Putting West Virginia Students on the Path to Scientific Careers
Credit: NIGMS.
Two NIGMS-funded programs are teaming up to shape the future of science and technology in West Virginia (WV). One engages high school students in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEM+M); introduces them to research; and provides direct access to college through tuition waivers. In the other program, undergraduate students are paired with a researcher at their institution for a paid internship—an important step toward a career in science.
The Health Sciences & Technology Academy
“We liken our students to rosebuds. As they grow, you see them blossom into self-confident lea...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - January 31, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist STEM Education SEPA Training Source Type: blogs
My Ode to Yolo Bypass
Gave my 1st ever talk about Yolo Bypass and my 1st ever talk about Nature Photography. Here it is ...
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This is from the" Tree of Life Blog "
of Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist and Open Access advocate
at the University of California, Davis. For short updates, follow me on Twitter.
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Source: The Tree of Life - January 30, 2024 Category: Microbiology Source Type: blogs
Case of the Week 734
Welcome to the first blog post of 2024! I had been particularly busy last year as I was serving as the Interim Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic. Now that the permanent Department Chair has arrived, I can go back to my ' day job ' of Chair of Clinical Microbiology and Director of the Clinical Parasitology laboratory. I anticipate being able to go back to regular posting again as well. So without further ado, here is our case this week, courtesy of Heather Morris, the Parasitology Technical Specialist in my laboratory. The following objects were found in a concentrated wet prep...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - January 11, 2024 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
RISE-ing Stars From Northern Arizona University
Chantel Tsosie at her college graduation, wearing her Tribe’s formal, traditional rug dress that her grandmother made. Credit: Courtesy of Chantel Tsosie.
“Science is for everyone. It’s in everything. It exists in cultures everywhere,” says Chantel Tsosie, a master’s student in the NIGMS-supported Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff. The program aims to prepare a diverse group of students for research careers through culturally relevant support, hands-on research experiences, and a tailored curriculum.
Chantel started her bachelor’...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - January 10, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Profiles Training Source Type: blogs
Four years - 1461 straight days - of iNaturalist observations
Well, today is a big day I guess. I just posted an observation to iNaturalist of a hummingbird in my backyard.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/195397005Not that big a deal unless you are living in some place where it is really cold and you are jealous we have hummingbirds in our yard in Davis, California on December 31.But the context here is important.This entry completes a somewhat crazy run. I have made iNaturalist observations every day for the last four years. That is, every day for the last 1461 days. It all started in January 2020. Before the pandemic reared its ugly head. I decided it mi...
Source: The Tree of Life - December 31, 2023 Category: Microbiology Source Type: blogs
The “Green Pope” Loves Science and Is Cautious of AI
By MIKE MAGEE
By all accounts, they were mutually supportive. He was three years older and the chief scientific adviser to the world’s most powerful religious leader. The Scientific American called him “the greatest scientist of all time,” and not because he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry a decade earlier for explaining the nuts and bolts of ozone formation. It was his blunt truthfulness and ecological advocacy that earned the organization’s respect.
Paul Crutzan is no longer alive. He died on February 4, 2021 in Mainz, Germany at the age of 87. What attracted the 86 year old “Green Pope” to Paul were t...
Source: The Health Care Blog - October 11, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Health Policy Climate Change Mike Magee Pope Francis Source Type: blogs
Claira Sohn Cultivates Neurons and Diversity in the STEM Community
Credit: Courtesy of Claira Sohn.
Claira Sohn credits her grandfather with sparking her interest in science. Although he never studied science at a 4-year university due to financial limitations, he took many community college classes and worked in chemistry labs developing products such as hair dyes and dissolvable stitches. “Every morning, my grandfather would take me to school, and we’d stop to get orange juice and a cookie and talk about science. When I was in elementary school, he bought me a book about quantum mechanics written for kids,” she says. “He inspired me to ask questions and encouraged me to go to ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - October 4, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Cells Diseases Profiles Training Source Type: blogs
Notes on My Meningioma and Gamma Knife Treatment
So - yesterday I had Gamma Knife treatment at UC Davis for a posterior fossa meningioma that was first found by MRI about 6 years ago. I am going to be collecting my various posts here on the saga. I am also going to post separate posts here about the saga but just wanted to collect some of the other posts for now.Day 1 - September 27, 2023.Posted to many social media channels about my treatment with updates and other details and also got lots and lots and lots of support.Here are some of the posts.
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jonathan Eisen (@phylogenomics)View th...
Source: The Tree of Life - September 29, 2023 Category: Microbiology Source Type: blogs
Diversity Supplement Program Paves the Way for Talented Researchers
“I hope that one day I’m able to increase our understanding of evolution, and I also hope to increase access to research. I want others to know that this space is open to people who look like me, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and who are underrepresented in the sciences,” says Nkrumah Grant, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research associate (postdoc) in microbiology and molecular genetics at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing.
Dr. Grant’s work receives support from the NIGMS Diversity Supplement Program (DSP), which is designed to improve the recruitment and training of promising researchers from ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - September 27, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Diseases Microbes Profiles Training Source Type: blogs
Sanger DNA sequencing services
Sanger DNA Sequencing ServicesSo I posted a request to multiple social media sites:Question - are there good / cheap services out there to do Sanger sequencing (e.g., for 16S / ITS for taxonomic identification of cultures)? The local Sanger operation we were using shut down.I posted to the following sites:FacebookLinkedIn TwitterBlue SkyMastodonThese are the places that were recommended the mostGENEWIZ from AzentaUC BerkeleyQuintaraEurofinsMcLabThese had single suggestionsMacrogene MR DNA Integrated Genomics Functional Bio U Az. CosmosIDLaragenRetrogenIMRFunctional BiosciencesThese are h...
Source: The Tree of Life - September 21, 2023 Category: Microbiology Source Type: blogs
And today in one of the stranger uses of my work ... " 130 Academic Words Ref from " Jonathan Eisen: Meet your microbes | TED Talk " "
Well, this is certainly a bit wacky.I was, well, Googling myself today and found this.130 Academic Words Ref from " Jonathan Eisen: Meet your microbes | TED Talk "
It seems like they took my Ted talkand got key words from it, and then use it to teach about those words in some sort of automated way. And, well, they got a few words wrong but actually the words they chose kind of capture a lot of what my talk was about. So here are a few screenshots of some of these key words
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This is from the" Tree of Life Blog "
of Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist and Open Access advocate
at the University of California,...
Source: The Tree of Life - August 24, 2023 Category: Microbiology Source Type: blogs
Ming Lei Departs Division for Research Capacity Building
It’s with mixed emotions that I share that Ming Lei left our Division for Research Capacity Building (DRCB) earlier this month to become senior associate vice president for research and graduate education at West Virginia University (WVU) Health Sciences. Ming also joined the faculty in WVU’s School of Medicine as vice dean for research and a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology, and cell biology.
Ming has been part of the NIH community since 2008, serving in key positions at the National Cancer Institute before joining NIGMS in 2018. During his tenure in DRCB, Ming led numerous initiatives to...
Source: NIGMS Feedback Loop Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - August 24, 2023 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Director’s Messages NIGMS Staff News Source Type: blogs
Investigating the Secrets of Cancer-Causing Viruses
Credit: Courtesy of Dr. Mandy Muller.
While she was in graduate school, Mandy Muller, Ph.D., became intrigued with viruses that are oncogenic, meaning they can cause cancer. At the time, she was researching human papillomaviruses (HPVs), which can lead to cervical and throat cancer, among other types. Now, as an assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst, Dr. Muller studies Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), which causes the rare AIDS-associated cancer Kaposi sarcoma.
A Continental Change
Dr. Muller has come a long way, both geographically and professionally, s...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - August 1, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Infectious Diseases Microbes Profiles RNA Viruses Source Type: blogs
Responses to requests for suggestions for quiet air filter for daughter's California dorm room
So I posted a request for suggestions on various social media sites:" Wanted - recommendations for good / not too expensive / not too loud air filter to get my daughter for her for a small dorm room in California (and thus to filter out pathogens, allergens and smoke ...) "I am going to compile responses here
TwitterWanted - recommendations for good / not too expensive / not too loud air filter to get my daughter for her for a small dorm room in California (and thus to filter out pathogens, allergens and smoke ...)— Jonathan Eisen (@phylogenomics)July 23, 2023
Mastodon
Facebook
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This is from ...
Source: The Tree of Life - July 23, 2023 Category: Microbiology Source Type: blogs
