What do you get when you cross an American undergraduate with a German laboratory's cold room? One huge look of surprise when observing a designated area for beer storage! That was one of the many cultural difference I encountered this past summer, while I worked in Dr. Bernd Bukau's lab, at the University of Heidelberg. From the end of May to the middle of August, I spent my days struggling to understand a foreign language, learning new scientific techniques, and becoming accustomed to local German culture!

When I applied to the BRAVO! program, I had a small idea about the experience I was about to get. I understood the concept of living in a foreign country and being open minded, but the old cliche is true: "you never know until you are actually there." What I received from my time spent abroad paled in comparison to what I thought was in store for me! So, throw out those American fabricated stereotypes of sauerkraut and sausages, and let's focus on bier, or as we call it: BEER. For the first few weeks in the Bukau lab, I was completely amazed over the German nonchalance in regard to alcohol consumption. Obviously the beer storage in the cold room was the initial shocker, but it was not uncommon for my co-workers to call it a day at 5 or 6 pm, and sit out on the building balcony, drinking beer taken from the cold room stock. Not only did I notice this at the university (you can even order beer at the cafeteria with your lunch), but also while exploring the city of Heidelberg itself. From my travels through Europe prior to settling down in Germany, I was aware of the more lax laws on drinking, but it was amazing for me to see dozens of people just hanging out on the lawn along the Nekar river, with beer or wine in hand. I had to be constantly reminded that this phenomenon was acceptable in Europe.

Okay, so what does this have to do with summer research? I concluded that becoming comfortable with the local customs and way of life, plays a huge role in adapting to the lab environment ­ at least in my case, it was absolutely necessary! Once I became accustomed to German habits, and their dry sense of humor, I was able to feel more like a regular lab member, and working became more interesting.

Along with learning bits and pieces of the language, I picked up tons of new lab techniques. I went to the Bukau lab to work with E. coli proteases Lon, and HslUV, and observe their degradation activity on various substrates. However, before I could even start my project, I had to first over express these proteins, and then purify them. I had no idea I was in for 12 hour days my first three and one-half weeks there! Not only was everything I did completely new to me (so it took longer), but the organism was new as well (I had been working on Arabidopsis prior). Although, nothing beats the feeling of achievement once the protein(s) is pure, and SDS-PAGE gel analysis shows your hard work paid off!

As my project moved along, I was also exposed to degradation assays (ATP-dependent reactions), PCR, cloning, vector/plasmid construction, sequencing, and various types of gel analysis. Also, let me not fail to mention that this served as a larger lesson in "multi-tasking!" Since almost everything I did was new to me, I threw out any kind of exposure I may have briefly had in the Vierling lab, and got quite used to hearing the phrase "it's like a kitchen," because everyone had their own little changes in protocol. Even with all the differences though, I was able to leave their lab with a summary of degradation activity on the substrates they were interested in, and come back to the Vierling lab with some important plasmid constructs for further use.

Not only have I come back home with useful data and materials, but also with a better appreciation for scientific techniques and what they can teach us. After three months of being away from home and a life of familiarity, I am looking forward to sharing what I have learned with my lab co-workers, as well as continuing with my project. Above all, I am convinced that the last three months not only enriched me personally, but also made me a better scientist. With that said, I must confess that even on my final day in the Bukau lab, I was still not used to seeing cases of "Jever Pilse" stored in the cold room!

Julie Bordowitz, UBRPer in Dr. Elizabeth Vierling's lab, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics