About Us: Nina, Biz and Richie
Nina
Nina Aganza is a Quest University student with a passion for researching skin health. Nina’s interest in skincare stems from her own skin sensitivities. She has noticed a correlation to her skin’s health and her use of cosmetic products, changes in the weather and diet. She will focus her research efforts in these areas. To further her research on skin health, she has developed the question, How do I provide a plant based skincare line that people can trust? Through her question, Nina will research and test ingredients found in skincare products with her colleagues Richie, Biz and Devon in order to begin to develop her own plant based skincare line. Nina is also working to make her research public and to translate her findings into everyday language so that anyone who is interested in the production, chemistry or biology of skincare products has access to this information.
email: nina.aganza@questu.ca
Biz
A busy student passionate about cosmetics and toxicology. Biz (Emily Bison) is part of the graduating class of 2019 at Quest University Canada and shares an interest in cosmetic chemistry with Nina and Richie. At Quest, Biz has had the unique opportunity of shaping her own program and major (presented as a question): How do I synthesize safe products? Through her question, she focuses on chemistry and toxicology while incorporating science communication and theories of ethics and feminism. While completing her undergraduate degree, Biz is invested in experimenting with the chemical formulation of cosmetics as well as with toxicity testing of a wide variety of products specifically marketed to females and fem folk.
email: emily.bison@questu.ca
Richie
Katlyn Richardson (Richie) is a fourth year undergraduate student at Quest University with a passion for all things skin! Her passion began with an interest in topical cosmetics. However, it was not until she went to university that she considered pursuing this passion as a career. This past year, she was able to explore her career interests as an undergraduate research assistant at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver General Hospital. Her research with his lab consisted of investigating the involvement of a protein of interest in basal cell carcinoma. Additionally, in each of her focus courses, she has conducted a large research project or lab work on the topic of human health and topical cosmetics. When she is not in class, she can be found on the soccer pitch or travelling. She is currently working on her graduate thesis whose primary research goals are directed towards the exploration of the effects of topical cosmetics on human health. As a self-professed “beauty junkie” she continues to enjoy learning about the beauty industry and hopes to continue related research at grad school in the coming year.
email: katlyn.richardson@questu.ca
Featuring...
DIY Devon
Devon Mitchell (DIY Dev) is a student at Quest University and passionate about synthetic chemistry. He is interested in investigating the relation between synthetic products and good skin health. Synthesized ingredients are an essential part of modern cosmetics and personal care products, and synthesizing safe ingredients is essential. He is also interested in science communication, making sure the public is informed on important topics such as science literacy and informed decision making. Devon is interested in creating new, safe ingredients that can enhance future cosmetics and personal care products to be extra effective while remaining safe.
email: devon.mitchell@questu.ca