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 Excerpts from
'student reports' of SEB travel grant holders on Chobe
2001details of the SEB travel program are available at: http://www.sebiology.org
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| In August 2001, I travelled to
Botswana, Africa to attend this conference on the theme
of “how animals work”; a broad theme which
brought together aspects of animal physiology and
biochemistry from a vast array of disciplines. The
conference was held next to the Chobe National Park, on
the Chobe river beside to the town of Kasane. The setting
was breathtaking. Upon our arrival, we stood and looked
out across the river to a plain in the distance. There
were small dots moving. I was handed a pair of binoculars
and was delighted to find the “dots” were in
fact elephants hundreds of them - playing in the water
along the river bank and standing in the low grass of the
plain. That was only the beginning. During the week long
conference I was to see more African animals lions,
giraffes, hippopotami, crocodiles and many birds. The academic programme was diverse. Symposia ranged from “Ecophysiology and the fabric of biodiversity” to “Adaptive physiology and biochemistry of organisms of vents and seeps”. I gave an oral presentation on the effects of acute temperature change on Ca2+ flux in rainbow trout heart cells. My presentation was in a symposia of “Comparative cardiology”, although every presentation but mine described crustacean cardiology. I learnt a lot about crustacean physiology and was intrigued by some of the techniques the symposia presenters used to ask questions similar to my own. Unbeknownst to me, attending the crustacean cardiology symposium was only the beginning of my lessons into insect physiology as one of the symposium organizers, Dr. Tom Miller and I were on the same post-conference safari. The academic program was designed such that the sessions were held in the mornings and the afternoons were free to explore the wonders of Botswana. In the evening the dining was casual. Students and professors could meet to discuss research ideas and possible collaborations, while they sampled local delicacies, including mopani worms! I am very grateful to the Society of Experimental Biology for providing me the opportunity to attend the 2nd International Conference on Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. I will hold the friendships and memories for years to come. Holly Sheils |
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| I was awarded a travel grant from
the Society of Experimental Biology through the Company
of Biologists Travelling Fund. This grant enabled me to
attend the Second International Conference of Comparative
Physiology and Biochemistry, in Botswana, Africa and also
supported my visit to the laboratory of Dr Tony Postle in
the Department of Child Health, University of
Southampton, England. I found the conference in Chobe a most rewarding experience and thoroughly enjoyed both the sessions and social activities. I was able to meet and talk with scientists from many research areas and countries, which should hopefully lead to some future collaborative work. I found the conference sessions informative and interesting and gained a wider understanding of the field of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, which is the field in which I hope to establish myself as a valuable researcher. The conference venue was excellent and the sessions arranged in such a way as to enable me to also experience the wildlife of Africa and specifically, the beauty of the Chobe National Park. I also found my month in Southampton to be extremely valuable and rewarding as I was able to learn about the technique of Electrospray Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) and also to analyse some of my own membrane samples. While I did run into some technical difficulties with my own samples, I was able to gain a thorough understanding of the principles of lipid biochemistry and the technique of ESI-MS. I found Dr Tony Postle and Dr Graeme Clark extremely helpful and supportive during my time in their laboratory. The knowledge and understanding I gained in Southampton will be extremely valuable to future work in our laboratory in South Australia, both in the setting up of similar techniques and in the analysis of results obtained from other chromatographic procedures. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Society of Experimental Biology and the Company of Biologists for making it possible for me to spend time in an overseas laboratory and to attend the conference in Africa. Carol Ormond |