Agência de Cooperação Internacional do Japão
My name is Maria Cecilia and I am a technician, working in a project entitled "Development of Genetic Engineering Technology of Crops with Stress Tolerance against Degradation of Global Environment". This project is a joint project between the Japanese Government and the Brazilian Government. It was developed in partnership with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Soybean Unit and Japanese research institutes, Japan International Research Center for Agriculture Sciences (JIRCAS), RIKEN and the University of Tokyo with the support of Japan Science and Technology Agencies and JICA.
Under this joint project I had a good opportunity for training in Japan from October 15th to December 17th, 2011, at Dr. Kazuko Yamaguchi-Shinozaki's laboratory at JIRCAS, in Tsukuba. During this two months period I was able to improve my lab skills and learn new techniques. Also, I could exchange information with renowned researchers, learn more about their research in different knowledge areas and visit other research centers such as the University of Tokyo and RIKEN.
To know how Japanese scientists do research and develop their work, especially in the field of biotechnology and molecular biology, it was an important experience to improve my work in the project. Besides professional development, living in Japan for 60 days gave me an amazing cultural and social experience, which I will carry forever in my personal and professional life. One happy example of that is a JICA program that allows foreign students to show their culture and traditions to Japanese students at schools. This opportunity gave me an unforgettable experience, once I got to know a little about the education of Japanese children and children's games in Japanese culture.
Research Group
Cultural Exchange
Maria Cecilia do Amaral Soldeira
Technician
Project Development of Genetic Engineering Technology of Crops with Stress Tolerance Against Degradation of Global Environment
