tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52558082520829562512024-03-13T23:12:30.255-07:00mathbionerd"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."
-Colettemathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.comBlogger886125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-51113286340430396752019-10-16T09:18:00.002-07:002019-10-16T09:18:40.162-07:00Come see SexChrLab members at ASHG 2019Although I can't be there, I couldn't be more thrilled with all the trainees from lab presenting at the 2019 American Society of Human Genetics meeting this year. Please go say "hello!".<br />
<br />
<b>WEDNESDAY: </b><br />
<br />
<u>Angela Taravella</u><br />
<b>The genetic structure of human pastoralists in Northern Kenya</b><br />
Wed, Oct 16th from 2-3pm<br />
Poster Number: PgmNr 2403/W<br />
Figshare: <a href="https://figshare.com/articles/The_genetic_structure_of_pastoralists_in_Northern_Kenya/9956567">https://figshare.com/articles/The_genetic_structure_of_pastoralists_in_Northern_Kenya/9956567</a><br />
<br />
<b>THURSDAY: </b><br />
<br />
<u>Kimberly Olney</u><br />
<b>Sex differences in gene expression found in term uncomplicated human placentas</b><br />
Thursday October 17th 2-3pm<br />
Poster Number: PgmNr 619/T<br />
GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/SexChrLab/PlacentaSexDiff">https://github.com/SexChrLab/PlacentaSexDiff</a><br />
<br />
<u>Heini Natri</u><br />
<b>Genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression patterns reflect genetic ancestry and environmental differences across the Indonesian archipelago</b><br />
Thursday, Oct. 17, 3:00pm-4:00pm<br />
Poster number: 3358T<br />
BioRxiv: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/704304v1">https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/704304v1</a><br />
<br />
<b>FRIDAY: </b><br />
<br />
<u>Tanya Phung</u><br />
<b>X chromosome inactivation is heterogeneous in the human placenta</b><br />
Friday, October 18th from 2-3pm<br />
Poster number: PgmNr 620<br />
BioRxiv: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/785105v1.abstract">https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/785105v1.abstract</a><br />
<br />
<u>Emma Howell</u><br />
<b>Evaluating variant calling best practices in a non-European population</b><br />
Friday, Oct. 18, 1-2pm<br />
Poster number: 1745F<br />
<br />
<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-78948815968707655852019-04-04T20:59:00.002-07:002019-04-04T21:01:14.607-07:00Aiming high enoughThere's this thing I heard growing up, and internalized as:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>If you aren't getting rejected, you aren't aiming high enough.</i></blockquote>
<br />
That phrase comes back to me all the time, especially in academia.<br />
<br />
Tonight I got a grant rejection that... I was just so hopeful about. It was one of those two-stage grant applications, where you have to make it through the first round, and then you get the chance to write a more detailed proposal for the second round (but with fewer people competing).<br />
<br />
Turns out there were only 15 of us in the second round. And 5 were awarded. First of all, that's amazing! I'm so happy that this award exists, and so many people support it, and it was able to fund so many people.<br />
<br />
I really thought my idea was a good one. And, y'know what, it was good enough to get to the second round.<br />
<br />
I just looked up the five people who were awarded, and they are all doing really awesome, cool stuff. It's all very different from each other, and from what I do. They also are all a lot more established in the field of this application than I am.<br />
<br />
And, honestly, that feels pretty awesome. To think that I made it to compete with those people.<br />
<br />
We're going to keep pushing forward with the idea, and I'll plan to apply again next year.<br />
<br />
I'm not going to lie, the constant rejection isn't easy. And sometimes, it's downright harmful. So please don't think rejection for the sake of being rejected is a good thing. And sometimes, when it comes to grant ideas, at least, you also need to learn when its time to move on to the next.<br />
<br />
But, when it's a highly competitive field, it's okay to still feel good about being considered, even if you didn't get the thing.<br />
<br />
<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-34545282209466348292019-03-02T07:01:00.000-08:002019-03-02T07:08:22.329-08:00Changing your name after divorce in academiaI've tried to write this so many times, and I keep putting it off. I have a grant to finish. I have grading. I have emails to respond to. And then... how do you announce to everyone that you're divorced? Well, the easy thing is that you don't have to, if you don't change your name. And what's in a name?<br />
<br />
Maybe it's just easier to keep your name?<br />
<br />
I've already built a reputation with the name I changed to while married. It was after I published two papers, but now have published several under the married name. People don't explicitly know that the last name I had is shared with my ex. At least not new people that meet me. I could just keep it, for the rest of my career, and I wouldn't have to have this awkward conversation.<br />
<br />
And then all the paperwork. Changing my name legally. Changing it locally. My accounts. My child's school.<br />
<br />
And now I won't share a name with my child. That hurts more than I thought it would. It probably shouldn't, for all the reasons. But it does.<br />
<br />
And making this change in the year I go up for tenure? Several people have asked or commented on different variants of "If you change your last name, how will anyone know who you are?"<br />
<br />
I...<br />
<br />
I mean, I know we build up our reputations with our names. But, maybe people in the field will still know me. We have, Orcid, so that helps. And GoogleScholar. My CV will list all my papers and accomplishments, with my name in bold. There are a lot of ways to keep my identity together.<br />
<br />
More importantly, I hope to be doing this for a lot longer. I love this job. Being a professor is my dream job. It is the best job that I could ever have. I love science. I love teaching. I love interacting with students. I love mentoring. I love research. I love getting to come in every day and just questions to my heart's content (though it will never be enough). I love the struggle of figuring out the answers (when we can). And I want to be genuine to myself.<br />
<br />
For me, that means changing my name. Again.<br />
<br />
I don't *have* to make an announcement. I could, as I've been doing, quietly change all my media, my signature, work on slowly making these changes, so people will see the brand transition. But after talking to a lot of people, I decided to write about it, because there is so little out there on thoughts about changing names after divorce.<br />
<br />
Maybe you're wondering: what would I suggest to people deciding whether to change their names?<br />
<br />
Well, crap.<br />
<br />
I thought I'd thought about it:<br />
<a href="http://mathbionerd.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-last-name-is-two-words.html">http://mathbionerd.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-last-name-is-two-words.html</a><br />
<a href="http://mathbionerd.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-last-name-is-two-words-take-two.html">http://mathbionerd.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-last-name-is-two-words-take-two.html</a><br />
<br />
And, oh, gosh. Reading those is so hard, because I was so hopeful. I thought it was all a good idea. Not just the name. I thought that was going to be the rest of my life. And I hope that's what everyone thinks when they make the decision to change their life in such a big way. The name is a small, but very public, piece of it.<br />
<br />
But, it wasn't the rest of my life.<br />
<br />
Would I change what I did? Mostly, no. For me, the only change I would have made is to have kept publishing under "Wilson". It would have been consistent, and easy. It was an option that I didn't take at the time.<br />
<br />
The changing your name, or not... it's all so loaded. For me, so frustrating and stressful. Why did I feel so much weight to it?<br />
<br />
I think about several examples of people who publish under a name they don't go by. Or people who changed their names (after marriage, or transition, or other circumstances). And we all still respect them, or at least know them, and their work.<br />
<br />
My advice, if I can call it advice is this:<br />
<br />
<b>You are the one who is most important in deciding what name you should have. </b>So, it's worth making an informed decision. Know that there will be some hassle if you change your name (once, or twice, or more) that you will have to deal with - no getting around that, but people are smart, and they'll figure it out.<br />
<br />
Those who give you advice about your name are, I truly believe, looking out for your best interest. They know the hassles of going with the norm, or stepping outside of it. But in the end, it is your name. It is what people know you as. And sometimes we change.<br />
<br />
Scratch that. We are always changing. But sometimes that change is more public than we'd like.mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-35788951496608720552017-07-16T12:05:00.001-07:002017-07-16T12:05:44.879-07:00Not the awesomest 7-Year postdoc.<span style="text-align: left;">When I was a postdoc, I read Radhika Nagpal's, </span><a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-awesomest-7-year-postdoc-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-tenure-track-faculty-life/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">The Awesomest 7-Year Postdoc or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Tenure-Track Faculty Life</a><span style="text-align: left;">. I definitely appreciated many of the sentiments, and advice, especially that of focusing on life now, instead of delaying it on the hopes of achieving tenure. I think this sentiment should persist across academic ranks (trainees, faculty, staff). </span>I think the advice in that post are all really important - re-reading it just now was a good reminder.<br />
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: left;">As a postdoc at the time, I couldn't yet say whether being a faculty member could be anything like being a postdoc or not, but equating a tenure-track faculty position with a postdoc didn't sit right with me. (</span>It was also, in my opinion, easier to write about not caring about tenure *<i>after</i>* having gotten tenure.)<br />
<br />
So, let me be on the record, writing publicly and openly about my thoughts about the tenure-track, in the thick of it. I've been an assistant professor for three years now, halfway through. I can say unequivocally, that my job is not like being a postdoc, nor should it be (with the side-note that certainly postdocs and graduate students have some of these responsibilities as well, but I'd argue to a different degree).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>1. I am responsible to so many people.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am a researcher, a supervisor, a mentor, a teacher, a writer, a role model, a boss, a collaborator, a PI, a grant writer, a grant manager (hopefully), a mediator, an editor, and an advocate. I manage people and projects. I need to think of projects that I think will be successful to work on together with the people in my lab, and contingency plans if those projects fail. I need to find ways to compensate these people. This includes startup (which ends at the end of this month - we get three years here), and writing applications for funding to so many different agencies (government, foundation, internal, inter-institution, you name it, I'll apply). I never appreciated how terrible it would feel to tell someone I can't afford to pay them to continue doing the great work they are doing. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>2. I am a gatekeeper. </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am in a position of authority over others in a way that I wasn't as a postdoctoral fellow or a graduate student. I can affect the trajectory of trainees in so many ways: grades, admissions, recommendations, candidacy exams, thesis defenses, access to collaborations and professional opportunities. I have the power to intentionally harm an application by giving a bad recommendation. (Note that I won't agree to write anything but positive recommendations.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
More insidiously, I learned in my first year as a professor that I can unintentionally harm an application - <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2016/10/recommendation-letters-reflect-gender-bias" target="_blank">not just in gendered language</a>, I was aware of that - but in all the content that people expect in a letter of recommendation for different types of applications. I hadn't sat on these committees (I have sat on several now), to see how skillfully some professors deploy the letter of recommendation to really make a strong case for the applicant. Whoa. Happy to talk about this more later. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>3. It can be lonely.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The cohorts typically keep getting smaller, from the number of other people who are undergraduates that you can interact with, to the number of graduate students that you interact with, to a dwindling number of postdocs, to you, as a new professor. Depending on the size of your department or institution, there may be a a few other new professors, but likely not that many. That isn't to say that there aren't more established professors for one to interact with, but the interactions, in my experience, have been fewer and further between. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting the number of daily interactions to be this different (reduced) from being a postdoc. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>4. There are new expectations for interacting with the lab. </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Merging the three previous thoughts... one inclination I had/have is to treat members of my lab as peers. But, it's more complicated than that because of the power dynamics. The members of my lab are definitely colleagues. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiality" target="_blank">Per Wikipedia</a>: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respecting each other's abilities to work toward that purpose."</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peer" target="_blank">peer is </a>someone: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"that is of equal standing with another"</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have the ability to shape letters of recommendation, open doors, close them, or otherwise influence the career trajectory of people who are in my lab. By virtue of that, I need to be especially careful to recognize that we are not on a level playing field. There is a power imbalance. The people in my lab are not complete free to speak their minds with no fear of potential retaliation. They can't decline my invitations without a twinge of concern that I might interpret it negatively, even subconsciously. Given how academic institutions and funding structures work, there are so many concerns for them, literally for their livelihoods. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sure, as a postdoc, I could, some day, have an effect on my peers, and on the graduate and undergraduate students in the lab. But I wasn't directly above them in the food-chain. If they didn't want to come hang out, it's no biggie. More than anything, this transition has been the one that caught me off guard the most. </div>
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Can I hang out with my lab? Of course. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Do I have to be constantly aware of how there is a power differential that is tipped in my favor? Absolutely. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Not a postdoc, but still a person.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I have responsibilities to the students in my class, to the members of my lab, to my peers, my colleagues, my administration, and to the public. I feel the weight of this responsibility. As a professor, there are so many more ways for me to fail. There are so many more people for me to fail. Being a professor on the tenure track is not like being a postdoc in many ways. But, maybe in the ones that matter most, it is: this is my life. I'm living it right now. It isn't on hold. </div>
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mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-52586374103254259222017-06-22T09:01:00.002-07:002017-06-22T09:01:33.750-07:00Why I'm not blogging<div>
I have five minutes. That's all I'll take for this. </div>
<ul>
<li>There are all the things to write: papers, grants, letters of recommendation, evaluations of the students in the program I'm co-chairing, more papers, more grants, annual evaluations.</li>
<li>I have trainees to mentor - it takes time to actually sit down with everyone, listen, and try to respond.</li>
<li>I like to see my family. </li>
<li>I am giving seminars and conference presentations</li>
<li>I'm doing research - I've been so excited to be coding lately! It's really great to be doing hands-on research.</li>
<li>I'm teaching, grading, reading, meeting with students.</li>
<li>Sometimes (often?) the things I'm thinking are much better said by other people.</li>
<li>I'm sitting on committees at my University.</li>
<li>I'm a council member.</li>
<li>I'm peer-reviewing.</li>
<li>I'm editing papers for journals. </li>
<li>I'm packing lunches, walking dogs, cleaning the house, grocery shopping...</li>
<li>Sometimes, I make it to the gym.</li>
<li>I bought a book I might get to read.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I love blogging. I love reading other people's blogs. So, maybe I can give myself five minutes here and there to do it more. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Time's up. Back to work. </div>
mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-8495595546637717172017-04-11T16:47:00.002-07:002017-04-11T16:47:36.958-07:00Being nominatedA little over a week ago I found out I was nominated as a BadAss woman of ASU.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Oh, I checked my campus mail and guess what?!?<br />
<br />
Someone nominated me as a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BadAss?src=hash">#BadAss</a> Woman of ASU! <br />
<br />
Thank you, thank you!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HERstory?src=hash">#HERstory</a> <a href="https://t.co/IktImY9CCk">pic.twitter.com/IktImY9CCk</a></div>
— Melissa WilsonSayres (@mwilsonsayres) <a href="https://twitter.com/mwilsonsayres/status/847852043330965504">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
<br />
I was totally (pleasantly) surprised by it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMaacCy1tZ1Mr2hI33zIkSBuCKlSO8rJTAMJeaQFFl9KWw7FPgUiiPlFr81kpFlhefBcJosT9fN77mk4DxOdkCJed_caWmK0WFTsdfQEq0eC5kOz5a-vL0vPamIZLosI-6bUrogQ2yBg/s1600/pDwUR.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMaacCy1tZ1Mr2hI33zIkSBuCKlSO8rJTAMJeaQFFl9KWw7FPgUiiPlFr81kpFlhefBcJosT9fN77mk4DxOdkCJed_caWmK0WFTsdfQEq0eC5kOz5a-vL0vPamIZLosI-6bUrogQ2yBg/s400/pDwUR.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
Yesterday Shantel Mareka wrote an article about it that made me tear up (happy tears):<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hercampus.com/school/asu/asu-faculty-member-treads-new-turf-she-impacts-student-lives">http://www.hercampus.com/school/asu/asu-faculty-member-treads-new-turf-she-impacts-student-lives</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYuFPruq4KCQ_wLFyJ0NVLCrT5YsA3Z7XODUdL0wQ4dLIch3Yah1I0idmOOyvzgn1O3HngmIGErIM3HHYvPLdD6835iGnzjtZ-v_swLY1RlcUWk65V95tO9_JdK1Epsha9GvOefw4X_4/s1600/Mila-Kunis-Laughing-And-Wiping-The-Tears-Away-Reaction-Gif.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYuFPruq4KCQ_wLFyJ0NVLCrT5YsA3Z7XODUdL0wQ4dLIch3Yah1I0idmOOyvzgn1O3HngmIGErIM3HHYvPLdD6835iGnzjtZ-v_swLY1RlcUWk65V95tO9_JdK1Epsha9GvOefw4X_4/s320/Mila-Kunis-Laughing-And-Wiping-The-Tears-Away-Reaction-Gif.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Science is full of many challenges and constant rejections. There are the things that go wrong that we don't have any control over, and then there are the mistakes we make ourselves. There are external and internal pressures. There is self-doubt, and questioning. There are successes, too, but somehow I don't hold on to good news as much as I do the criticisms.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXf1fnJ3lf5xWSxcPMydE2EXg-IBTkySpz2_mzCijp3uEKNlXkoDcZ5fNUnumcSlln7jqa6O1vxcWd3BNxN51N5wr-ZvkTpOhf2-0cKgUvNzhTsoAQfN_pplebuexJrpCJZdhrkPFMvs/s1600/tumblr_n22t9aj6yb1tq4of6o1_500.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXf1fnJ3lf5xWSxcPMydE2EXg-IBTkySpz2_mzCijp3uEKNlXkoDcZ5fNUnumcSlln7jqa6O1vxcWd3BNxN51N5wr-ZvkTpOhf2-0cKgUvNzhTsoAQfN_pplebuexJrpCJZdhrkPFMvs/s320/tumblr_n22t9aj6yb1tq4of6o1_500.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
I don't know how to express how much it means to me that students and colleagues would share such kind words. That other people would spend their precious time, for me. I will hold this so close. I will treasure your sentiments. I will take them to heart. I appreciate you all.<br />
<br />
Thank you for reminding me of the value of all that we do together, because surely we do this together. We learn together. We research together. We help each other see our errors and move past them. We commiserate in our losses. We celebrate our discoveries and successes together. We move science forward. We move each other forward.<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7A7FlamwRZMei25JlkBQ7V-BQnXYfVxBefCjU6elNbg2ENm6FejDdR529G_bU5xn-yZCc8rD0UjREIboeAAtf2KALuR9rDyKfuhicXobrypzErBsNvwrf1ErW1nRHhCmCupxopstrgE/s1600/L9KlL.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7A7FlamwRZMei25JlkBQ7V-BQnXYfVxBefCjU6elNbg2ENm6FejDdR529G_bU5xn-yZCc8rD0UjREIboeAAtf2KALuR9rDyKfuhicXobrypzErBsNvwrf1ErW1nRHhCmCupxopstrgE/s320/L9KlL.gif" width="320" /></a>mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-75845958842192246342017-02-19T21:33:00.000-08:002017-02-19T21:33:01.016-08:00AllegianceIt would be an understatement to say I was moved by the broadcast of <a href="http://allegiancemusical.com/" target="_blank">Allegiance</a> today. I was, like many other people in the theatre, softly sobbing at many parts of the performance.<br />
<br />
The show today was, as is every performance of Allegiance, <a href="http://allegiancemusical.com/article/behind-our-story/" target="_blank">a tribute to the 120,000 Americans</a> of Japanese descent who were wrongfully detained 75 years ago today in internment camps during WWII.<br />
<br />
I learned about internment camps during WWII, but as a side-note. There's a song near the end of the musical that sums it up so well, and illustrates how I learned about these, as a "whoops, we thought you were the enemy but we were wrong." No acknowledgement of wrong-doing. No apologies.<br />
<br />
It was easy to connect and empathize with so many of the characters, but the one that drew me in the most, was that of Greg Watanabe's Mike Masoaka. His role is curious in both being immensely influential at the time, and only a side-character in the show. He has a book that he co-published (presumably about himself) in 1987, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/They-Call-Me-Moses-Masaoka/dp/0688062369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487567796&sr=8-1&keywords=mike+masaoka" target="_blank">They Call Me Moses Masoaka: An American Saga</a>. But, I didn't see another biography of him on Amazon. I did find his obituary in the New York Times from 1991, which is surprisingly brief: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/29/obituaries/mike-masaoka-75-war-veteran-who-aided-japanese-americans.html">http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/29/obituaries/mike-masaoka-75-war-veteran-who-aided-japanese-americans.html</a>.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it's primarily because of Watanabe's performance, or the way the character was written, but I'm so curious about how he really felt about the reports he gave on the news, his stance on the camps, and the 442nd Regimental combat team. For whatever his motivations, after the war, it seems he was instrumental in the passing of, among other things, an act (that took until 1998) to compensate the 60,000 surviving Americans who were interned.<br />
<br />
Most of the people portrayed in Allegiance were invented for the musical. The portrayal of the pain, humiliation, and anxiety that we put our fellow human beings through, and their joy and resilience is palpable throughout the show.<br />
<br />
I don't need to see someone's hurt to know I should care for them or that they deserve respect. That said, historical dramas, to me, are a constant reminder of the history I've neglected, and a renewed motivation to be proactive to not repeat our shameful past.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVNQxvMGIkKsIiq7ggLkjuJuvGX_fe-tP_5kfYaRcd0-8wXJr4PSQbmLHPAqMfG0ykjRVPdKQtreyFTNUwHYel5dwhZTe2bQT0fAo3aGH80GZzvYotqkliRDnqoOlIaBWlXd49iNve_8/s1600/Logo_of_the_musical_Allegiance.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVNQxvMGIkKsIiq7ggLkjuJuvGX_fe-tP_5kfYaRcd0-8wXJr4PSQbmLHPAqMfG0ykjRVPdKQtreyFTNUwHYel5dwhZTe2bQT0fAo3aGH80GZzvYotqkliRDnqoOlIaBWlXd49iNve_8/s320/Logo_of_the_musical_Allegiance.png" width="320" /></a></div>
mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-40043870050301979222016-12-06T09:49:00.003-08:002016-12-06T09:53:14.614-08:00He made a difference. At a time when I was lost and alone and questioning, my math teacher, Mr. Tim Boerner, made a tremendous positive impact on my life. And now he's <a href="http://ncn21.com/obituaries/tim-boerner-age-65-of-syracuse-ne-formerly-nebr-city/" target="_blank">gone</a>.<br />
<br />
My parents were in an ugly divorce. We moved from Arizona to Texas to Kansas to Nebraska in a matter of months. My brothers and I knew no one in Nebraska. We were all new kids in a small town. Thanks to differences in school districts across States and moving to a small town, I was also skipped up a grade. In a weird transition, I spent three days in 8th grade before I was moved up to the high school, in a different building across town. In a town of 1,600, everyone knew everything, and knew I didn't fit in.<br />
<br />
Mr. Boerner (I'll never be able to call him by his first name) taught math. He also ran the Math club, and encouraged me to join. I never thought I was very good at math, but I liked it, and his encouragement made me feel like it was okay to just like math. He took the time to take our small town group of students to Math events around the local area, and even to the <a href="http://www.math.unl.edu/math-day-university-nebraska-lincoln" target="_blank">University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL)'s Math Day</a> every year. There we got to interact with over 1000 other students, tour the campus, compete on teams with timed questions, and take individual exams. I realize that may not sound like a lot of fun to some people, but to me, it was incredible, and something I looked forward to every year. I got to do all of this - to fit in - because of Mr. Boerner.<br />
<br />
Mr. Boerner was nerdy and gruff. He saw potential in all of us. He got frustrated with students who didn't pay attention. High schoolers are an unforgiving group, and he took us on. He answered our unending questions and worked with anyone who asked for help. He gave us opportunities to see how math could be used. He didn't tell us, he showed us. He showed me that diligence and practice matter.<br />
<br />
He showed me how I could push myself to learn, even when things are difficult. He showed me that being challenged by something doesn't mean I should give up. He showed me how to persevere. That is key in education, but especially in mathematics, where I've heard over and over that I must be smart for doing math. I'm as smart as anyone. More than that, I don't give up. And, I have to thank Mr. Boerner for that.<br />
<br />
I've thought about him often over the years, but am sorry I never told him. I never told him how much he gave me something to look forward to at a time when I didn't know what was going on in my life. I never told him how his consistent and logical demeanor was an inspiration to me. I saw his unwavering dedication to teaching, to his students, and it made a lasting impact on how I approach the world. I've since earned a B.S. Mathematics and a Ph.D. Bioinformatics & Genomics. I get to teach hundreds of students every year, both formally and informally about science, including math in biology. I see some struggle, and I continue to be inspired by Mr. Boerner's example to never give up on them. He was tough, fair, and (perhaps unknowingly) helped me find solace and self-confidence at a very uncertain time. I don't know how I can ever pay it forward enough.<br />
<br />
If there is one thing, I hope you can take away from this, it is that Mr. Boerner made a difference. I don't know what would have happened if I'd never known him, but I know that his life made mine better.<br />
<br />
Thank you, Mr. Boerner.<br />
<br />
<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-8109587938668635162016-09-29T10:06:00.000-07:002016-09-29T10:06:42.154-07:00Come say, "hi"It's going to be a busy two months coming up, but if I'll be in your neighborhood, please let me know, and I'd love to say "hello"!<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Oct 4</b> </div>
<div>
Seminar: <i>Sex-biased genome evolution</i></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.genetics.utah.edu/" target="_blank">Human Genetics</a>, University of Utah School of Medicine</div>
<div>
Salt Lake City, UT</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Oct 11</b></div>
<div>
Seminar: <i>Convergent evolution of dosage compensation in human and green anoles</i></div>
<div>
<a href="http://e3b.columbia.edu/" target="_blank">Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology</a>, Columbia University</div>
<div>
New York, NY</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Oct 13</b></div>
<div>
Seminar: <i>Sex-biased genome evolution</i></div>
<div>
<a href="http://csho.as.nyu.edu/page/home" target="_blank">Center for the Study of Human Origins</a>, NYU</div>
<div>
New York, NY</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Oct 15-17</b></div>
<div>
Hack-a-thon organizer: <i>Inferring sex chromosome and autosomal ploidy in NGS data</i></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.hackseq.com/" target="_blank">HackSeq</a>, Vancouver</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Oct 18-21</b></div>
<div>
Platform presentation: <i>Modeling the subclonal evolution of cancer cell populations</i></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.ashg.org/2016meeting/" target="_blank">ASHG</a>, Vancouver</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nov 4-6</b></div>
<div>
Invited participant</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.nasonline.org/programs/kavli-frontiers-of-science/" target="_blank">US Kavli Frontiers of Science</a></div>
<div>
Irvine, CA</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nov 7</b></div>
<div>
Seminar: <i>Sex-biased genome evolution</i></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.genetics.ucla.edu/" target="_blank">Human Genetics</a> (Genetics & Genomics), UCLA</div>
<div>
Los Angeles, CA</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nov 17-19</b> </div>
<div>
Conference organizer, presenter</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.wilsonsayreslab.org/edu-outreach/#/evsex16/" target="_blank">Evolutionary Genomics of Sex 2016</a></div>
<div>
Tempe, AZ</div>
mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-41742091172571760752016-09-28T15:42:00.001-07:002016-09-28T15:42:36.335-07:00I forgot about self-promotion.Yesterday at a faculty meeting, we started the meeting by being asked what the most exciting thing going on with us was.<br />
<br />
<b>Excited about teaching computing skills</b><br />
I was pretty stoked because this class I'm teaching - and introduction to research computing topics - has been super-well attended (there's an option to take it for credit, or anyone can show up for a single session). It's a hands-on introduction to computing topics (e.g., SSH, SFTP, HPC, command line scripting, etc), and later it will be more domain-specific topics across different departments at my institution. I've been doing assessments after each class, and getting really constructive feedback, which is awesome. And, attendance has been awesome!<br />
<br />
Exciting?! I got this!<br />
<br />
I piped up about this being the most exciting thing right now. Then, in an effort to keep it brief so we could get on with the meeting, let the next person go. Short and sweet. Well done, self.<br />
<br />
So... everyone else in attendance made sure to highlight multiple current research projects in their lab, and current/pending publications.<br />
<br />
Right. Yes. Listening to everyone do this, I realized that is probably what I should have been focusing on too. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5fj_ywPKIdI4fqDmsyiPe6DMrrrof8EifAz72ZrK6SWqpXkFManBSg6NtWx3RlROVUPVmdSDzO3xp-5N_ArP22vvLaUQfLVoJXjoSBFqrD4ibff-k0DNjIYoXoM0LmWEPUi2rEzuW2o/s1600/iooo.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5fj_ywPKIdI4fqDmsyiPe6DMrrrof8EifAz72ZrK6SWqpXkFManBSg6NtWx3RlROVUPVmdSDzO3xp-5N_ArP22vvLaUQfLVoJXjoSBFqrD4ibff-k0DNjIYoXoM0LmWEPUi2rEzuW2o/s400/iooo.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
In my excitement about how well this computing teaching has been going, I forgot to mention those things that I probably should have. Those things academics value, for self-promotion, even among colleagues. They won't know unless I tell them.<br />
<br />
<b>Papers</b><br />
For example, I should probably have mentioned that the lab has had two publications this month, and another coming out next week:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Narang P and <strong>Wilson Sayres MA</strong>. 2016. Variable autosomal and X divergence near and far from genes affects estimates of male mutation bias in great apes. Genome Biology and Evolution (<em>accepted</em>). </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Pagani L… <strong>Wilson Sayres MA</strong>… et al. 2016. <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature19792.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Genomic analyses inform on migration events during the peopling of Eurasia</span></a>. Nature (advanced access online). doi:10.1038/nature19792<span style="font-size: 10pt;">.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span>Webster TH and <strong>Wilson Sayres MA</strong>. 2016. <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X1630106X" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">S</a><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X1630106X" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">ex-biased demography across human populations</a></span>. <em>Current Opinion in Genetics and Development</em> <strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">3</span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(41): 62-71. </span>doi:10.1016/j.gde.2016.08.002 </blockquote>
<div>
<b>Data</b></div>
<div>
And, I also didn't mention that we've got some really great RNAseq data back, as part of a collaboration that we're starting to analyze. Seriously, it's the prettiest data I've seen to date, just look at it!! </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCHmyqABfSATFzODbE2cogY0uzcu8k8tK2UkvbIzDQB7kiSkHAShUgcPK3EQTeV4Yj2LT_nZ79VM1ul5bH4GIjrKHeeuRoNnVs_8uxC8C6vfnHcQ6kfJ5s74UlVeOL7JojOfjGTWufh4/s1600/pretty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCHmyqABfSATFzODbE2cogY0uzcu8k8tK2UkvbIzDQB7kiSkHAShUgcPK3EQTeV4Yj2LT_nZ79VM1ul5bH4GIjrKHeeuRoNnVs_8uxC8C6vfnHcQ6kfJ5s74UlVeOL7JojOfjGTWufh4/s320/pretty.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's okay, you can be jealous.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Back to work</b><br />
I'm really not sure what the best approach is. I *love* talking about my research. I do it incessantly. But, I also get distracted (I'd say, "motivated") by things outside of lab that are going well. For now, I'd better get back to work, so I'll have new science things to talk about the next time someone asks about how things are going. :)mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-37659071762622582462016-09-20T12:26:00.001-07:002016-09-20T12:26:27.832-07:00Academic hiring committees aren't doing enough. I'm sitting on my first search committee this year (assuming we get approval for the two hires). It is sometimes hard to believe that I'm on this side of the equation now. Being here, I feel a lot of responsibility. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Advertising.</b></div>
<div>
The first thing I started thinking of was ways we can do a better job of recruiting a diverse pool of applicants. There are many people who have been thinking, writing, and talking about this, so searching google, and asking twitter is helpful. I can share what I've learned there. I'm also happy that the committee I'm on has already been vocal about not sparing expenses on advertising in as many diverse venues as possible. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Why come here? </b></div>
<div>
But, it's nagging on me, that it isn't ever going to be enough to just advertise in a variety of places. Why should someone want to join us? Why should they want to be my colleague? What are we continuing to do to build an inclusive environment that values and respects each person's contribution? And how are we making that known? How are we, as a department, as a University, sensitive to all the bigoted garbage that disproportionately affects people from underrepresented groups? How do we support them? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Academic job hiring is always a two-way street. I want colleagues who choose to come here, over somewhere else, because it is a great academic environment that supports their growth as a researcher and a person. Every academic department should be like this. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>I'm not doing enough. </b></div>
<div>
For the past two years, since I started in this position, I've been focused on how I can build the best laboratory environment. We (mostly I) will always be learning, and adjusting. I feel privileged by the students and trainees that have chosen to join my lab. I try to advocate for my trainees. I try to make a space where we can be open, and inclusive. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last year I ran our seminar series, and worked to take suggestions from across the department (it's technically a school, but I'm using department because that is how most places are structured), and invited a group of speakers that were representative of the range of disciplines in our unit, as well as considered other dimensions of diversity. But I could have done better. I see ways in which I could have improved - working more with each faculty group to build up a more diverse list. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This year, my service to the department is co-chairing the Evolutionary Biology graduate program. In doing so, we are working to build a sense of community among the members of the program. We had a welcome potluck, we are hosting a journal club, and working to set up peer-mentoring for writing grants/fellowships. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Okay, so I can work on my lab. I can work with the graduate students in my program. But, what am I really doing to contribute to the department as a whole. How am I making a lasting impact on the climate of the department? I think it has to start small, with the lab, with a program, but I need to contribute more to the department as a whole. I'm still working on how best to do this. I welcome your suggestions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Advertising isn't enough.</b></div>
<div>
I also think every academic should be thinking about the health of our working environments. It isn't enough to advertise broadly. It isn't enough to carefully craft the language of an advertisement to be inclusive. Though, surely, those things are important. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some units are small, with single digit faculty. Some, like mine, have around 100. In every case, there will be people we want to recruit who don't look like us. Their science is different, their experiences are different, they won't look or sound like us. But, our motivations should be the same. We should all be motivated to lift each other up, to do the best science we can, and to be good mentors and educators. That motivation - shared across the department - should be abundantly clear to all applicants. Maybe it could be simple. As an academic, this is the question I want each department to ask: </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
How are we building an environment that someone who doesn't look like us will want to join?</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We need to ask ourselves this routinely, and work towards answering it. It is the long game. It takes conscious and persistent effort. And it will never be a question we don't have to ask. I think making our environment the best it can be is the most productive recruiting strategy we can have. </div>
mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-21553869696884372052016-09-06T13:21:00.005-07:002016-09-06T13:21:57.925-07:00Genomic signatures of sex-biased demographyOh hey look! Our paper is out today!<br />
<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Tg3A_,2BdT7EGQ&source=gmail&ust=1473279554103000&usg=AFQjCNHLUFpgqzIGLnIPZ4PooNrslETxPw" href="http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Tg3A_,2BdT7EGQ" rel="noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://authors.elsevier.com/a/<wbr></wbr>1Tg3A_,2BdT7EGQ</a><br />
<br />
<h1 class="svTitle" id="tit0005" style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Microsoft Sans Serif', 'Segoe UI Symbol', STIXGeneral, 'Cambria Math', 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Genomic signatures of sex-biased demography: progress and prospects</h1>
<ul class="authorGroup noCollab svAuthor" style="border: 0px; color: #2e2e2e; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Microsoft Sans Serif', 'Segoe UI Symbol', STIXGeneral, 'Cambria Math', 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="smh5" style="border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="authorName svAuthor" data-fn="Timothy H" data-ln="Webster" data-orcid="" data-pos="1" data-t="a" data-tb="" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X1630106X#" id="authname_N4d303a00N4d223c5c" style="border: 0px; color: #316c9d; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Timothy H Webster</a><a class="intra_ref auth_aff" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X1630106X#aff0005" id="baff0005" style="border: 0px; color: #316c9d; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Affiliation: 1"><sup style="border: 0px; font-size: 0.7em; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</sup></a><sup style="border: 0px; font-size: 0.7em; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, </sup><a class="auth_mail" href="mailto:Timothy.h.webster@asu.edu" style="background-image: url(http://cdn.els-cdn.com/sd/img/articleSpriteVert_1609R1.png); background-position: 0% -3885px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; color: #316c9d; display: inline-block; height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title="E-mail the corresponding author"></a>, </li>
<li class="smh5" style="border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="authorName svAuthor" data-fn="Melissa A" data-ln="Wilson Sayres" data-orcid="" data-pos="2" data-t="a" data-tb="" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X1630106X#" id="authname_N4d303a00N4d223d4c" style="border: 0px; color: #316c9d; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Melissa A Wilson Sayres</a><a class="intra_ref auth_aff" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X1630106X#aff0005" id="baff0005" style="border: 0px; color: #316c9d; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Affiliation: 1"><sup style="border: 0px; font-size: 0.7em; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</sup></a><sup style="border: 0px; font-size: 0.7em; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, </sup><a class="intra_ref auth_aff" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X1630106X#aff0010" id="baff0010" style="border: 0px; color: #316c9d; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Affiliation: 2"><sup style="border: 0px; font-size: 0.7em; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2</sup></a><sup style="border: 0px; font-size: 0.7em; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, </sup><a class="auth_mail" href="mailto:Melissa.wilsonsayres@asu.edu" style="background-image: url(http://cdn.els-cdn.com/sd/img/articleSpriteVert_1609R1.png); background-position: 0% -3885px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; color: #316c9d; display: inline-block; height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title="E-mail the corresponding author"></a></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Microsoft Sans Serif', 'Segoe UI Symbol', STIXGeneral, 'Cambria Math', 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: -1.244531273841858px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Microsoft Sans Serif', 'Segoe UI Symbol', STIXGeneral, 'Cambria Math', 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: -1.244531273841858px;">Sex-biased demographic events have played a crucial role in shaping human history. Many of these processes affect genetic variation and can therefore leave detectable signatures in the genome because autosomal, X-linked, Y-linked, and mitochondrial DNA inheritance differ between sexes. Here, we discuss how sex-biased processes shape patterns of genetic diversity across the genome, review recent genomic evidence for sex-biased demography in modern human populations, and suggest directions for future research.</span></div>
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<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-79965491819270265442016-08-31T16:55:00.001-07:002016-08-31T16:55:11.289-07:00Third yearI've received the email that reminds me that it is the beginning of my third year as an assistant professor, which means (here) that I need to prepare my packed of my third-year evaluation.<br />
<br />
This evaluation is all the content I'd submit for a tenure review, and goes through the same review process, except that the University doesn't ask for external evaluation letters at this point.<br />
<br />
Technically I'm on a three-year contract, so at the end of this year, ASU can decide not to renew me for another three years. While that possibility looms, I feel like I've been doing my best in the three areas I've been hired to work in - Research, Teaching, Service - and there isn't more that I could have done up until this point.<br />
<br />
I still consider myself a #newPI, still learning about grant-writing, how to be a better educator, and learning about University goings-on. But, I feel more comfortable.<br />
<br />
<b>How are things? </b><br />
The lab is set up, and I'm really fortunate that my lab is filled with wonderful people who chose to work with me: <a href="http://www.wilsonsayreslab.org/lab/#/lab-members/">http://www.wilsonsayreslab.org/lab/#/lab-members/</a>. I really love teaching Evolution every Spring, and this semester I'm teaching three one-credit courses (two of which are new as of this semester, about coding topics, which I'm *super* excited about). I have some really wonderful colleagues, and this year I get to sit on a search committee to choose two more!<br />
<br />
<b>Quiet around here</b><br />
Well, quiet on the blog. I haven't been blogging around here, but I have been doing a lot of writing:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Blogged for CEM: <a href="https://evmed.asu.edu/blog/how-rare-rare-disease" target="_blank">How Rare is a Rare Disease?</a></li>
<li>I've responded to a lot of questions from K-12 students for <a href="https://evmed.asu.edu/blog/how-rare-rare-disease" target="_blank">Ask a Biologist.</a></li>
<li>Since I started in August 2014, I've written, or contributed to writing, seven publications that have been <a href="http://www.wilsonsayreslab.org/research/#/publications/" target="_blank">accepted</a>, four that are in revision, and another five that are in various stages of preparation/review (as in, I could get you a draft if you wanted). </li>
<li>Umpteen grant applications</li>
</ul>
<br />
And the thing is, I have so many things to tell you all! We've been doing so much good science and fun outreach. I just need to make time to write about them. Partially, in the last several months, I've traded blogging time for working-out time. I needed it. And as much as I miss writing, I need the exercise more.<br />
<br />
<b>So, it's all rainbows?</b><br />
Well, no, of course not. There are plenty of things to nit-pick and complain about. And, get me alone over coffee, or after a poster session, and I'm sure I'll complain with you. But, taking a step back, I can say this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I have my dream job. </i></blockquote>
<br />
Being a professor, teaching, doing research, service... this is what I've wanted to do before I even know what to call it. I get to science, and I wouldn't want anything else.<br />
<br />
<b>Where we're going </b><br />
I'm going to make a goal of getting up one blog post a week, updating on the projects in the lab, and my thoughts about science/lab/life.<br />
<br />
One a week.<br />
<br />
I can do that.<br />
<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-17107830734860601992016-05-26T07:53:00.000-07:002016-05-26T07:53:38.863-07:00Show me your teethYesterday I had the most wonderful surprise!<br />
<br />
Last year I had two wisdom teeth out, and two symmetric <a href="https://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-65/issue-11/612.html" target="_blank">supernumerary teeth</a> removed. In January I was able to go pick up the autoclaved teeth, for science, of course. (I also had two wisdom teeth removed more than a decade ago, but not sure where they are, so couldn't donate them.):<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
I had 2 lower wisdom teeth removed as a teenager. Recently I had upper 2 & 2 supernumerary teeth removed! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/orangutan?src=hash">#orangutan</a> <a href="https://t.co/WHxT4NSt2N">pic.twitter.com/WHxT4NSt2N</a></div>
— Melissa WilsonSayres (@mwilsonsayres) <a href="https://twitter.com/mwilsonsayres/status/692846403865825282">January 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
Then, I dutifully delivered my teeth to the lab of <a href="https://webapp4.asu.edu/directory/person/748275" target="_blank">Gary Schwartz</a>. Yesterday, he very kindly showed my my prepared teeth!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9uGG6cG0-jDD-zw5L_TURTRbqcpevdHXeVhyphenhyphenfdvNt4__nm-sBqkDZa3OZ9hQQ7apB7JSgIyMeC1hWY_I5fFrfyh8vrOVsFRX6EbKECGXIyIizEHwh7ESi1bYpKIUSGahQfhVFAs3a60/s1600/FullSizeRender_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9uGG6cG0-jDD-zw5L_TURTRbqcpevdHXeVhyphenhyphenfdvNt4__nm-sBqkDZa3OZ9hQQ7apB7JSgIyMeC1hWY_I5fFrfyh8vrOVsFRX6EbKECGXIyIizEHwh7ESi1bYpKIUSGahQfhVFAs3a60/s320/FullSizeRender_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at those wise teeth!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwUCSDuZLGSuNCuYz1fSgcpj-t2jaOx1JCynPehr8vdCseEFLg81b82v_gnphmDVaBrPuk7NXigcSZhy-fORdGqYi6yt1jjtIcYBUj-S45LJjrFw0DyGjGEWHoKskttIVZov8zZBQElQ/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwUCSDuZLGSuNCuYz1fSgcpj-t2jaOx1JCynPehr8vdCseEFLg81b82v_gnphmDVaBrPuk7NXigcSZhy-fORdGqYi6yt1jjtIcYBUj-S45LJjrFw0DyGjGEWHoKskttIVZov8zZBQElQ/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teeth are sectioned, then set, in preparation for thin slicing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6MxlbKyepQ1h_4kWxAF-wetSZhRY26_3Ha5-KOIxxQhRdOghNujklNcsnHV5MbRn_7JMRVqtKGzWTs0swUK8g-dDrHOzo9jaSmS85f66VGngEGs9i6mJqrsUAUIEn7tsUIJP0jOuCMw/s1600/IMG_6793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6MxlbKyepQ1h_4kWxAF-wetSZhRY26_3Ha5-KOIxxQhRdOghNujklNcsnHV5MbRn_7JMRVqtKGzWTs0swUK8g-dDrHOzo9jaSmS85f66VGngEGs9i6mJqrsUAUIEn7tsUIJP0jOuCMw/s320/IMG_6793.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's my tooth! Prepared for slicing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
To my understanding, after a thin slice is made, it will be polished down and vacuum sealed in a slide. Then, it will be ready for analysis.<br />
<br />
Science is so cool.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vk5vRoc0_nk" width="420"></iframe>mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-91292393470599224882016-04-13T13:18:00.003-07:002016-04-13T13:20:05.989-07:00ASU Staff and Personnel Policy #815<div id="yui_3_17_2_1_1460578536430_16266" style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: 'Gotham SSm A', 'Gotham SSm B', 'Proxima Nova', 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 22px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span id="yui_3_17_2_1_1460578536430_16265" style="font-size: 14px;">I just received this announcement, and am so happy to be a member of the Arizona State University community that developed it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14px;">I only wish that it were more general. Instead of "student", why not make it a "person" over whom they exert control or influence, real or perceived. This would protect staff and trainees at all levels.<br /><br />-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />ASU has a new policy, effective March 25, #815 in the Staff Personnel Manual, entitled Romantic or Sexual Relationships Between Employees/Volunteers and Students. The new policy is below and available at <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/spp/spp815.html" href="http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/spp/spp815.html" style="-webkit-transition: border-color 0.1s ease-in-out; border-bottom-color: rgb(121, 121, 121); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #2777ae; text-decoration: none; transition: border-color 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/spp/spp815.html</span></a>.</span></div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: 'Gotham SSm A', 'Gotham SSm B', 'Proxima Nova', 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-top: 22px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: 'Gotham SSm A', 'Gotham SSm B', 'Proxima Nova', 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-top: 22px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Romantic or Sexual Relationships Between Employees/Volunteers and Students</b></span></div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: 'Gotham SSm A', 'Gotham SSm B', 'Proxima Nova', 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-top: 22px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Staff and volunteers (collectively "staff") are prohibited from engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship with a student over whom they exert control or influence, real or perceived. Such control or influence includes, but is not limited to, service as a formal or informal advisor to a student organization or club, university program or activity; exercising responsibility over a student's academic status, such as academic advising; financial aid or residency determinations; or exercising responsibility over a student's housing such as a community assistant or director would exercise.</span></div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: 'Gotham SSm A', 'Gotham SSm B', 'Proxima Nova', 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-top: 22px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;">A staff member who, prior to the effective date of this policy, exercises control or influence as described above over a student with whom the staff member has an existing romantic or sexual relationship shall disclose the existance of the relationship to the head of their department or college. The head of the department or college shall immediately take steps to ensure that moving forward the staff member has no control or influence over the student.</span></div>
<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: 'Gotham SSm A', 'Gotham SSm B', 'Proxima Nova', 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 22px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-size: 14px;">This policy is in addition to all other university policies addressing the relationship of employees, faculty, or volunteers with students. Employment relationships shall be governed by existing university policy. Violation of this policy may lead to counseling or disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. </span></div>
mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-24863336544837987732016-02-04T16:30:00.002-08:002016-11-11T08:48:47.718-08:00You are worthy.Dear Students,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
People do bad things to other people. Sometimes this happens in academia. Sometimes this happens in our field.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you, or a friend, has been harassed (sexually or otherwise), you are not without options. Sometimes none of those options are easy. A more important point is that you are not alone. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am not a chair, or a dean, or a president. I am a professor. I am your professor. I am here to do whatever is in my power to support you.</div>
<div>
<br />
I will not tolerate your harassment. I will advocate on your behalf. In my position at the University, I am a mandatory reporter. In my position as your advisor, mentor, instructor, or collaborator, I owe you a personal responsibility to do what I can to create a safe environment for you to science in.<br />
<br />
The thing is, science isn't a safe space. Science isn't a place where you can trust every person you meet. People will make racist and prejudiced comments to you. They will make sexist comments to you. They will treat you as inferior because of your ethnicity, gender, race, accent, age, disability, and sexual orientation. People will touch you in ways they shouldn't. They will take advantage of you. People will back you into a corner where you think there is nothing you can do, and no one you can turn to if you want to keep doing your job.<br />
<br />
<b>They will steal the joy you take in doing the thing you love. </b><br />
<br />
The power dynamics inherent in academia allow behavior like this to persist. The hierarchy within and across institutions, the hierarchy within departments and training programs, the hierarchy of funding agencies, they all lead to power imbalances that allow those at the top to act with impunity. Money and power affect decisions at all levels. Money and power (often? sometimes? routinely?) win out over concern for people, especially people at the bottom of the hierarchy.<br />
<br />
I cannot change the system we live in. That will take time and many people working together. Hiring committees, department chairs, society governing bodies, grant reviewers, program officers, journal editors, peer reviewers, all have a hand to play in this.<br />
<br />
But I am not powerless. Nor can I say that I have no influence. My influence may be small, but I will do what I can.<br />
<br />
I will listen to you.<br />
I will believe you.<br />
I will report.<br />
I will insist that harassment is not okay.<br />
<br />
I wish that I could come in and just science. I wish we all could. But being able to just science is a rare privilege. Until we can all just science, I will be vocal about my support for you.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your optimism. Thank you for your enthusiasm. Thank you for being willing to take a chance on this science thing, despite the hurdles you've faced, and the challenges to come.<br />
<br />
You are important. Most of all, you are worthy.<br />
<br />
It is my privilege to support you.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Dr. Melissa Wilson Sayres<br />
<br />
_________________________________<br />
<br />
Updated Feb 5, 2016 to add, "age" and "disability" to the list of ways you may be treated as inferior. There are many more things. We are treated as inferior for a variety of reasons. While the list cannot be exhaustive, these two I felt should be included.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-7525043513820301742016-01-26T10:40:00.001-08:002016-01-26T10:40:27.899-08:00Blogging and growing up.Oh, hey. How's it going?<br />
<br />
I remember how much I used to like blogging. Now, it isn't that I don't like it, but that my time to do so has evaporated. Maybe I'm sounding like a broken record. It isn't a bad thing. It's just a thing.<br />
<br />
While I haven't been blogging, I have been doing a lot of writing, between manuscripts, and revisions, and grant applications.<br />
<br />
And, I realize that there is another reason I haven't been blogging so much. When I started this, I was brutally honest with my thoughts about different topics. Now, I'm more cautious. Not that I won't share what I'm thinking with you in person (and some of you may wonder what I'm holding back, given what I post here), but it is a feeling I'm struggling with.<br />
<br />
I'm in an age group that has seen the introduction of social media, its transition to mainstream, and now its near ubiquity in some aspects of life. I'm still learning how exist in this environment. How to still be open and accessible without oversharing.<br />
<br />
I've pulled back on some parts of my life, and maybe too much, leading to silence here.<br />
<br />
So, I'm going to move back towards sharing again. Sometimes it will be mundane (because expectations of "normal" are nice in academia), but I'll also share challenges, and the celebrations.<br />
<br />
No resolutions, no promises, but a genuine interest in talking to you all more.<br />
<br />
<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-72644076806682959852015-11-02T08:40:00.001-08:002015-11-02T08:40:28.928-08:00Guest post: Bad letters <div class="MsoNormal">
Letters of recommendation for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program are due soon. This year I'm writing letters of recommendation for applicants and it has me thinking about how these letters are written, and who is responsible for bad letters. It also has me thinking about the other side, how can applicants be proactive to prevent bad letters and help with strong letters? Along those lines, would I ever write a negative letter? A couple years ago, I would have confidently said, "no." Now, I'd like to think I'd refuse to write a letter, rather than write an unsupportive letter. But I haven't been tested with that yet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talking with a colleague got me thinking more about this. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Below is an anonymous guest post by a colleague, written about an experience with a student after last year's round of applications and responses. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
---------------------------------------</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> Bad Letters</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
---------------------------------------</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The day after Meg Duffy’s great post about <a href="https://dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/there-is-crying-in-science-thats-okay/">crying
in science</a> came out, I was in my office with a student who was crying. She
was embarrassed that she had been brought to tears but sadly there had been
several stresses encroaching on her life and reading the reviews from her NSF <a href="https://www.nsfgrfp.org/">GFRP</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">*</span> was
enough to push her over the edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The reason why was that her proposal reviewers had included
a comment that her letters did not indicate she had a strong potential for
success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She felt betrayed and utterly
at a loss as to what to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although she wasn’t my student, I have an open door policy
and often find myself as a faculty member that students go to when they have
problems. I’m honored by this, and I take this responsibility very seriously. I
try to give good advice, or at least to not give bad advice. So when this
student came to me asking what she should do I was at a bit of a loss.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She simply asked, “What should I do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is an early career graduate student, with
a strong and diverse undergraduate record, and good grades in a top program.
Her letter writers were her committee – the individuals who were most familiar
with her work. In theory she did everything right, yet still somehow had gotten
these bad letters. She was worried. As she progresses she will need these
people to write her letters for fellowships, graduate opportunities, jobs etc.
She was feeling like she didn’t know who to trust.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I told her I didn’t know offhand, but I’d be willing to ask
around to people I know, trust, and respect and get back to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I reached out to several friends and got
really good advice, and it boils down to this...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This student has been having trouble getting in touch with
her committee. They had only been meeting once or twice a semester as a group
and she only saw her PI about once a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This lack of communication has brought forth several problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">First,
the student did not really have a clear idea of what her committee wanted</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that she was going along her own
road, and while she is talented, this may mean that she <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wasn’t</i> doing the things that her committee wanted, simply because
she didn’t hear that from them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Second, this student wasn’t able to
communicate what she needed from the committee</b>. She wasn’t able to advocate
for herself, to share her successes, and to craft a plan of attack for her
thesis based on their advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t
know the parties well enough to know who was more at fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically everyone is busy – I get that. But
it was sad to see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I suspect this lack of communication ultimately lead to the
poor letter(s). She probably didn’t have a chance to let her committee know
what she’s capable of doing, and she didn’t impress the committee because she
did not have a clear idea of what they needed her to do. Communication is
variable and important - some students need mentoring to be more than a once a
month email.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So given this what can she do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has the milk been spilled and are we at a
situation where the damage has been done? To some extent yes, but because the
advisor/student relationship lasts beyond graduation it is important for
students to have a group of solid letter writers who they know they can count
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After getting good advice from my
friends I suggested she do the following:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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She should email the committee and try to get a time to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">talk about the GFRP review</b>, both good
and bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walk through it with them and
take their advice on how to improve the project moving forward. Also, and
importantly, come to the committee and say that she knows they’ve had some
trouble meeting and that may have resulted in her not always getting the chance
to update the committee on what she was up to, and she didn’t always get to
hear from them what it was they needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Given that she has X months left, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">she
should ask how she could work with them to get to be where they want her to be</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is she doing well and what are the areas
for improvement?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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By approaching this in the context of the grant, with
explicit comments to address, rather than confronting the committee with “Why
did you write me a bad letter?” the student circumvents a contentious encounter
with her committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, she comes
to them in a framework where she can clearly communicate her needs, and in the
same breath, admit that there is work to be done. By showing that she is
willing to grow and learn as a student, by showing that she wants to be a better
scientist, she is demonstrating, at least to me, the indicators of future
success.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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However I fully admit I could be misreading the
situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d love to hear what you
have to say.<o:p></o:p></div>
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* Terry McGlynn has written very <a href="http://smallpondscience.com/2015/04/01/nsf-graduate-fellowships-are-a-part-of-the-problem/">eloquently</a>
about inequities in the funding allocation and advantages that students at
certain schools get when applying for the GFRP, and I am trying to be mindful
of that.<o:p></o:p></div>
mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-3001466812239445102015-11-01T18:58:00.002-08:002015-11-01T18:58:44.241-08:00Kara Schaffer successfully defends Honors Thesis<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div style="font-weight: bold;">
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mwilsonsayres/lab/lab_members/Schaffer_Kara.jpg?attredirects=0" imageanchor="1" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; color: #551a8b; cursor: text; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://sites.google.com/site/mwilsonsayres/lab/lab_members/Schaffer_Kara.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(153, 153, 153) rgb(153, 153, 153) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 7px;" width="199" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 20px;">Kara Schaffer</b>, an undergraduate researcher in the Wilson Sayres lab from Fall 2015 until Fall 2016, and awardee of the Bidstrup Undergraduate Fellowship for work in the lab, has successfully defended her Barrett Honors Thesis in the Wilson Sayres lab. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The title of her thesis is, "<i>Evolutionary perspective suggests candidate genes for Turner syndrome phenotype</i>."</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Congratulations Kara!!</span></div>
mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-80369423048458765662015-10-12T10:49:00.003-07:002015-10-12T10:49:29.199-07:00I'm not laughing. This week, while attending the annual meeting of the <a href="http://www.ashg.org/2015meeting/" target="_blank">American Society of Human Genetics</a>, I learned about wonderful advances in the field of genetics and human genetics, including initiatives to push forward personalized medicine, resources for understanding genetic susceptibilities to disease, efforts to catalog typical patterns of human variation, and methodologies aimed at improving our ability to investigate human history, health, and sickness.<br />
<br />
This conference also has a large hall of vendors with resources for geneticists. These include services for sample collection, processing, analysis, and interpretation. Generally these vendors have some give-aways, ranging from candy to pens to t-shirts, that help promote their brand.<br />
<br />
So, you can imagine my surprise when I passed a booth with a give-away that clearly did not promote their brand. I literally did a double-take, then stood there with scrunched eye-brows while reading this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkizca7ej-YOilXOcWmJrItnR8xaXd-pNEnnDnT9NIhHzF-_ygBAXj933o-pquRy4WtkRkZGVkfAW2htH5l2K3z0nq7TtSVZD1zBjcDbMrorHir3js94HBxU5BR0pHnM-1U4ObcFPuYS4/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkizca7ej-YOilXOcWmJrItnR8xaXd-pNEnnDnT9NIhHzF-_ygBAXj933o-pquRy4WtkRkZGVkfAW2htH5l2K3z0nq7TtSVZD1zBjcDbMrorHir3js94HBxU5BR0pHnM-1U4ObcFPuYS4/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by M. Wilson Sayres</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Let's break this down just a bit.<br />
<br />
<b>Some science</b><br />
First, the company sells a product for DNA extraction. Each of our cells has many different components that need to be removed if we want to look at the DNA. DNA exists in one part of the cell:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxcx2jPanJxn09aXGUU9NbXhlPtXzIgI5C0kP-lJKSiIK2SOfSPbsJrVLSpTEjnzV3qCM3DId7v1gfhISjpSIwOlY-ptNx69Ap90FgbFcAudLtnOZ6S4jqHzXCfy6vVH_MT-hNAyUs4U/s1600/Eukaryote_DNA-en.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxcx2jPanJxn09aXGUU9NbXhlPtXzIgI5C0kP-lJKSiIK2SOfSPbsJrVLSpTEjnzV3qCM3DId7v1gfhISjpSIwOlY-ptNx69Ap90FgbFcAudLtnOZ6S4jqHzXCfy6vVH_MT-hNAyUs4U/s320/Eukaryote_DNA-en.svg.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Eukaryote_DNA.svg: *Difference_DNA_RNA-EN.svg: *Difference_DNA_RNA-DE.svg: Sponk (talk) translation: Sponk (talk) Chromosome.svg: *derivative work: Tryphon (talk) Chromosome-upright.png: Original version: Magnus Manske, this version with upright chromosome: User:Dietzel65 Animal_cell_structure_en.svg: LadyofHats (Mariana Ruiz) derivative work: Radio89 derivative work: Radio89 (This file was derived from Eukaryote DNA.svg:) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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DNA extraction is where you take a sample of cells (for example a cheek swab, or blood sample), and you go through a process to separate the DNA within the cells from the rest of the parts of the cell.<br />
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<b>The joke hinges on racism</b><br />
The phrase on the shirt, "MY DNA is PURE," is supposed to be a joke with a double meaning. They are referring to the pure collection of DNA, using their method, but it can only be viewed as a joke or a witty phrase if it is also viewed in reference to language about purity of DNA used by the eugenics movement and white supremacist groups. For the shirt to be funny, you have to understand that supremacists claim to have "pure DNA" relative to other "races", from a misinformed understanding of genetics, but that their company really does give you the purest extraction of DNA.<br />
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Get it? Isn't that so funny?<br />
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P.S. They are totally not racists.<br />
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<b>Discussing the shirt in person</b><br />
After my double-take, and stopping to ponder why anyone would think that it is okay to use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics" target="_blank">eugenics</a>, an embarrassing and shame-filled history of genetics, as the butt of a joke <i>at a human genetics conference</i>, I decided it would be worth talking with the people at the booth (all white men) about how that message would poorly represent their company. Each of the three representatives were busy, so I waited my turn to speak.<br />
<br />
When one of the representatives was free, I expressed my concern about the shirt, how it makes light of the history of eugenics, and how it may send a message of exclusion from their company. It turns out that the person I spoke to is the president of the company. He listened politely, then responded that no one had raised that concern, and they had never even considered that it might be harmful to anyone. I responded, that this type of language is still routinely used by supremacist groups and to marginalize many people, and that it wouldn't send a good message. He responded that he hadn't heard any complaints from anyone else at the conference about the shirt, and that, in fact, many people told him how much they loved it. With that, I thanked him for his time, asked him to please think more about the message this was sending, and then left him to his booth. As I walked away, two people walked up and asked for the shirt.<br />
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<b>A larger discussion</b><br />
At this point, I decided to make a comment on the shirt to the broader conference attendees, using the conference hashtag:<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Dear Human Geneticists,
This is not witty, or acceptable.
Sincerely,
Melissa <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASHG15?src=hash">#ASHG15</a> <a href="http://t.co/5M6d2I7r3H">pic.twitter.com/5M6d2I7r3H</a></div>
— Melissa WilsonSayres (@mwilsonsayres) <a href="https://twitter.com/mwilsonsayres/status/652136154322440194">October 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
Some people were equally shocked, some were not sure what the shirt could be referring to other than eugenics/supremacy, and then, there were those who either thought I was being too sensitive about the joke, or who completely misunderstood what it was about.<br />
<br />
To me, the range of responses illustrates how many people are blissfully unaware of the history of eugenics, whether they are part of the general population, or M.D. and Ph.D. scientists studying human genetics.<br />
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<b>Eugenics and before.</b><br />
Let's take a step back then, and think about eugenics.<br />
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With understanding about genetic inheritance came the idea of eugenics: That we could improve the condition of the human population by using genetics, that we could cull harmful features using the wonders of modern genetics. Through eugenics, it was claimed, we could promote reproduction of people with desired traits, and prohibit reproduction of people with undesirable traits. This hinges on the idea that there are people with "pure DNA", who are free from those harmful genetic anomalies that society should eliminate. Ideas about genetic, or "racial" purity, existed well before the eugenics movement, but genetics gave a sense of legitimacy to the supremacist notions that already existed.<br />
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The glass of undesirable traits that eugenicists typically promoted removal of ranged from physical and mental disability, to calls to purge whole ethnic and racial groups.<br />
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Eugenics is, and has been, used to justify <a href="http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-features/special-focus/nazi-persecution-of-the-disabled" target="_blank">"euthanasia" of people with physical and mental illness</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_sterilization" target="_blank">forced sterilization</a>, <a href="http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/essay7text.html" target="_blank">prohibition of "race mixing" relationships</a>, <a href="http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007064" target="_blank">millions of murders</a>, and generally to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_racism" target="_blank">advocate for white supremacy</a>.<br />
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Modern supremacist groups still talk about the purity of their DNA relative to people from ethnic and racial groups that they view as inferior to themselves.<br />
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<b>Eugenics does not belong in human genetics</b><br />
To anyone attending a human genetics conference, the connection between "pure DNA" and the mis-use of genetics to advocate for eugenics should be obvious, and unacceptable.<br />
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To anyone who could look around the ~6,500 participants at the American Society of Human Genetics conference, and not be glaringly aware of the demographic disparity is, at best, exhibiting privileged blindness. A message steeped in racism, ableism, and classism, whether intentional or not, can only contribute to a harmful climate for scientists who represent the butt of that joke.<br />
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<b><u>A joke that hinges on eugenics and supremacy does not belong at a human genetics conference. </u></b><br />
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_____________________________________________<br />
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<b>Education resources</b><br />
There are many resources for learning more about eugenics, and I couldn't cover even a fraction of them here, but I encourage you to check out these, and other materials.<br />
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A big "thank you" to <a href="https://twitter.com/dwaringbateman" target="_blank">Dana Waring Bateman</a> for pointing out this collection of lesson plans from the <a href="http://www.pged.org/" target="_blank">Personal Genetics Education Project</a>: <a href="http://www.pged.org/lesson-plans/" target="_blank">http://www.pged.org/lesson-plans/ </a>. Especially note the lessons on:"<a href="http://www.pged.org/lesson-plans/#eugenics" target="_blank">History, eugenics and genetics</a>" and "<a href="http://www.pged.org/lesson-plans/#EugenicsDocumentAnalysis" target="_blank">Using primary resources to examine the history of eugenics</a>"<br />
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The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has an image archive on the history of eugenics here, <a href="http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/">http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/</a>, including several virtual exhibits you can click through.<br />
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The University of Washington has this History of Eugenics Resource guide: <a href="https://depts.washington.edu/disstud/eugenics-and-disability/resources/eugenics">https://depts.washington.edu/disstud/eugenics-and-disability/resources/eugenics</a><br />
<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-62360220748683119982015-10-12T09:30:00.000-07:002015-10-12T09:30:02.345-07:00Funding 101: Advice from successful academicsHere is some advice about finding and applying for research funding from two very successful researchers who sat on the panel, <a href="https://sst.clas.asu.edu/kimberly-scott" target="_blank">Kimberly Scott</a> from the School of Social Transformation and Executive Director of COMPUGIRLS, and <a href="https://www.biodesign.asu.edu/stuart-lindsay" target="_blank">Stuart Lindsay</a> from the Biodesign Institute.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Approach</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Approach program officers. They want to talk with you if you have a clear plan, and if you can demonstrate how what you are proposing fits with their program, and with your past research.</li>
<li>Send your past research, also send updates to program officers from the project, even after the funding ends (data keeps coming)</li>
<li>Some program officers go to conferences. If they're at the same session you are at, introduce yourself</li>
<li>Program officers can go to bat for your, especially when you may be off cycle.</li>
<li>Volunteer your time as a panel reviewer</li>
</ul>
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<b>Adaptation</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Do what you do, don't let people push you into an area to fit the funding.</li>
<li>Be flexible, adapt to new areas.</li>
<li>Be multi-cultural in terms of your language: Need to use a different type of language for different sponsors (e.g. Gates versus NSF). Convey your excitement using a different language.</li>
<li>The Feds are like a small town: Everyone talks. Everybody knows everybody. Be consistent with how your communicate with people.</li>
<li>Pitched ideas may be shopped around and come back to you.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<b>Advanced planning</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Get a clear understanding about the expectations from your department as it relates to external funding. Do you have to be funded? Do you need NSF or NIH? Can it be funded by a foundation?</li>
<li>Talk to people on the Promotion and Tenure committee.</li>
<li>Courtship: Gates foundation grant took years, unlike federal funding. Takes a lot of advanced funding. Foundations need to get to know you, who you all are. Two years of talking/calls before being invited to submit a proposal.</li>
<li>Helpful to find an intellectual partner - "date" your professional partner. Once you are a team with a person (5, 8, 10 years of funding). It's like a marriage. You want to have a good idea of how you are going to get along.</li>
<li>Funders are looking for collaborative work.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<b>Communicate clearly and take advice</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Explaining highly technical things to a lay audience. Review panels are lay audiences. To that reviewer, most of the proposals will be out of their technical expertise.</li>
<li>"Explain to your grandma" trope can be useful.</li>
<li>Don't be afraid of being pushed. Listen to those big questions from the philanthropists.</li>
<li>Continue to learn from people who ask, "Can you do X?"</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<b>General thoughts about academia, broader impacts, and funding</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Every hour that you are in a classroom here, you will be changing lives. At this State school, you are teaching the demographic of the state.</li>
<li>Funding agencies are conservative.</li>
<li>Heartbreaking to sit on a review panel and watch brilliant ideas smashed by small minds.</li>
<li>If your thesis adviser was a bigshot in some field, it is probably an old field.</li>
<li>Far better to be an untenured failure and go out with a big idea than spend 40 years doing something you dislike.</li>
</ul>
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<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-75305676427984188292015-10-04T09:03:00.001-07:002015-10-04T09:12:12.606-07:00Wilson Sayres lab presents at #ASHG15<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Two members of my lab will present at the 2015 meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. To learn about presentations in real time, can follow tweets from <a href="https://twitter.com/mwilsonsayres" style="background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/95d82e/system/app/themes/solitudenavy/bg_link.gif); color: #666666; cursor: text; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;" target="_blank">@mwilsonsayres</a>, and the hashtag: #ASHG15 on twitter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kimberly Olney will present a poster, also uploaded on FigShare, <a href="http://figshare.com/articles/Inferring_biased_allele_expression_across_the_genome/1564499" style="background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/95d82e/system/app/themes/solitudenavy/bg_link.gif); background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; color: #666666; cursor: text; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;" target="_blank">Inferring biased allele expression across the genome</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday October 8th</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">12:00pm-1:00pm</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5;">Poster 1700</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5;">Convention Center, Hall E, Level 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5;">ASHG Poster session. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">I will present a talk, also uploaded on FigShare, <a href="http://figshare.com/articles/Genetic_diversity_on_the_human_X_chromosome_suggests_there_is_no_single_pseudoautosomal_boundary_/1564501" style="background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/95d82e/system/app/themes/solitudenavy/bg_link.gif); background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; color: #666666; cursor: text; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;" target="_blank">Genetic diversity on the human X chromosome suggests there is no single pseudoautosomal boundary</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday, October 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">11:30am</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5;">Room 309, Level 3, Convention Center</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Full Session 69: <a href="http://www.ashg.org/2015meeting/pages/sessionlisting.shtml#sess69" style="background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/95d82e/system/app/themes/solitudenavy/bg_link.gif); background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; color: #666666; cursor: text; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;" target="_blank">The Causes and Consequences of Evolutionary Change</a> (</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">10:30 AM–12:30 PM)</span></span><br />
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mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-25709623760710017192015-09-30T10:50:00.000-07:002015-09-30T10:50:00.394-07:00National Science Foundation Links<span style="font-family: inherit;">When starting as a new PI, if you didn't have the training before, you'll probably be learning as much as I can about different funding agencies, applications, and procedures. It can seem a little overwhelming to know where to start. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a set of links I've come across, with some information, about applying for NSF funding:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">About the National Science Foundation</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">NSF Home Page: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/index.jsp">http://www.nsf.gov/index.jsp</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">FastLane: <a href="https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/jsp/homepage/prop_review.jsp">https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/jsp/homepage/prop_review.jsp</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quick Guide to Working with NSF’s FastLane: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/guide/fastlanequick.html">http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/guide/fastlanequick.html</a></span></li>
<li>Federal R&D Funding Budget: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/fedbudget/">http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/fedbudget/</a></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Finding funding opportunities</b></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Active Funding Opportunities: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?org=NSF&ord=rcnt">http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?org=NSF&ord=rcnt</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Funding Opportunities by Subject Concentration: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/funding/azindex.jsp">http://www.nsf.gov/funding/azindex.jsp</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">All NSF – Funding Search: <a href="http://nsf.gov/funding/">http://nsf.gov/funding/</a> </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Advice for writing proposals</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Grant Policy Manual: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/manuals/gpm05_131/index.jsp">http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/manuals/gpm05_131/index.jsp</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How to Prepare Your Proposal: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/funding/preparing/">http://www.nsf.gov/funding/preparing/</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Advice on Writing NSF Proposals: <a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~sfinger/advice/advice.html">http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~sfinger/advice/advice.html</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Guide for Proposal Writing: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg">http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">NSF Career Proposal Writing Tips: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.clarku.edu/offices/research/pdfs/NSFProposalWritingTips.pdf">http://www.clarku.edu/offices/research/pdfs/NSFProposalWritingTips.pdf</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Significant </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">2011 Revisions:</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/papp/papp11_1/progdesc.jsp">http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/papp/papp11_1/progdesc.jsp</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR): <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/rcr.jsp">http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/rcr.jsp</a></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Now that you have it</b></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Prospective New Awardee Guide: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pnag">http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pnag</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=papp">http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=papp</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Award and Administration Guide: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag">http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Policy and Guidance: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/guidance.jsp">http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/guidance.jsp</a></span></li>
</ul>
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mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-78886793490906585292015-09-28T10:48:00.000-07:002015-09-28T10:48:14.513-07:00Year two begins.Dear Journal,<br />
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In the midst of teaching, getting new research projects started, writing grants, meeting collaborators, and getting the lab set up, I find that the second year of my tenure track position has begun.<br />
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And it's awesome.<br />
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I have a fantastic group of people working with me: <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mwilsonsayres/lab/lab_members">https://sites.google.com/site/mwilsonsayres/lab/lab_members</a><br />
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Seriously, they're wonderful. I cannot express to you how inspiring it is to interact with everyone in lab. Their ideas and discussions make it a joy to come in to lab.<br />
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We're making headway on new projects. Papers are being written. Grants are... well, they're being applied for.<br />
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Science is happening.<br />
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And on this morning, I find myself unusually optimistic about the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49aa8Fo8tccKK2djqho7DNVmed_p5mP2jmp54Y_f1688yq0giBlLYYLyW5CgbFG3YqsoQ_Ef-HN9Fi04csEGOOFf_-ctaeq-AGJnuqluFEw_kUq1aWiJi0qSSB0Lh6OJDk5Ps_ZkqZvk/s1600/celebrate_Pitt.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49aa8Fo8tccKK2djqho7DNVmed_p5mP2jmp54Y_f1688yq0giBlLYYLyW5CgbFG3YqsoQ_Ef-HN9Fi04csEGOOFf_-ctaeq-AGJnuqluFEw_kUq1aWiJi0qSSB0Lh6OJDk5Ps_ZkqZvk/s320/celebrate_Pitt.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yours,<br />
new PImathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255808252082956251.post-8155445951018428152015-09-28T09:00:00.000-07:002015-09-28T09:00:01.381-07:00Fetal microchimerism and maternal health: A review and evolutionary analysis of cooperation and conflict beyond the womb<div>
We have a review and evolutionary analysis of the role of microchimerism in maternal health. It's open access for all to read and please share your thoughts on. My personal take-home, after completing this paper, is that there is still so much biology to understand. Perhaps my favorite part of the whole paper is that we start by stating how little we know:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The function of fetal cells in maternal tissues is unknown</span></b><br />
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Certainly there are associations, and many labs are focused on understanding the role of fetal cells in the pregnant body, and after pregnancy. At the minimum, microchimerism appears to have been present since placentation first evolved, with advances in sensitivity and specificity of techniques, we are understanding that microchimerism is likely common across eutherian (placental) mammals, and especially in our favorite eutherian, humans. But it is fantastic to me that there is no answer (and in my opinion will never be) to, "Are microchimeric cells good?" At the best, we can say that it depends. And for the pregnant body and post-pregnant body, the role of fetal cells likely depends heavily on the specific interaction of the fetal cells with the immune system.<br />
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<tr class="rsep" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit;"><th class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Levels of explanation</th><th class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Definition</th><th class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Explanations for fetal microchimerism</th></tr>
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<tr class="none" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit;"><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Proximate</td><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">The immediate cause of the pathology</td><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Placentation allows for the transfer of small numbers of cells between the fetus and the mother</td></tr>
<tr class="none" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit;"><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Developmental</td><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">How the pathology arose as a result of events during an individual's life</td><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Evidence suggests that fetal cell microchimerism begins before the placental is completely formed, likely beginning with the initiation of placentation itself <a class="referenceLink" href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bies.201500059/full#bies201500059-bib-0026" rel="references:#bies201500059-bib-0026 #bies201500059-bib-0111" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #007e8a; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Link to bibliographic citations">[26, 111]</a></td></tr>
<tr class="none" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit;"><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Evolutionary</td><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">How natural selection and other mechanisms of evolution (drift, migration) have left the body vulnerable to the pathology</td><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Maternal-fetal genomic conflict, through genetic imprinting may have allowed for selection of higher proportions of fetal cell microchimerism</td></tr>
<tr class="none" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit;"><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Phylogenetic</td><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">When, in evolutionary history, did the vulnerability to the pathology arise?</td><td class="hLeft" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.3em 0.5em; word-wrap: break-word;">Microchimerism has thus far only been detected in eutherian mammals <a class="referenceLink" href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bies.201500059/full#bies201500059-bib-0014" rel="references:#bies201500059-bib-0014 #bies201500059-bib-0027 #bies201500059-bib-0028 #bies201500059-bib-0029" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #007e8a; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Link to bibliographic citations">[14, 27-29]</a>, suggesting it arose at least in the common ancestor of eutherian mammals, approximately 93 million years ago <a class="referenceLink" href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bies.201500059/full#bies201500059-bib-0112" rel="references:#bies201500059-bib-0112" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #007e8a; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Link to bibliographic citation">[112]</a></td></tr>
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With some very talented help, we made the video abstract below:</div>
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<span class="mainTitle" style="border: 0px; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bies.201500059/abstract" target="_blank">Fetal microchimerism and maternal health: A review and evolutionary analysis of cooperation and conflict beyond the womb</a></span></span></h1>
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<li id="bies201500059-cr-0001" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: none; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Amy M. Boddy<sup style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">1,2,*</sup>, </li>
<li id="bies201500059-cr-0002" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: none; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Angelo Fortunato<sup style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">2</sup>, </li>
<li id="bies201500059-cr-0003" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: none; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Melissa Wilson Sayres<sup style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">3,4,†</sup> and</li>
<li id="bies201500059-cr-0004" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: none; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Athena Aktipis<sup style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">1,2,3,†</sup></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Article first published online: 28 AUG 2015</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">DOI: 10.1002/bies.201500059</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The presence of fetal cells has been associated with both positive and negative effects on maternal health. These paradoxical effects may be due to the fact that maternal and offspring fitness interests are aligned in certain domains and conflicting in others, which may have led to the evolution of fetal microchimeric phenotypes that can manipulate maternal tissues. We use cooperation and conflict theory to generate testable predictions about domains in which fetal microchimerism may enhance maternal health and those in which it may be detrimental. This framework suggests that fetal cells may function both to contribute to maternal somatic maintenance (e.g. wound healing) and to manipulate maternal physiology to enhance resource transmission to offspring (e.g. enhancing milk production). In this review, we use an evolutionary framework to make testable predictions about the role of fetal microchimerism in lactation, thyroid function, autoimmune disease, cancer and maternal emotional, and psychological health.</span></div>
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<u><b>Popular coverage:</b></u><br />
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Arizona State University: <a href="https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/alien-within-fetal-cells-influence-maternal-health-during-pregnancy-and-long-after">https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/alien-within-fetal-cells-influence-maternal-health-during-pregnancy-and-long-after</a></div>
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New York Times: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/science/a-pregnancy-souvenir-cells-that-are-not-your-own.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/science/a-pregnancy-souvenir-cells-that-are-not-your-own.html</a><br />
National Geographic: <a href="http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/07/foetal-cells-hide-out-in-mums-body-but-what-do-they-do/">http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/07/foetal-cells-hide-out-in-mums-body-but-what-do-they-do/</a><br />
Smithsonian Magazine: <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/babys-cells-can-manipulate-moms-body-decades-180956493/">http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/babys-cells-can-manipulate-moms-body-decades-180956493/</a><br />
Scicasts: <a href="https://scicasts.com/stem-cells/9959-scientists-describe-how-fetal-cells-migrate-into-maternal-body-and-affect-mother-s-health/">https://scicasts.com/stem-cells/9959-scientists-describe-how-fetal-cells-migrate-into-maternal-body-and-affect-mother-s-health/</a><br />
Medical Daily: <a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/fetal-cells-can-be-found-new-mothers-body-and-will-effect-her-health-even-after-350234">http://www.medicaldaily.com/fetal-cells-can-be-found-new-mothers-body-and-will-effect-her-health-even-after-350234</a><br />
<br />mathbionerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525536407206138695noreply@blogger.com0