REPU MAGAZINE N 3
ARTICLE
2017
What does it mean to be part of REPU?
It was in 2008 when I was selected to participate in REPU. I didn’t know what to
expect. I wasn’t sure what REPU was about, I only knew that I would work in a lab.
Abroad. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. In a time where internships like this
were scarce and not very well known. I knew that I had to invest all my energy and
be the best I could be.
I met Abel -the founder- at the airport. With his guidance, I learned many, many
things that helped me during my internship. I learned how to work with Drosophila,
a model organism; do immunofluorescence; and even a little bit of cloning. I was
thrilled with the new skills I learned.
However, by the time my internship at REPU was over, I realized I learned
something far more valuable. I had a new and fresh perspective. I experienced a
completely new scientific environment so very different from the one I was used to
in Peru. I experienced a different way to do science. And it was exhilarating. To me,
it was the way a country should aim to do science, not only in terms of techniques,
and ways to tackle a hypothesis, but in terms of collaborations; multidisciplinary
approaches; and more importantly, helping each other. I think this last part is key.
From my experience, I think science in Peru has been a selfish endeavor. Mostly
because there is very little recognition or, as a professor once told me, “the cake is
so small that everybody wants to get the biggest slice they can get.” That
compelled me to do something to help my country reverse this situation. Somehow.
Working with REPU gave me a great opportunity to help fellow students achieve
their goals, build a community of Peruvian scientists who know and can collaborate
with each other, and create/develop/form a safety net in case help is needed. That
is, in a nutshell, the feeling that drove me to help REPU grow. I wanted to help
others the same way REPU helped me, and be part of a project larger than myself
which can have a profound impact on the way we do science in Peru.
As you can see, the idea behind REPU was far more complex and bigger than I
thought at first. REPU is not only an internship in which you can learn new skills,
live in a different country, or a way to boost your CV. That’s just the icing of the
most delicious, moist, and fluffy cake you will ever taste. Why is that? You might
ask. Well, that’s because REPU is a way to make a difference in our country. And,
in my view, there is nothing sweeter than that.
Index
Page 3
What does it mean to be
part of REPU?
Page 4
An interview with Edson
Bellido (Co-Director of
REPU)
Page 6
2017 REPU Research
Projects
Page 12
2016 REPU Research
Projects
Page 15
2015 REPU Research
Projects
Page 19
Two new home-country
universities
Page 20
New REPU Branches
Page 22
An interview with Nicholas
Ingolia (Professor at UC
Berkeley)
Page 23
REPU Timeline
Page 24
Last Remarks
Page 25
Acknowledgments
Kenyi Saito-Diaz
REPU Former Co-Director
Postdoctoral Fellow - Ethan Lee Lab
Vanderbilt University
REPU 2008
www.repuprogram.org
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