Animal models for experimental research in developmental biology 
Dr. Federico Brown (Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil)
Main field: Biology

Assumed prior knowledge: Introductory biology, genetics, cell and molecular biology, evolution

The course provided basic tools to collect and study invertebrate models for experimental research, focusing on:

• The establishment of these worms as laboratory model species: history and Nobel-prize winning research findings
• Contemporary developmental biology research

After attending this course the students were able to:

• Know how to collect and culture worms (nematodes and planarians)
• Be familiar with the publicly available scientific resources to work on these experimental models
• Write a short proposal on how to implement these animals to address a research question of your choice

The course included lectures, with extensive hands-on practical laboratory sessions
Contacts: TYAN (tyantwas@gmail.com) and Federico D. Brown PhD, Área Biología Evolutiva del Desarrollo (Evo-Devo), fdbrown@usp.br

Biospectroscopy

Dr. Yraima Cordeiro (Universidade do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Main field: Biochemistry/Biophysics

Assumed prior knowledge: protein biochemistry.

The course aimed to teach the students to acquire and interpret UV-VIS and fluorescence spectra of biomolecules, especially:

• The use of simple spectroscopic methods to quantify proteins and protein aggregates.

After attending this course the students were able to:

• Qualitatively and quantitatively analyze UV-VIS spectra of proteins.
• Interpret fluorescence emission and excitation spectra of proteins.
• Understand the basic principles of protein fluorescence spectroscopy.
• Propose different spectroscopy approaches to quantify proteins in solution.
• Work with simple equipment, such as a UV-VIS spectrophotometer, to obtain relevant information about protein concentration, to use extrinsic dyes, and to perform quality control of samples.

The course included short lectures, with hands-on practical laboratory sessions.
Contacts: TYAN (tyantwas@gmail.com) and Yraima Cordeiro, PhD, Laboratory of Structural and Molecular Biology, yraima@pharma.ufrj.br

Plant Reproduction and Breeding

Dr. Pablo Bolaños-Villegas (Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica)
Main field: Agriculture/Horticulture

Assumed prior knowledge: basic genetics

The course aimed to share key aspects of plant reproduction to facilitate breeding in key crops, focusing on:

• The state of the art on how DNA recombination occurs in plants, especially during reproduction; this knowledge allowed students to understand how valuable natural genes can be passed on or exchanged 
• The state of the art on molecular plant cytogenetics, which allowed students to breed larger fruits, tubers, or flowers

After attending this course the students were able to:

• Understand the key aspects of meiosis and gamete formation
•  Understand how crossover regulation occurs in plants
•  Understand the regulation of pollen tube development and attraction
•  Propose tentative experiments on local crops
• Interpret cytological and genetic data from plant reproductive processes and suggest a breeding program for a crop to introgress traits or increase fertility onto

The course included lectures and plant microscopy with commercial plant cytology samples.
Contacts: TYAN (tyantwas@gmail.com) and Pablo Bolaños-Villegas Ph.D, Fabio Baudrit Agricultural Station/Jardín Botánico Lankester/Universidad de Costa Rica, pablo.bolanosvillegas@ucr.ac.cr

Food chemistry

Dr. Leslie Tejeda (Universidad mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia)
Main field: Food Technology

Assumed prior knowledge: Organic Chemistry and/or Biochemistry.

The course aimed to describe the chemical properties of food components, focusing on:

• Chemical and physical-chemical properties of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in food,, as well as the role of water for the properties of foods.
• Basic chemistry of taste, flavor and color.

After attending this course the students were able to:

• Understand the fundamentals and basic concepts of food chemistry
• Understand the basic physical-chemical properties of foods.
• Describe basic concepts of chemical and sensory analysis of foods.
• Evaluate relations between the chemical composition and the properties of foods.

The course includes lectures and basic sensory analysis.
Contacts: TYAN (tyantwas@gmail.com) and Leslie Tejeda Pérez PhD, Área Química de Alimentos /  lktejeda@umsa.bo

Fundamental aspects of photochemistry

Dr. Franco M. Cabrerizo (Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina)
Main field: Chemistry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assumed prior knowledge: Physical-Chemistry, Organic Chemistry.

The course aimed to allow the students to gain basic knowledge on the fundamental aspects of the radiation-matter interaction as well as on the mechanistic aspects of photochemical and photophysical processes, especially:

• Fundamental aspects of the interaction between radiation (UVA and visible) and matter
• Experimental techniques used in photophysics and photochemistry
• Mechanistic aspects of photoinduced chemical reactions

After attending this course the students were able to:

• Understand, at a molecular level, the fate of organic molecules when subject to photoexcitation
• Design specific experiments to study the mechanistic aspects of conventional photochemical processes

The course includes short lectures, with hands-on practical laboratory sessions.
Contacts: TYAN (tyantwas@gmail.com) and Franco M. Cabrerizo, PhD, Laboratory of Photochemistry and Molecular Photobiology, fcabrerizo@intech.gov.ar