The Student Angle: Brazilian Graduate Student Immerses Herself in Culture and Research
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Carla Lacerda's explorations have taken her from a small industrial town in Brazil, to language schools in England and France, and finally to the U.S. for her Master's and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering.
Carla chose Professor Ken Reardon as her adviser because of his work in proteomics and its potential as a tool to improve biological waste treatment. Proteomics analysis provides information about the function of an organism by examining changes in thousands of proteins simultaneously. When microorganisms are exposed to changing environmental conditions, such as the presence of pollutants, different proteins are expressed. Using proteomics, these proteins can be identified, yielding functional information about the community that in turn could facilitate improved design and control of environmental bioprocesses. Carla is one of the first in the world to demonstrate the potential of environmental proteomics and her work has already sparked several other projects.
After graduation, Carla intends to enter academic life again, only this time as a professor. Her international experience, U.S. education and teaching assistantship at CSU will have prepared her well to follow the path she has chosen.
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In the meantime, Carla is taking advantage of all that CSU and Colorado have to offer. "One thing I like about this campus is the way apartment life works; they try to integrate all international students with special activities such as a night in each country. The Brazilian night was a total success! You learn so much about other people's cultures and it's fantastic! And I absolutely love Colorado and the size of Ft. Collins; it's not too small, not too big. I like going downtown for the events like New West Fest, and going to Horsetooth Reservoir to relax and water ski. "
Her advice to others who want to follow her path? "Learn as much as you can about the culture before you go and never stop learning once you are there. Communicate a lot, everything in life can be solved through communication. "