Dr. Cynthia Wolberger

Dr. Cynthia Wolberger of Johns Hopkins is giving a seminar on Tuesday (April 1st) as part of the Mission Bay Lecture Series here at UCSF. She will present recent work from her lab on how ubiquitination affects transcription. Typically, the speaker also gives an informal lunch talk with students the day before the main event. This one sounds interesting:

Friday Funnies: Venn Diagram Edition

1) Nerds vs. Geeks (credit--Yamamoto Lab, UCSF)

2) University Websites (credit-xkcd)

3) Mathematics meets Rap (credit-SMBC)

                                  

4) Explaining my life (credit-f*** no grad school)

Happy Friday!

Cosmos has arrived!

I first wrote about the re-make of Cosmos in this blog post. The first episode aired last Sunday evening. You can watch the first two episodes online, and I've also included the links below. 

Episode #1: Standing up in the Milky Way

In this first episode, Tyson introduces a few famous scientists from history and highlights how their ideas shaped the current model of the universe. What follows next is a whirlwind tour of the history of the universe--from the Big Bang all the way through to the evolution of man. 

Episode #2: Some of the Things That Molecules Do

In this episode, we leave the world of the stars and go to the molecular level--the genetic code. Tyson explains the difference between artificial and natural selection. Yet he cautions that even when evolution comes up with a specialized adaptation, there is no accounting for catastrophic events and the extinction of a species. The program concludes with speculation about life on other planets. 

This show is not meant to be a hard science program. The biology presented in the second episode is something that every high school student should know. Instead, I'm hoping this program will begin a dialogue. 

In this reboot of the Cosmos series, the producers' goals are to encourage science literacy. Executive producer Seth MacFarlane had this to say about the show:

"I think that there is a hunger for science and known about science 

and understanding of science that hasn't really been fed in the past 

two decades [...] There's been a real vacuum when it comes to science 

education. The nice thing about this show is that I think that it does what the 

original 'Cosmos' did and presents it in such a flashy, entertaining way that, as 

Carl Sagan put it in 1980, even people who have no interest in science 

will watch just because it's a spectacle."

I agree with MacFarlane's analysis--there has been a real lack of popular shows about the natural world. I'm not sure that the science presented on Cosmos needs to be flashy and entertaining. Yet I can appreciate the stories and animations as a way to introduce fundamental scientific discoveries and help foster an interest in those who wish to learn more. I hope that people who are interested in science will now have a starting point for further reading and researching topics of interest and that the show will inspire the public to support scientific research and discovery. 

C2C turns 1!

Commitment to Catalysis turns 1 today!

Thanks to everyone who is following. My goal for this next year is to post more frequently--I am aiming for 2-3 times per week. Watch your feed for more updates from the wonderful field of chemical biology and exciting commentary from a graduate student.

Betabrand's Smart Fashion

I'm not usually one to write about clothing or pay much attention to fashion (1). But I will make an exception to discuss San Francisco-based Betabrand. Back in January, Betabrand sent out an open casting call for a photoshoot that would highlight their spring clothing collection. The call specified the company wanted women with advanced degrees or who were working towards advanced degrees. 

Over 60 women Ph.D.s and doctoral candidates responded to the call, including my own classmate, Nicole. 

If you have time, visit Betabrand's website and check out the collection. Even if the clothing is not your style, I think we can all agree that these women are rockstars. 

              

1) In fact, I tend to wear my clothing until it is literally falling apart. 

2) Disclaimer: I am in no way being paid to endorse Betabrand. 

Science Questions from Second Graders

The following is a partial list of the questions asked to me and my classmate today while teaching 2nd graders about the 5 senses:

1. Do we get to try all the [5 senses] stations?
2. Do you like candy? Do you like sour patch kids?
3. Do you like lemonade?
4. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
5. Why are we eating paper? [When passing out the taste test strips]
6. Are you poisoning us?!! [After eating the bitter-tasting PTC test strip]
7. What's on your face? [Pointing to a handful of pimples on my forehead]
8. Can you still taste if you are death [sic]? [I think this student meant 'deaf']
9. How does hair grow?
10. Why do stars glow?
11. What is a shooting star?
12. Does Pluto still exist?
13. Do you have fun?
14. Do you still live with your parents?
15. Do you have a boyfriend?
16. How old are you?
17. Are you two [myself and my classmate] sisters?
18. How do tornados get strong enough to throw houses and basketballs and stuff?
19. Why do we get storms?
20. When are you coming back?

Can't wait to see what they come up with for the next time I visit!