Dr Magdalena Mielczarek from the Laboratory of Biostatistics at the Department of Genetics of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences received a scholarship from the Bekker Program allowing her to  go to the Laboratory of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at the University of Illinois – one of the best institutions of this type in the world.

A Wrocław researcher will deal with bee genomics, specifically the determination of differences in the genome (complete genetic information of the organism) between groups that are in the bee family – a bee mother, workers and drones.

– The project is about characterizing the genomes of these insects in the context of copy number polymorphisms (extensive regions that have been cut or multiplied in the genome), and whether they underlie pollination efficiency, division of roles into a hive, appearance, etc. Until now, I research the exact meaning of polymorphisms in the number of copies in bees, and perhaps they have a significant impact on their bodies – says Dr. Mielczarek.

More: http://www.glos.upwr.edu.pl/aktualnosci/48950/z_upwr_do_ilinois_by_badac_pszczoly.html