Honda Y-E-S Award in India
Partnership with Honda Cars India Ltd.
* Information concerning affiliation/profile of the awardee is current at the time he/she received the award.
Y-E-S Award Plus Recipient
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Guruprasad Raghavan
Biotechnology
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Host institution/organization in Japan:
Kyoto University
Department of Chemistry
Graduate School of Science Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS)
May-August 2014
My Internship Experiences:
Research Abstract:
I worked on controlling DNA-Protein Complex formation using visible and visualized the same using the Atomic Force Microscopy. I also worked on computationally modelling the hybrid DNA-protein system as a spring-mass setup on MATLAB to determine the factors controlling its dynamics.
Research Experience:
I enjoyed working in the DNA origami group in Professor Dr. Sugiyama’s Lab. I was given a lot of freedom to work, with respect to implementation of my ideas and working with expensive equipments. I was able to strike interesting conversations with my lab-mates, and this made my stay intellectually stimulating. My mentor, Dr. Endo sensei, motivated and assisted me whenever I required some help, allowed me to set my own deadlines and encouraged me to think out of the box.
Impressions of Japan/Japanese Culture:
Temples, Shrines, Beautiful Mountains, Colourful Festivals. These are the images that come up in my mind when I recall my 10 week long stay in Kyoto. I found people to be extremely nice, helpful and polite.
I was impressed with the sense of purposefulness and the hard work displayed by every individual I met. I personally came across people with a great sense of fairness and camaraderie, which made my stay in Japan very pleasant and comfortable and this leaves me a wish to experience the city and country again and again.