Reports

Manon de Waard, a biology student, conducted stem cell research at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2012. Using seahorses, she investigated specific genes involved in the development of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). T-ALL is an aggressive malignant tumour that is particularly common in children. Initial treatment for T-ALL is often successful, but if the cancer returns, the chances of survival are low. That is why it is important to identify which genes are involved in this process, so that effective and specific therapies can be developed. Manon is very pleased that the MSF supported her and says the following about her experience abroad: “In the end, after you’ve finished it all, you’ll realise what you’ve achieved and you’ll look back on a wonderful period of your life with pride.”

As part of her research master’s degree in ‘Psychology (research): Cognitive Neuroscience’, Claudia Pama undertook an internship at the University of Cambridge. Her research was entitled ‘Neuroendophenotypes and impulsivity in adult ADHD’, and consisted broadly of two parts. Firstly, she examined various brain scans (MRI scans) of patients with ADHD to analyse which brain structures differ from those of people who do not have ADHD. Secondly, she conducted neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric studies on adults with ADHD. What she found particularly valuable about her placement was that collaboration between different departments was strongly encouraged, enabling everyone to gain a great deal of knowledge both within and outside their own field of research. Pama: “All in all, my time in Cambridge and my placement at the University of Cambridge were a fantastic opportunity to develop further as a researcher and as a person. I am very grateful to the Minerva Scholarship Fund for its contribution, which made this experience possible for me.”

In addition to supporting research abroad, the MSF also supports students who wish to study abroad. For example, Silvia Gawronski, a student of Dutch Constitutional and Administrative Law, travelled to Poland at the end of January 2010 to spend a semester at the School of Polish Law in Warsaw. Her aim was clear: she wanted to gain knowledge and experience regarding how Central and Eastern European countries deal with the implementation of European law and European human rights conventions. As this group of countries shares a common history to some extent and has, for the most part, joined various organisations such as the European Union and human rights conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights, it is both interesting and challenging to investigate the problems these countries encounter in the implementation of this European law.