Message from NIG-INTERN 2010

Message

The 4th Summer Research Program for Undergraduates, NIGINTERN 2010, was carried out from May to July . Seven selected participants enjoyed 10 week research internship programs at their host laboratories .

Anuradha Bhukel
From:IISER Pune, India
Stayed at:Suzuki Lab
After spending almost 10 weeks at NIG when I was asked to write my experience, I found that this experience was beyond what the words could express. At the very beginning, I would like to thank NIG and SOKENDAI for giving me the opportunity to experience the research ambience in Japan. I am thankful to Suzuki sensei and Kurusu sensei for giving me the opportunity to experience research work in their lab (Suzuki Lab).
My project aimed at observing synapse morphology in Toll-7 null mutants using specific antibody markers using a Confocal Microscope. Learning fly maintainance and larvae dissection was more of fun than challenge for me. Handling Confocal Microscope on my own has filled me with a new enthusiasm for my future work. I would like to thank Kurusu sensei for guiding me at each and every step during my internship. Thank You Kurusu sensei for all the thoughtful discussions, they helped me in developing research interest in me. I am grateful to Suzuki Sensei for devoting her precious time in teaching me all the basics of Electron Microscopy, although I myself couldnot try my hands on it. I would like to thank Yuri san and all the other lab members for helping and motivating me whenever my spirits went down.
I would like to thank Miyauchi Sensei for teaching us Japanese. Seminars and Journal Club discussions allowed me to critically analyze and think logically for every problem.
Hey!! Hold on… Are u thinking that I am a lab rat !!! You got to make a correction… weekdays of extensive lab work were followed by weekend full of ‘MASTI’ (fun). Exploring a whole city like Mishima on our ‘Jitensha’ (bicycle) was something I could not even imagine. Trips to Fuji Que Highland, Numazu beach and Hakone were full of enjoyment. Climbing Mt. Fuji is the most beautiful experience of my life. Atami fireworks added glow to all these experiences. Cooking in guest house added spice to our stay in Nihon. Thank you Rajshri san, Deepak san and Pradeep san for taking us to all these beautiful places and making all the experiences memorable.
Now, its time to say Sayo Nara…
Miss you NIG… Miss you Japland… I am gonna miss our “Intern Gang”…
Ritesh Bhatt
From:Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India
Stayed at:Kobayashi Lab
“What is your age?” That was the question my professor Dr. Takehiko Kobayashi asked when I first met him. I told him my age thinking of the reasons he might be asking it. He then smilingly replied “You are above the legal drinking age in Japan”. This was the ice breaker with which we segued into discussions related to rDNA and my project.
The Summer internship at NIG offered more than I could imagine. Not only was it an enriching research experience but also a cultural one. I worked on an rDNA project with Assistant Professor Tetsushi Iida. The rDNA field is one of the newest and most interesting field I came across. We worked with yeast which is a very good and simple organism for quick manipulation of genes. This was my first complete wet lab project and the techniques I learnt in the lab have definitely improved my experimental skills. One thing I liked about the internship was that we were given projects that were unique and had an impact. So even though we were learning new techniques, the emphasis was still on developing a rational thinking conducive to research. The discussions with Iida san and Kobayashi san were always fruitful. The frequent seminars and guest lectures gave me an opportunity to explore other areas. The lab tours and visit to neighbouring campuses also helped in introducing me to the varied work that is being done in Genetics.
For the fun part of it. I enjoyed meeting new people at NIG. I played football with the NIG team and made some friends that I will be in contact in the future. I learned Japanese from Miyauchi sensei that helped in my day to day life in Japan. I liked Japanese food and all the beautiful places I travelled with my co-interns. To sum it up in a few words: I will remember this experience for the rest of my life.
Ujani Chakraborty
From:IISER Kolkata, India
Stayed at:Maeshima Lab
Coming Soon
Bhawika Sharma Lamichhane
From:Idaho State University, USA
Stayed at:Araki Lab
When I was leaving US to go to NIG for my internship, I had a thought on my mind. I wanted to gain such an experience going to a different country and getting involved in research there that I would find a permanent positive change about the way I viewed research. Completing my internship, I am at home now and looking back at what I realize to be one of the best 70 days of my life. I worked in the lab of Dr. Araki on the DNA binding proteins with the technique I learnt called the Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). The organism used was Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I studied the binding of a specific protein, Dpb11, involved in triggering the S phase of the cell cycle, in wild type background and compare how its interaction is different in the mutation isolated by my lab called the Jet-1 mutation. It was an interesting research topic such that nobody else in the world had yet worked on answering this particular question .It was a great feeling to have gotten a chance to work in a world class laboratory environment with my professors who have big name in the field of DNA replication research. After this internship, I have definitely realized that I have lots to learn to become a successful researcher. Seeing my dedicated lab members work day and night, I have understood that research is not only about knowing what you want to discover, it is infact, a process which requires perseverance, dedication and a lot of hard work. Dr. Seiji Tanaka who taught me all the techniques to learn in order to answer my questions and Dr. Araki’s ideas and support as well as the rest of the lab member’s warm smile and help made my working in the lab much comfortable. I developed an insight in one of the interesting questions in biochemistry and finally came to understand about how scientists figure out each steps that take place in the molecular level of the cells by performing various laboratory techniques.
Besides the lab, attending various seminars and lectures, I got to learn more about different research being done in reputed institutes all around the world as well as explore possibilities of what I could be pursuing as my research interest in coming future. Spending 2 months at NIG, I now am quite confident that I want to take research as my carrier.The visit of labs at NIG, NIPS and NIBB were all awe-inspiring.
Along with getting acquainted with the real world research, I got a chance to be experience the exquisite Japanese culture and lifestyle. The Japanese language classes were fun and helpful. I enjoyed every single day of my stay in Japan, the country where nature blends in perfectly with technology. My intern friends were a wonderful company and places I visited and the fun times I had in Japan will stay as a fond memory of my life. I loved everything about Japan and its beautiful people. I consider myself lucky to be NIG intern, 2010.
Neha Mishra
From:Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, India
Stayed at:Akashi Lab
NIG has been the home for some of the greatest personalities in the field of evolutionary studies and hence, when I was selected for the internship program at the Akashi Lab at the NIG, my heart knew no bounds. A stay of 10 weeks at the NIG constituted the most fulfilling moments of my life. It provided me an extensive research experience in an excellent environment and contributed immensely in shaping up my career goal.
I was given an independent research project which gave me an opportunity to use my computational skills for solving problems in evolutionary biology under the able guidance of Akashi sensei. Akashi sensei and Osada sensei inspired me to learn new computer languages like Python and R and to fine-tune my organizational skills. They motivated me to learn new skills due to which I was able to get some substantial results towards the end of my internship.
In addition to the lab sessions, I was enlightened by the weekly journal clubs and seminars in which I had the opportunity to listen to the talks delivered by eminent speakers. These talks were often followed by thought-provoking discussions. I also got the opportunity to learn about the on-going research in the field of basic biology, neurosciences, and informatics during my visits to the NIBB, the NIPS and the NII. The Japanese lessons conducted by Miyauchi sensei were a unique experience. We attended her discourses with a great deal of interest and enthusiasm.
The lunch break at the NIG gave me an opportunity to interact with the professors in lighter veins on politics, sports (mainly soccer as the World Cup was on!), socio-economic set up, religions, cultures etc. of India and Japan.
Our week-ends were fun-filled. The combined cooking sessions with other interns and students were an enjoyable experience. Our interactions with the ever-smiling, kind-hearted, and ever-helpful Japanese citizens were always an enriching experience, which gave us an insight in to the Japanese way of life, culture, and traditions. The varied and picturesque Japanese landscape, the ascent to Mt. Fuji and the adventures of the roller coasters will be the ever-lasting memories of my life.
It was very hard for me to say ‘Sayonara’ to my professor, my lab, the NIG and Japan due to the strong emotional bond formed between us.
Arigato Gozaimasu NIG for all the wonderful moments!!!
Shalaka Chitale
From:University of Pune, India
Stayed at:Kawakami Lab
My time at NIG is one of my most memorable to date. It gave me an opportunity to experience the fun side of research.
　From my very first day in the Kawakami lab, I felt very involved in the lab and the project I was going to work on. I was able to take an active part in the entire process of trying to solve a problem, right from the planning stage. Kawakami sensei as well as the other members of the lab provided invaluable guidance, at the same time they gave me a certain amount of independence to learn from my own experience. This really made me think and learn how to troubleshoot. I think as a researcher, it is very necessary to be able to understand positive as well as negative results and try to find explanations. This is what I learnt to do. Their guidance also helped me learn to organise my thoughts better and document my results systematically.
　Being in NIG also helped me interact with many other researchers at the top of their field. The weekly seminars had a variety of speakers from different institutes as well as research areas. We also visited other Institutes as well as attended an International conference during the programme. The high level of exposure to varied research really helped me broaden my knowledge.
　One of the other high points of the internship was the chance to immerse myself in Japanese culture. Japanese people are very warm and friendly and this ensured that language was never a barrier. We learnt the language, sampled the food, and in true Japanese style enjoyed Karaoke! It was an adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed and I would love to return some day.
　The time in Japan has given me a wealth of great memories, both personally and professionally and I will always remember it.
Harsh Nagpal
From:Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
Stayed at:Hiromi Lab
The internship programme at the National Institute of Genetics (SOKENDAI) went beyond anything i had expected. It provided an opportunity for me to experience research as it is done on the highest levels. The programme provided a level of guidance, equipment and autonomy that hitherto I had never experienced.
As a member of the Hiromi Laboratory I was engaged in original research on a model system with which I was not familiar. My work was primarily on the effects of physical forces on tissue growth using Drosophila melanogaster. This though was only short lived problem as very soon the guidance, extensive knowledge and enthusiasm of the labs members let me get a handle on the required techniques as well as helped troubleshoot any problems that came up as the experiments progressed. At any point I was free to question them about how to best interpret a result, modify a protocol or test a hypothesis with each question being received with patience and each answer being given with due rigour.
Apart from the lab itself NIG also hosted speakers from all over the world who through their lectures provided insights into the cutting edge of research in biology. The internship even included visits to sister institutions as well as international conferences where we were able to meet some of the leading figures in current research.
We were also given the opportunity to experience Japan as a country. To be immersed in its culture and language. We were given weekly instruction in the Japanese language, something that proved worth its weight in gold as we explored the country. Our free time was spent exploring the beautiful countryside, trying out the local cuisine (which is delicious and taught us how to use chopsticks) and meeting some of the nicest and most helpful people on the planet.
The 3 months in Japan have been some of my best both in their impact on me academically as well as personally. They have furthered my understanding of what it is to be a scientist and broadened my understanding of people and cultures. I will forever be indebted to NIG for this experience.