international students. Donnelly Centre / en Croatian president visits Â鶹ֱ²¥app, tours lab and meets students /news/croatian-president-visits-u-t-tours-lab-and-meets-students <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Croatian president visits Â鶹ֱ²¥app, tours lab and meets students</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-22-President%20of%20Croatia%20%2866%29.jpg?h=f2fcf546&amp;itok=rfS5istv 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-11-22-President%20of%20Croatia%20%2866%29.jpg?h=f2fcf546&amp;itok=SDPHpMk5 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-11-22-President%20of%20Croatia%20%2866%29.jpg?h=f2fcf546&amp;itok=uzZvK6rc 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-22-President%20of%20Croatia%20%2866%29.jpg?h=f2fcf546&amp;itok=rfS5istv" alt="Photo of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović "> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-22T16:10:39-05:00" title="Tuesday, November 22, 2016 - 16:10" class="datetime">Tue, 11/22/2016 - 16:10</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Photo of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović with Rose Tominac from Â鶹ֱ²¥app's Croatian Student Association (photos by Johnny Guatto) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/geoffrey-vendeville" hreflang="en">Geoffrey Vendeville</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Geoffrey Vendeville</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/croatia" hreflang="en">Croatia</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/international-partnerships" hreflang="en">International partnerships</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ted-sargent" hreflang="en">Ted Sargent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/international-students-donnelly-centre" hreflang="en">international students. Donnelly Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/igor-stagljar" hreflang="en">Igor Stagljar</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Croatia’s first female president toured the laboratory of a University of Toronto molecular biologist&nbsp;Tuesday, making time to chat and snap selfies with local Croatian students.</p> <p>Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was shown around the lab of Professor <strong>Igor Stagljar</strong>, a renowned researcher and biochemist at Â鶹ֱ²¥app. The purpose of her visit was to foster partnerships with the University of Zagreb and other Croatian institutions –&nbsp;a mission Stagljar shares.</p> <p>“I’m trying to really push the boundary of collaborations between these two universities so that we have a steady exchange of students and ideas that will lead to some cool discoveries one day,†Stagljar&nbsp;said.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2611 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/2016-11-22-President%20of%20Croatia-embed2_2.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović talks with Â鶹ֱ²¥app's VP International Ted Sargent (left), philanthropist Terrence Donnelly (second from left)&nbsp;and Professor&nbsp;Igor Stagljar (right)</em></p> <p>Grabar-Kitarović&nbsp;also met with&nbsp;philanthropist <strong>Terrence Donnelly</strong> after&nbsp;whom Â鶹ֱ²¥app's&nbsp;Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research is named.&nbsp;</p> <p>Stagljar, who graduated from the University of Zagreb and earned a PhD in Switzerland before joining Â鶹ֱ²¥app’s departments of biochemistry and molecular genetics in 2005, said he was flattered that his home country’s head of state wanted to visit his lab.&nbsp;</p> <p>“How many times do you get the chance to welcome the president of a country in your lab? We’re thrilled, very happy. It means we’re also doing great research,†Stagjlar said&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/new-technology-sheds-light-protein-interactions-better-lung-cancer-therapy">Read more about Igor Stagljar's research</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2612 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/2016-11-22-President%20of%20Croatia-embed3_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Croatian President&nbsp;Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović meets Â鶹ֱ²¥app professor emeritus Mladen Vranic</em></p> <p>Grabar-Kitarović was “extremely excited by the world-class research and teaching ongoing at the University of Toronto,†said <strong>Ted Sargent</strong>, Â鶹ֱ²¥app's VP International, adding that she was aware of the “seminal contributions†to science made by Stagljar and <strong>Mladen Vranic</strong>, the renowned&nbsp;diabetes researcher and&nbsp;professor emeritus.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHEIiHvyGC4">Watch a video with Mladen Vranic</a>&nbsp;</h3> <p>At one point during the lab tour, Grabar-Kitarović donned a white coat and learned to stain a protein gel with the help of Stagljar.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2610 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/2016-11-22-President%20of%20Croatia%20in%20lab-embed_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Â鶹ֱ²¥app molecular biologist&nbsp;Igor Stagljar shows Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović around his research lab</em></p> <p>Afterward, she and her entourage&nbsp;–&nbsp;including the Croatian ambassador to Canada&nbsp;–&nbsp;went to Simcoe Hall, where they chatted with 20 Croatian students majoring in a variety of subjects, from architecture to international relations.&nbsp;In a candid talk about Croatia’s growing pains since independence and the challenges she faced in office, she said her country would benefit from closer ties with universities such as Â鶹ֱ²¥app.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We need your knowledge, we need your experience, and I will hope you will consider how to forge closer connections with your peers in Croatia,†she said.</p> <p>Her remarks hit home with<strong> Veronika Salamun</strong>, a third-year architecture student and the president of the Â鶹ֱ²¥app Croatian Student Association.</p> <p>“You want to know that you could have potential to grow in Croatia,†she told <em>Â鶹ֱ²¥app News</em>. “It felt really amazing to meet with a female role model.â€&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Iva Dadic</strong>, a master’s student in civil engineering who came to Â鶹ֱ²¥app more than&nbsp;a year ago, said she was happy to come face-to-face with the president of her native country.</p> <p>“I never met the president back home –&nbsp;I guess I had to go to Canada,†she joked.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2603 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/2016-11-22-President%20of%20Croatia-embed4_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović speaks to&nbsp;Â鶹ֱ²¥app students</em></p> <h3><a href="/news/photo-gallery/croatia-s-president-visits-u-t">View the photo gallery&nbsp;of her visit</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 22 Nov 2016 21:10:39 +0000 ullahnor 102558 at