Erasmus placement incoming students
Kelly Woods
Erasmus Research Technician
February-July 2014
I am a Biomedical Science student from Brunel University, West London about to begin my third and final year and as part of my degree, I decided to do a placement to gain experience. Completing my placement at UNIPA has provided me with an amazing experience I would not have been able to get in England. I have learnt so much; both theoretically and practically and really feel I have broadened my skill set while I have been here. I have worked on transactivation in the field of neuroscience, which was a totally new subject for me and have thoroughly enjoyed this entire experience. As well as the laboratory experience I have gained, I have also experienced living in a foreign country for 5 months and have had the opportunity to travel around Sicily, seeing things I would most likely have never seen had I not chosen this placement. I would encourage anyone considering an Erasmus placement to take the opportunity; you won’t regret it.
Valdone Maciulyte
EWP Research Technician
February-July 2014
I am a third year undergraduate student at Brunel University in London. When I firstly found out about the opportunity to work at University of Palermo in Sicily, I instantaneously was admired only of this idea. This 5-month Erasmus work placement is a valuable professional and personal experience for me. My main emphasis is placed on gaining work experience in a research laboratory, investigating the role of curcumin and exosomes released by chronic myelogenous leukemia cells. I can definitely state that I am learning a lot, to begin with the methodology of experiments and individual effort to the project. Joining a big lab team helped me to develop and improve communication and transferable skills, not to mention acquired laboratory and research skills. In addition, it is an exciting challenge to stay in a foreign country - get used to Sicilian culture and learn the basics of Italian language, also a chance to explore the island. I am very grateful to all people who contributed to this life-time experience and I would definitely suggest for other students to apply for Erasmus work placement.
Ben Usher
Erasmus Research Technician
February-July 2014
I am a biomedicine student from the UK; I came to Palermo University as part of an Erasmus funded work placement looking for laboratory experience in a new learning environment. During my time here I have met a diverse and interesting group of people, and I cannot thank my colleagues in the lab enough for helping me settle in and having the patience to teach me. I have learnt a great deal in terms of laboratory techniques and procedures, managing my time and conducting my own work independently, and I can return home with the experience to complete my degree and look confidently to my future
