Research Experience

        I am trying to improve my practical and theoretical skills since my first year in my undergraduate program. I spent all my holidays in trainings and internships. My first internship was in a commercial genetics diagnostic laboratory in my first summer semester holiday. I learnt for the first time some basic molecular laboratory methods such as home made DNA isolation, performing PCR etc. I still continue to go to this laboratory. We are preparing academic seminars, some brainstorms to improve the laboratory’s research area. We are also preparing a project for 6th framework program of EU.
    We will apply when the 4th call opens in Life Sciences, Genomics and Biotechnology for Health area.
      In the next semester holiday in winter, I went to the Department of Genetics in Bilkent University, the most prestigious university in our country, to have an internship in microbiology laboratory. I improved my technical skills. I learnt the methods of transformation, ligation, and growing bacteria culture etc.

    The following summer I went to the Department of Genetics in Rutgers University. I studied with Prof Chi-hua Chiu in her laboratory to characterize Hiodon fish’s HOX genes. The project was run by Dr. Karen Chambers. I learnt the methods such as degenerate PCR, gel purifying, Mini-Prep, preparing frozen immortal, and bioinformatics methods to evaluate results. In other words the whole laboratory process to characterize HOX gene in a new animal. I think I was ready to run a project myself after this internship.
    The next summer I went to the Department of Genetics in Barcelona University. I was eager to study with Dr. Jordi Garcia-Fernandez. We had to wait until my experiment animal was caught from sea by fisherman, so in the beginning I joined Elia Benito’s project on BMP. She showed me the processes of her project which is about BMP gene.

      When the animal came to our laboratory I started working on my project with Dr. Jordi - Garcia Fernandez as supervisor. I perform RNA isolation, degenerate PCR, sub cloning and sending to sequence. And we evaluated the results through bioinformatics methods. Unfortunately time was up so I returned to my country. So I learnt initial process until evaluating sequence through bioinformatics tools of finding new genes in a new animal. In addition, I was breeding an amphioxus in an aquarium to use it in laboratory experiments.

     I also preparing proposal with a group of scientist for EU 6th framework Programme in Burc Molecular Genetics Diagnostic and Research Laboratory in these days (June, 2005). We hope that it will be accept by EU commission. You can follow steps from the following link. Please click...

6FP project proposal