Roundup

Brazilian summer brings science and samba

UI sophomore Matt Whitacre came back from his summer research stint in Brazil fluent in lab-speak. His limited Portuguese includes the scientist's essentials: please, thank you, beaker, funnel, and gel. Adding gestures, he can communicate handy out-of-

the-lab phrases like: "Piranha soup? No, thank you." Whitacre spent last July in the city of Ribeir‹o Preto, in São Paulo, Brazil. In a University of São Paulo laboratory, he mapped the genes of a bacterium called Xylella, which infects citrus.

He is the first of what UI molecular biologist Allan Caplan and his colleague, Gustav Goldman of the University of S‹o Paulo, hope will be many undergraduates on research exchange between the two universities.

"How does a potential employer distinguish one bright student applicant from another?Ó Caplan asks. "One way is if the student has worked in a lab abroad. On a resume, it illustrates a wider range of research and cultural experiences."

Robert Haggerty, college director of international programs, worked with Caplan to secure funding for Whitacre's trip. They are now seeking funding for future exchanges, which cost about $2,000 per student.

"I was able to work in a completely different, unique environment for research, doing different projects than we're doing up here," Whitacre said.

Experimental even outside the lab, Whitacre tried a variety of local specialties, including frog legs, quail eggs, and buffalo.

With his colleagues, he took in the Brazilian circus and learned to dance the samba. He tried the piranha soup, visited a gypsy camp, and listened to the local orchestra.

Whitacre was impressed by the music and dancing, and by the way Brazilians share their food and friendship. "I can't stress enough how incredibly kind the people were," he said. "Even the strangers." --Donna Emert