Benedict Paul Both, year 4 student at the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon

Winner of the 16th “Educating through Science” Programme | Gulbenkian/FMUL Scholarships
Research Day of the Faculty of the University of Lisbon
 

Before starting to tell you about my experience, I would like to thank and express my gratitude to the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon, the Institute of Molecular Medicine and GAPIC/Gulbenkian not only for the opportunity to participate in the 16th “Educating through Science” Programme but also for all the attention paid to students since our admission to the faculty.

It all started with a conversation I had with one of my best friends about the GAPIC project. We both shared an interest in research, so we decided to take this opportunity. Our next step was to find a supervisor and a topic. Given that when I was a year 2 student I had been a Histology assistant in Professor Leonor Saúde’s class, I decided to ask her if there were any projects at her Institute that I could become involved in. Thus, Professor Leonor became the first of many wonderful people I would meet along the way that was just starting. She introduced me to the researchers and technicians who worked in the Embryonic Development of Vertebrates Unit (UDEV), showed me the facilities and equipment, and made me feel part of her team there and then. During the visit I met my future supervisor, Dr Ana Ribeiro, holder of a PhD and specialist in researching the regeneration of spinal cord in zebrafish. I immediately felt a great fascination for the area, and after some meetings, I was advised to study the importance of angiogenesis in spinal cord regeneration, which I gladly accepted.

Thus, I had had my first contact with research, a new world that arouses the curiosity of so many young students. It was necessary to overcome the fear of the unknown, which is inevitable when one is inexperienced. There were many hours of work, often difficult to reconcile with classes. It was necessary to be persistent when things did not go so well. However, both the ease with which I was made part of the team and the constant support of my supervisor were extremely important throughout this journey to keep me constantly motivated. I had many good times with the UDEV team, and now, when I look back, I am very pleased to have been involved in the project. The true prize for me was my personal enrichment and the opportunity to make, however small, a contribution to science.

Finally, I would like to thank all my colleagues who participated in the 16th “Education through Science” Programme and deserved the prize as much as, or more than me. And I would also like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that we are privileged to be part of an institution that gives us so many opportunities. If anyone is interested in doing research, my advice is: do not hesitate. Taking the initial step is the hardest part, the rest is just work.