Katherine Desmond

Title of Work: 

Effects of the atmospheric contamination with soil, plants, and rain water of the South of Spain

Abstract:

During my internship in Jaén Spain I worked with the University of Jaén in the ecology department. The objective of my research was to find how air pollution from the transport of goods between Africa and Europe affect plants, soil, and rainfall. I collected samples from the field and analyzed them in the laboratory to examine the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen was in them. My contribution to the project was to help analyze a number of samples that had not been completed. I can navigate this culture with understanding, knowledge and new abilities; and learned that in Spain the lifestyle and work life is calmer than in the States. Also, I learned a lot about the dialect and how things are pronounced; such as the aspiration of the “s”, and the distinction in Jaén. Living in Spain, experiencing a new culture and learning to work using Spanish was a very educational and incredible experience.

Title of Work (IGP Language):  

Efectos de la Contaminación Atmosférica con El Suelo, Las Plantas y El Agua de Lluvia del Sur de España 

Abstract (IGP Language):

En mi pasantía en Jaén España trabajé con la Universidad de Jaén en el programa de ecología. El objetivo de mi investigación era encontrar diferencias en la contaminación del aire en partes de Gibraltar por efectos de transporte entre África y Europa y cómo afectan las plantas, el suelo, y la lluvia. Durante mi investigación recogí muestras de campo, y las analicé en el laboratorio para combinar químicos para examinar la cantidad de fósforo y nitrato en las muestras. Mi contribución al proyecto de la universidad fue aumentar el número de muestras. Puedo navegar esta cultura con comprensión, conocimientos y nuevas habilidades; en España vi que el estilo de vida y trabajar es más tranquila que en los Estados.También, aprendí mucho sobre el dialecto como la aspiración de la “s”, y la distinción en Andalucía. Vivir en España, experimentar una nueva cultura y aprender a trabajar usando el español y fue una experiencia muy educativa e increíble.

Elevator Pitch Video

Elevator Pitch Transcript: 

Hello, my name is Madison Easton, and I am in my 5th and final year here at NAU as a member of IGP in the Latin America cohort. I am studying Spanish and biological sciences with a minor in photojournalism and documentary studies.

I spent my year abroad in Mexico City as well as in the state of Querétaro. I studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, otherwise referred to as UNAM, and later transferred to their Juriquilla campus, where I had my internship in the Institute of Neurobiology. Under the guidance of Dr. Alfredo Varela in Varelabs, we investigated the regenerative properties of the land gastropods, the slugs. 

Slugs have the fascinating ability to regenerate their tails, eyes, and even segments of their "brain,” which are really just bundles of neurons called the ganglia. I was tasked with finding a way to cultivate three different types of cells within one of the three slugs in our colony, Deroceras laeve, the average garden slug. My project title is The Cellular Cultivation of Land Gasteropods: Slugs. With the cultivation of cells that are both healthy and free of bacteria, future researchers within the lab can experiment with them using RNAi vectors and recombinant DNA to find and read the segments of the slug’s DNA. With this information, we can hopefully discover the DNA that provides the slugs with their abundance of stem cells and find a way to implement these into parts of the human body, such as the heart or lung.

Mexico was, to me, a very unique experience, mainly because it is so close to home, and growing up in Arizona, I was so often surrounded by Mexican culture. Despite the culture that I knew of, to really immerse myself in it and indulge myself in every aspect of it was incredible. The U.S. and Mexico have a lot of history together as well as current events, and I was able to have civil conversations with people with drastically different perspectives and opinions. Through this I was able to further develop my cultural understanding of both my own culture as well as the culture in Mexico.  

Before going abroad, I will admit that my Spanish level was not where I had hoped it would be. It was even so bad that UNAM denied me entry into the classes at the university. They sent me to learn Spanish in a side school called CEPE, or Centro de Enseñaza Para Extranjeros. Despite this, I was able to fully immerse myself in the language by speaking to my 10 Mexican roommates, meeting other foreign students from throughout Latin America, and simply going about my life at grocery stores, cafes, and the metro. In my second semester, I entered the laboratory and began to take classes, including a course on stem cells and a boxing course taught by a local lucha libre star. I also met other students with cold contact introductions, and from this, I was able to speak Spanish every single day, and by the end, I felt almost fluent.

If you are interested in finding out more about my time abroad feel free to hunt me down at the IGP summit.

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