Name: Yurika Oda
            The University of British Columbia

Visiting Period: May 27^th (Mon), 2024 - August 30^th (Fri), 2024

Country: Japan

Q1. Summary of the internship (Description of the research conducted, aim, introduction of lab, and things you learned)
I learned experiment skills at the Arima Lab from May 27^th,2024 to August 30^th, 2024, under the supervision of Prof. Arima and Ms. Esumi at IRCMS, Kumamoto University. The research was aimed to find out the mechanism of the ketone body. During the internship period, gene expression in response to starvation was tested. The experiments I learned were plasmid amplification using E. coils, sequencing of plasmid, and Luciferase Assay.

Q2. What did this experience do for you with respect to your specific career development directions?
Through the experience in this internship, I gained an overview of conducting research. Before the internship, I was not able to imagine how experiments are planned and how the results of the experiments are interpreted. However, by attending the meeting, I learned how they set the conditions for the experiments. For example, when they could not get good results, the plasmid, cell medium, and cell types were changed individually to see what condition made the result unclear. I also learned a lot of techniques to conduct experiments such as how to use pipette and petri dishes to keep samples from being contaminated and how to pipette precisely. I think these experiences would help when I plan and conduct biochemical research in the future.

Q3. What did you enjoy about life at Kumamoto University (Kumamoto city or Japan)?
The most impressive memory of Kumamoto sightseeing was going to the Aso mountain. The scenery from the Aso mountain was completely different from the mountain which I used to go to. The wide-open meadows and rocky area around the crater made me feel like I was in another world. I also visited various places around Kumamoto city to take pictures of One Piece's statues. While exploring each place to find statues, I came across a lot of fashionable restaurants and beautiful landscapes. I was very satisfied with ended up visiting 6 statues. Additionally, I experienced some new things in Kumamoto. For example, I have never seen trams with my own eyes before. When I saw them, I was impressed that trams and cars were sharing the same road, which I used to see only in the picture books. I also tried raw horse meat for the first time. I did not expect raw horse meat to be such delicious food.

Message to prospective students
I would strongly recommend this internship to students who are interested in biochemical research. Through the internship, I learned various experiment procedures and meaning of each step of the procedure. Additionally, in this internship, there were opportunities to talk with researchers. I think that would be a precious experience if students want to know what they should expect when they pursue a research career.