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Joe Linogao, a Trinity College Dublin Laidlaw Scholar, on the power of healthcare, taking initiative and exploring new interests.
Research title: Automated Procedure for the Microbial Analysis of Contact Plates
My research involved creating a procedure to automatically count bacterial colonies on contact plates using a trained AI model. While it was mainly Software Engineering heavy, the research involved collaboration with the Trinity College Dublin Microbiology lab. Before conducting research like that, a peer review studied that the majority of labs in the world still used manual counting by humans, which may sometimes be assisted by computer vision software. However, counting in this manner was prone to subjectivity between lab technicians, long periods of time during evaluation, and potential mistakes due to fatigue. The real-world impact my research had was that it would mitigate these problems to near zero as an AI model partnered with a robust camera setup would provide the same results every time and in a timely manner. Furthermore, since the model uses existing counts of previous colonies, the model can examine a wide variety of different bacteria types if the data is available. Not only would this lead to more accurate counts, but there could also be a scenario where the identifier is expanded to isolate different types of colonies from one another, which could allow for better data post-mortem when analysing the types of microorganisms in the sample environment.
Where did your passion for this research originate?
My passion for this project came from my desire to shift towards a software engineering role. While my background stems from mechanical engineering, I learned about the world of software engineering during all the free time I had during the COVID pandemic. I learned about robotics, web applications, and AI and was completely hooked. So, when I applied for the Laidlaw Programme, my supervisor and I devised a plan for an AI project that would push my understanding and have me do a practical project whilst I was learning.
As for the microbiology route, I have a strong connection with healthcare as both my parents are senior nurses, so I had a lot of insight into their world. I’ve always wanted to give back to the sacrifices they made for me, so I decided that I wanted to embark on a project that could hopefully improve their lives in the future. By leading this project, it showed me that software engineering and healthcare come together in such a fascinating way in that projects like mine, as well as countless others around the world, allow healthcare staff to push towards a safer and healthier place.
Real-life leadership lessons
The biggest skill I’ve learned from the programme is taking initiative. Before, I would always follow the crowd and go along with life, not really choosing a set destination with where I wanted to go academically or career-wise. However, after completing the programme, I’m inclined to take more risks. I love learning about new technologies and areas that I could be a part of, and diving head first to see what I could do with it. Academics wise, I reached out to more PhDs and professors as I wanted to work on projects that they were working on, all because I wanted to learn about their knowledge and use it for my own. Career wise, I took the plunge into an SME to see what life is like in different sized companies. After a year, I now can comfortably say that I still have a burning passion to innovate and have decided to move back to my supervisor’s startup. While it’s a weird thing to exclaim, I’m proud that I was able to take the initiative to move to a different environment and get experience first-hand before drawing any definitive conclusions. This initiative is something 1st year me would have wished he had.
Top leadership tips
⚡️Always listen. Listen twice as much as you speak.
⚡️Keep learning consistently. Never settle with what you know.
⚡️ You don’t know everything. Be open-minded to others and their ideas.
⚡️ Strive to be better than yesterday.
What does it mean for you to be a Laidlaw Scholar?
To me, being a Laidlaw Scholar brings a level of prestige and a way to show the work that I’ve put towards my career means something. It acts as a stepping stone for various opportunities as well as developing myself into a confident individual with a better awareness of the world around me. Being a Laidlaw Scholar allows me to take the knowledge I’ve learned from lectures and practically apply them to help make the world a better place. To be honest, the Scholarship has accelerated my transition from Mechanical to Software Engineering and has opened many opportunities for me to take hold of for the future.
Briefly describe a scene from the future you are striving to create.
I see a world where true and factual information is easily available to all. If you want to know something, there will be an easy way on your phone or computer to get the latest and up-to-date truthful information about the data you are talking about. I want to help create a world where people can live comfortably and where all aspects of their lives just work together without friction, allowing people to focus on learning ways to improve their own lives and the lives around them (essentially, removing barriers to allow people to become the best versions of themselves).
Something personal to add
⚡️ I do have a Spotify where I try to post music on the side which you can check out here 👉 https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KjbJKvrp2aBFZTO1zGiTn?si=DdbYF7CBS8i9Jqeu5s8cpA&nd=1
⚡️ Also, I’ve been getting back into doing more side projects, so feel free to connect on Github here! I am open to collaborations 👉 https://github.com/Joecey?tab=repositories
Quick-fire Questions
📺 Currently binging: Jujutsu Kaisen
📚 My top book recommendation: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
🎶 My anthem: Afterthought by Joji
🎵 Podcast obsession: Marc Has No Friends
🌈 Something that made me feel joy recently: Slowly getting back into making more music and spending a week away in Bordeaux with my girlfriend.
You can find Joe on LinkedIn. If you are interested in learning more about Joe's research, check out his research poster.
Joe is a Laidlaw Undergraduate Leadership and Research Scholar at Trinity College Dublin. Become a Laidlaw Scholar to conduct a research project of your choice, develop your leadership skills, and join a global community of changemakers from world-leading universities.
Find out more about the Laidlaw Scholars Undergraduate Leadership and Research Programme.
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