Lehigh University Bacterial Genomics Day 20: A Mix of Fun and Science
English philosopher Francis Bacon coined the phrase Homo Minister et Interpres Naturae, later adopted as Lehigh University’s motto. The Latin phrase translates: “Man, the Minister and Interpreter of Nature.”
Beyond the intensive research environment of the Summer Science Program, Lehigh’s atmosphere urges us to work in harmony with the many hills and stairs as we achieve our goals, not just by finishing the abstract but also by understanding each other. The Summer Science Program consists of individuals across the world, and we act as translators of the world. Through our keen, scientific observations, we use nature both as rejuvenation and as a way to apply our knowledge of bacteriums to improve human conditions.
Fig 1. Bacterial Genomics of Lehigh University working on abstracts as they approach week 4 of the Summer Science Program. 36 young researchers. 12 teams. 3 researchers per team. One ambition. Their curiosity thrives in the environment as they strive to finish strong by understanding to make abstracts and prepare for their DNA natural transformations.
Fig 2. Despite the entirely different atmosphere of Astrophysics and Bacterial Genomics at Lehigh, we come in harmony to watch the quarter-finalists Norway vs England of the 2026 World Cup to recover from the long day of lectures and labs.
Fig 3. Teacher Assistant Elias becomes a screenager and tunes in with his young life as he scrolls through whatever app he is on. “I’ve played basketball my whole life, I’m 6 ‘6, and I am a Power Forward,” he then proceeded to miss the next 35 shots on his warmup. Despite that, he still won against me in basketball; but, if you guys do see that video of me getting blocked by a tree branch, it’s fake and it is AI generated.
Fig 4. As we begin to wrap our long but yet restful day, the sun begins to set as Ryan prepares our brownies. This scene was captured as genomics played against each other in soccer and badminton. Despite the morning starting with such weary eyes and with no attention span towards the lecture, the community brings out the true spirit of the 36 researchers that worked so hard up until now.
The Genomics Program at Lehigh University of Summer Science Program are not just a bunch of early achievers that are exceptionally intelligent in mathematics and science. It’s a community of people that are defined by their own curiosities and passions, whether that means performing unconventional and weird billiards techniques or solving a Rubik’s Cube in seconds. Nature—the hills, stairs, and even more stairs—and knowledge do not compete; instead they coexist and reveal something of that unknownness about each other. It’s true when the Summer Science Program promises a comfortable community, but it’s you who makes the most of it.
Resilience.
Intellectual Curiosity.
Community.
Binty F., Summer Science Program, 2026
Thank you for reading my blog. My name is Binty and I am from Boston, Massachusetts and currently attending John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. Truly, the Summer Science Program has been an experience that I did not imagine it would be—it’s so much more intensive. Here, the people are those that push your limits to do better.
