ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Transcription
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Functional architecture of photosynthetic light harvesting complexes Mozzo, Milena IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2008 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Mozzo, M. (2008). Functional architecture of photosynthetic light harvesting complexes s.n. Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 21-02-2017 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Performing the research for this thesis has been a journey through the photosynthesis process, around the Europe and inside myself. There are many people who have contributed to this experience, in different ways. It is difficult to find the best words to express my gratitude and to thank everyone who has been in the right place at the right moment, but I’ll try. First of all I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Roberta Croce who has led me during these years. I really appreciate that you have an open mind, which enhances communication and comparison of ideas both in scientific terms and daily life. I would like to express my gratitude for being present every time in my training, even if you were sometimes physically far away. Moreover, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to work in different European laboratories, which are mentioned below. I wish to express my gratitude to prof. Dr. Egbert J. Boekema, who is the promoter of this thesis and welcomed me in the Electron Microscopy group of the University of Groningen. The tricks you suggested me in writing the PhD thesis were indispensable. I gratefully acknowledge the fundamental contribution of Prof. Dr. Roberto Bassi in these years. Your suggestions and ideas gave me a better feeling about the biologicalphysiological implications regarding my research. The periods I spent in your laboratories at the University of Verona and the University of Marseille were crucial in developing my knowledge. I express my gratitude to Dr. Tomas Morosinotto as good example of how to do research and for the helpful and constructive discussions we had in these years. I thank you for being a very excellent tutor in the beginning of my research work and for awakening my curiosity about photosynthesis. A huge thanks to Dr. Rainer Hienerwadel for teaching me how to do the triplet minus singlet measurements and data analysis. I appreciate your propensity towards teaching and your patience and friendship. Your biophysical knowledge introduced me to a new field of photosynthesis. I thank Dr. Stefano Caffarri for very helpful assistance both in the laboratory activities and with informatics. Your contributions were useful in Verona, Marseille as well as in Groningen. I gratefully thank prof. Dr. H. van Amerongen for helpful discussions and reading of my works during these years. I appreciate the valuable reading and improving suggestions by the reading committee: H. van Amerongen, C. Büchel and J. Hille. 130 University of Groningen I thank: Marc, Gert, Wilma, Wilko, Jan, Sami, Roman, Ana, Kasia, Natalya, Mihaela, Jelle, Bauke, Jaap, Andy, Milena, Marcel, Niels, Dejan, André and all the members of the Electron Microscopy group and X-Ray Crystallography group for the interesting and funny discussions we had in these years. Special thanks to Francesca for working together on some projects. Thanks to Emilie for helping me in the Dutch-English translations. Thanks to Hilda for the bureaucracy assistance and the nice discussions. University of Verona I thank the members of the Photosynthesis group: Luca, Matteo, Sara, Giulia, Chiara, Stefano, Silvia and Simone for stimulating collaborations and friendship. Thanks to Matteo and Luca for purifying antenna complexes, which permitted us to obtain interesting results, as reported in this thesis. Thanks to Alessandro Romeo for starting the unravelling of the triplet minus singlet spectra. University of Marseille All the persons of the Laboratoire de Génétique et Biophysique des Plantes have been “formidable”. I thank Dr. Cristophe Robaglia for welcoming me in the group. I thank Elodie L, Rodnay, Alessandro, Manuela, Cécile, Miriam, Patrice for the good atmosphere and the fun we had both in the laboratory and outside. A special thanks to Manuela who worked with me during the period I spent in Marseille. I would like to thank all the people of the Intro2 network for the interesting meetings we had in different European countries and for the training courses. I thank Jan, Rienk, Alfred, Claudia, Jacques, Imre, Diana, Peter, Alexander, Gyõzõ, Egbert, Roberta and Stefan for the familiar and cheerful ambience, which was always present. A huge thanks for the happy moments I had with the students and post-doc I met during the network meetings. In particular I thank Elisabet, Sofia, Sami, Ruth, Dario, Cristian, Sandrine, Alexander, Mariangela, Alessandro, Anett, Petar, Chavdar and José for the crazy nights we spent together. I thank the CNR of Trento that partially financed my PhD activity. In particular, I express my gratitude to Mauro Dalla Serra, Cristina Potrich and Tiziana Martinelli. I would like to thank all my friends, for the support they gave me. I am lucky because every time I moved and I started to live in a different place they made me feel at home. Every time they encouraged me to feel better. Together with them I have been and I still am discovering new cultures, learning new languages and growing into a more optimistic and patient person. Of course, I explored new culinary philosophies and that’s great!! Life in Marseille Habiter et travailler à Marseille une année m’a permis de découvrir une ville qui représente une réelle façon de vivre. J’ai cherché tout suite à apprendre le français afin de pouvoir communiquer facilement. Merci à Mickael de la résidence Sylvabelle pour les premières discussions en français, autour d’un café. 131 Je remercie aussi les amis que j’ai rencontré à la résidence: Toni, Juan, Ana pour les dîners folkloriques, les concerts, les échanges de musique, d’avoir été là pendant les moments difficiles, et surtout pour la joie de vivre qu’ils n’ont cessé de me transmettre. Avec eux j’ai rencontré d’autres amis…grâce au ciné soupe…“qu’est-ce que c’est ça? ” On ne savait pas ce que c’était mais on a voulu essayer. A cette période, nous ne maitrisions pas encore bien le français mais cela nous a permis de rencontrer Mickael et Manu. Apres nous avons rencontré Elodie, par hasard. Et voilà l’ambiance était déjà super. Je remercie Janie, Djef, Francis, Santillane pour les week-end en canoë, le méchoui au milieu de la nature et pour tous les échanges culturels. Je remercie Elodie L., Rodnay et Alessandro pour les apéros au Red Lions, la découverte de la plage secrète, l’aikido, la piscine, la musique française et la bonne ambiance au bureau. Je remercie Emma et Pierre pour les apéros, tous les moments partagés où nous avons bien rigolé pendant notre colocation. Et franchement, un salon comme le notre cela ne pouvait être que à la rue Edmond Rostand. Je remercie Nicolas pour m’avoir fait sentir chez moi tout de suite, pour tous les moments magnifiques que nous partageons et la force que notre relation nous donne. Un remerciement très spécial à Alessandro le grand, Elodie ma chérie et Jean Paul «JP» pour être ma deuxième famille, maintenant que nous habitons loin les uns des autres. Qui peut oublier quand vous venez me chercher à l’aéroport à minuit, tous le trois?!! J’en ai encore le sourire. Un grand merci à Jean Paul le graphiste d’avoir appris les bases de la photosynthèse afin de faire une couverture professionnelle! Mille merci à Elodie qui encore une fois m’aide avec la langue française. Life in Groningen I would like to thank the people I met here in Groningen, in this last and most demanding period of my PhD. Thanks to Valerio and Petra who welcomed me at my arrival and let me a nice flat. A huge thanks to the people I met at the Dutch class, especially Marta, Pedro and Matilda. Thanks to Sabine, Onur, Milena, Régis, Dorota, Luminita, Tatiana, Roberto, Filippo, Alessio, Daniele, Primož and the friends I met at the University for the nice dinners, evenings and barbecues….yes we managed to barbecue in the open air without rain!! Thanks Milena for your friendship and for all the time you say “Hallo Milena…”. I really appreciated the contribution that André and you gave me in the acknowledgments performance! Thanks Francesca for bringing the spirit of Bovolone and Marseille to Groningen, which made me feel at home. Sabine, I won’t forget the nice evenings in the “Kult”, speaking, laughing, dreaming…and the concerts?! Merci à Sami. Malgré que nous soyons très différents l'un et l'autre nous arrivons à nous comprendre en permanence, ce qui est une grande chance pour des amis. 132 Life in Italy Ringrazio tutti i miei amici in Italia che in questi anni si sono dimostrati vicini e comprensivi, malgrado i 1500 Km di distanza. Ogni volta che ci sentiamo e vediamo è sempre con piacere! Grazie a Michi, Lu, Dejan, Luca riz, Minchi, Elena, Ale, Igor, Valentina, Stefy per i fine settimana in montagna, le cene, le lunghe serate e le tante risate fatte assieme. Grazie a Ivan per la nostra insostituibile amicizia. Grazie a tutti i miei compagni d’università per le cene che si organizzano quando torno a casa. Grazie ai miei amici di lunga data per essere “cresciuti” assieme e vedersi tuttora: Luca, Ludovico, Anna, Chiara, Elisea, Maria Luisa: siete nel mio cuore. Ringrazio i miei genitori Miranda e Valentino e le mie sorelle Nadia e Sara, per essermi sempre vicini e avermi supportato nelle mie scelte, soprattutto la partenza dall’Italia. Mi mancate, ma è bello vedere che siamo uniti, in ogni caso. Un grazie anche a Daniele, mio nipote, per pensarmi quando sono lontana. Un grazie particolare a Sara e Francesco per la loro disponibilità praticamente illimitata. Grazie a Nico per essere un meraviglioso compagno di viaggio. 133