City of Davis Science Night

Mad Science Family Science Nights are spectacular science-the mad shows designed to amaze and entertain young audiences of any size. Starting with a spectacular Mad Science show, moving on to interactive Discovery Stations and hands-on Make 'n Take booths, children love Mad Science! Parents and kids are amazed at what science and their children can do: conjure foggy dry ice storms, float on a Mad Science hovercraft, watch a foam factory at work, create slime and so much more!

Davis Senior Center
646 A Street
Thursday March 8, 2012
6:00 p.m.

Tickets are $6 Children under 13, and $8 Adult or $10 at the door (All Ages).
Tickets available beginning February 1 at the Community Services Department at City Hall, 23 Russell Blvd., Armadillo Music*, Avid Reader, and Dimple Records*.  (*convenience fee applies)

For more information please call
(530) 757-5626 or email
csweb@cityofdavis.org

2012 Award Recipients

Congratulations to Fan Yang, the 2012 recipient of the Loren D. Carlson Prize in Physiology for his dissertation on the Molecular mechanisms underlying temperature-dependent activation of thermoTRP channels!  Fan will be officially recognized at the Graduate Studies Commencement in June.








Congratulations also go out to Katherine (Kate) Watson who was selected as the 2011-2012 Irving I. Hertzendorf Memorial Award in Physiology for outstanding qualities as a scholar and humanitarian.  She will be leading a 15 minute discussion on a a topic of special interest to her at the MCIP Winter Colloquium being held on March 2nd, 2012.

Seminar Announcement

Get Out of The Lab: Volunteer At Your Local Science Fair!

Today SYNAPSE is highlighting the efforts of Shannamar Dewey and Monica Watson for volunteering to be judges at the 2012 Sonoma County Science Fair held on February 8th.

Shannamar Dewey (left) and Monica Watson (right), judges for the Sonoma County Science Fair on February 8th 2012

This year, for the first time, the fair bestowed two Director’s Choice awards for the most impressive entries. The winners were:

• Srijit Basu, a junior from Casa Grande High School.  Her project "Light Spectrum Analysis for Monocrystalline Polycrystalline and Thin Film Cells" evaluated the efficiency of various solar panels under different weather conditions.
• Hanna Maillard, a St. Francis Solano School 7th grader, studied how the convenience of recycling affected the degree to which students recycle.

This is Shannamar's second year judging the Sonoma County Science Fair; later this year she will trek to the Alameda County Science Fair to inspire more young scientists.  The Biophysical Society can always use your help in bestowing awards to budding Nobel Laureates so contact her for more information on how you can get involved!

BPS has sponsored student awards at regional and state science fairs since 2010. This growing initiative, sponsored by the Public Affairs Committee, promotes the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, and math in US schools, while raising awareness about biophysics at the high school level.

In 2012, the Biophysical Society will be giving out the Biophysics Award for the best biophysics-related project at the fairs listed here. If you are interested in volunteering as a judge for this award at one of these science fairs, please contact the Society Office at scifairs@biophysics.org.

Judging at your local fair and don’t see it listed below? BPS would love to sponsor a Biophysics Award in your area! Please fill out the following form by February 1, 2012 to participate: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sciencefairvolunteer. Contact the Society Office at scifairs@biophysics.org with questions.

Alzheimer's Disease Pilot Research Funding Opportunity

News from the Grants Coordination Group, UC Davis School of Medicine/Office of Research:

Jeffrey Elias, Ph.D., Director/Manager Grant Coordination School of Medicine
jeffrey.elias@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu  
Erica Chedin, Ph.D.,Grant Coordination Officer
erica.chedin@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu  
Betty Guo, Ph.D., Grant Coordination Officer
betty.guo@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu 

Alzheimer's Disease Pilot Research Funding Opportunity 2012-2013

The University of California, Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center (UCD ADC) invites applications for pilot research grants with support from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Alzheimer's Disease Center for $32,500 each.  This funding is subject to modification contingent on NIH funding. These grants are available to researchers who are interested in studying Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.  Deadline is March 16, 2012.

The UCD ADC supports research which contributes to an improved understanding of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.  Therefore, applicants are invited to submit research proposals in the area of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders directed toward epidemiology, etiology, neurobiology, pathology, clinical medicine and diagnosis, care, treatment, evaluation, cure, social and economic impacts, or other related fields of study.  These awards are designed as pilot research projects, which are aimed at generating data to support future research applications.

Download Complete Requirements at http://alzheimer.ucdavis.edu/research/pilot.php

Career Options Seminar

Greetings fellow grad students and faculty (and anyone else who is interested),

What are the odds that you will follow your PI in becoming a tenured faculty? Yep, less than 25%. Would it make sense to focus your entire PhD career on that 1 in 4 shot (assuming those odds don't deteriorate once you get your shot at a tenured track faculty position)? Of course not. Therefore we offer your an insight in the various career options there are for people with a PhD in molecular biology (and related fields), so you can make an educated plan for your own future. You can have plans for the day after your finish your PhD.

Career Options Seminar

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Jane de Lartigue

10:30 AM

LSA 1022

Jane completed a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the University of Liverpool in England, where she's from, prior to moving to California to start a postdoc in the Scholey lab at UC Davis. After 2 years of postdoctoral research she left the lab to follow her passion for science writing. She started up her own freelance scientific writing and editing company, Jane de Lartigue Science Communications (JLSC,) in January 2011. Over the past year she has cultivated clients in fields ranging from academia to pharmaceutical companies and specialist medical magazines. She is also active in the online scientific communications community via blogging, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Whatever you study, this will be a good talk to attend because Jane will provide insight into how she succeeded in her career using the sheepskin we are all working for.

Tell your fellow grad students, techs, postdocs, and PI and we'll see you on February 14th!

Seminar schedule (http://bmcdb.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/career-option-seminar-schedule/):

Fall quarter
11 Oct 2011 - David Posner, UC Davis graduate, human resources Cisco
08 Nov 2011 – Paul Henderson, National lab + start-up company
13 Dec 2011 – Eric Jonas, CEO of Novia Systems start-up, PhD student at MIT

Winter quarter
10 Jan 2012 – Sharon Bergquist, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellows, policy and global affairs
14 Feb 2012 – Jane de Lartigue, freelance science writer
13 Mar 2012* – Dave Crotty, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, executive editor CSHL Protocol

Spring quarter
10 Apr 2012 – Mel Bradnam, grant office at UC Davis Cancer Center
08 May 2012 – Megan Hall, associate editor PLoS Biology
12 Jun 2012** - Jacqueline Alldritt, high-school teacher

All talks will be at 10:30 in LSA1022.

* will be on a Friday at 2pm in LSA1022

** will be on a Tuesday, but at 4pm in LSA1022

2012 Graduate Studies Commencement Ceremony

The Office of Graduate Studies, together with the Graduate Council and the Graduate Student Association, invite you to join us as we host the 2012 Graduate Studies Commencement Ceremony.

Date: Thursday, June 14, 2012
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: ARC Pavilion

On the following pages you will find information on eligibility requirements, registration, cap and gown ordering, directions and parking tips, and more! Plus, we've even included some "Celebrating On the Town" information.

Congratulations, graduate!



IMPORTANT DATES

• February 6: Online Registration opens
• April 13: Deadline to register to participate if you want your name to appear in the commencement program
• May 4: Line-up instructions will be posted on Commencement Central
• May 29, 3:00 p.m.: Deadline to register to participate, your name will not appear in the commencement program. No late exceptions. Only eligible students may participate. See eligibility requirement.
• May 30, 31, June 1: Pick up cap and gown in Freeborn Hall (go to the UC Davis Stores website for more information). Late pick-up fee accessed for pre-orders picked up after June 1.
• June 14, 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.: Commencement (outside reception immediately following)
• June 14: Late cap and gown return fees assessed the first Monday following the ceremony. (Best to return items with staff stationed outside the Pavilion immediately following commencement ceremony.)

For more information and to sign up for the 2012 commencement ceremony go to http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/commencement/ .

The 7 Secrets of Highly Successful PhDs and Masters Students

The 7 Secrets of Highly Successful PhDs and Masters Students

Thursday, March 1, 2012
Noon-2:30pm
MUII, 2nd Floor, Memorial Union

Please Register at http://iccweb.ucdavis.edu/graduates/7SecretsSignUp.htm

What do graduate students and postdocs do to finish on time, to overcome isolation, doubt and writer’s block, and to enjoy the process? And just as importantly what do they do in order to spend guilt-free time with their family and friends and perhaps even have holidays? If this sounds appealing, then this session will be of particular use to you.

This workshop describes the seven key habits that will help you complete your graduate degree or postdoc. Just as importantly, these habits can greatly reduce the stress and increase the pleasure involved in the process of finishing your degree or training.

The workshop helps you to understand how to increase your effectiveness and outcomes in the following key areas:

• how you deal with your adviser
• how you structure your writing time
• your attitude (or lack thereof!) in relation to your research
• dealing with writer’s block or having difficulty writing
• getting the help you need when you are stuck
• juggling multiple commitments and never having enough time
• keeping on going when the going gets tough

Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch!

Light refreshments will be served.

Professors for the Future

A Professional Development Program for Ph.D. Candidates and Postdoctoral Scholars

Information Meeting

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Noon-1:00pm

Garrison Room, MU (2^nd floor)

The Professors for the Future (PFTF) program is a competitive, year-long fellowship program designed to recognize and develop the leadership and academic skills of outstanding graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who have demonstrated their commitment to professionalism, integrity, and academic service.  The program consists of professional development training through participation in monthly meetings and workshops, a seminar in college teaching, and a seminar on ethics and professionalism in the university. 

All Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars are cordially invited to join Associate Dean, Lenora Timm, Teresa Dillinger, Program Coordinator and current PFTF fellows for this informational meeting about the PFTF program.

Visit http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/pftf/  for more information and application forms.  Applications are due Friday, March 2, 2012 by 5pm.

Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies and Professors for the Future

In Vivo Small Animal Imaging Workshop

An Invitation from Simon Cherry

The Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging (CMBI) invites you to join them at the “In vivo Small-Animal Imaging: An Introductory Workshop,” to be held March 21, 2012, at the auditorium of the Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility on the UC Davis campus. This workshop is designed for individuals who are new to in vivo, small animal imaging. It is appropriate for technical staff and researchers who have recently started working with in vivo imaging techniques and who want to learn more about the basic science and methods of small-animal imaging. The workshop will consist of lectures in the morning and demonstrations of imaging procedures in the afternoon. Only the first 26 registered participants will be invited to participate in the afternoon demonstrations at the Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging (CMGI). No prior knowledge is assumed. Please note that the workshop is not suited for those already experienced in small-animal imaging. We look forward to seeing you in March!

Tentative schedule:

8:00 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast

8:30 a.m. Welcome

8:35 a.m. Small Animal Imaging Basics, Simon Cherry, PhD

10:00 a.m. Data Acquisition, Processing Analysis, Doug Rowland, PhD

11:15 a.m. Targeted Molecular Imaging, Julie Sutcliffe, PhD

12:15 p.m. Image Reconstruction Techniques, Ramsey Badawi, PhD

1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:45 – 4:45 p.m. Demonstrations (limited to the first 26 registered participants) in the CMGI

Registration: $25 per participant (non-refundable). Please register at http://cmgi.eventbrite.com

For more information: If you have any questions regarding this workshop, please contact

Malena Teeters at (530) 754-8033 or mbteeters@ucdavis.edu

JOINT SEMINARS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Sponsored by: The  College of Biological Sciences, Graduate Group in Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Department of Plant Biology, Molecular & Cellular Biology Training Grant (NIH), and Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology

Dr. Hana El-Samad

Assistant Professor

Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics

University of California, San Francisco

""Non-Genetic Individuality: Molecular Noise as a Phenotype"."

Thursday, February 2, 2012

4:10 p.m.

1022 Life Sciences

Faculty Host: Katie Dehesh (kdehesh@ucdavis.edu)

 (If you wish an appointment with the invited speaker, please contact their host.)