Life-Changing Science: The BioBuilder Podcast · BioBuilder Educational Foundation

Hana Shinzawa: A Journey Beyond the Textbook with a Budding Biologist

·24 min·1 clip

Zeeshan opens the conversation by introducing Hannah Shinzawa and the BioBuilder club work she has been doing at Montreux School in Metfield, Massachusetts. The project at the center of the episode is a yeast-based sensor aimed at addressing salmonella illness in places that need it most. Hannah says she has always been somewhat interested in science, with early memories of reading biology and anatomy books. That interest became much more serious in sophomore year during AP Bio. In class, she worked on projects about diseases and cell signaling, and that is when the subject started to feel like something worth chasing outside school. She describes that as the point where science stopped being just a class and started feeling like her thing. Zeeshan then steers the discussion toward the team project and asks what techniques and parts of the process stood out most. Hannah says the research phase was fun, but it was also difficult at first because the papers were hard to understand. As the team got more familiar with the surrounding literature, things began to click. Once that happened, the group could have stronger brainstorming sessions. She talks about reading different papers, bringing those ideas together, and combining pieces from separate sides of research to make the project richer. The episode stays focused on how that kind of collaboration shaped the work. Zeeshan reflects back the effort and the stress that comes with it. Hannah agrees that there were many stressful nights. The conversation then shifts to the end of the project and the experience of presenting the poster. Hannah says last year felt especially proud because it was the team’s first time going to the conference. She remembers answering questions from real scientists and peers who were doing similar projects. That experience made her realize she knew a lot about the topic. She also felt she could explain her thinking and defend her ideas. Zeeshan highlights how that kind of challenge can matter for scientific growth. Near the end, the discussion broadens into science communication. Hannah notes that not everyone has studied salmonella or yeast, so she had to think about how to present the research in a way that was accessible without watering it down. The episode closes by framing that skill as part of what makes BioBuilder valuable for young scientists. Zeeshan points listeners toward the show notes and invites them back for the next guest.

As heard by us

A grounded student-science story about reading the literature, building a project, and learning to explain it well.

Hannah Shinzawa's path through BioBuilder comes across as steady and practical, starting with an early pull toward biology and moving through a sophomore-year AP Bio class into more serious work with papers and the broader literature.

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Why you'd press play

Hear a student turn a yeast-based sensor project into a first conference presentation.

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