Visits of young researchers from India and the USA: Interviews
Pratiksha Bhat
“FNUSA-ICRC is a very good place to learn and improve my knowledge professionally as there is a lot of opportunity to learn and grow in this institute.”
You come from India. What have you studied there?
I have studied Biotechnology and I am in the process of completing my PhD.
Why did you become a scientist?
Science has always fascinated me and I chose this field so I can try and bring some positive change with my work.
Why did you choose to work in Brno- in FNUSA-ICRC?
I found Brno to be a very pleasant city and I found FNUSA-ICRC to be a very good place to learn and improve my knowledge professionally as there is a lot of opportunity to learn and grow in this institute.
What´s your first impression of Brno?
It is a very quaint city with rich culture and inclination towards development of science (with Brno being Mendel’s work place and home).
What’s your research about?
My area of research in PhD is neurotoxicology and phytomedicine studies, I have worked on a fungal toxin which contaminates wide range of food and feed products and I have tried to find a phytomedicine (herbal extract) against its neurodegeneration. Briefly, what excites you about your work? For me it is the learning process and trying to find answers to all these puzzling questions is what makes working in this field so interesting.
What do you want to achieve with your research in the future?
Hopefully with my research I can find a least some answers that will help people in some small way. What would you do on the first day of the job? I would like to learn, observe and imbibe.
Tell me what you like to do when you aren’t working on research. What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to travel, I want to explore a place not as a tourist but as traveller. Meet new people, learn their ways of living, try the local food and wander around just enjoying being in that place.
Thank you very much for your time.
FAST FACTS
Hometown: Mysore
Age: 29 years
College, Major/Minor: Natural Sciences
Favorite Czech word or phrase: Smát se and Daleko (Ed.: it means to laugh and far away)
Favorite Quote:
“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
What have you learnt about Czech republic/Czech people? Ans: They are very friendly, helpful and welcoming.
Allison Hansen
“FNUSA-ICRC people are extremely nice and friendly. They also are all really interesting people with unique backgrounds working on some really exciting projects. I certainly learned a lot from all of them.”
You come from USA. What have you studied there?
In the US my undergraduate degree was in Biomedical Engineering. I graduated from the George Washington University in May 2017. In July I’ll be starting medical school at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix.
So what do you want to achieve with your work in the future?
My goal is to be a physician someday and research is extremely important to the medical field so I wanted to learn about it to better understand the entire process that goes into making these new discoveries regarding different diseases.
Why did you choose to spend a few weeks in Brno- Czech Republic?
I wanted to come to Brno in the Czech Republic specifically because I’ve done some clinical research on Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s disease which is related to the research Dr. Stokin’s lab is doing. Also I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about different cultures and experience life in another country. So I was mostly here to learn about the research Dr. Stokin’s lab was doing and what wet lab research entails since I’ve mostly done clinical research before. I spent my time in Brno learning how to manipulate DNA and take care of cell cultures.
What´s your first impression of Brno?
I really enjoyed my time in Brno. It seemed to be a very exciting place with a lot going on in terms of science and academics. I really liked everyone I met in the lab. They were all extremely nice and friendly. They also were all really interesting people with unique backgrounds working on some really exciting projects. I certainly learned a lot from all of them.
What do you want to achieve with your research in the future?
As I said I was mostly there to learn different techniques and protocols to get a better sense of what research really is and where all of the advances in the medical field come from. I think what’s particularly exciting is to hear about the projects people are working on and what the different possible outcomes could mean clinically and how they could be used to help patients with Alzheimer’s disease or traumatic brain injuries in the future. I enjoyed the lab meetings where everyone was brainstorming about possible explanations for certain phenomena they were seeing and how those might cause some of the clinical symptoms. In the future I’d like to continue to be involved in clinical research as a physician.
Tell me what you like to do when you aren’t working on research. What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I like to do pretty much anything outdoors. I like hiking, running, and playing tennis. I played tennis for my university for four years.
Thank you very much for your time.
FAST FACTS
Hometown: Champaign, IL
Age: 22
College Major: Biomedical Engineering
Favorite Czech I like ahoj because it makes me feel like a pirate 🙂
Favorite Quote: “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
