Where in the world is Ecampus student Jo Brunelli? Brazil

By Molly Rosbach on Jan. 14, 2025
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Group of people standing in front of a white building with red tile roof in Brazil.

Jo Brunelli (in red hoodie) with Brazilian colleagues and volunteers outside the lab at the Instituto de Pesquisas da Biodiversidade in Brazil. 

Jo Brunelli is a senior Ecampus student in Philadelphia completing a bachelor’s degree in natural resources in Oregon State University’s College of Forestry. She hopes to work in hydrology focusing on water conservation, riparian ecosystem health and ensuring equitable access to water. She spent last summer researching fungi in Brazil.

Where were you working? 
The Instituto de Pesquisas de Biodiversidade (IPBio) in Iporanga, Brazil, located in the Atlantic Forest, about six hours south of Sao Paulo. 

What language is spoken there?
Portuguese.

What was the focus of your work? 
I worked in the mycology lab focusing on bioluminescent fungi research, with parasitic cordyceps fungi as a secondary focus. My role included finding bioluminescent fungi during field expeditions then cataloguing and propagating them. I also assisted with extracting DNA from fungi samples. This research is fundamental to conservation efforts in the area, as it preserves rare species of fungi, and helps to prove the immense biodiversity of the area, which can be used to apply for more government funding and protect natural areas from development. At one point the Atlantic Forest covered about 82% of São Paulo state, but as of 2007, it covers about 7% of the state due to deforestation for agriculture and urbanization. Therefore not only is preserving and studying these fungi important to researching this region, but it is also a conservation effort to protect vulnerable species by maintaining a data bank of these samples. 

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Side-by-side photos of a small bioluminescent mushroom, once in the light and then glowing in the dark.

A bioluminescent mushroom one of Brunelli's colleagues found in the reserve. 

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Hands working on mycelium in Petri dishes in the lab.

Mycelium in Petri dishes grown from samples around the forest being prepared for DNA extraction.

How much time have you spent there? 
I worked there for three months, June-September 2024. 

What was the biggest challenge of working there? 
I had to do a lot of problem solving, as I was expected to run the lab without direct supervision. While I had my Brazilian colleagues to ask for help, I had to learn Portuguese to speak in a workplace, which I had a very loose handle on before coming to Brazil. I was taught the basics of the lab, DNA extraction and the expected protocols, but the rest of my time there was spent managing my time and the day-to-day process of the lab on my own. This was daunting at first but ended up becoming an extremely rewarding experience. 

What was the best food you ate there? 
This is hard to answer as Brazilian food truly is amazing. What I enjoyed the most was having barbecues with my colleagues where we ate delicious “picanha” (beef) and sausages with roasted veggies. 

What’s the coolest thing a local showed you? 
It’s a tie between the overlook and the deep forest hikes I did. Iporanga is surrounded by mountains with deep forests. In the city itself, if you walk up an extremely steep hill for about 30 minutes, there is a deck up there with an overlook. Once you're up there you can see the town of Iporanga nestled in the valley and the river that cuts by it. It’s an amazing view of the area and gives you an idea of how vast the surrounding jungle is.

In terms of the hiking: My colleagues are all from Iporanga and know the area very well, and one of the best experiences I had was hiking through the area with them. Their immense knowledge of the area was so inspiring and fascinating — with my very limited Portuguese, I would ask as much as I could and write down everything. What I learned about the plants, the rocks, the history of the land and more was the most interesting and rewarding experience. These areas are not touristy at all and you usually need a local guide to access these small, privately owned areas. Therefore they are pristine, wild and incredible areas. 

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Hikers sit on a rock shelf inside a cave with a tree-filled ecosystem growing out of the center.

Lunchtime views during a hike to a cave that fell in and now has an ecosystem growing inside of it.

What’s an important phrase you’ve learned to say in the local language?
While there were many phrases I learned, I most enjoyed the Portuguese words specific to Iporanga or local slang. One word I really loved was “pía,” meaning “a walking piece of my heart,” which is what you might call your child.  

What were you most surprised to learn?
I was most surprised to learn that the Brazilian government does not recognize scientist as a formal job category. In most cases, you are considered a student under the government sector and it is not considered an important job. With so many resources present in Brazil, this is very hard for me to understand. From what I have seen myself, Brazil has some of the most beautiful forests, rivers and wildlife – protecting and studying these resources is deeply important to any climate change-related issue. 

What piece of advice would you give others who might travel there?
Learn Portuguese, eat everything and don’t say no to an invite! Brazilians are truly very kind and welcoming and it helps to become friends if you can communicate with them in Portuguese. The people I met were very proud of their home and wanted to show it to anyone interested in learning more. I also recommend traveling outside the cities of Brazil. Go to small towns and visit the local gems that are peppered throughout the country. There is no shortage of beauty anywhere you go in Brazil.