Connecticut College - Bioluminescence Research Group

Collaborative Work with the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

We are participating in an ongoing collaboration with the laboratory of Professor Aldo Roda from the Department of Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, in Bologna, Italy.

Bruce Branchini and Aldo Roda in Villa Ghigi park in Bologna, a collection site for Luciola italica fireflies.

Professor Bruce Branchini and Professor Aldo Roda after Professor Branchini's talk at the Accademia delle Scienze de Instituto di Bologna.

2007 Heather Stanish, Zumara De La Cruz, Professor Aldo Roda, Julie Rosenman and Audrey Davis in Bologna, Italy.	Heather Stanish, Zumara de la Cruz, Audrey Davis and Julie Rosenman working in Professor Aldo Roda's lab at the University of Bologna hospital.
Heather Stanish, Julie Rosenman, Zumara De La Cruz and Audrey Davis in front of Il Duomo.	Julie Rosenman, Zumara De La Cruz, Heather Stanish and Audrey Davis on a bike trip to the Italian town of Fiesole.

2006

Morgan Maeder, Danielle Ablamsky and Lerna Uzasci.

Lerna Uzasci, Morgan Maeder and an unnamed Italian student.

2005

Left to right:Tara Southworth, Jen DeAngelis, Milena Nardelli, Elisa Michelini and Luca Cevenini. In the picture the group is holding up photos of a gel depicting successful RT-PCR amplification of the Luciola italica luciferase cDNA.

Italian pastries for celebrating the cloning of the Luciola italica luciferase cDNA.

2004
During the winter of 2004, Elisa Michelini from Professor Roda’s lab worked in our lab at Connecticut College. In June, 2004, a group from Connecticut College that included senior personnel Dr. Martha Murtiashaw and Ms. Susan Gonzales, and Connecticut College student Emily Mygatt, went to Bologna for a week. They collected the European firefly, Luciola italia, and began the preliminary work of cloning the luciferase gene from this insect.

Elisa Michelini and Susan Gonzalez with specimens of the firefly Luciola italia caught in a meadow outside Bologna, Italy. June 2004.

Elisa Michelini and Susan Gonzalez preparing an agarose gel in preparation for cloning the luciferase gene from Luciola italia. In Prof. Aldo Roda's laboratory, University of Bologna, Italy, June 2004.

Professor Branchini with Professor Ivano Bertini of the Center for Magnetic Resonance, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.