Better chickens

Martín Alejo took a detour from his studies: feeling lost after finishing his research project, he took up the offer of a friend and went to live in Brazil for a year. He worked in a textile sweatshop, sewing jeans and shirts at low pay. I took him to lunch a few weeks ago, and he spoke of the 18 hour days, 5 and a half days a week, eating right there at the sewing machines; of the fear of the police when leaving the factory on the Saturday afternoons and Sundays when they could leave; of the camraderie of the shop, but also the feeling of getting used, and used up. So he left.

Just as we were staring the Thesis Bootcamp, he wrote and said, "Help! I want to finish my research project and graduate!" Today he accomplished that dream. His project, looking at adding the amino acids methionine and lisine to chicken feed, makes the feed more nutricious and helps the chickens grow bigger -- without hormones or other growth promotors which can be questionable for human health.


Photo: Martín outside of the chicken coop where he did his research.

Martín is cheerful, funny, smart and outgoing, and has touched the lives of many visitors and volunteers. I know that many people will be glad to know of his success. Mucho éxito, Martín!