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Mentoring: It ’s In Our Genes
Anyone who’s spent time in an academic science lab has probably heard about lab culture. Many labs boast long, rigorous working hours, while others require graduate students and postdoctoral trainees (postdocs) to meet often-unattainable experiment quotas each week. But is sheer quantity really the gold standard we want to hold ourselves to when it comes to training the next generation of scientists? The #MentorFirst logo. Credit: www.MentorFirst.org. Neil Garg, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and Jen Heemstr...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - January 18, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist STEM Education Training Source Type: blogs

Mentoring Month: NIGMS-Funded Researchers Make Mentoring Meaningful
Mentoring is a vital part of training the next generation of scientists. Through a variety of programs ranging from the undergraduate to faculty levels, NIGMS fosters the training and the development of a strong and diverse biomedical research workforce. To celebrate National Mentoring Month, we’re highlighting a few of the many NIGMS-funded researchers who emphasize being great mentors. Check out the snapshots of our interviews with these mentors to see what they think about mentoring and to access and read their full stories. Dr. Julia Bohannon. Credit: Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Scientist Studie...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - January 11, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist STEM Education Profiles Research Roundup Training Source Type: blogs

A Tale of Tails: How Reptile Regeneration Could Help Humans
Dr. Thomas Lozito. Credit: Chris Shinn for USC Health Advancement Communications. “I’ve always been interested in science and in lizards. I got my first pet lizard when I was around 4 years old, and it was love at first sight,” says Thomas Lozito, Ph.D., who now studies the creatures as an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, stem cell biology, and regenerative medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. During his childhood, Dr. Lozito turned his parents’ house into a “little zoo” of lizards and amphibians. He sneaked lizards into his dorm room as a college student at Jo...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - January 4, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Injury and Illness Cool Creatures Profiles Regeneration Research Organisms Wound Healing Source Type: blogs

Five Outstanding Stories From 2022
Throughout 2022, we shared the stories of dozens of NIGMS-supported researchers, trainees, and programs. We also highlighted new STEM education resources, tested your knowledge with quizzes, showcased extraordinary scientific images, and more. To celebrate the upcoming new year, we’re highlighting five of our most popular posts from 2022. Check out the list below, and let us know in the comments section which of this year’s posts you liked best! Genetic material inside a virus. Credit: iStock. Public Alerted to Omicron in New Mexico Through Quick Detection Researchers at the University of New Mexico Heal...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - December 28, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Cells Injury and Illness STEM Education Tools and Techniques Cellular Imaging Cool Images COVID-19 Profiles Scientific Process Source Type: blogs

So Much to Do, So Little Selenium Needed
You may know that antioxidants can help protect your cells from oxidative damage, but do you know about selenium—an element often found in special proteins called antioxidant enzymes? Selenium is essential to your body, which means you must get it from the food you eat. But it’s a trace element so you only need a small amount to benefit from its effects. In addition to its antioxidant properties, it’s also important for reproduction, DNA synthesis, and hormone metabolism. In our bodies, selenium works in antioxidant enzymes to help protect us from oxidative damage. The element is also found in antidandruf...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - December 21, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Molecular Structures Cellular Processes Proteins Source Type: blogs

Career Conversations: Q & A with Biomolecular Engineer Markita Landry
Dr. Markita Landry. Credit: Vilcek Foundation. “I have a hard time envisioning a career more exciting than science. It’s really magical to see an experimental result and, for a moment, be the only person in the universe to know something about the world,” says Markita Landry, Ph.D., an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. In an interview, Dr. Landry shares with us her scientific journey, research with nanoparticles, and interests outside of the lab. Q: What sparked your interest in science? A: I was indirectly exposed to science growing up bec...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - December 14, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Tools and Techniques Cool Tools/Techniques Profiles Source Type: blogs

The Chemistry Clicked: Two NIGMS-Funded Researchers Receive Nobel Prize
Since its creation in 1962, NIGMS has supported the work of the recipients of 94 Nobel Prizes—44 in physiology or medicine and 50 in chemistry. NIGMS-funded investigators perform cutting-edge basic research that is foundational to understanding normal life processes and disease. Such important breakthroughs in chemistry and biology often fuel more focused research that, years later, leads to important medical advances or products such as medicines or biotechnology tools. Credit: Niklas Elmehed. The most recent NIGMS-supported Nobel laureates are Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Ph.D., the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor in...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - December 7, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Tools and Techniques Cool Tools/Techniques Nobel Prize Profiles Source Type: blogs

Dynamic Duo Degrees: NIGMS-Funded Programs Support M.D./D.V.M.-Ph.D. Training
Amelia Wilhelm. Credit: Courtesy of Amelia Wilhelm. “Being able to ground your research in questions coming directly from your patients and their families is so meaningful and a huge part of why I’m interested in becoming a clinician-scientist,” says Amelia Wilhelm, an M.D.-Ph.D. student in the NIGMS-supported Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Washington in Seattle. MSTPs prepare students to combine clinical practice and rigorous scientific research in their future careers. Continuing the Family Tradition in Science As a child of two scientists, Amelia was exposed to research and ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - November 30, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Profiles Training Source Type: blogs

Empowering Biomedical Research in Rural West Virginia
Public health crises often disproportionately impact rural America. Sally L. Hodder, M.D., works to alleviate these disparities, especially regarding the opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s the director of the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI), the associate vice president of clinical and translational research, and a professor of medicine at West Virginia University. Dr. Sally Hodder. Credit: West Virginia University. Dr. Hodder’s work is focused in West Virginia, but her results are valuable assets to researchers across the country. Not only does treating chronic...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - November 23, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Injury and Illness COVID-19 Medicines Pain Source Type: blogs

Science Snippet: ATP ’s Amazing Power
ATP (yellow) powering a protein (blue) that moves material within cells and helps them divide. Credit: Charles Sindelar, Yale University. Just as electricity powers almost every modern gadget, the tiny molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the major source of energy for organisms’ biochemical reactions. ATP stores energy in the chemical bonds that hold its three phosphate groups together—the triphosphate part of its name. In the human body, ATP powers processes such as cell signaling, muscle contraction, nerve firing, and DNA and RNA synthesis. Because our cells are constantly using and producing ATP, each of us t...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - November 16, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Molecular Structures Cellular Processes Science Snippet Source Type: blogs

Sparking Rural Students ’ Interest in STEM
When asked why he leads the NIGMS-supported Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program at Dartmouth College in Hannover, New Hampshire, Roger D. Sloboda, Ph.D., the Ira Allen Eastman Professor of Biological Sciences (emeritus), shares a story. Several years ago, he learned of a public-school science teacher in rural New Hampshire who had a very limited budget for classroom equipment. With her annual budget, she’d been able to buy a single stainless-steel laboratory cart. “Next year, I hope to buy a piece of equipment to put on it,” she said. A short time later, Dr. Sloboda attended a scientific meeting and ta...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - November 8, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist STEM Education Scientific Process Training Source Type: blogs

Advancing American Indian and Alaska Native Health Through Research, Training, and Engagement
American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations have long experienced health disparities such as higher rates of diabetes, certain cancers, and mental health conditions than those of other Americans. One contributing factor in these disparities is underrepresentation of AI/AN populations in biomedical science—as study participants, researchers, and health professionals. Unfamiliarity with health care options and opportunities, coupled with a distrust of biomedical research resulting from unethical studies in the past, have exacerbated this underrepresentation. NIGMS-supported researchers, including Native scient...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - November 2, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Genes Injury and Illness COVID-19 Diseases Genomics Profiles Training Source Type: blogs

Quiz: Antibiotic Resistance and Researchers Studying It
Antibiotics are a class of drugs that treat bacterial infections. They may seem common now, but they were discovered less than a century ago. In 1928, Alexander Fleming, a scientist studying bacteria, found that mold from his bread kept bacteria from growing. He determined that “mold juice” was able to kill different types of harmful bacteria, and he and his assistants worked to figure out what natural product in the mold was actually causing the killing. It turned out to be penicillin! Thanks to Fleming’s discovery, doctors have been successfully treating bacterial infections with penicillin and other newer anti...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - October 26, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Injury and Illness Bacteria Infectious Diseases Quiz Viruses Source Type: blogs

In Other Words: The Measure of a Mole
When we encounter the word mole, some of us might think of a small, fuzzy animal that burrows in gardens, or perhaps the common, pigmented marks on our skin. But in chemistry, the mole is a key unit of measurement; its name is derived from the word molecule. Similar to how “dozen” is another way of saying 12, “mole” is another way of saying 602,214,076,000,000,000,000,000 (that’s about 602 billion trillion), specifically for elementary entities such as molecules and atoms. Scientists sometimes abbreviate this number as 6.02 x 1023, which is why Mole Day is celebrated from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. on October 23 each...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - October 19, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology In Other Words Source Type: blogs

National Chemistry Week: Recent Interviews With NIGMS-Funded Chemists
Credit: ACS Website. It’s almost National Chemistry Week (NCW)! Each year, the American Chemical Society (ACS) unites scientists, undergraduate students, high school chemistry clubs, and other groups through this community-based program to reach the public—especially elementary and middle school students—with positive chemistry messages. Local groups plan and coordinate NCW events, so while they vary across the country, they often present chemistry education through hands-on science activities to local schools, museums, scouting groups, or Saturday Science events. Lily Raines, Ph.D., manager at the ACS Office of ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - October 12, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Profiles Research Roundup Source Type: blogs