Kaja Ziółkowska-Twarowska
Paweł Grychnik
Disciplne: Animal Science and Fisheries
Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania

From 11 November 2024 to 11 December 2024, we participated in a research internship at Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university frequently features in the most esteemed global rankings of higher education institutions. Moreover, it is the inaugural classical liberal arts university in Lithuania to implement a contemporary pedagogical approach inspired by the Harvard University model.

During our tenure, we had the opportunity to collaborate with a research team led by Professor Algimantas Paulauskas at the Research Institute of Natural and Technological Sciences. We were introduced to the team’s primary research interests, which included molecular vector studies of ticks, mosquitoes, rodents, and pathogens, as well as animal population genetics and risk assessment of genetically modified organisms. 

The principal objective of the visit was to enhance theoretical and practical understanding of molecular biology techniques, including the isolation of genetic material (DNA and RNA), classical PCR reactions, RT-PCR, nested PCR, and bioinformatics analysis using the GridION platform for next-generation sequencing (NGS). The internship facilitated familiarity with contemporary research infrastructure and methodologies employed in international scientific projects.

The internship was carried out as part of the development strategy of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin thanks to the ‘Initiative of Excellence – Research University’ project.