Two Students Awarded with the "Premio Extraordinario de Bachillerato" Prize Have Carried out a Research Stay at ISGlobal

During the second week of July, two students that received the "Premio Extraordinario de Bachillerato", awarded by the Catalán Government for their merits, carried out a research stay at ISGlobal. 

During five days,  Paula Fernández Torres, a first-year medical student and José Mª Borrego Burón, a first-year student in pharmacy, had the opportunity to get acquainted with the different activities of ISGlobal and interact with the institution's researchers and physicians. In the laboratory, they were introduced to different techniques including cell and parasite culture, human organs in a chip, live Imaging and the analysis of the human immune response. They also attended a clinical session, a consultation in tropical medicine and two PhD defenses.  The last two days they visited CREAL, an ISGlobal allied research center, where they met different researchers and heard about their ongoing projects on environmental epidemiology and citizen science.   

José Ma. Borrego explains that "one of the most captivating aspects of the stay was seeing science in progress, in a direct and natural manner". Paula Fernández adds "this stay has been a great experience that has allowed me to observe first-hand how different healthcare and biomedical professionals work. I have discovered new professional orientations and I am more motivated than ever to continue studying and learning".  

The "Premios Extraordinarios de Bachillerato" are awarded by the Generalitat of Catalonia to students that finish high school with an average mark greater than 8.75 and have scored highly in a special test. In addition to the academic recognition, the awardees obtain a tax exemption for the first year of university fees, a free language course, a one-week stay in a research center or institution of their choice, and the possibility to participate in the "Premios Nacionales de Bachillerato".