Ahh! Paris! City of Lights! It is also the home of delicious wines, cheeses, pastries, and strong coffee.
After recovering from the initial loneliness and culture shock of being alone in a foreign country, and struggling to speak French, I began to really appreciate everything, from the daily view of the Eiffel Tower from my apartment, to the tasty, warm baguettes fresh from the oven!
My faculty advisor Dr. Murray Brilliant, Department of Pediatrics, couldn't have suggested a more perfect match. For ten weeks this summer, I worked with Dr. Jean Louis Guenet at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Through him, I met my "French family," the other members of the lab and formed some strong relationships with people who taught me a lot about true French culture.
At the Institut Pasteur, my project was to use positional cloning approaches to map a new recessive mutation that was discovered in a mouse. I selected markers in different regions of the 19 autosomes (we think the mutation is not sex-linked). The phenotype of the affected mice are a clumsy, staggering walk and their heads seem to wobble back and forth, and they almost appear to be intoxicated. Although we are still uncertain of the exact cause, the mutation may be affiliated with the cerebellum or some other neurological disorder.
On my first day of work, my faculty advisor, Dr. Guenet, gave me the honor of naming the mutation to serve as a sort of remembrance of my stay at the Institut Pasteur. I am from the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, so Dr. Guenet graciously suggested using a Navajo name. I was excited about the unique opportunity to name a mutation that will eventually appear in scientific literature. How often do students have a chance to name a mutation and use their Native language? Probably never! I sent an email to my family and friends describing the situation and asking for feedback. To my surprise, my original email was sent to several listservs and I received close to 100 replies from people of various ethnic and educational backgrounds.
My mother, Martha Austin-Garrison, suggested the Navajo word, "bi_ nahoomas," which is used to refer to a person or animal who has some sort of problem, but nobody can pinpoint its exact cause. To elaborate, someone who uses this term could mean they have a problem inside that makes them feel strange or even crazy and everyone around knows that person has a problem, but nobody knows exactly what it is. The name was perfect for our situation. We sent some brain samples of the affected mice to the Pathology Department, but they could not find anything abnormal. In addition, I have screened every autosome using nearly 100 microsatellite markers for this mutation and have not found any evidence for linkage. After all that work, we still do not know much about this mutation.
My experience at the Institut Pasteur was very positive because I learned several new techniques used in genetic research. At the same time, my project enabled me to incorporate and involve the Native community in the United States. A new situation prompted discussion and a flow of ideas among the scientific and Native communities back home. Furthermore, both faculty advisors agreed to let me bring the DNA samples with me and continue to work on this project on an international level. Some of the highlights of my stay in Paris were getting lost in the city streets and flea markets, numerous trips to the Musee du Louvre and Notre Dame, and witnessing American Lance Armstrong's fourth consecutive victory in the Tour de France. I was also invited by friends that I met to visit Brittany in northern France and the Jura near Switzerland to experience the different lifestyles and customs in those regions. It was such an awesome experience to finally see all the places that I read about or learned about in my classes.
I would like to thank my parents, family and friends for all their encouraging support because without them, I don't think I would have had the courage to go abroad alone! I also want to thank my advisors Dr. Murray Brilliant, Dr. Jean Louis Guenet, and of course, Genevieve Kenney, the BRAVO! committee, and Carol Bender.
Nanibaa Garrison, UBRP alum from Dr. Erickson's lab, Pediatrics and current MARC student in Dr. Murray Brillant's lab, Pediatrics
After recovering from the initial loneliness and culture shock of being alone in a foreign country, and struggling to speak French, I began to really appreciate everything, from the daily view of the Eiffel Tower from my apartment, to the tasty, warm baguettes fresh from the oven!
sex-linked). The phenotype of the affected mice are a clumsy, staggering walk and their heads seem to wobble back and forth, and they almost appear to be intoxicated. Although we are still uncertain of the exact cause, the mutation may be affiliated with the cerebellum or some other neurological disorder.
about the unique opportunity to name a mutation that will eventually appear in scientific literature. How often do students have a chance to name a mutation and use their Native language? Probably never! I sent an email to my family and friends describing the situation and asking for feedback. To my surprise, my original email was sent to several listservs and I received close to 100 replies from people of various ethnic and educational backgrounds.
new techniques used in genetic research. At the same time, my project enabled me to incorporate and involve the Native community in the United States. A new situation prompted discussion and a flow of ideas among the scientific and Native communities back home. Furthermore, both faculty advisors agreed to let me bring the DNA samples with me and continue to work on this project on an international level. Some of the highlights of my stay in Paris were getting lost in the city streets and flea markets, numerous trips to the Musee du Louvre and Notre Dame, and witnessing American Lance Armstrong's fourth consecutive victory in the 
Tour de France. I was also invited by friends that I met to visit Brittany in northern France and the Jura near Switzerland to experience the different lifestyles and customs in those regions. It was such an awesome experience to finally see all the places that I read about or learned about in my classes.
