Category Archives: Events for Students

articles, December 2015, Events for Students

Insight Essay Contest

INSIGHT ESSAY CONTEST

In the spirit of this publication connecting science and communication, the Insight team is excited to announce a new endeavor: an essay contest. Here is your chance to sound off on a topic near and dear to all of our hearts and careers, namely our education. Science is a rapidly evolving field, and to produce excellent scientists, training programs need to incorporate those changes. So, here is what we are asking you:

What component, topic, or field do you consider critical to a PhD education, and why should it be prioritized in training?

Essays can address anything from incorporating bioinformatics into training, to the need for grant-writing assignments in classes, to how collaborations significantly improve research projects. We only ask that these essays address a general PhD education, not one at Tufts’ specifically. More rules can be found below.

Max. Length: 1500 words

Due Date: January 31st, 2016

Winner(s) will be determined via a school-wide poll on the Insight blog and awarded prize(s). If you are interested in entering or have questions, please email insight@elist.tufts.edu.

Happy writing!

 

Events for Students, November 2015

BIOBUGS – Call for volunteers

Are you interested in getting some teaching and outreach experience? If so, consider volunteering to participate in the fall semester’s BIOBUGS (Biology Inquiry and Outreach with Boston University Graduate Students) program. BIOBUGS is a week-long program where we invite Boston area high school biology classes to come to Boston University and participate in a newly redesigned 3 hour lab, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy!

In this lab students will study the internal anatomy of six classes of vertebrates (cartilaginous and bony fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal) through hands-on examination of dissected whole specimens as well as prepared skeletons and skins. They will then be asked to formulate hypotheses about the ecology of each dissected species based on their observations of the similarities and differences between each specimen.
We are looking for Sackler graduate students who want to either teach or volunteer for one or more days of the program. No prior experience in vertebrate anatomy is required – instruction will be provided! The labs will be run December 10-11 and December 14-16, 2015 from 9am-12pm, and are followed by a free pizza lunch from 12pm-1pm for all teachers and volunteers. Please contact Melissa LaBonty (melissa.labonty@tufts.edu) or Joslyn Mills (Joslyn.mills@tufts.edu) to sign up or get more information.

 

biobugs
Credit – Frankie Velazquez, Immunology
articles, Events for Students, November 2015

7th Annual Tufts Neuroscience Symposium & William Shucart Lecture, 2015

Guest Post by Michaela Tolman

On Thursday October 8th, the Neuroscience Department hosted its 7th annual Neuroscience Symposium and William Shucart Lecture. The daylong event brings together neuroscience enthusiasts from the entire Tufts community, including the Departments of Neurosurgery, Psychiatry and Neurology as well as the basic science departments of Tufts University School of Medicine. The day is filled with talks celebrating the cutting edge of neuroscience research and stimulating conversations. The final lecture of the day honors William Shucart, MD. With nearly 200 people in attendance, the 2015 Symposium was a great success.

This year, Dr. Thomas Biederer of the Neuroscience department served as symposium director. Invited speakers included Dr. QiuFu Ma from Dana-Farber/Harvard Medical School: “Spinal circuits transmitting mechanical pain”, Dr Scott Soderling from Duke University Medical Center: “Actin badly – cytoskeletal drivers of neuropsychiatric disorder”, Dr. Elly Nedivi from MIT: “Structural dynamics of inhibitory synapses”, Dr. Pavel Osten from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories: “Automated analysis of functional and anatomical circuits in the mouse brain”, and Dr. Christina Alberini from New York University: “Molecular mechanisms of memory consolidation and enhancement”. Students and post docs had the opportunity to meet the speakers in small groups during lunch and talk more in depth about their research and experiences.

The day concluded with Dr. Gordon Fishell from New York University giving the 2015 William Shucart Lecture on his work in the field of interneuron development. Dr. Philip Haydon, chair of the Neuroscience Department, describes in his welcome Dr. Shucart’s contribution to the Neuroscience Department, “…William Shucart, MD, who at that time was chair of Neurosurgery, recognized the importance of basic Neuroscience and was unwavering in his support for the formation of our Department. It is only fitting therefore that the last lecture recognizes his important contributions.” Previous Shucart Lecturers include Dr. Martha Constantine-Paton, Dr. Karl Deisseroth, and Dr. Mark Schnitzer to name a few. More information can be found on the Symposium website at http://medicine.tufts.edu/Education/Academic-Departments/Basic-Science-Departments/Neuroscience/Neuroscience-Symposium-and-Shucart-Lecture and the Neuroscience Department’s Facebook page.

Attendees at the 7th annual Neuroscience Symposium, 2015
Attendees at the 7th annual Neuroscience Symposium, 2015

 

Michaela Tolman is a Neuroscience PhD Candidate in the Yang lab, studying astrocyte maturation and functional development. She is also the current President of the Sackler Graduate Student Council. 

articles, Events for Students, GSC career events, November 2015

Sackler Science Open Mic Night

Guest Post by Alex Jones

Of the myriad skills a scientist must have in his repertoire, arguably the most important is the ability to clearly present his findings.  Whether speaking amongst colleagues, giving a talk at a scientific meeting or simply answering the age-old question, “So, what do you do?” at a cocktail party, the need for better scientific communication skills is ever present.  But how does one improve their public speaking abilities insofar as they relate to science?  The answer is as simple as it is nerve-wracking (at least for some); that is, speaking publicly about science.

With this in mind, on October 20th, the Sackler Graduate Student Council Career Paths committee and the Tufts Biomedical Business Club teamed up to present the first “Sackler Science Open Mic Night”.  The goal of the event was for students to present short, two to three minute talks covering some aspect of their research and to help each other workshop these talks, in the hopes of improving.  This “flash talk” style of presentation is challenging as it leaves only enough time for the speaker to present the most crucial aspects of their research, but it is also one of the most frequently used skills whether it be at a networking event, an interview, or even in response to that question at a cocktail party.

Professor Dan Jay joined students for the event and to kick it off he gave a flash talk of his own on a favorite subject of his, “the intersection between art and science”.  Student presenters from all over Sackler gave talks ranging from astrocytes (and their communication with neurons via vesicular release of transmitters) to v-ATPases (and the signaling pathways that control their assembly).  Presenters and spectators alike made the event a success, providing tons of feedback on how to improve those talks for future presentations.  Keep an eye out for more events similar to the Sackler Science Open Mic Night in the future as the Sackler Graduate Student Council and Tufts Biomedical Business Club look for more ways to promote scientific communication.

Dr. Dan Jay at the inaugural Science Open Mic Night

Alex Jones is a Neuroscience PhD student in the Reijmers lab studying changes in molecular profile of neurons during memory formation. He also serves as the current Treasurer of the Sackler Graduate Student Council.

 

articles, arts & culture, Events for Students, November 2015

Enjoy a classic cultural experience in Cambridge!

The Central Square Theater in Cambridge houses two award winning and professional theater companies; The Nora Theatre Company and The Underground Railway Theater. This vibrant hub of theatrical, educational, and social activity, is where artists and audiences can come together to create theater that is both vital and captivating to the community.

Live performances for the month of November include:

Einstein’s Dreams (ending Nov. 14th)

Switzerland, 1905: A modest, newly-married patent clerk struggles to make ends meet while re-conceiving time. What happens when Albert Einstein completes his Theory of Relativity? Absurd, comic, and poetic, Einstein’s Dreams captures the poignancy of the human condition. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, Underground Railway Theater reunites the original 2007 world premiere cast, adapted by director Wesley Savick from the novel by Alan Lightman.

 

Copenhagen (ending Nov. 15th)

Copenhagen, 1941: Two brilliant physicists – fast friends from enemy nations – famously confront each other at the height of WWII. This award-winning psychological mystery unravels what transpired on that fateful night. Werner Heisenberg and his mentor Niels Bohr meet again in the afterlife, goaded by Bohr’s wife, Margrethe. Who will remember the truth that changed the course of history? Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb, Eric Tucker cracks open Michael Frayn’s contemporary classic play.

 

Arabian Nights (beginning Nov. 27th)

Become enchanted by the power of storytelling one final time! The Nora Theatre Company and Underground Railway Theater revive their award-winning production of Dominic Cooke’s Arabian Nights. Based on One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of folk tales from the Middle East and Asia, Arabian Nights is rich with suspense, romance and hilarity—stories irresistible for all ages, and at its heart, the power of the imagination to heal, inspire, and transform.

Events for Students, Library, Library Events, November 2015

Upcoming Library Events (November 2015)

Open Workshop: Using Images

Wednesday, November 4th & Thursday, November 5th, 12-1 PM

Sackler 510

Registration: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/education/workshops.html

This workshop will survey image collections licensed by Tufts and show you how to find images available in the public domain. Options for storing, displaying and citing images will also be discussed.

 

Open Workshop: Basic PubMed

Wednesday, November 18th & Thursday, November 19th, 12-1 PM

Sackler 510

Registration: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/education/workshops.html

This workshop will review: the structure of PubMed; planning and executing a search; narrowing search results; finding full text and exporting citations into citation management programs, such as EndNote and RefWorks.

 

Fun Fridays: Elementary School Throwback

Friday, November 20th, Time TBD

Library Service Desk, Sackler 4

Come make hand turkeys and other crafts that will remind you of your younger days!

-Laura Pavlech