A nice lab-experience in Amsterdam

Hello,

I am Giovanni Povero, a 4^th year PhD student in Agrobiosciences at the “Plant Lab” Department of Prof. Perata (http://www.plantlab.sssup.it/) in Pisa, Italy. My PhD research project is mainly focused on the study of the role of genes and transcription factors in the regulation of pigmentation in different plant tissues and species. One of my interests is also the study of the evolution and development (“Evo-Devo”) of pigmentation patterns in plants, in order to gain new insights into this completely new field. The final goal consists also in comparing my results with similar/different demonstrations already found in studies about shape evolution in animals and plants.

I really have to thank the “Development Travelling Fellowship” recently received, because it gave me the opportunity to join the “Genetics” Department of Prof. Ronald Koes and Dr. Francesca Quattrocchio in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). I knew them because I studied their very interesting publications. Therefore  I contacted the Dutch group, and together we decided to prepare a project that can be carried out in a short period but at the same time can fit with our reciprocal interests. The project regards a very new and fascinating topic: the study of the relationships between the genes conferring petal identity (in the flower) and genes for pigment biosynthesis. The project was luckily approved from the “Travelling Fellowship” commission, and the result is a nice continuation of my PhD project in Netherlands. In particular, I had the opportunity to spend a 4 months period at the “Genetics” Department in Amsterdam. People in the lab are very kind with me and they prepared all the material I needed before my arrival. We work together, have lunch together, and we go often outside (when the weather is nice) to have picnics in the parks of this fantastic town. Moreover, the lab people help me every time I need some help or I have some technical (or any other kind of) difficulties. I am learning a lot about Dutch habits and culture, and I find it very interesting. Here in Holland they speak a very good English, and this gives me the possibility to train this language. On the other hand, learning some words of Dutch will be a “mission impossible”. There are many differences between Italy and Netherlands, and between Italians and Dutch… but I am fascinated from the way in which this country is organized/administrated, and the way people spend their free time (cycling, jogging, practicing sports and meeting people in the bars, chatting and drinking something together).

I am almost at the end of my period in the Dutch Lab, but I can say already that during this months I have learnt a lot of things: techniques like plant transformation (petunia, tomato, Arabidopsis), different cloning systems and methodological approaches. This makes me really much self-confident, and now I am more than ever sure that an experience abroad is really important; it’s something that people working in a laboratory should do at least once in their life! And now I have also the possibility to strengthen the collaboration with the Amsterdam group. In conclusion, it is a very interesting international experience…

Giovanni

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