Yeşilbaş Lab. 🌟🚀
Per aspera ad astra, Melanie!!👩🏻🚀
