1 © 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All Rights Reserved.
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“You can achieve anything if you just have a dream.”
On to Germany
When Barno started to study polymer chemistry, she realized that a wealth of new discoveries
came from Germany. “Looking back in history, many discoveries in chemistry were due to
German scientists—and so to study in Germany was my dream,” she says. Barno attended
Tashkent State Pedagogical University in Uzbekistan’s capital of Tashkent. After completing
her studies there in 1999, she joined the A.S. Sadykov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of
the Academy of Sciences, also in Tashkent. At that time, she familiarized herself with the
literature on bacterial cellulose, and in 2004 was awarded a
fellowship to study at Hamburg University in Germany.
In 2006, after returning to Uzbekistan and receiving support
from her government, she was excited to learn of the UNESCO-
L’Oréal Fellowship she was to receive toward her doctoral studies.
With this funding, Barno was able to return to Friedrich-Schiller
University where she is currently working toward completing
her Ph.D. by mid 2009.
Proud Role Model
Barno has made time along the way to raise two children, a son
and a daughter, with the support of an “understanding man
as my husband.” Barno says she is especially proud to be a role
model for her children. “This summer when I was on holiday at
home, I asked my son what he wanted to be when he grew up.
He wasn’t entirely sure, but he said he liked mathematics and
physics, and respects chemistry because of me,” she says. “This
made me very happy.”
Perfecting Her Delivery
Barno has not been easily deterred by challenges in her life.
In 2004, she decided she needed to improve her English. She
sought and won a scholarship to study at the Central Institute
of English and Foreign Languages in Hyderabad, India. Recently,
in April 2008, Barno made her first trip to the United States to
attend the American Chemical Society national meeting and
to deli