Larry Reynolds, University Distinguished Professor of animal sciences, along with another NDSU colleague, Pawel Borowicz, director of NDSU’s Advanced Imaging and Microscopy Core Laboratory, recently returned from six weeks as a Fulbright Specialist at the University of Murcia, Spain.

Reynolds and Borowicz assisted faculty from the Physiology of Reproduction group of the Faculty of  Veterinary Medicine, with several research projects. Specifically, Reynolds and Borowicz helped the faculty implement modern microscopy and image analysis methods to improve their research efforts. They also established longer-term collaborations between the group at the University of Murcia and faculty at NDSU’s Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy.

The Physiology of Reproduction group at the University of Murcia investigates the use of naturally-produced reproductive fluids, especially oviductal fluid, to improve in vitro fertilization and embryo culture methods, potentially resulting in improved outcomes for “test tube babies” in livestock and humans.

Faculty at NDSU’s Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy study how various “stressors,” including maternal nutrition and assisted reproductive techniques (e.g., in vitro fertilization and embryo culture and transfer) affect embryonic, fetal and placental development as well as health and productivity of the offspring.

The University of Murcia was established in 1272, and is the third-oldest university in Spain. With about 38,000 students, it offers degrees in a variety of areas, including dentistry, law, medicine and veterinary medicine.

The Fulbright Specialist program is supported and managed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It was established in 1946 with passage of a bill sponsored by Sen. J. William Fulbright. Through binational partnerships with foreign governments, the program sponsors U.S. and foreign participants for exchanges in the sciences, business, academe, public service, government and the arts.

While in Spain, Reynolds and his wife, Kay, along with two of their grandchildren, stayed in a city called Orihuela Costa, which is on the Mediterranean Sea along the “Costa Blanca.” They were in Spain from June 1 through July 12.

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