Ayanna Peña 

Title of Work: 

Laboratory Practices and Neurobiological Research Experience in Alicante, Spain 

Abstract:

During my research experience with the department of Physiology, Genetics, and Microbiology of the University of Alicante, I set out to strengthen my laboratory skills and become familiar with laboratory organization, equipment, and biosafety standards. I worked on multiple projects related to neurodegeneration and neuroprotection, where I applied and improved techniques such as PCR, qPCR, cell culture, and dissection. I also contributed to the analysis of biological data concerning Central Areolar Choroidal Dystrophy (CACD). During my time in the lab my understanding of experimental procedures and data interpretation in molecular neuroscience improved . Additionally, the immersion into a Spanish-speaking research environment allowed me to develop professional language skills, acquire technical vocabulary, and integrate culturally into the local Alicante community.

Title of Work (Global Language):  

Prácticas del laboratorio y experiencia en investigación neurobiológica en la Universidad de Alicante 

Abstract (Global Language): 

Durante mi experiencia de investigación en el Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología de la Universidad de Alicante, tenía el objetivo de mejorar mis habilidades de laboratorio y familiarizarme con la organización, el equipamiento y las normas de bioseguridad del laboratorio. Además, la experiencia en un laboratorio de investigación me permitió perfeccionar mis habilidades lingüísticas, adquirir terminología técnica e integrarme en la comunidad académica y cultural de Alicante.

Video Transcript

Hello, everyone. My name is Ayanna Peña. I'm studying Biomedical Sciences and Spanish, and for my year abroad with IGP, I was in Alegante, Spain. 

A little bit about Alicante and where I was. Alicante is a southeastern coastal town, coastal city, in the Valencian region. So, most people speak Spanish and Valenciano, which is really cool. And this picture to the left in the background is a view from the Castillo, and to the right is San Vicente de Raspeig, which is where I lived, which is more of a suburb area next to the university.

These are some pictures of me enjoying the views, a little side street next to the Castillo, and then also at the MARQ Museum, which is a great one to check out.

A little bit about Alicante and Valencian culture. In Alicante, there's a Plaza de Torros, which is to the left, and during the summertime, one of my favorite snacks

was a horchata with limon, and that's to the left with the tarta de almendras. To the right is, during Christmas time in San Vicente, and if you can see, they use "bonos festes", which is in Valenciano. It's very typical to eat tortilla and coffee during and after class, so that's what I have pictured to the right, and then in the middle is just some of my friends that I made.

A little bit about my campus, and internship. So, the University of Alicante campus is actually in San Vicente, so super close to where I lived. These are some beautiful sunsets that I saw. 

This is the famous hand sculpture that they have at the university, I was doing my internship at a laboratory on campus, working with the Department of Microbiology and Neuroscience with a company called Retorna, which, has experiments all over the EU using retinas. So all their, studies are using, mice retinas, which you can see to the right is the subjects that we used. I performed dissections, qPCR, PCR, and different cell cultures. And I worked with multiple students on their, doctorate school studies. 

So I was just kind of doing things with this company, and my focus was working on a condition called CACD, Central Areolar Corodial Dystrophy, which causes blindness, and there's actually a family in Spain that has this condition, so it was really cool to kind of work with something that was local, and they are trying to discover a cure, so maybe I helped out with that. 

While I was in Spain, I actually traveled a lot within Spain, and around, different countries, but mostly in Spain. These are some of my favorite cities that I visited.

Valencia, Barcelona, Granada, Girona, Sevilla is my personal favorite, and...yeah, it was... it was an amazing time. I got to experience the different types of cultures within Spain, which is really important to me. Yeah, I also got to travel a lot around Europe, and it was an amazing time. I really grew as a student, and also just as a person. So, can't wait to share more about this at Summit. Thank you all for tuning in.