Exciting research plus travel adventures

Nicolas Barbera at Bruges Monastery

While the research I undertook at IMEC gave me valuable experience with imaging techniques and cellular science, the most rewarding part of my time abroad was the travel opportunity. Before my time at IMEC, I had never been to Europe. As you can guess, I tried to make the most of my ten weekends, visiting a different city each time, including Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Bruges, and Antwerp.

For me, each city was an adventure. The fun was not only in seeing all the different and amazing sights (of which there were a ton), but in learning to navigate and explore cities where the language spoken isn’t English. This was especially true for the food. Some of my fondest memories include finding an out-of-the-way burrito shop in Barcelona, a doner kebap shop on the streets of Berlin, and my first time ordering in a Belgian restaurant.

One thing that really struck me about Europe was the architecture. So many of the cities I visited had markets and streets with buildings dating back hundreds of years, something you don’t get to see in America. (The closest thing for me would be some of the older sections of New York City, but even those are relatively young by European standards.) Needless to say, a large portion of my photo album consists of the various facades and buildings I came across in my travels. This includes churches: I explored and photograph dozens of them all over, each one a work of art.

While the travel opportunities I had were my favorite part my time at IMEC, I can’t discount the research experience. Being able to work in a lab like IMEC was great for both building my lab skill set and acquainting me with a working culture different from the ones found in Hopkins labs, things that will come in handy after graduating.

All in all, I’d say my time abroad was a worthwhile experience for my personal life as well as my professional one.

Blog post by Nicolas Barbera

More photos follow!

Checkpoint Charlie

First steps in the Mediterranean

Entrance to la Sagrada Familia

Hopping the Berlin Wall

Touring Belgium

Town Hall.

Of course, I had to see some sights while in Europe. It was a lot of fun walking around the historic city center in Leuven. Their city hall is beautiful, with detailed sculptures all the way up the walls.

I also made it to Brussels for a long weekend before flying home. I took a tour of the city by bike and stopped in the park for some freshly cooked escargot. I might not add it to my regular menu, but I couldn't pass up giving it a try.

Working in an international environment was an experience that I believe will be helpful as my career develops. Seeing how people work in different labs, usually with varying goals and environments, was interesting.

Bike tour.

It was encouraging to have the group coalesce around innovative ideas. Hopefully, we will soon start a project looking at why some cancer cells migrate away from a primary tumor while others are more or less stationary. Contributing to our understanding about how metastasis occurs could help prevent cancer deaths in the future.

Blog post by Colin Paul

What is IMEC?

The Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology (INBT) International Research Experience for Students (IRES) program began in 2009. INBT’s IRES program, funded by the National Science Foundation, allows students to collaborate with researchers from Hopkins and The Inter-University MircroElectronics Centre (IMEC) in Leuven, Belgium.

Students work at IMEC’s world-class microfabrication facility and learn to design, fabricate and test chip-based platforms and integrated microelectronic systems for biomedical applications. The goal of the program is to help students gain a broader, global perspective of science and technology.

But what is IMEC? Here is a video explaining many of IMEC's capabilities and research projects.



Blog post by Mary Spiro

Getting used to a European pace

It is a bit of a culture shock when you first arrive-- things are more laid back in many ways. The open hours of stores are very limited, and many things close at nights except for restaurants.

Photo by Colin Paul

Service at restaurants is much slower. It encourages you to take your time and enjoy yourself, but if you are rushing to get somewhere, you will have to work hard to flag down your server.

Generally I have found people to be very nice and helpful. Not knowing Dutch (or French in the southern region of Belgium) is overwhelming at first. But most in most places you can find some people who speak English well, and they have tried hard to help answer any questions that I have or to direct me where I am trying to go. 

I have really enjoyed traveling to different cities around Belgium, and a few places abroad in Germany and Luxemburg. Although there are similarities between the cities, there is also a uniqueness to each one that makes each trip different from the last. The train system is great in allowing us to experience a lot of different cities in a pretty easy way.

Blog post by Sarah Friedrich

Ten weeks is too short!

That's me, front and center!

My time at IMEC has been a great experience!

As a PhD student, a lot of what I am exposed to is within the academic arena. It is also good, I think, to see how PhD's can use their degrees and expertise in a corporation, and the differences between working in industry versus working in academia.

People here have been very sociable and helpful, and I have certainly learned a lot. It is very cool to see the capabilities the company has, and how that can be used synergystically within so many different fields and disciplines, and with so many other institutions and groups.

Ten weeks seems like a long time at first, but with only a couple days left, I can't believe it's already time for me to head home!

Blog post by Sarah Friedrich

Working with the people at IMEC

From Monday through Friday, I went to work at IMEC. The people there were very welcoming. I took a tour of the labs where I would be working and had meetings with several collaborators or potential collaborators. On my second day at IMEC, I gave a presentation presenting an overview of the research in the Konstantopoulos lab. I ate lunch each day with members of Dr. Lagae's lab in the IMEC cafeteria.

Anytime lunch ends and someone from the group says, "Shall we go for a coffee?”, I know I'm in my kind of place. I enjoy a good cup of coffee. Suffice it to say, I greatly enjoyed my time at IMEC. One of Dr. Lagae’s lab members had Nicolas and me over for dinner one night. A home cooked meal tasted great after eating too many fried treats, and it was interesting to talk about life in Belgium and the U.S.

I greatly enjoyed the innovative and collaborative environment at IMEC. The passion displayed by the researchers in their quest to develop market-ready products to enhance human health was inspiring. It was a great atmosphere to think about potential projects that would combine the skills of Hopkins and IMEC to create tests to better understand and eventually stop the spread of cancer. I had the opportunity to meet with graduate students, post docs, and PIs, and I feel like I got a good overview of the technologies being developed at IMEC.

More later...

Blog post by Colin Paul

Waffles in the vending machines

Coffee break.

I knew I had made it to Belgium when I saw the waffles in the vending machine at the airport in Brussels. Maybe it’s a stereotype, but if so, I’m glad it’s one that’s true. I was excited to be in Belgium to visit the people and facilities at IMEC. My research advisor, Dr. Konstantopoulos, had asked me if I wanted to go to Leuven for a week to talk about potential projects with our collaborators at IMEC and do some preliminary experiments, and I jumped at the chance. Specifically, I brought cell migration devices fabricated in our lab to IMEC to perform proof-of-concept experiments with Nicolas Barbera, who works for Dr. Konstantopoulos, and member of Dr. Liesbet Lagae’s lab. Although the trip was short, I had great time, saw several interesting places, and met many wonderful people.

When I arrived in Leuven, I took a stroll to find some food and acclimate myself to the city. I eventually made it to the Leuven city center and enjoyed some steak and frites, a popular Belgium dish. I really enjoyed Leuven, with its historic city center and university town vibe. It is a very walkable city, and nearly everyone I ran into spoke English.

More later....

Blog post by Colin Paul

Doing research in Belgium

Gregg Duncan

Each summer, Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology (INBT) has funding to support several summer research internships abroad. The International Research Experience for Students (IRES) program, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides support for students to work with researchers at The Inter-University MircroElectronics Centre (IMEC) in Leuven, Belgium. Students work at IMEC’s world-class microfabrication facility and learn to design, fabricate and test a wide range of biomedical devices.

Colin Paul

The internships can last from 10 to 12 weeks and include travel expenses, accommodation and a stipend. Shorter term trips are also possible. The IRES program is open to Johns Hopkins undergraduate and graduate students.

During the summer of 2012 five students from Johns Hopkins were sent to IMEC. They included:

Nicolas Barbera

Gregg Duncan, a doctoral student in the laboratory of associate professor Michael Bevan in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. His work involved quantification of nanoparticle-cell interactions using dark-field microscopy.

Colin Paul, a doctoral student from the lab of Konstantinos Konstantopoulos, professor and chair of in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Colin spent a week in Belgium mentoring Nicolas Barbera (see below). Colin took cell migration devices from the Konstantopoulos lab to be used in "proof-of-concept" experiments. 

Nicolas Barbera, a master's degree student, also from the Konstantopoulos lab. He is investigating the effect of Podocalyxin on pancreatic cancer metastasis.

Sarah Friedrich

Sarah Friedrich, a doctoral student from the laboratory of Andre Levchenko, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Her work involves the Study of axon guidance under topographic and intracellular pathways.

Peter Nelson, an undergraduate working in the lab or Jordan Green, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Gold nanoparticles and polymer composites used for controled drug delivery and hyperthermia treatment was the concentration of his summer research project.

Peter Nelson

In addition to working in the lab, students who participate in INBT's international research program with IMEC program have the chance to enjoy traveling to the surrounding regions and even to other countries on their days off. They try local cuisine and visit famous museums. They also learn about how to conduct research in an international setting and hopefully form life long connections that will benefit them in their careers and future lives.

Johns Hopkins students from many disciplines are eligible to apply to work at IMEC during the summer.  Projects that strongly align with the research goals of INBT and IMEC are preferred.

To apply for this unique opportunity, send your resume along with a summary of your research experience and the name and contact information of at least one referee, preferably your faculty research advisor, to Ashanti Edwards at aedwards@jhu.edu. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply.

Blog post by Mary Spiro.