Chile 2010

Introduction.

Every New Year party, chilean people celebrate thinking that next year will be a good one. But this year has been a difficult year for chilean people: the earthquake ans tsumani in February, snowfall in the south of Chile during the winter and the miners problem in the north. But Chile has very strong people and I’m sure that the next New Year party we will celebrate with the hope that 2011 will be a better year than 2010.

Chile in 2010.

We start 2010, the bicentennial year, with big parties along our country and the people celebrating and thinking in the september's parties. A lot of people were in their holidays when occurred the most terrible event of the year: the earthquake and tsunami, which caused the dead of many people and the destruction of many cities along our country. The reconstruction of this cities perhaps may happen in the coming years, but the people who lost their family never will can recover their internal peace. Chile was seen in the world as an united and supportive country.

The other big notice in 2010 was the miners accident in San Juan mine. For months, this was the more important notice (leaving behind everything related to the earthquake...), which fortunately ended with the 33 miners alive. Again, Chile was seen in the world as a big country, and showing men who was able to live in bad conditions, but with the hope of millions of people waiting for their rescue.

There are another "annual problems", as crime and economical problems. We hope that 2011 will be a better year than 2010 and these big problems can be controled... It's difficult, but it's not impossible...

Conclusions.

I love my country and their people. I admire the force of thousands of people who have had a terrible year, but who have been able to continue with their lives, even helping at other people. I hope that 2011 will be a more quiet year that 2010 because Chilean people need tranquility.

My thesis

I'm working in the Biotechnology Laboratory in INIA La Platina, but my thesis is part of a proyect of CEAF, in INIA Rayentué. It name is "Construction of a Prunus avium genetic map for identification of QTLs associated to characters of interest in juvenile stage". Prunus avium is the scientific name of sweet cherry, an important exportation fruit for the chilean economy because there are a big number of commercial orchands in our country which are producing this fruit for send it to Europe, Asia and United States.

The basis of my thesis are DNA analysis, or analysis of variations in specific DNA sequences of a poblation of sweet cherry trees ("brother trees"). The first activity of my thesis was to collect young leaves from adult cherry trees for DNA extraction ("mother and father trees"). I did the extraction last week... I'm very happy because is a big step!! Now, I'm waiting for the collect of leaves from small trees, in december. The next step is PCR, or DNA amplification, for the visualization of DNA variations among individuals.

DNA analysis are a very important molecular tool. We can construct genetic maps, which are being used in Molecular Breeding, an area of Breeding which allows to obtain new varieties using molecular markers (for identification of variation in DNA sequences). There is little information about genetic maps in cherries (only 4 maps have been publicated until this year). The goal of my thesis is to construct a new genetic map for a future use in identification of genes responsible of characteristics of the tree and fruit.

This kind of thesis is not a tool for direct help to students or people. It's only the inicial step for a large work in sweet cherry breeding... but... someone has to star the work....

Environment

Environment is a very important theme in our society because cities are being affected for pollution and water contamination, for example. This problem is not present only in big cities, but it's a problem in small cities in the countryside where people use fireplace in winter and it causes air contamination. Another big problem in the countryside is the water contamination because big companies release waste at ditches and rivers, and the water is needed for agricultural labours.

Children learn about enviromentally friendly practices at schools. In the most of this places, children have containers with colors for deposit diferent things: green for glass, yellow for plastic, red for tetra pack and blue for paper. But the problem is at our homes, where we don't continue with the task of recycling. My son and I keep tetra pack and he leads them to his school, but in a lot of opportunities, we forget our task. I think that my contribution to recycling is to use paper and save it until I can give it in some place where the paper is used to recycling.

I don't have a car, then I use public transport and my legs. In this moment, public transport is not a solution for contamination because there are a lot of old buses circulating for the cities, and this is not a problem only in Santiago. I have a bike, but it's in Rengo, where you can use the bike with less fear than in Santiago (fear at cars, buses and offenders...).

I will work in Molecular Breeding in sweet cherries using molecular markers. Greenpeace supports this technology because it can be used for to select plants in early stages of development, and like a tool which would helps the traditional breeding, without to produce genetically modified organisms.

The 33 group

On August 22th, just a month ago, a big notice was shown by every TV channel: The 33 miners were alive!! I was in my grandmother's house, and all my family stopped their conversations because the notice about the miners was one of the most important for those days. I traveled this Sunday from Rengo to Santiago and the people spoke about the notice in the bus and subway. Many peoples lefts in their cars, showing flags of Chile for the cars' windows.

I think that the miners' life is very hard. They work for very long time in the mine, without opportunities to see their family, with low wages and long working days. The 33 miners are men very brave, who work in the mine because is a familiar tradition or because is the only option of work at that place (and this must be the most likely option). Their actual "life" in the mine must be very hard, although the authorities have been everything possible for help them. A lot of people visit their families (artists, musicians), but I think that the most important people are Psychologists in this moment, because they are very sad and tired and need their professional help.

Their return at the surface will be dangerous, because they must travel 700 mts in an uncomfortable possition. I hope, like all chilean people, that they can be rescued without big problems, and they will be the most importante gift for their families at next Christmas.

Bicentennial Celebrations

I love this month, because starts the spring and we have days in which we can eat, dance and rest, if it is posible. This year is more important, because Chile celebrates 200 years from it Independence (or the First Goverment Sesion) and there is a special ambient. In some places, all houses have a chilean flag, which is not habitual another years. At the school, childrens are preparing dances or representations about tipical zones in Chile, which they will present next week.

There will be many celebrations in Santiago, like National Stadium inauguration this sunday or a big light show in La Moneda next week. I won tickets for the musical "La pérgola de las flores", in a mall, which is considered one of the celebrations of the bicentennial. I think that will be a lot of different parties and events along the country.

In Santiago, a tipical place to eat, dance and drink (for whose who are interested) are the "fondas" in Parque O'Higgins. In my case, last two years I was to San Fernando, near of Rengo, at the official "ramada" with my sister, friends and cousins. It was very entertaining because is a place where you can go with your family and friends without problems. It's probable that this year we'll go to San Fernando again, to continue the tradition.

Now, the question is: Who know what we celebrate on September 18? This is not the problem in this moment, because the people is interested in to celebrate, and in to say "Viva Chile!"

An ideal country....

One of my best friends is from Cuba and she lives in Chile from 1998. She loves her country and she invited me because both need a nice holidays, but we don't have any time..... and I don't have money (this is the most important problem, jejejeje). She talk me about her family and about the Cuban people, which are very funny and happy. I'll like visit this country, but in winter there, because in summer, they have high temperature and humidity... That is not nice...

Another friend is doing her PhD thesis in France and she says me that I have a bedroom in her appartment. I'll like travel to France and to know another countries, like Spain or Italy. Maybe, in the future, I'll visit at my friend... who knows...

But I think that I need to know Chile also. I have visit only some cities in our country, like La Serena and Valle del Elqui in the north, and Concepción, Valdivia and Puerto Montt in the south. In the O'Higgins Region, where I came from, there are beautiful place that I don't know... Maybe I need start for visit my region, because is more cheap that a travel to Europe or Cuba, jejejejeje...

My work

I'm a biochemist, and I work in INIA La Platina, in the "Biotechnology Laboratory". From next year, I'm going to work in INIA Rayentué, in Rengo, in the "Fruticulture Advanced Studies Center (CEAF)". I'm part of a group of students who are doing our thesis in themes related to Prunus ("stone fruits").

In CEAF, I'm part of the Genomic and Breeding Areas and I'm going to work at Molecular Breeding in sweet cherries. Breeders (people who work in obtaining new varieties) are interested in the use of new technologies which give them the opportunity to know some characteristics of the tree or the fruit in early stages of development of the plant. My thesis is focused on the use of DNA from leaves and its analysis with molecular markers. These ones are DNA fragment which give us information about differences among plants, and they are very useful in Molecular Breeding. For example, we can detect plants which will produce big and sweet cherries, or that will be resistent to viruses or bacteria, although these plants are young and have only one pair of leaves.

I think that my work is very interesting and we will obtain very useful information for breeding in swett cherries, which are an important fruit for the Chilean economy.