Tag Archives: featured

Library, November 2016, PubMed Tip of the Month

PubMed Tip of the Month: Finding Information on Drug Action

The Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) vocabulary includes headings for the pharmacologic actions of drugs.  Each drug and chemical in the MeSH vocabulary is assigned one or more of these headings.  The pharmacologic action headings can be used to find information on the action of a drug or class of drugs.

  1. Find articles in which a specific action of a drug is discussed: Combine the MeSH heading for the drug or chemical with the MeSH heading for the pharmacologic action of interest.

For example, to find articles on the antipyretic action of acetaminophen, enter: “Acetominophen”[MeSH] AND “Antipyretics”[MeSH]

In order to use this method, you need to know which pharmacologic action headings have been assigned to the drug or chemical.  This information can be found in the MeSH record for the drug.  To search the MeSH database, choose ‘MeSH’ from the dropdown menu to the left of the PubMed search box.

MeSH record for cyclosporine
MeSH record for cyclosporine, showing pharmocologic action terms
  1. Find articles in which any drug or chemical exhibiting a certain action is discussed: Use the pharmacologic action field tag, [Pharmacologic Action] or [pa]. This search would likely be added to another, using ‘AND’.

For example, to find articles on platelet aggregation inhibitors and heart attack, enter: “Platelet aggregation inhibitors”[pa] AND “Myocardial infarction”[MeSH]

  1. View a list of drugs and chemicals identified as having a certain pharmacologic action: Find the record for the term, labeled [Pharmacologic Action], in the MeSH database.

For example: “Antirheumatic agents”[Pharmacologic Action]

MeSH records for 'antirheumatic agents'
MeSH records for ‘antirheumatic agents’
articles, Community, Events for Students, GSC career events, November 2016

ICYMI: Career Exploration Panel

In this month’s edition of ICYMI, I’ll be giving you the low-down on a career exploration panel that took place on November 3rd in Sackler 114, sponsored by the GSC, TBBC, and the Sackler Dean’s office. Like every great event at Tufts, there was plenty of cheese, crackers, and booze to go around. Aaron Bernstein (CMP) took the stage as emcee and introduced the eight panelists and their intended career paths, which ranged from teaching to healthcare consulting.

I’ve made you all a little cheat sheet that summarizes the main takeaway for each career path and some of the great resources provided by the panelist that can help you learn more about and prepare for the job. Hopefully one or more of these professions spark your interest and inspire you to join a club, participate in an event, or simply give you something new to think about!

  1. Joslyn Mills-Bonal (CMP), teaching

Inspired by her great experience at a small liberal arts college, Joz participated in the panel as an advocate for a teaching-heavy career at a community college, liberal arts college, or university.  

Teaching experience, which might seem hard to find at Sackler, is critical for preparing you for this job. Take advantage of student seminars and treat them as an opportunity to practice teaching. You can work on your curriculum design skills by getting involved in behind the scenes efforts for the various teaching opportunities you participate in. For example, if you get involved with Biobugs you can also take part in designing the labs.

It’s important to think about what kind of institute you want to work for- a liberal arts college? A state university? A research I institute? These decisions will inform the steps you take during and after graduate school as you work towards your career as a teaching professor. For example, a postdoc is usually required for a job at a liberal arts school and above, whereas community college professors don’t need a PhD. Also keep in mind that if you don’t want to continue to do research, your publication list isn’t so important. If you do want to continue to do research, however, you need to keep in mind that prolific publishing is paramount.

Opportunities/resources of interest:  

If you’re interested in any of the above opportunities or simply want to learn more about this track, feel free to contact Joz!

  1. Laura Stransky (CMP), academic/industry science

In academia we aim to better understand some disease or mechanism, whereas those in industry work to make some therapeutic or drug that can be marketed and sold. For both jobs, however, Laura loves the fact that you get the luxury of thinking for a living!

As a graduate student at Tufts, you’re already actively in training for a career as a scientist! To make the most of your time in graduate school, go to seminars as often as possible and learn from how other people present. Remember that for many of the visiting speakers there is a lunch you can attend with the speaker at which you can network and learn about their career path. Take any and all opportunities to write! There are plenty of grants travel awards, abstracts, and conferences that give you the chance to practice writing. By taking mentoring opportunities—volunteering to work with rotating students, for example—you can develop the management skills that are critical to being a good scientist, regardless of whether you’re in industry or academia.

After graduate school you must become a postdoc if you intend to get a job in academia. You need to demonstrate your ability to accrue funding and publish high impact papers. If you’re leaning more towards becoming a scientist in industry, a postdoc isn’t absolutely essential but can certainly get you started a little higher on the ladder. Furthermore, a postdoc before industry can help you expand your skills, fill in any gaps that you may have, and perhaps give you the opportunity to get involved in more translational research and develop project management skills.

  1. Kayla Gross (CMDB), science communication

This field encompasses more than just one kind of job—you can be a medical writer, a publisher, a communicating officer at a brand, or even a journalist. While at Tufts, find ways to improve and practice your writing and communication skills! Look for as much feedback as you can on your manuscripts, abstracts, posters, presentations and even committee reports to help you sharpen your skills and hone in on what needs to be improved. You need to practice adaptability to different scientific fields, since as a writer you are unlikely to be limited to just one topic. Furthermore, you need to be able to speak to those who aren’t well versed in the field you are writing about.

For a job in science writing, there is no hard and fast rule on whether you need to postdoc or not. The only track in which working as a postdoc is encouraged is in being an editor. If journalism is your goal, keep in mind that making the shift from grad school to journalism can be tricky—you may have to do some freelance writing for a while to build up your portfolio and break into the field.

Opportunities/resources of interest:  

  • Join the INSIGHT newsletter/blog! You can participate as much or as little as your time permits, and it’s a great opportunity to practice your writing and communication skills. Contact Kayla to join!
  • Tufts also has a collaboration with Emerson College in which you can work with an undergraduate communications student whose project is to assemble a science-centric media piece in which your research is explained to the general public. This is a great way for you to practice making the science that we think so deeply about a digestible subject for the general public!
  1. Andrew Hooper (Neuro), science policy

A job in science policy often involves advising policy makers on important scientific matters. This is a great way to have impact on our government and every day lives by helping educate people, especially politicians, who often have very minimal science knowledge. Because part of the job also often involves putting budgets together, it’s important for you to have some financial savvy. Finally, communication skills are essential, as you’ll be translating complicated scientific concepts to people completely untrained in the field.

There are many organizations that offer policy fellowships that can support you while you work in D.C. and learn the ropes, most of which require a postdoc. Applications are usually due in January and start dates are in the fall.

Andrew suggested you contact him if you’re interested in science policy!  

  1. Matthew Kelley (Neuro), data science

Data science merges statistics, math, and programming to help get insight from large databases, generate correlations, and make predictive models.

Hard skills you need for a job in data science include statistics, programming—many things you are already doing regularly as a PhD student. It’s important to learn how to code, which you can do on your own! While you’re at Tufts, try to integrate data science in your PhD project to practice applying your skills.

Opportunities/resources of interest:  

  • The Insight Science Data Fellowship, designed to bridge the gap between a non-computational graduate degree and a career in health data science (http://insighthealthdata.com/). In this program, you’re funded for 7 weeks to learn from industry leaders and even interview with some of the top companies in the industry!
  • Check out the newly formed Data Science Club—there have only been two meetings so far so get in early! The club plans on bringing in speakers and learning applicable skills together.
  • MIT edX has a course on analytics: https://www.edx.org/course/analytics-edge-mitx-15-071x-2
  1. Jaclyn Dunphy (Neuro), entrepreneurship

A job as an entrepreneur is exciting because it involves brainstorming and sharing ideas with other people to start something completely novel. A job at a start-up company might seem high risk, but it offers the opportunity to make a big impact, as teams are usually small. If you’re interested in being a “big piece of a small system,” this field might be for you!

Firstly, to be more proactive, reach out to others—contact experts who can assess your idea and help you decide how feasible it is. Secondly, demonstrate leadership skills! Take the lead with rotation students and get involved in student-run groups where you can take some charge! Thirdly, practice your interpersonal and networking skills. You must practice the formula to successful networking: reaching out to your person of interest the day after meeting them, be it via e-mail or LinkedIn, and setting up a time and day for a coffee meeting where you can learn more about their job and solidify your professional relationship. To get started as an entrepreneur, the best thing you can do is… be an entrepreneur! Think of an idea and start a company!

Opportunities/resources of interest:  

  • Cross register for classes in the entrepreneurial management program at the Medford campus
  • Engage in IDEAS competitions
  • Participate in Mass Challenge!
  • Venture Café: A networking event that happens every Thursday evening at the Cambridge Innovations Center (1 Broadway, Kendall Square, Cambridge MA) where you can have a (free!) drink and socialize with other entrepreneurial-minded people. This can be a great opportunity to find collaborators or just bounce your ideas off other people in a social and friendly environment.
  1. Michaela Tolman (Neuro), healthcare consulting

Michaela aptly nicknamed healthcare consulting “rent-a-brain”—a perfect summary for a job in which you are hired to consult non-experts in a healthcare related venture. Many of us are in biomedical research because we want to help people, but as we all know, research can be slow and it might take years or even decades before a discovery you make in lab actually benefits someone in the clinic. As a consultant you are involved in helping bring people the best healthcare much more rapidly.

It’s extremely important to develop interpersonal and networking skills for a successful career in consulting! The job involves a lot of interactions with non-scientists and you need to be able to fit in and make them feel comfortable. It’s also important that you have business acumen and learn the jargon of the business world. Do you know what people are talking about when they say percent market share, market size, or competitive landscape?

To go on consulting interviews, you have to be able to say that you can graduate within a year. Postdocs are not recommended as consulting firms are typically looking for someone fresh out of graduate school. It’s also critical that you know how to do a case interview, which typically the process one goes through before getting a consulting job.

Opportunities/resources of interest:  

  • Join the case study groups, which take place every Monday!
  • Participate in TUNECC- this is a highly attended case-competition event at which you can show off your consulting skills and get the attention of potential hirers!
  • Come to Biotech Buzz and Tufts Advisory Partners (TAP)!
  • Michaela also had some book recommendations, including Case Interviewing Secrets and Case In Point.
  • A website that might interest you is Seeking Alpha.
  • The “Mini MBA” program at Harvard can be great for your resume
  • Just like for any other career path, network, network, network!
  1. Christina McGuire (Biochem), venture capital

Though there are venture capital firms that solely exist to provide funding for start up companies that already have a formulated product or idea, Christina’s goal is to find a job in a venture capital company that creates ideas in-house. To get that kind of position, you need to have a deep understanding of science and you definitely need good analytical skills. Continue to practice reading primary literature to develop these skills and also keep in mind the importance of acquiring business acumen. Often times, to get a job at a VC firm, you need to get involved in business or consulting first. Demonstrate your entrepreneurial abilities by getting involved in successful projects and familiarizing yourself with the business world, much like when you are preparing for a career in entrepreneurship and consulting!

Opportunities/resources of interest:  

  • Tufts Biomedical Business Club (TBBC) and Biotech Buzz.
  • Christina’s book recommendations: Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson.
  • Subscribe to: Fierce Biotech and XConomy

Overall, the event was a great success and attendees walked away with a wealth of knowledge and tips for how to better prepare for a slough of career options. A major recurring theme throughout the night was the importance of networking, so as intimidating as it may seem, the next time you hear about a networking event, grab a friend and go! You never know if the next person you meet will help open the door to your dream career.

articles, Events for Students, October 2016

Harold F. Dvorak, M.D., invited to deliver 11th Annual Jeffrey Isner Lecture

The 11th Annual Isner Lecture is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2016, 4 pm at Behrakis Auditorium in the first floor of the Jaharis building. In keeping with the tradition of inviting speakers who have made significant contributions to the field of angiogenesis-related research, this year’s speaker will be Harold F. Dvorak, M.D., credited with the discovery of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). Dr Dvorak’s talk is titled “VPF/VEGF, Angiogenesis and Stroma Formation: The Tumor Vasculature as Therapeutic Target”.

 

About the lectureship & Dr. Jeffrey M. Isner

The Jeffrey M. Isner, M.D. Endowed Memorial Lectureship was established in 2007, in honor of Dr. Jeffrey Isner, a graduate, and later, a faculty member, of the Tufts Medical School. This lectureship is meant to provide an opportunity to bring the Tufts medical and biomedical communities together to “ to reflect upon and consider the pioneering work of Dr Jeffrey Isner.” The lectureship also invites a keynote speaker, chosen from the internationally recognized pioneers in clinical and/or basic science research communities focusing on angiogenesis-related research, vascular biology and cardiovascular medicine.

Dr. Jeffrey M. Isner, Source - Tufts Medical School website
Dr. Jeffrey M. Isner, Source – Tufts Medical School website

Dr. Isner was a pioneer himself, as evidenced by his profession as an interventional cardiologist, a nascent medical field at that time. He is also known for his novel therapeutic approaches, such as combining gene therapy and angioplasty to treat blocked blood vessels in patients. While treating a patient in 1994 for a blocked vessel in the leg, Dr. Isner and his team coated the angioplasty balloon with genes to express VEGF in an attempt to observe whether the VEGF protein would be able to promote the growth of new blood vessels that would bypass the blocked artery. While clinical gene therapy applications were still years away, his attempts and results were deemed promising by his peers. Dr. Isner was also actively involved in bringing his approach to the market – he was a founder and a major stockholder in the company Vascular Genetics, based in North Carolina. Not surprisingly, his involvement in the industry resulted in some critics to suggest that this could affect his medical judgement, suggestions that were rejected by Dr. isner. In 2000, the FDA suspended research carried out by the company and St. Elizabeth’s on the grounds of possible improper reporting on death of patients enrolled in the trial. However, in Spring of 2011, his research was allowed to resume and he was additionally awarded a $10 million dollar grant. (Nagourney 2001)

 

Dr. Isner, who passed away at the age of 53 from a cardiac arrest in 2001, is survived by his wife, Linda Hajjar, and his three children – Joshua, Jessica and Matthew. His motivation to bring novel therapies for cardiovascular diseases from the lab to the clinic stemmed from his will to make a difference, as he said in an interview in 1998 – “… the thing that really motivated me more than anything else is a sense that I don’t want to feel that I was just kind of passing through during this lifetime. I do not want to be just one more person that came and left. I always wanted to do something that could make a little difference.” (Ferguson 2001).

 

Fun fact – Dr. Isner had a walk-on role in “Seinfeld”, thanks to his friendship with Larry David, the show’s co-director, co-producer and a chief writer.

 

About the Speaker

Dr. Harold F. Dvorak. Source - www.bidmc.org
Dr. Harold F. Dvorak. Source – www.bidmc.org

This year the Isner Lectureship steering committee has invited Dr. Harold F. Dvorak, MD, Professor of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,  to deliver the keynote lecture, a choice that is befitting to honor Dr. Isner’s memory given that Dr Dvorak is internationally recognized for his discovery of VPF in 1983, later known as VEGF, and his contributions on understanding tumor vasculature. His work on the role of VEGF secreted by tumors led us to the understanding of tumors as wounds that cannot heal, but are able to sustain themselves by promoting growth of blood vessels (Ribatti 2007). This discovery opened up a whole new facet of tumor biology and a host of potential new avenues for cancer therapeutics. To this date, Dr. Dvorak and his team are working on understanding angiogenesis in tumors to the greatest detail and developing anti-angiogenic therapy for cancer treatment.

 

Sources –

Library, October 2016, On the Shelf

On the Shelf…

For work…

Lab Math

Lab Math, by Dany Spencer Adams

Location: HHSL Book Stacks, Sackler, 5th Floor, QA40.A34 2014

Authored by a Tufts biology professor, this is a handbook of measurements, calculations and quantitative skills for use at the bench. The book describes various mathematical principles, basic statistics, and tasks involving numbers, such as calibrating lab equipment and making solutions.

And leisure…

I Contain Multitudes

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life, by Ed Yong

Location: HHSL Book Stacks, Sackler, 5th Floor, QW 4 Y55 2016

This well-reviewed book, by the science writer Ed Yong, explores the relationships between animals and the microbes that live in, on, and around them.

Events for Students, October 2016

ICYMI: Mentoring Circles Kickoff

As part of my resolution to better understand my career goals and options by attending more seminars at Tufts and then sharing my experiences with you, I decided to join the Tufts Mentoring Circle Program. Here’s a brief breakdown of the program’s kickoff event, which was held on October 6th in Sackler 114.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, the mentoring circles, open to all graduate students and postdocs at Tufts, are meant to provide a social and educational experience for mentors and mentees alike, bringing together people who, based on a previously submitted survey, have similar career goals and interests. At this first event, the circles, which have an average of five or six people per group, were brought together to meet one another and discuss objectives for the year. Since on my survey I indicated a strong interest in industry, my group consists of postdocs with the same inclination and a mentor who currently works as a scientist at a prominent pharmaceutical company in Cambridge. My experience will be unique to my personal goals, as those who stated an interest in academia are grouped with other academia-bound grad students and postdocs, similarly to how those who are working towards an alternative non-academic career, like science writing, are also assigned to one another for the duration of the program.   

After we introduced ourselves within our groups over pizza and salad, the organizers of the program gave a short presentation on tips and suggestions for how to have a successful circle. The importance of preparing for and attending every meeting was heavily stressed. We were also encouraged to mix up the format our meetings—instead of always just going to a coffee shop and talking, we can go to events together like symposiums, seminars, or even networking events. As someone who finds networking to be an intimidating and nerve-wracking experience, the prospect of having someone come along and act as a safety net seems fantastic and will make me more likely to attend.

After the presentation, groups were left to themselves to chat, set goals, and eat more pizza. In my group, every person had the opportunity to talk about what their dream job might entail—whereas some of the members had pretty specific career ideas, others, including myself, could only speak in broad strokes about factors like work-life balance, travel, and flexibility. The meeting was casual and fun, and it was actually a relief to hear some postdocs, even a few years out of graduate school, have undeveloped ideas about their careers and are still figuring out where they want to end up. Together, we decided on topics that we would like to discuss and goals that we would like to achieve throughout the year and we signed a “Mentoring Circle Contract” that stated the following: “We understand that each of us is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of our shared communications, meeting regularly at the times we have agreed upon, and actively participating in circle discussions”.  Though this was only our first meeting, I can tell we all have a lot to learn from one another and I am excited for the new professional and friendly circle I am now a part of! It’s like joining a club where the main project is you and your career.

Definitely keep an eye out for the program’s announcement next year, and also keep in mind that American Women in Science (AWIS) is another organization through which some of you can join a similar circle.

October 2016

Presidential Candidates Talk Science: Where They Stand on 20 Important Issues

by Nafis Hasan, Drew Hooper, & Kayla Gross

Science policy, though intertwined with many other aspects of national and international issues, is not the usual focus of a presidential election and often boils down to just a few questions during a debate. In an effort to change this narrative, in 2008, several scientific and engineering organizations initiated a challenge to the presidential candidates by asking them to participate in a science-focused debate. By crowdsourcing questions, ScienceDebate.org presented the candidates with 20 questions addressing the most immediate and important STEM-oriented issues that affect the American public and published their answers online. In its third iteration, this movement has recently posted the 2016 candidates’ responses.

With the election drawing nearer, we decided to review their answers and provide summaries which are listed below.

Clinton Trump Johnson Stein
Innovation
  • Establishes education, especially in computer science, as foundational for improving national innovation
  • Improve open access between government-funded scientists and private sector groups for “commercialization of research results”
  • Reduce barriers for entry into free markets to allow entrepreneurs to flourish
  • Emphasis on space exploration & “research & development across the broad landscape of academia”
  • Reduce tax burden allowing more private investment in innovation
  • Government should not pick winners and losers by imposing priorities
  • Requests for Applications skew science towards “fashionable topics”
  • Reduce Pentagon spending to free up dollars for innovation investment
  • “Level playing field” with living wage and paid sick leave will lead to more innovation
Research
  • Concerned about US “underinvestment in research”
  • Improve funding for (1) young investigators and (2) “high risk high reward” and/or long-term projects
  • Improve efforts towards sustaining “viable space program” and institutional research
  • Government should get out of the way, allow scientists to determine regulations
  • Private companies will invest in basic science research
  • More transparency in funding to reduce waste
  • Top priority is climate change
  • Science policy should better reflect preferences and needs of citizens
Climate Change
  • Acknowledges the severity of climate change and its consequences.
  • Proposes 3-tiered plan to reduce fossil fuel dependence through technological advancement, increase investment and reliance on cleaner energy alternatives and cut energy waste.
  • Also proposes to increase jobs in the clean energy sector.
  • Launch $60 billion initiative to partner with local govts for cleaner energy alternatives.
  • Believes climate change to be a hoax created by the Chinese, as evidenced by his speeches, and still refers to it in quotation marks.
  • Believes that limited resources would be better spent in other avenues such as clean water and food production.
  • Acknowledges the threat of climate change and the contribution of humans to it..
  • Believes that market forces will be able to bring tangible reductions in carbon emissions rather than governmental regulations and international treaties.
  • Believes climate change to be the “greatest existential threat that humanity has ever faced”.
  • Proposes a “Green New Deal” which will create 20 million jobs and completely switch to clean energy sources by 2030.
  • Also proposes to end subsidies to fossil fuel companies and phase out nuclear energy.
  • Advocates for more investment in sustainable agriculture and infrastructure.
Biodiversity
  • Emphasis on preventative approaches to protect at-risk species from becoming endangered
  • International collaboration for research, information sharing, & conservation efforts
  • Necessary to move away from “special interests” controlling decisions about federal land
  • Innovation, free trade, and prosperity will enable better environmental protection
  • Private ownership of land leads to better stewardship
  • Ban pesticides that threaten pollinators
  • Invest in clean air and water, zero-waste manufacturing processes, and sustainable agricultural practices
Internet
  • Advocates internet to be kept as “a space for free exchange, providing all people equal access to knowledge and ideas.”
  • Proposes to build on Obama administration’s “Cybersecurity National Action Plan” and put in place a Chief Information Security Officer.
  • Cyber attacks to be treated just as any other attack and will be responded with serious political, economic and military approaches.
  • Believes that the govt should not “spy on its citizens”.
  • Any attack on the Internet deemed to require “utmost protection”, and a “proportional response” to “eliminate any threat to internet infrastructure”.
  • Advocates for protection of user privacy and encryption.
  • Wants to scale back National Security Agency’s role to provide cyber defense rather than being on the offensive.
  • Proposes more education on cyber security.
  • Propose to keep the internet free by supporting public broadband, supporting net neutrality laws, negotiate international treaties to ban cyber attacks with the UN’s help.
  • Opposes the “Online Piracy Act” and other legislation that would “undermine freedom and equality on the internet”.
Mental Health
  • Implement changes to health care system so that mental health & physical health are considered and treated in tandem
  • Improve awareness and training of medical & other professionals in mental health areas
  • Increase federal support to states to improve treatment options
  • Recognizes that “a comprehensive solution set must be developed”
  • Delivery of treatment is the key challenge, and state solutions are better than federal ones
  • Drug war prevents treatment by criminalizing drug abusers
  • Implement Medicare for All, including mental health care, Supplemental Security Income for mentally ill, and public education on mental illness
  • Provide rehabilitation services for mentally ill prisoners
Energy
  • Proposes a “smart energy policy” that will be at the intersection of economy, environment and security concerns.
  • Advocates for more usage of cleaner energy sources, with a short term focus on solar power.
  • Also wants to discourage fossil fuel dependence by cutting subsidies, investing more in clean energy technology and infrastructure.

*Also see “Climate Change” answer for more details.
  • Believes achieving “energy independence as soon as possible” as the goal of the US govt and American people.
  • Proposes said goal can be achieved by “exploring” all possible energy sources.
  • Also believes that the market will determine the best sources of energy for consumers.
  • Government interferes with proper acquisition and use of energy
  • Nuclear power is underused and overregulated
  • Market will dictate use of renewable energy sources
  • Rapidly transition to 100% clean energy
  • End fracking, offshore oil drilling, and nuclear power by pulling subsidies
Education
  • Committed to implementing improved computer science education at the primary, secondary, and collegiate levels to meet current job market needs, especially in underrepresented populations
  • Education models need to be changed as “one size fits all” does not work and thus should be determined at the local or state versus federal level
  • Will “allow market influences” to improve education
  • Federal standards are unnecessary and counter-productive
  • Rely on competition among states to incentivize high academic achievement
  • Pre-school through university should be “tuition-free and world-class”
  • Replace Common Core based on input from educators, parents, and communities
  • Increase federal funding of public schools
Public Health
  • Establish consistent budgeting for rapid responses to public health crises
  • Expand training programs as well as available resources to current government divisions
  • Resources are limited and thus assessment of areas with most need is required
  • Federal government’s role should be limited to “superbugs” and epidemics that cross state lines
  • Health data should be shared, not proprietary, to better monitor trends
  • Save money through a more preventative approach to public health
Water
  • Wants to work with both public and private sector to provide clean, safe water and improve water treatment technology.
  • Proposes to build a multi-agency “Western Water Partnership” to improve access to clean water.
  • Also proposes a “Water Innovation Lab” to develop novel technology for better water resource management.
  • Acknowledges the crisis and proposes to invest in infrastructure development to provide clean water to everyone.
  • Proposes increased desalinization approach and better infrastructure to meet the demands of clean water.
  • Failure to protect water supply as in Flint, MI is criminal
  • Federal government should step in when local and state officials fail or engage in misconduct
  • Investing in infrastructure will ensure clean water and prevent future crises
Nuclear Power
  • Fund research for advances in nuclear power
  • Reduce amount of weapons-grade nuclear material globally
  • Continue to rely on nuclear power as important part of energy independence
  • Maintain robust safety and security standards, and continue using nuclear power
  • Invest in newer, safer, less wasteful types of reactors
  • End nuclear power subsidies, and phase out nuclear power completely by 2027
Food
  • Proposes to increase investment in sustainable agricultural practices through the “Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development”.
  • Proposes to invest more in rural business through “Rural Business Investment Companies” that would drive growth and jobs in rural areas.
  • Believes that the market forces should be able to provide the agriculture industry with the best solutions.
  • However, also believes that food availability is a
    “national security issue” and therefore federal govt should be involved to provide a safety net for farmers.
  • Federal management of agricultural, including subsidies, has created imbalances
  • Label GMOs and regulate to make sure they are safe
  • Support regenerative agriculture and sustainability
Global   Challenges
  • Proposes to appoint US’ first “Special Envoy for Climate Change” and lead the world in responding to climate change. Also proposes to build a global “Climate and Clean Air Coalition” on an international level and make climate change a major diplomacy issue.
  • Also proposes to build a “Rapid Response Fund” to respond to national and international crises.
  • Wants to make sure that the US is experiencing economic growth due to his belief that “a prosperous America is a much better partner in tackling global problems”.
  • Use diplomacy and trade to engage with the world and solve global problems
  • International institutions should be strengthened to tackle climate change and pandemic disease
Regulations
  • Employ environmental, health, and energy regulations that “use the best available science”
  • Keep, rescind, or add regulations based on science
  • Balance economy with protection of citizens
  • Federal regulations should be reduced wherever possible
  • Patients in extremis should be free to use experimental medicine
  • FDA should be used more for informing the public about risk and less for regulating therapies
  • Rely on science advisors to formulate regulations
Vaccination
  • Globally eliminate childhood diseases through vaccination
  • Educate parents about dangers of not vaccinating their children
  • Bridge “innovation gap” between research and production of new vaccines
  • Invest in comprehensive vaccination program as a public service
  • Federal government should assist in the event of national or regional outbreak
  • Engage with partner countries to combat international outbreaks
  • Universal health care needed to ensure everyone has access to critical vaccines
  • Increase public trust in regulatory agencies by removing corporate influence
Space
  • Wants to build on current progress in US’ space exploration by ensuring funding for NASA’s programs.
  • Supports a “strong space program” from employment and educational perspectives.
  • Propose to work on a global scale to expand space exploration.
  • Space exploration should be encouraged in the private sector
  • Lead international collaboration to ensure that space technology benefits all people
  • Sign International Treaty for the Demilitarization of Space
  • Leave space exploration and research agenda up to scientists, not military or corporations
Opioids
  • Proposes a $10 billion initiative to fight the opioid epidemic by expanding the “Substance Abuse and Treatment block grant” and other federal-state partner programs.
  • Recommends “rehabilitation and treatment over prison for low-level and non-violent offenders”.
  • Wants to “stop the inflow of opioids” into the US.
  • Drug laws and “crony capitalism” of legal opioid sales have largely driven the opioid addiction crisis
  • Decriminalize and reschedule drugs, particularly cannabis
  • End the war on drugs and focus instead on research, education, and treatment
Ocean Health
  • Proposes to “oppose efforts in Congress that seek to weaken” established regulations on overfishing. Also wants to “act globally to address the fisheries crisis” and proposes better tracking of seafood sources.
  • Also wants to protect coastal habitats and coral reefs.
  • No mention of oceans, fishing, coral reefs or coastal habitats in answer.
  • Focus on protecting our own coastlines and territorial waters
  • Ocean pollution and over-harvesting will depend on international agreements and market forces
  • As part of total climate change response, conserve fish stocks and coral reefs “with or without Congress” (i.e. through executive action)
Immigration
  • Proposes to “staple” a green card to Master’s and PhD degree holders in STEM fields.
  • Proposes to support “start-up visas” for tech entrepreneurs from abroad to invest in the US.
  • Wants to streamline immigration process for “lawful residents” for easier naturalization, as mentioned in her comprehensive immigration reform.
  • Rebukes the tech companies for abusing the H1-B visa program.
  • Endorses “legal” individuals for extended stay in the US after achieving their degrees, however, was unclear on which status they would fall under.
  • Believes that a “robust” H1-B visa program will increase growth, innovation and wealth.
  • Wants market forces to determine immigration of labour and would streamline the immigration process for all labor types and skills.
  • Supports the H1-B visa program, and believes immigration issues should be studied within a global economic context.
  • Supports more “international development and demilitarization”.
  • No specific comments on “scientists and engineers who receive their graduate degree at American Universities.”
Scientific Integrity
  • Supports open access to government-funded findings through implementation of incentives for scientists to “share data, code & research results”
  • Invested in bolstering public trust in scientific findings, preserving non-partisan nature of science research, and maintaining penalties for fraud & dishonesty
  • Committed to eliminating political bias in research as “science is science and facts are facts”

 

.
  • Increase transparency to reduce influence of political interference on scientific integrity
  • Respect diversity of thought in research centers
  • American public distrusts scientific regulatory agencies because of corrupting influence of pharmaceutical corporations
  • Stop the “revolving door” between political and corporate positions, and “clean up” regulatory agencies to improve public trust in science

And finally, members of our writing team have provided their opinions on where these candidates stand when it comes to STEM:

Andrew Hooper: The perennial policy debate in the U.S. boils down to a critical role for the federal government in ensuring parity and safety through regulation from the perspective of the political left (Clinton, Stein), versus the stifling of creativity and market forces by over-regulation from the political right’s point of view (Trump, Johnson). Thus there is a greater burden on Clinton and Stein to provide detailed agendas for tinkering with regulations and bureaucracies to improve them, while Trump and Johnson tend to fall back on broad statements about the free market, federal overreach, and misspent tax dollars, promising massive overhauls to get the federal government “out of the way” of entrepreneurs, innovators, and educators.

Nafis Hasan: The US govt’s scientific policy, since World War II, has largely focused on development of a technocratic superpower, with a delicate balance maintained between environmental and economic concerns. As such, the obvious split between the centre and left-leaning candidates (Clinton, Stein) and the right-leaning ones (Trump, Johnson) is reflected on how this status should be achieved. Both Clinton & Stein advocate federal govt’s regulations in areas of concern such as climate change, energy and water, whereas Trump (in cases where he does acknowledge the crises) and Johnson are more likely to put their trust in the free market, a Friedmanian ideology that wreaked economic havoc in countries where it was tested. While Clinton seems to have the most thought-out plans for all the 20 topics covered, she is lacking in concrete details in some cases; it is also concerning that Clinton doesn’t openly support protection of user privacy and data encryption, which the other three candidates have all favored. Stein, true to her party’s namesake, favors a much stronger stance on climate change, water and energy crises; however, her plans might be deemed a bit too “idealistic” for the American public’s and legislators’ tastes. Both Johnson and Trump, while making a few good points, advocate for measures that would largely remove federal regulations and govt programs that have kept the standard of living in this country from free-falling. By and large, the choice for the next President of the US should be quite obvious for the scientific community.

 

For related reading on these topics, check out:

 

October 2016, Techniques

Top Techniques: The Basics

Western Blot

PCR

IHC

Immunoprecipitation

Library, Notes from the library, September 2016

Notes from the Library…New & Noteworthy

A warm welcome to all students! Over the summer, a few changes occurred at the library, notably…

New study spaces: In an ongoing effort to make the library a functional space for all students, the lounge behind the café on Sackler 4 (adjacent to the bathrooms and bridge to the dental school building) has been converted into the Hirsh Library Reading Room. The construction of a glass wall with a sliding door, and installation of new furniture and a wall monitor, have transformed this space into a semi-quiet, semi-private place available to anyone for individual or group study. Standing desks have been added to the 5th and 6th floors of Sackler, and new study carrels have been added to the existing carrels on the 6th and 7th floors.

Business & Careers Collection: In response to a request from the Biomedical Business Club, we have created a special place for our business and career books. Located behind the seating section next to the Library Service Desk on Sackler 4, the Business & Careers Collection features books on life after grad school, scientific communication and leadership. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Take a look at the Biomedical Business & Career Resources guide for e-books and print books located at other Tufts libraries, or recommend a purchase.

Business and Careers Collection
Business & Careers Collection on the 4th floor of the Hirsh Health Sciences Library.

Software: Sometime in the upcoming months, the Prism software that is currently on the computers in Sackler 514 will be removed from those computers and installed on the computers in Sackler 510 and the PC laptops available for checkout at the Library Service Desk. Hopefully, this will provide more options for using this program. As long as a class is not in session, the library computer labs (Sackler 510 and 514) are open for anyone to use. Check the white board behind the IT Service Desk on Sackler 5 for the weekly class schedule. A complete list of available on the library’s computers and laptops is available at: http://hirshlibrary.tufts.edu/it-support/software.

Printing: New laser printers have been installed at the printing stations on the 4th and 5th floors of Sackler. New swipe stations will be installed in the upcoming weeks. More importantly, there has been a change in how you send documents to the printers. The box that appears when you print looks the same, but instead of entering a name and password for your print job, you enter your Tufts username (e.g. jsmith01) and a name for the print job. This subtle change means that now when you swipe your card at the printer, you will see only your own documents. If you have questions about printing, then ask for help at the Library Service Desk on Sackler 4.

articles, Community, September 2016

Elisabeth Adkins graduates as the first Tufts JAX Track Ph.D.

Written by Alex Fine

Not all experiments at The Jackson Laboratory take five years to complete. But one day last month, a group of JAX scientists gathered to see the results of a five-year experiment. The presentation by Tufts University Genetics Program student, Elisabeth (Liz) Adkins, described a newly defined cell in the immune system, a cell that when multiplied excessively could contribute to autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. But the five-year experiment was even bigger than Liz’s newly defined cells. The other experiment was Sackler’s collaborative partnership with The Jackson Laboratory, and it had yielded measurable success: Liz is its first Ph.D. graduate!

A little over five years ago, the Sackler School and JAX created a new graduate program, the “JAX Track,” that would allow students to enroll with the explicit intent of conducting their thesis research at JAX. Located in Bar Harbor, Maine, The Jackson Laboratory is a world-renowned institution where mammalian genetics is at the forefront of research. JAX hosts Ph.D. students from universities in the US and abroad during some portion of their thesis research.

Tufts JAX Track students might be drawn to JAX because of the laboratory’s history and reputation in mouse genetics, or they might have been at JAX as a summer student and fallen in love with the place, or they might have been told about the resources and community from a mentor who had valued their own time at JAX. But the question, five years ago, that faced JAX and the Sackler School was: were there students who wanted a uniquely JAX experience during their Ph.D.? And would it work? Together, Sackler and JAX faculty thought they had the right ingredients: a strong translational research group at Tufts and wide strengths in mammalian genetics at JAX. But it took the students, and especially Liz Adkins as the pioneer student, to put it together and meet the high expectations.

Adkins joined the JAX Track on the strong recommendation of her undergraduate mentor, Tom King, who had worked with Eva Eicher at JAX during his scientific training. As Liz said, “I also knew that if I wanted to do mouse research – and I did – that there was no better place in the world to do it than at JAX.” Liz’s graduate school career began in the two months before her Sackler orientation, during which she attended the Short Course in Medical and Experimental Mammalian Genetics and had a short research rotation, both at JAX in Bar Harbor. She then moved to Boston to complete her first semester of coursework at Tufts with the rest of her Genetics cohort before returning to Maine to resume her laboratory rotations. At the end of her first year, Liz joined the research group of JAX professor Derry Roopenian for her thesis research. Roopenian studies autoimmune disorders, pathologies that arise when our body’s immune system starts fighting our body. Adkins wanted to understand the process by which B cells, the immune cells in our bodies that produce antibodies, become corrupted to produce antibodies against our own cells and tissues instead of exclusively against foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses.

As we all know, a Ph.D. requires a lot of work. There are hours and hours in the lab, at the microscope and the cell sorter, and reading papers and trying to figure out why results are different than you thought they would be. Adkins had the added challenge of helping to shape the JAX Track program. Although the Sackler and JAX faculty had a clear vision of the program’s mission and the overall structure, there were challenges along the way that no one anticipated – and which Adkins, initially as the sole student, helped solve. “I knew there would be hiccups helping pilot a new program, but I love a challenge and this was one I was happy to take,” recalled Adkins. “Communication lines are open over the geographical distance separating the two institutions. Faculty at both institutions are pulling together and there is a mutual sense of pride in what we all have accomplished,” added Mary Ann Handel, the JAX Track director in Bar Harbor. Thus today, thanks to the efforts of Liz, other Genetics students, both in the JAX Track and in Boston, and the Sackler and JAX faculty, we can all call the program a success!

Liz Adkins moves on from her successes and outstanding work at Tufts and JAX to a postdoctoral research position, studying basic questions about how stem cells remain immortal. And she will continue to teach, an interest she developed during her time as a Sackler student at JAX. She leaves with a sense of accomplishment – in her research and her life – and appreciation for the JAX Track’s unique scientific environment. “Five years later, I have absolutely no regrets,” said Adkins. “I know it helped shape me into the person and scientist I am today, and I feel extremely well prepared for the future.” So yes, in a very personal way, Liz has shown the JAX Track works!

articles, Events for Students, September 2016

ICYMI: Dr. Rafael Luna & Telling Science Stories

Hi, Sackler! I’m a fourth year student in CMDB who is terrified of the fact that she just called herself a Fourth Year. Like some of you out there, I am surprised at how quickly my time at Tufts is passing by, and I am panicking about my career and life objectives. That is why I have made the conscious decision to start attending as many PDA and GSC seminars as I can, to better understand my options and to expose myself to the people who can best explain them to me. For your benefit I will be writing up an “ICYMI” (in case you missed it), a take on what went down and what I learned that you will be able to find in this newsletter. My first piece recaps a seminar hosted by the Tufts PDA titled “The Art of Scientific Storytelling,” given by Rafael Luna, Ph.D. Happy September, everyone!

Would The Lion King still be as exciting if Scar weren’t in the picture? How about if “the circle of life” weren’t really critical to survival in sub-Saharan Africa? Pride rock would be meaningless and Simba would have nothing to fight for, right?

Fortunately for all you kids of the 90’s who like to occasionally belt out a little song called “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” Walt Disney’s classic film incorporates a dire antagonist to challenge Simba and thus creates stakes to fight for, making The Lion King the compelling tale we know and love.

On August 18th, Rafael Luna, Ph.D. came to Tufts to talk about how basic storytelling elements—a protagonist, antagonist, conflict, scene, resolution, and stakes—make not only for a great Disney plotline but also an impactful and powerful title for a scientific manuscript. Dr. Luna is a biomedical research fellow at Harvard who has applied this method to the design of dozens of his own manuscripts, as well as those of his clients and collaborators. He explained that, by weaving together the above listed elements, you not only construct a more informative and intriguing title, but you also inform the structure and progression of your manuscript’s contents.

Dr. Luna began his seminar by having the attendees name all the specific storytelling elements from The Lion King: the protagonist = Simba, antagonist (or a secondary, supporting role) = Scar, conflict = regency, scene = Africa, resolution = reclaims, stakes (i.e. research impact) = the circle of life. No matter how you combine these characters and themes, you are able to wholly summarize the story. For example: “Simba defeats Scar in a battle for regency in Africa and reclaims the circle of life.” Or: “The circle of life in Africa is reclaimed by Simba as he defeats Scar in the battle for regency.” The possibilities go on and on.

Having established this, we moved on from cartoons to something slightly more relevant to our purposes, like Dr. Luna’s 2012 Cell Reports publication, C-terminal domain of eukaryotic initiation factor 5 promotes start codon recognition by its dynamic interplay with eIF1 and eIF2β. This title prepares us for a story that is primarily about the “protagonist,” C-terminal of eIF5, supported by the “antagonists” eIF1 and eIF2β. The “scene” is set at the start codon, and the “stakes” are start codon recognition. Finally, dynamic interplay summarizes the “conflict,” and we find ourselves with a complete and all-encompassing title. Throughout the seminar, we continued to analyze several other manuscript titles in order to identify how they were successful and how they could be improved.

The manner in which the title is structured can also help determine how the rest of the manuscript is written. If, for example, you are researching how a drug interacts with a certain protein, you can either structure your title such that the drug is the protagonist and the protein is the antagonist, or vice-versa. Depending on your findings, one should make more sense than the other. The implications go even further, since whether the drug or the protein plays the protagonist determines if your paper should be submitted to Nature Pharmacology or Nature Biochemistry.

Incredibly, Dr. Luna’s method is a tool with which any story can be titled and thus, organized. In just one hour, he provided us with a technique to help create accurate, informative, and complete titles. From there on out, it’s hakuna matata: no worries, for the rest of your days…

If you’re interested in learning more about Dr. Luna’s method, his book The Art of Scientific Storytelling is available for purchase on Amazon.com!