EAWAG meets RECETOX
When colleagues of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) visit the Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX) in Brno, Czech Republic.
by ESR10 Regiane Sanches Natumi, ESR12 Marcel Schneider and ESR14 Barbara Kubíčková
On February 22-24, 2018 Regiane (ESR10) and her supervisor Dr. Elisabeth Janssen (EAWAG) came to visit their NaToxAq colleagues Marcel (ESR12), Barbara (ESR14) and their supervisors Dr. Klára Hilscherová, Dr. Pavel Babica and Dr. Luděk Bláha at RECETOX in Brno, Czech Republic. The first day started with an introductory tour through the RECETOX facilities for the two guests, including a visit to the accredited analytical laboratory. After a restorative lunch, we all sat together for our first meeting, where the progress of Regiane’s Ph.D. project and her future plans were discussed. RECETOX agreed to provide her with cyanobacterial laboratory cultures and field samples that have been collected from different lakes in Czech Republic over the last few years and might be beneficial for her research. We ended the day with a traditional Czech dinner, beers and a nice chat.
The next day began with summaries of the current statuses of Barbara’s and Marcel’s Ph.D. projects, followed by further fruitful discussions on stronger collaborations between the ESRs and potential secondments at EAWAG and RECETOX. After lunch, we concluded this very successful and productive meeting. As Brno has much more to offer than just the RECETOX facilities, Barbara took Regiane and Dr. Janssen for a nice tour up to Špilberk castle and through Brno city center, where all met again for dinner and drinks to say goodbye.
We are all looking forward to our next gathering and upcoming activities such as the SETAC Europe meeting in Rome, Italy in May and the next NaToxAq Ph.D. summer school in Scarborough, UK in June.
Špilberk castle as seen from Brno city center (photo by Barbara Kubíčková).