On 15 August 2008, 40 agrobiotechnology students from the Universidad Tecnológica de Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico, visited CIMMYT along with three professors. The visit was intended to complement the students’ academic studies in plant genetics and basic crops, and to introduce them to plant biotechnology. Students went on a tour of the germplasm bank, the applied biotechnology lab, and visited field plots. GREU staff Bibiana Espinosa, Principal Research Assistant, Alfredo Serna, Lab Manager, and Marcial Rivas, Principal Field Assistant, facilitated these tours. For the first time during a student visit, and under Serna’s supervision, they also had the opportunity to try some molecular biology techniques in the lab, such as loading gels, pipetting, and taking samples.
Professor Jorge Sevilla DĂaz organized the visit for his students and sent a thank-you note on behalf of the group and the director of the faculty of the university saying, “…the students were very impressed by the work the center does, so much so that some asked if it would be possible to establish working partnerships with CIMMYT in the future.” DĂaz also attained new information on his area of interest, and he and his students praised the quality of CIMMYT’s publications.
