Message from NIG-INTERN 2024

The 17th summer research program for undergraduate and postgraduate students, NIGINTERN 2024, was carried out from June 13 to July 24, 2024.
Eight selected participants enjoyed a 6 week-research internship at their host laboratories.

Members

Nuray Chalkarova
From:University of Bologna
Stayed at:Invertebrate Genetics Laboratory / Saito Group
Joining NIG as an intern was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I had the chance to not only master my lab techniques and research skills but also to explore Japan and meet some of the kindest people there.
I was fortunate to be part of Saito Lab, focusing on the METTL1 gene and impact of its knockdown on tRNA and protein levels in mammalian cancer cells like A549, HCT116, HuCCT, and HeLa. Besides performing Northern and Western blotting and working on my study, I also collected Drosophila ovaries and testes, attended journal club and visited other laboratories. My mentor, Miyoshi-san, patiently guided me throughout my internship, sharing valuable knowledge and skills that I will certainly use in my scientific career. Tomoko-san also provided tremendous support and help. Despite some unexpected results, Saito-sensei was always there to help me understand and direct my research. I’m deeply grateful to all the Saito Lab members for making my stay comfortable and truly unforgettable.
Outside the lab, I formed strong bonds with other interns and NIG students. We went on numerous trips and tried the most delicious variety of Japanese cuisine. Exploring Tokyo, experiencing a fireworks festival near Mount Fuji, attending a lantern festival on a rainy day, and taking countless peaceful strolls in Mishima—these moments have become core memories of my youth that I will cherish forever.
Thank you, NIG, for this incredible opportunity and for boosting our confidence as we pursue our futures in the scientific community.
近い将来にまたお会いしましょう !!!
Naomi Musto
From:University of Leicester
Stayed at:Ecological Genetics Laboratory / Kitano Group
“I would like to commemorate the fantastic experience I had in the KITANO lab. I arrived eager to challenge myself in a new environment, and over six weeks, I became a more refined scientist and a true member of the KITANO lab. I learned many new techniques and had the pleasure of contributing to their scientific efforts. Every person in the lab was a guiding figure during my time at N.I.G., and I wish them all the best in their academic and personal journeys. My deepest gratitude goes to Kitano-sensei for believing in me and always guiding me with his kindness, as well as Yamasaki-san and Okude-san for their significant presence and patient help. Winning the ‘Best Presenter Award’ was incredible, and I am proud to bring such a joyful achievement to the laboratory!
The bond I formed with the interns during my stay has been incredible, and together we formed precious memories that I will keep with me forever. Thank you Nuray, Tran, Febrina, Sourin, Raul, Tarkan, and Hung-Ting for becoming my brothers and sisters for these 6 weeks. I saw so much of Japan, and despite my prior knowledge, I was constantly amazed by each place I visited. Just like the fireworks I witnessed, my love for Japan exploded beautifully with each new sight and weekend adventure.

I would also like to thank all the laboratories that shared their research efforts and engaged in scientific discussions, which deepened my understanding of the complexity of genetics. It has been incredible to see the many pathways available to us as scientists and to connect with such brilliant minds.
My six weeks at N.I.G. are precious gems I will lovingly store in my heart forever. Every corridor paved the way to great opportunities, and every greeting filled my heart with joy. Every street I walked in Mishima and every person I encountered has become a part of me, and I will always remember it as my far-away home. One page is not enough to express my gratitude for this experience. I am excited for the future of NIG-INTERN, and if I could, I would do it all over again!”
Raul Acosta Murillo
From:Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
Stayed at:Evolutionary Genetics Laboratory / Akashi Group
I am very grateful for the experience of conducting research at the National Institute of Genetics in Japan under the mentorship of Akashi-sensei and Haruka-sensei. This has been a great opportunity to grow not only in terms of research but also in other aspects of my daily life.

During these intense six weeks, I had the chance to collaborate in bioinformatics applied to evolutionary genetics, where I supported Python programming during the process of cleaning and mapping reads from the analysis of ribosome-protected fragments in Drosophila melanogaster.
Some of the things I learned included best practices in programming, text processing, and complex data structures, as well as the fundamentals of the Ribo-seq technique. All of this was taught to me with patience by Akashi-sensei and Haruka-sensei, to whom I am very grateful.
Being part of such a high-level laboratory as the Evolutionary Genetics Laboratory was a constant process of learning and adaptation. I greatly admire the level of dedication, precision, and meticulousness that all members put into their research. I was able to identify deficiencies in my programming and scientific reasoning, which motivates me to address them for future projects.
This internship was not only an opportunity for my academic growth but also allowed me to experience Japanese culture firsthand. I learned about the importance of order, tranquility, quality, and dedication in work. Additionally, I witnessed its excellent gastronomy, infrastructure, and technology, as well as a sustainable human development in harmony with nature.
This experience was enriching in many aspects. I am very grateful to the Akashi Lab and the NIG for their support before, during, and after the internship. I return to Mexico highly inspired to continue my studies and keep learning.
Febrina Margaretha
From:Indonesia International Institute for Life-Sciences
Stayed at:Genome Genome Informatics Laboratory / Nakamura Group
My heart was fully content when I first received the acceptance email from NIG. Being a part of NIG community for a short time truly means a lot to my research journey. NIG exposed me to such supportive research circumstances. From joining lab visits and seminars, I reckoned how passionate each lab is with its unique cutting-edge research technique.
I was admitted to the Genome Informatics Laboratory under Professor Nakamura’s supervision. We had an initial meeting to first align our interests and research expectations. During my internship, I tried to extend the lab’s previous study upon the annotation of neuropeptides. In this project, I worked on discovering the corresponding neuropeptide receptors and their drug inhibitors in cricket by integrating both neighboring and structural analysis. I am beyond happy that I was allowed to tackle many kinds of bioinformatics analysis I wish to explore.

Aside from conducting my research project, I also traveled to Tokyo and Kawaguchiko with other interns. Mishima is a hidden gem in Japan, with many mesmerizing places, especially Rakujuen Park and Genbei River, which captured my attention most. Apart from that, I was also given the opportunity to visit one of the lab collaborators in Nagoya and look around several temples there. This internship has simply been astonishing, allowing me to also make friends with many amazing interns from across the continent.
NIGINTERN truly opened my eyes further on how I should reshape and redirect my future research direction. Joining NIGINTERN is truly a lifetime opportunity, and I would be more than happy to visit NIG again.
Tran Bao Ho
From:Fulbright University Vietnam
Stayed at:Multicellular Organization Laboratory / Sawa Group
I am very grateful to NIGINTERN program for it has given me the opportunity to spend my summer doing research in Japan. It was a wonderful experience for I definitely have learned a lot, as well as made lasting friendship here. I really appreciate the warm welcome and support from everyone in Sawa-sensei’s lab (Multicellular Organization Laboratory). During my time here, I examined CWN-2 localization on mutated C. elegans strain and imaged them using confocal microscope. Although it was my first time working with C. elegans as a model, the entire project was interesting and I was able to gain a lot of new knowledge, such as picking worm (quite nerve-racking at the beginning as they are quite small). I am really thankful for the instruction and endless patience from Samal, Sawa-sensei, as well as support from Negishi-san, Matsuo-san, Asakawa-san, Hashimoto-san, and Nakajima-san.
Moreover, I also had the chance to enjoy the wonderful Japanese food and culture, and learn some useful Japanese phrases in the provided Japanese class by Miyauchi-sensei. Mishima was truly beautiful as you can see Fuji-san on clear day, and the nature is incredible. Despites the heat of Japan’s summer, I have made unforgettable memories with friends here, such as going to Kawaguchiko and wore yukata, watched beautiful fireworks alongside the Shimoda beach, as well as dancing under the rain with yukata at the Mishima Light festival, etc.!
This 6-week-internship was truly wonderful and enriching in many aspects. I have made valuable friendships and memories that I am very thankful for. I cannot wait to visit Japan and Mishima again!
Sourin Bag
From:Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Stayed at:Plant Cytogenetics Laboratory / Nonomura Group
The NIGINTERN2024 program gave me the opportunity to have international study experience. This experience improved me on professional and personal levels.
This program is special for me due to its diversity. Students from all over the world participate in this program, and it forms an international consortium for scientific discussion. I enjoyed the weekly journal clubs and seminars where professors and seniors discuss scientific papers and research work.

In particular, I have had the opportunity to work in the Plant Cytogenetics Lab, where all the lab members are very enthusiastic about exploring the molecular mechanism of rice plant development. From this lab, I gained knowledge about plant stem development and pollen meiosis research. I also learned about teamwork, how to design experiments, and how to retrieve useful information by reading papers.
I performed an interesting experiment (Split luciferase complementation assay) with Prof. Tsuda. One part of this experiment, the infiltration method where I injected samples into tobacco plant leaves, was very exciting to me. During the experiments, we failed two times but got the result on the third attempt. Then, I repeated the experiments three times to have reliable data. It is fun to work and learn new things in this lab. Before the presentation, I gave mock seminar several times in the lab, which gave me confidence. I am grateful to Prof. Nonomura, Prof. Tsuda, and Huong-san for their suggestions throughout the internship. I am fortunate to be a part of Nonomura Lab, where people are very helpful.
I feel lucky to have nice intern friends. I spent memorable moments with my friends on the tour of Mt. Fuji, Lake Kawaguchi, Tokyo, Rakujuen Park, and around the beautiful city of Mishima.
Overall, my internship at NIG is remarkable. I am thankful to NIG for travel expenses and accommodation.
Tarkan Ahmad Dahi
From:University of Toronto
Stayed at:Microbial Physiology Laboratory / Niki Group
The six weeks I was able to spend studying at NIG was some of the most fulfilling and fun weeks of my life. I have never been to Japan before the internship, and so it was amazing seeing how different life was in Japan compared to Canada. Everyone in the Niki Lab were very supportive for my internship period, and the time I was able to work with Akiyama-san, Miyake-san, and Fujiwara-san along with Niki-sensei to work on my knowledge and development of the project was amazing! My project focused on characterizing the phenotype of E. coli strains with ptsI gene deletions, a gene involved in the Phosphotransferase System that regulates sugar metabolism. This was my first time working on a microbiology experiment, and the mentoring I received from Akiyama-san and Miyake-san was amazing.
Outside the lab, I formed close bonds with all my fellow interns. And so, I would like to again thank Raul, Naomi, Tran, Nuray, Han, Sourin, and Febrina for making the time outside the lab so much more fun. Together, we often spent our weekends visiting different areas around the country such as Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, and more! The most memorable trip was spending a weekend in Fujikawaguchiko, where we watched fireworks near Fuji-san to celebrate the opening of the climbing season. Throughout my stay in Japan, I immersed myself in Japanese culture by going to festivals where water lanterns were lit for the deceased, spending time in arcades, onsens, darts & billiards lounges, playing table tennis, and going to batting cages with my friends! I particularly enjoyed Japanese foods of all kinds, from the late night gyudons at Sukiya, yakiniku with my fellow Niki-lab members, the delicious home-cooked meals at the cafeteria Sweet Home, and most memorably a crisp Japanese watermelon to celebrate winning a Presentation Award!

I am deeply grateful for everyone at NIG who helped me, from the amazing members of the Niki Lab to all the labs which I visited (thank you to the Sawa, Kitano, Saito, Miyagishima, and Sasaki Labs!) and the amazing staff coordinating the NIGINTERN Program! This has been a truly unforgettable experience, and I can’t wait to visit Japan again!
Arigato gozaimasu!
Hung-Ting Kuo
From:National Taiwan University (NTU)
Stayed at:Theoretical Ecology and Evolution Laboratory / Yamamichi Group
There is a saying: “Getting an education from MIT has been likened to taking a drink from a fire hose.” My experience with the NIG internship was quite similar. Hoping to delve into theoretical ecology research, I joined the Yamamichi lab. During my time there, Yamamichi-san was always meticulous in guiding me through the intricacies of the prey-predator model. Despite struggling to keep up with the textbook reading sessions every Wednesday—often staying up late in the dorm without fully understanding the material—the entire process was incredibly satisfying.
I am especially grateful to Yamamichi-san for his patience and passion for teaching. Over these six weeks, he transformed me from a student who feared mathematics into someone who finds biological models fascinating and is eager to pursue further research in the field. As the old Chinese saying goes, “The master leads you to the door, but you must enter by yourself.” When applying for the internship program, my goal was to learn about theoretical ecology. After six weeks, I feel I have begun to understand it. I will continue to work hard on this path, and I am deeply thankful for the enlightenment provided by Yamamichi-san and the opportunity given to me by the NIG internship.
Additionally, I am also very grateful to Saito-san, her colleagues, and the housekeeping staff at the guest house. Because of you all, the 42 days of my NIG internship went smoothly and joyfully.