Hello! I'm Maxine and I am a 2022 Laidlaw scholar at the University of Leeds. I am currently studying Biology, but I am eager to gain expertise beyond my area of study. After my first year in the course, I have had a growing fascination in the applications of biotechnology as solutions to contemporary issues. 

For my research project, I am looking at the role of higher education institutions in the management of electronic waste. Electronic waste ("e-waste") includes items such as phones, screen projectors, keyboards, circuits, wires, and many other types of lab equipment. In this research I hope to investigate the policies and practices implemented at the University of Leeds, and potentially explore what actions can and should be taken to improve e-waste management and sustainability education in our community.

This research project is of particular interest to me because I have previously pursued other e-waste related activities and I know I
have a passion for it. The management of e-waste is a truly relevant issue in our modern, electrified world, yet I find that it is still quite the niche interest where opportunities to
be involved are still lacking in our communities. What first truly alerted me to the pressing reality of our e-waste issue was my participation in a service initiative called 'Repair Kopitiam' in Singapore. I hosted training sessions and raised awareness in my school and local community about the e-waste issue. My efforts were rewarded by an oversubscription to the service the following year. I had the honour of enlisting new female members despite having no other girls in the service before I enlisted. Considering electrical engineering is a male dominated field, this was an especially significant
achievement for me because it showed that we have expanded our reach to the point that other girls were emboldened to participate in a service that taught a valuable life skill and confronted a topical issue.