Week 2
- Mar 12
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 13
And just like that, it’s time for another weekly update!
Day 9 / March 6, 2026
Friday was quite the busy day! The day started with a practice run through of Cynthia’s doctoral defense presentation. She has done some incredible work on plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) using micro-encapsulated exopolysaccharides (EPS) to stimulate the growth of tomatoes and Chilean common beans. Microorganism use in agriculture is emerging as a sustainable, organic, low-cost alternative to fertilizers. Though I have seen a few final doctoral defenses, this was my first time being a part of preparation. It was really special to hear other lab members ask questions and take on the role of a reviewer. To check out more of Cynthia’s work, see a link to a press release here: https://www.cienciaenchile.cl/cynthia-meza-se-postula-como-candidata-doctoral-en-biotecnologia-traslacional-con-innovador-proyecto-de-bioestimulantes-bacterianos/
and one of her more recent publications here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/leg3.70083.
Cynthia will officially defend next Wednesday and the whole lab team is so excited! :))
The day ended slightly early with everyone having Friday obligations outside of the lab; myself included…moving day! I dashed home to the Airbnb to clean and pack up all my things. Right as I was walking out the door with a heavy backpack on and hands full, Nayar pulled into the driveway and started laughing. She could not believe I was going to carry everything over in the 90F heat and kindly offered to drive me instead. With the help of her nineto (grandson), Salvador, we loaded up her car and drove over. They helped me bring everything inside and just like that, I was in! I spent the rest of the evening doing various super market trips to fill the fridge and buy cleaning supplies. The night ended with some fajitas and homemade guac out on the balcony. Though tiring, I always enjoy the process of settling into a new house!
Day 10/ March 7, 2026
I woke up and made a salami, egg, and cheese sandwich which I enjoyed while watching the sunrise on the balcony. The Andes are in view!! Counting my blessings today!
Shortly after, I got dressed for the day and headed out with one mission in mind: haircut. I never really know what to do with my hair. It’s certainly not something I can put into words in English, so I figured Spanish would be no different! I wandered over to the shopping center area and found my way into Galería Atala. A stylist, Cristina, welcomed me in and got straight to work. Within 10 minutes she had cut off all my dead ends and evened out my previous DIY hack job. She gave me advice about how to manage hair care with consideration for the higher mineral (calcium/chloride/magnesium) levels common in Chilean water. It was $25 for the trim and $30 for a bottle of the Sebastian Professional Potion 9 leave-in hair cream. Overall, money very well spent!
I did a quick trip to Lider for some pans and towels before heading to the climbing gym. It was surprisingly empty for a Saturday! The new pads and wall were open offering so many more new problems.
At around 3pm, I dropped off my groceries at home, took a quick shower and walked to Salón de Té to meet with the other exchange student for a coffee. Sharith is from Colombia 🇨🇴 and is staying in Talca for a semester to study Early Childhood Education. She is an avid dancer and loves to learn about new music and moves. We chatted about home, all the things we look forward to doing in Chile, and our favorite spots in Talca so far!
I finished the day with another hike up Piedra de Peñon and dinner at home.
Day 11 / March 8, 2026
Happy International Women’s Day!! Talca had several events throughout the city including an acrobatic performance in the Plaza La Victoria, Zumba in the Rangers Stadium, music and more. There were so many beautiful murals that I passed on my walk, I've included just a few below!
At 1pm I got onto a bus at the Talca station, Terminal Lorenzo Varoli, headed to Linares to meet Amanda for a play. The ride there was beautiful, passing through vineyards and the picturesque town of San Javier.
When I arrived in Linares I took some time to stroll around the Plaza de Armas de Linares and then wandered into Cafe La Francesa for lunch. I tried my first Chilean Pisco Sour with a Chilean Pizza covered in Mechada and fresh tomatoes. Of course, following that with some kuchen de frambuesa (German-style raspberry cheesecake for dessert).
I have been learning a bit more about the various influences on Chilean cuisine. In 1846 there was a migration of about 30,000 Germans to Valdivia and Llanquihue in the south of Chile owing to a combination of instability in Europe, as well as a Chilean-led initiative to populate the south spearheaded by Vicente Pérez Rosales. This prompted agricultural development and the introduction of German food and culture to the area. Apfel strudel, various kuchen, and pernil con chucrut (pork shoulder with sauerkraut) are still popular dishes in southern Chile. However, I would be doing history a disservice if I did not acknowledge the later atrocious results of German settlements. In the 1960s Nazi Paul Schäfer established the Colonia Dignidad, now referred to as Villa Baviera, at the southernmost edge of the Maule region, bordering the Nuble. Here, children, Chileans, German settlers, tourists and dissidents of the Augusto Pinochet military dictatorship were tortured and killed. The cult was disassembled by the Chilean government in 1991, though Paul Schäfer fled and was only arrested in 2005 at age 84 in Argentina. Excavation efforts remain ongoing to this day to identify remains of the victims. The land is currently being used for tourism, though a number of individuals have advocated for memorialization instead. For more information feel free to check out this page from the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights: https://www.ecchr.eu/en/case/colonia-dignidad-remains-a-dark-chapter-of-german-legal-history/
After lunch, I walked over to the Teatro Municipal Linares where Amanda was standing outside! We chose our seats, and the show began! “¿Por qué será que las queremos tanto…?”, protagonizada por Patricio Torres y Fernando Kliche (“Why is it that we love them so much…?”). This was brilliant! In celebration of International Women’s Day, the play was free for women, and followed a comedic conversation at a bar between two men about their various frustrations with their partners. The exaggerated complaints and expressive body language evoked a lot of laughs from the audience.
There was a local fair happening around the corner so Amanda and I briefly stopped by for churros and music. A Linares-based music school was playing cumbia and andean folk music. The players ranged from 6 years old to 70! So awesome!
We said goodbye, and I hopped on the train back to Talca.
Day 12 / March 9, 2026
Back to work! Cathe and I dried our EPS on a plate at 60C for one hour and performed a DPPH assay (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), a spectrophotometry technique to assess antioxidant capacity (free radical scavenging ability) of compounds. Or to put it in simpler terms, we were attempting to measure how well the EPS produced by our bacteria culture was able to neutralize potentially harmful molecules called free radicals. We set up a reaction with the free radical 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl, where neutralization is indicated by a color change from violet to yellow.
After the lab, I walked home with Eiber, Cathe, and Javiera. We stopped for Churros con Manjar, the Chilean version of dulce de leche, in the Plaza de Armas square. SO delicious!!
I took an evening trip to the climbing gym. It was full! The after school program was in full swing…many strong kiddos!
Day 13/ March 10, 2026
My morning started with the second class with Dr. Charles. The lecture today was about biomolecules, the building blocks of living things! Grouped into four classes including carbohydrates (CHO), lipids (CHO), protein (CHON), and nucleic acids (CHONP), these molecules assemble into larger polymer units (macromolecules) from their respective monomers. The graphic below gives a nice overview of these units:
Dr. Charles did a fantastic demonstration by having students link arms at the front of the classroom to act out the various conformations of lipids (saturated vs unsaturated) as well as proteins through primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures.
Later on in the lab we reviewed the results of our DPPH assay from yesterday. We also performed a FT-IR (Fourier Transfer Infrared) assessment of the EPS. FT-IR spectroscopy is a rapid, non-destructive, and cost-effective analytical technique used in microbiology to identify and classify bacteria by analyzing their unique biochemical "fingerprint". It works by detecting the infrared absorption of functional groups within cellular components such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, providing high sensitivity for differentiating bacteria down to the strain level (Wenning, M., 2013).
At home it was finally time for a laundry day and quick treadmill run. I made pesto pasta with tomatoes for dinner. It’s nice to be cooking again! Of course I had to whip out the classic from the beloved Berners street home (shoutout Tash <3)
Day 14/ March 11, 2026
I started the day with more reading. Shortly after, our lab team met to hear Manuel share his undergrad thesis proposal. He is aiming to explore the potential for a cosmetics product (sunscreen adjacent) using EPS to protect against UV radiation and prevent melanoma. A very unique idea!
Aparna and I then met at Kaffe Cafe to discuss the framework for my literature review. Aparna gave me a printed copy of the 2025 paper by María Angélica Leal et. al. ‘The potential of Deception Island, Antarctica, as a multifunctional Martian analogue of astrobiological interest’ to draw inspiration from as it provides a comprehensive review of the historical, geological, and biological considerations that justify Deception Island for use in astrobiological studies. We then further discussed what about microbiology initially interested Aparna, some of her earlier projects including identification of a non-pathogenic B.anthracis, as well as her ongoing projects and focuses now at the U. Autónoma. This conversation taught me so much, and reminded me how much more there is to learn! I am so lucky to be working with her and the rest of the Functional Polysaccharides Research group.
After the lab I had a quick sesh at the climbing gym then I met with Javiera and her partner Miguel to get completos from the iconic stand located on 5th Oriente. We all got the completo italiano, resembling the italian flag, of course mojado (wet/moist) as is the way in Talca. It includes a steamed bun (slightly larger than your standard hot-dog bun), with a hot dog (either chicken or beef), then diced tomato, avocado, and mayonnaise. Quite the unique concoction! Next time I think I will opt for the completo con chucrut (with sauerkraut) too! I can confirm any and all visitors will be taken here at some point!! :))
Day 15/ March 12, 2026
As for today, I have started organizing papers into categories as discussed with Aparna. We have created a deadline of March 20th and aim to accumulate as many sources as possible about all things Atacama related. From there I will start to draft the initial template for my paper and establish a firmer plan for objectives during my visit to the desert. Later in the lab I joined Javiera for her experiments testing the UV tolerance levels of a bacteria isolated from Deception Island.
There are a number of characteristics that are included in the initial description of a bacteria species or subspecies. Among these characteristics are:
-pH tolerance levels
-tests for antibiotic resistance
-temperature tolerance test
-tests for ideal media growth conditions
-analysis of morphology (shape and size of the bacterial colonies)
-Metal toxicity or resistance to Zn, Fe, Cu among other metals
And much much more. Though the tests themselves have routine and robust protocols, it is laborious and time intensive work to fully characterize each bacteria type. All good skills to have in one's toolkit!
And for now, another trip to piedra de peñon!
Chau! Thank you for coming along! :)
Comments