The sixth edition of the Jornada de Verão da Microbiologia, promoted by the Agricultural Microbiology Studies Center (NEMA), offers five days of courses and lectures, from today until Friday. The event, aimed mainly at undergraduate students, precedes the official opening of the semester, which happens next Monday, March 4. The courses are given by professors or by students – master’s and doctoral students from the Postgraduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology (PPGMBA).

“The main aim of the Conference is to bring undergraduate students closer to the lines of research developed by the PPGMBA laboratories. We also want to bring PPGMBA members closer together,” says Thalya Furtado Lopes, a master’s student at the PPG and one of the organizers of this year’s event. It was at last year’s event that she was encouraged to study for a master’s degree. “For me, the Jornada de Verão was a turning point. I was always interested in Microbiology as an undergraduate, but it wasn’t until the previous edition that I was able to get to know the structure of the Microbiology Department and the PPG’s lines of research better. From the mini-course I took part in, I started an internship at the Molecular Immunovirology Laboratory, where I am now happy to be studying for my master’s degree.”

The Jornada de Verão happens every year, covering various topics relevant to Microbiology. Through the courses, participants have the opportunity to get to know the different laboratories, structures and lines of research developed by the Department of Microbiology. “It’s an opportunity to have more contact with some Microbiology topics, increasing interest in the area or awakening interest in others,” says Thalya.

The event was born in 2017 and has expanded the number of courses on offer in recent editions. Every year, around 50 students take part in the day, divided between the courses on offer. “The number of participants in the mini-courses depends on the complexity of the topics covered, the physical size of the laboratories and the equipment available, so that all students have the opportunity to practice. That’s why there are only a few places on offer.”