This month the Universidad Andrés Bello was taken over by the majority of students in order to have their demands met. The “toma” consisted of groups of students from various majors and lasted over three weeks. University officials and professors were not permitted to enter, but students and investigation remained with open access. This was especially important for me because I am responsible for feeding and taking care of the tadpoles daily. Within the first week of toma, university took action to shut down the students’ manifestations by turning off the internet and running water. Despite the challenges, I completed the first half of my second research objective, quantifying the expression of the microRNA let-7a following the overexpression of Lin28a during metamorphosis of Xenopus! I also spent a lot of time discussing the toma with the university students.

We had many conversations about the way tomas work in Chile, their frustrations with the institution and their reaction to the toma, and their specific demands which included problems of sexism in the university, lack of materials in dentist and nursing clinics, changing of major class lists, as well as (and most discussed) mental health concerns of students.

This month was also about building and growing webs of connections here in Chile. Many people have reached out for help translating various documents or projects in the biology and art fields. Many have also showed interest in learning English. … My language and translating skills are ways that I can connect and contribute with the community. I was also invited to go on a field outing with some botany students from la Católica de Valparaíso in la Campana. … The toma at the University of Andres Bello made carrying out my research more challenging, however the month of May was a big success. I am making good progress carrying out my research objectives and was able to contribute to a manuscript in review for publication!!