During the last two months, Ophélie Celarie and Maxence Douls – two students from Agricampus La Roque, France, with a future specialisation in veterinary sciences – visited NIRI for an ERASMUS+ internship program and spent this time as trainees at the NIRI Kleisti campus Laboratory Animal Core facility. The students gained hands-on experience in working with laboratory mice and learned several techniques for tissue sample processing.
The internship team: (from left) Emīlija Kitija Branta (Biomedicine student at the University of Latvia), Maxence Douls, Dr Laila Silamikele, Ophélie Celarie, Dr Zane Kalnina.
Under the supervision of NIRI leading researchers Dr Zane Kalnina and Dr Laila Silamikele, they participated in experimental work carried out within the 2 ERDF projects – 1“Immune and microbiome determinants of gastric atrophy progression and attenuation: insights from mouse models and patient tissue spatial transcriptomics” (project No .1.1.3/1./24/A/034 ) and “Decoding Inflammatory Osteoarthritis: A Comprehensive Approach to Molecular Mechanisms and Microbiome Interactions (OSTEO-CMM)” (project No. 1.1.1.3/1./24/A/036) Here is what the students said after the internship:
Ophélie: “My main goals at the NIRI Institute were to gain new knowledge, develop new skills, and learn new techniques. Looking back, this internship gave me much more than that. It was both a professionally and personally enriching experience, thanks in large part to the support of the team and the opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds in a foreign language.
As a student hoping to become a veterinarian, having the chance to work directly with mice and alongside a veterinarian was especially rewarding. It gave me a better understanding of the profession, helped me learn more about the behaviour of laboratory animals, and allowed me to develop valuable practical skills.
At the same time, I also had the opportunity to work in the laboratory as a laboratory technician. This was highly relevant to my studies and gave me the chance to learn and apply new technical methods and knowledge in a hands-on setting.”
Maxence: “As an aspiring veterinarian, I saw this internship at the NIRI Institute as a unique opportunity to work with animals and gain experience in a field that interests me greatly.
My main expectation was to discover something new, and I can confidently say that this internship exceeded that expectation. I wanted to expand my laboratory skills and learn different ways of working, especially since my studies do not usually provide many opportunities to work directly with animals.
This internship contributed greatly to both my professional and personal development. Professionally, I had the chance to work as a laboratory technician alongside a veterinarian and a biomedical researcher, learning new techniques, methods, and protocols. Personally, it allowed me to discover the reality of working with laboratory animals beyond common assumptions and to challenge myself by adapting to a new environment and communicating in a foreign language.”
Both students would like to sincerely thank the entire NIRI team for their warm welcome, support, and guidance throughout their stay. They said: “This experience gave us far more than we expected, and we are grateful for everything we learned and shared during these two months!”
Information published 30.07.2026