Secondment of Cecilia Zumajo-Cardona from University of Milano (IT) to the New York Botanical Garden (US) – August-October 2023

Cecilia Zumajo-Cardona (UNIMI) spent 1 month and a half with the group of Dr. Barbara Ambrose (NYBG). During this time, Cecilia was able to perform in situ hybridization expression analyses to pinpoint exactly when and where several genes are expressed in the reproductive tissues of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a model species for plant biology. Among the genes studied were the cytokinin receptors (AHK2, AHK3, CRE1) in the wild-type and in the correspondent single mutants, and TT8, a gene important for flavonoid accumulation. During her time in the lab, she was able to have very interesting scientific interactions and exchanges with the entire NYBG scientific community (PhD students, technicians and curators), She was also invited to present her research in the weekly science seminar held there.