ESR blog
It has been already one year since I am working as an ESR1 in the MonoGutHealth project, but it feels like I just started a few weeks ago. I left Bologna last year to move to this little city in Switzerland. It was quite a shock at the beginning, but the people from my team immediately made me feel at home. My overall experience of this year is definitively positive, from both a working and a social point of view. This project gave me the chance to interact with a completely new culture, which is what I like the most! Switzerland turned out to be a completely different place than I expected. People are nice and open and food is great (especially if you like cheese)! The country gives you the opportunity to enjoy both nature and life in the cities. Also, I could practice my English and learn (a bit of) French.
Thanks to the first training school organized by the MonoGutHealth project (here you can see blog about it), I had the chance to meet all the other ESRs and their supervisors. It was the perfect occasion to build a working and social network with my colleagues. Moreover, we could spend some time in Poland, a country I have never been before and I really appreciated.
Since the beginning of my PhD, I sugnificantly improved my knowledge on pig and poultry nutrition and physiology. I learnt how to introduce my project and present the research outcomes in front of different kind of audiences. I had my first experience using Python programming language for data analysis and machine learningA branch of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science that focused on teaching computers to …, which is something I have never done before in my studies and I find exciting.
I improved my veterinary skills as well, I had the chance to work with advance imaging analysis techniques, such as Computer Tomography and Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan imaging. Moreover, I got the opportunity to practice “on the field” with the pigs from our facility.
At this point, I just cannot wait for what is about to come!