#SoCaltech: Liana Merk

“I’ve been interested in fermented foods for a long time. I was always fascinated by how you can take just a little bit of a previous batch of yogurt and stir it into warmed milk, and microbes will make you a fresh new batch. A lot of different cultures have some form of fermented milk. The yogurt that we eat in a parfait might not be called the same thing in other cultures. In Iceland, it's called skyr, and it's a little bit firmer than yogurts that we eat in America. Greek yogurt has become a staple in a lot of different countries, but the traditional Greek yogurt actually isn't strained like it is in American stores. I'm half Persian and my grandmother taught me how to make Persian yogurt, which is a thick yogurt that we eat with rice and stews. The Persian side of my family consumes yogurt with savory meals, whereas my dad’s side of the family is more into yogurt with strawberries and granola. It's just two very different perspectives. I’m really curious how different cultures think about the microbes they consume and how they share these cultures with their community.”

Liana Merk is a Caltech senior majoring in bioengineering. She recently received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a prestigious one-year grant for independent exploration outside the United States, awarded to graduating seniors. For her Watson project, Merk will travel to countries across the globe—Iceland, Greece, China, Japan, Switzerland, and Ireland—to sequence microbes from local yogurt, live with dairy farmers, hear about deep-rooted family traditions, and to learn how yogurt affects both bacterial diversity and diversity of thought. Read more about Merk’s project here.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.