International internships for UPWr students

• Marek Pieczka and Rafał Stępień qualified for the BioLAB programme, which offers a one-year internship in the United States.
• Kamila Kluczek was awarded a scholarship and a foreign internship financed by the DBU.

The BioLAB programme is intended for students and doctoral students of biological, chemical and medical sciences. During the internship, the students join research teams conducting projects in such fields as neurology, crystallography, virology or molecular genetics. The results of the research conducted during the internships often become the basis for articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as 'Nature'. 

The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), on the other hand, awards scholarships combined with internships to masters and doctoral students of all disciplines from Central and Eastern Europe who wish to improve their qualifications in the field of nature conservation. The DBU finances innovative research projects that are important for environmental protection in Poland, Germany, in the European Union and in other parts of the world. 

The DBU seeks to contribute to solving contemporary environmental challenges, particularly those arising from non-environmentally friendly business practices and lifestyles. The key challenges lie primarily in the areas of climate change, biodiversity loss, unsustainable use of natural resources and harmful emissions. 

BioLAB 2022-2023

Out of the 110 people who submitted applications to the BioLAB programme, 48 were selected and will go on a one-year internship to one of four research centres in the United States. Marek Pieczka and Rafał Stępień from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences are among them.

- I have been trying to qualify for the BioLAB programme for several years - says Marek Pieczka, a doctoral student at the UPWr Doctoral School. His experience with the world of science began in the second year of his studies when he joined the 'Armillaria' Plant Medicine students' society. - I began working with filamentous fungi and realised that working in a laboratory is what I would like to develop during my studies - adds the BioLAB programme qualifier.

This was followed by voluntary work with Veterinary Doctor Agata Mikołajczyk-Martinez, who was looking for a volunteer to help with research carried out in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. - I had a chance to learn both the basic principles of work in the laboratory and advanced techniques of molecular biology under the supervision of Veterinary Doctor Mikołajczyk-Martinez while writing my master's thesis on the influence of the Salmonella gallinarum rfaH gene on their aggregation, adhesion and invasion of the HD11 chicken cell line - says the doctoral student, adding that it was his mentor who convinced him to continue his adventure with science.

Currently, as part of his doctorate carried out under the supervision of Prof. Arkadiusz Miążek, Marek Pieczka is dealing with the use of staphylococcal toxins as markers detecting specific receptors. - Individual cell populations may have specific receptors. It turns out that toxins have a specific relation to cells of the lymphoid system, and in particular to cells of this system that have the appearance of tumour cells. At present, antibodies are used in the diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma. Perhaps the research I am currently conducting will lead to the development of new, alternative diagnostic tools, and perhaps even therapy – explains the doctoral student.

The research in which Marek Pieczka is currently engaged is largely in the field of immunology and involves working on a flow cytometer, an instrument that allows to determine the shape and size of the examined cells, calculate their viability, and identify structures such as cell receptors. As the doctoral student points out, his ability to perform experiments on this device was a real advantage and increased his chances of qualifying for the BioLAB internship programme.

Rafał Stępień, another student of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, also qualified for the same programme. He was awarded the internship mainly thanks to extensive professional experience. At the university he held lectures at the Bioinformatics students' society, participated in the International Student's Society Assembly, but it was his work experience and laboratory and computer skills that determined the decision to award him the scholarship. - Working for three companies allowed me to really fill up the sections concerning 'Work Experience' and 'Laboratory and computer skills'  in my application. Although I am still in the process of my studies, my professional experience already includes working as a programmer and bioinformatics specialist – says Rafał. 

The qualifier of the BioLAB programme started gaining his professional experience in the Wrocław branch of Nokia, where he had the opportunity to encounter commercial programming for the first time. - Here I had the opportunity to improve my skills in Python and to learn Linux and Bash. Later, I worked for MNM Diagnostics in Poznań. This was the place that probably brought me closest to success in the BioLAB programme, because it was there that I really experienced large-scale bioinformatics. I had the chance to use my programming skills acquired at Nokia more extensively for NGS data analysis (next-generation sequencing) - says Rafał, who also took part, among other things, in scientific research that resulted in a scientific publication on sequencing breast cancer genome data. 

– During the recruitment interviews for the programme, I talked to my current project supervisor, Prof. Nathan Sheffield, about projects in which I had participated at MNM Diagnostics in Poznań. I was able to present myself as a versatile bioinformatician, who not only understands biological processes but is also a good programmer and knows many tools connected with bioinformatic analyses - emphasises Rafał Stępień, who currently works as a python developer at STX Next. A lot of the tools and software he came across there are also used in projects with Professor Sheffield at the University of Virginia, where Rafał is going for a year-long internship.

Programme of the German Federal Environmental Foundation

Kamila Kluczek, a Master's student from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, qualified for the DBU programme, which offers a minimum six-month internship at a foreign research centre. The first four weeks of the internship will take place at the University of Applied Sciences in Osnabrück, and then Kamila will go to another centre to carry out a research project.

The DBU programme qualifier is very active at the university. Together with the Soil Science and Environmental Protection students' society, she will be participating in the FertiWaste project, which involves the development of a modern soil substrate based on compost and biocarbon from bio-waste, and she is also actively involved in the organisation of the finals of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) at the UPWr University Committee, as well as a member of the board of the UPWr University Sports Club, where she has helped in the organisation of national-level events.

From 2019 she has also been the president of the 'Skorek' Entomologists' students' society - My greatest passion is discovering the extraordinary world of insects. As a member of the students' society I had the pleasure to take part in many projects, and we are currently working, among other things, on the possibility to use insects for biodegradation of plastics and the influence of various substances on this family of animals - says Kamila.

But the environmental student doesn't stop there. Outside the university she is also a firefighter at the local Volunteer Fire Department (OSP Złotów). It is a demanding job, one that Kamila says has taught her many valuable skills, including perseverance and the ability to rationally assess crisis situations. 

The programme qualifiers admit that they are already looking forward to their trips abroad, but at the same time they are feeling a little stressed about the challenges ahead. The huge amount of paperwork and formalities to be dealt with, and separation from family and friends are just some of the aspects that add to the stress. On the other hand, they know that international internships offer many opportunities for development and networking. 

– I am excited about the amazing adventure ahead and at the same time look forward to a great opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills. But I am also a little bit stressed. However, so far I have met only kind and helpful people and I hope that this time it will be the same - says Marek with a smile, and Kamila agrees with him, adding that for her the internship abroad is not only a new adventure but also a good way to start her doctorate. -  After returning to Poland I would like to get into the Doctoral School at the UPWr. I believe that experience gained in foreign institutions will help me develop my scientific career - says Kamila, whose area of research interest is the impact of hazardous substances in the environment and the use of ecotoxicological tests for environmental risk assessment. - In the future I would like to focus on interdisciplinary research. I am looking forward to new challenges - he adds. 

– I'm very excited to be going to the States for an internship. Visiting the US has been my dream since the beginning of my studies, and since my second year I have been actively looking for a programme or scholarship that would enable me to do so. I was lucky to come across the Fulbright programme, of which BioLAB is a part, as I will not only be able to develop as a bioinformatician in America, but also expand my network of contacts and get to know more about American culture - says Rafał Stępień with a smile.