This is how Danilo Moreta perceives the constant challenge that being a young researcher means to him. Danilo, an agronomist of the Escuela Agricola Panamericana "Zamorano" in Honduras, has always perceived nature as something mysterious, magical and full of charm, notions which make up much of his motivation for having decided to become a researcher.
Today he has a Master's degree in biology, obtained from the Universidad del Valle in Colombia, and that in itself is the result of a "happy accident". It is the expression used by Danilo to describe the set of experiences that directed him to discover his passion for applied research and change his initial interest in organic production by applied biotechnology: "a practical workshop for only one week in Zamorano was a turning point that changed my professional life plan and made me see in biotechnology an open door for a new adventure of knowledge."
This is how Danilo Moreta perceives the constant challenge that being a young researcher means to him. Danilo, an agronomist of the Escuela Agricola Panamericana "Zamorano" in Honduras, has always perceived nature as something mysterious, magical and full of charm, notions which make up much of his motivation for having decided to become a researcher.
Today he has a Master's degree in biology, obtained from the Universidad del Valle in Colombia, and that in itself is the result of a "happy accident". It is the expression used by Danilo to describe the set of experiences that directed him to discover his passion for applied research and change his initial interest in organic production by applied biotechnology: "a practical workshop for only one week in Zamorano was a turning point that changed my professional life plan and made me see in biotechnology an open door for a new adventure of knowledge."
A lucky accident that led him to confirm his belief that when you have a dream and believe in it, the results start coming. Following the dream of working at CIAT, a centre about which he had heard many times while in Zamorano, he came to Colombia for the first time in 2003.
Once linked to the Centre he had the opportunity to work on yucca genetic, genomic beans, rice and tropical forages. These are topics that allowed him to meet very experienced researchers like Martin Fregene, Manabu Ishitani and Idupulapati Rao, from whom he learned the importance of professional features such as humility, dedication and commitment.
Danilo is about to embark on a new journey of knowledge. It concerns his doctoral studies to be undertaken in 2012 in the United States. In this new adventure of knowledge he hopes to continue moving in an environment conducive to learning and continuous training of a young researcher like him: diversity of ideas and opinions, openness to knowledge sharing and an optimistic attitude, "but even if sometimes it seems that one experience has been negative, the fact is that I learned something from it, it was a gain to continue to form the character and grow as a researcher."