Tarantula venom illuminates electrical activity in live cells

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/publish/news/newsroom/9370

In memory of Ken

Recruitment for blood donors

So I am exploiting the blog for my lab's research purposes. The Rutledge lab isolates postprandial lipids weekly from blood donors. In order to be a donor, you must consume a high-fat diet 3-hour prior to the blood draw (which will be done by a trained phlebotomist, not myself). High fat meaning 40% saturated fat. A meal consisting of bacon, eggs made with real butter, and bagel with creme cheese usually does the trick. You will also be compensated with 20 dollars. If you are interested in donating (I know several of you are already helping out, thank you!) please send me an email: lilee@ucdavis.edu

Thanksssss!!!!

-Linda

MCIP Faculty in the news

A couple of the MCIP faculty have been in the news. Check it out:

Dr. Peter Havel:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/25/calories-weight-loss_n_6205320.html

Dr. Gino Cortopossi was elected to be an AAAS fellow: 

http://dateline.ucdavis.edu/dl_detail.lasso?id=15002&dn=112514

December MCIP Events

Fall quarter dinner with Dr. Pam Lein 
When: December 8th
Where: TBA

Remember to RSVP to the doodle poll link that was sent to your email.

December Happy Hour
When: December 15th
Where: The Davis Graduate

Fall Quarter Dinner with the Faculty

Hi everyone,

The next dinner with the faculty event will be held on Monday, December 8th with Dr. Pamela Lein. Just wanted to get the word out. More details to come soon!

MCIP Alumni wins grand prize for pet care innovation

Kate Watson, a MCIP alumni (graduated 2012) and the founder of this blog, is currently a vet student at the UCD Vet School and doing big things. Check out this short article on her grand prize winning pet care innovation with her fellow vet school classmate. 

 https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/141101t.aspx


Congrats Kate! :)

Happy hour success

A successful happy hour turnout tonight! Thanks Kristi was leading/facilitating the discussion :)

Sorry Ailsa, Hannah and Denise! The picture cut off... :(

Reminder: Happy Hour - SSC Meeting, Monday October 20th

Hi MCIPers! 

A reminder that the first Student Steering committee meeting of the school year will be tomorrow, Monday, October 20th at Steve's Pizza at 5:30pm. There will be a discussion on MCIP events for the year such as faculty dinners, recruitment, and the colloquium. Food will be provided! Come grab a bite and hang out! :)

a little humor...i think we've all experienced this

When I lose my pellet...

credit: whatshouldwecallgradschool.tumblr

Reminder: Fall CBS Graduate Group Welcome

Hi All,

Just a reminder that the Fall CBS Graduate Group Welcome event is next Wednesday, October 1st from 4-6pm at the LSA Courtyard. There will be food and activities while you meet the new incoming class and/or catch up with everyone else from various graduate groups. You should have received an email from Theresa Garcia with a personalized surveymonkey link to RSVP. 

MCIP is in charge of set-up (3-4pm). If you can come help out, let Nick (nwaguirre@ucdavis.edu) know!

Hope to see you all there! :)

Too Few University Jobs For America's Young Scientists

Check out this article from NPR:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/09/16/343539024/too-few-university-jobs-for-americas-young-scientists?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140916

Seminars

Hi everyone, 
We apologize for the lack of update on the seminar calendar over the summer. Now that fall is around the corner and school is coming back in session, there will be many seminars to attend! Please check back weekly to see upcoming seminars (some of them include MCIP faculty). :)

Brush Your Teeth With Carcinogens?

UC Davis researchers are in the news again! The research of Dr. Isaac Pessah and Dr. Dietmar Kueltz has recently been noted in an article regarding common sources of exposure to carcinogens.  Do you brush your teeth with a toothpaste containing triclosan? 

"Far less clear is what triclosan does (or doesn’t do) to the human organism. For example, a review by scientists at the University of California at Davis concluded that when it comes to triclosan and triclocarban, a chemically related antibacterial agent, “the benefits may not be worth the risks.” The researchers wrote that triclosan and triclocarban could cause neural and cardiac ailments, though they also conceded that “the research is in its early stages."'  

http://www.newsweek.com/cancer-lurking-your-toothpaste-and-your-soap-and-your-lipstick-268322

New MCIP Website

MCIP has an updated website!

Check it out here: http://mcip.ucdavis.edu/index.html

If you haven't done so already, make sure your student profile is updated :)

CBS Graduate Group Fall Welcome

WHAT: CBS Combined Graduate Group Fall Welcome

WHO: Current & Incoming graduate students and faculty members of the following graduate groups
Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (BMCDB)
Biophysics (BPH)
Integrative Genetics and Genomics (IGG)
Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology (MCIP)
Neuroscience (NSC)
Plant Biology (PBI)
Current & Incoming graduate students and faculty members.

WHEN: Wednesday October 1st, 2014 at 4pm

WHERE: Life Sciences Courtyard

Other information:
-Food and drinks catered by Plutos
-Games and Prizes
-RVSP using the link below:
https://surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2z4lNgLRchJXaCfTJBTP3Q_3d_3d

Summer Dinner with the Faculty Reminder

Hi MCIPers,

Just a reminder that the summer faculty dinner with Dr. Veronica Martinez Cerdeno and her husband Dr. Stephen Noctor is THIS SATURDAY August 23rd from 5-7:30pm at Oak Grove Park. Dinner will be Ludy's BBQ and topic will be on work life balance and going to graduate school in another country. 

If you haven't RSVP'd to the doodle poll already, here is the link:  http://doodle.com/g6se2qaqifgy4z89

Recent MCIP Publications!

Twice a year we like to highlight the work that MCIP students are working on and this year we have been busy! Below are a list of recent publications including a few MCIP student collaborations, and a few individuals with multiple publications. Please join me in celebrating our fellow MCIPers!

George Todd, Casey Boosalis, AND Michael Steinman :
Towards Neuronal Organoids: A Method for Long-Term Culturing of High-Density Hippocampal Neurons
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23634200

Natalie Yuen, Breanna Wallace, AND Nick Klug:
Ischemic factor-induced increases in cerebral microvascular endothelial cell Na/H exchange activity and abundance: evidence for involvement of ERK1/2 MAP kinase.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24647544

George Todd AND Casey Boosalis:
Reevaluation of the evolutionary events within recA/RAD51 phylogeny
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23574621

Dan Bedinger:
Improved glucose metabolism in vitro and in vivo by an allosteric monoclonal antibody that increases insulin receptor binding affinity.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24533136
AND…..
Inhibition of insulin receptor function by a human, allosteric monoclonal antibody: a potential new approach for the treatment of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24423625

Chris Cox:
Myelin injury and degraded myelin vesicles in Alzheimer's disease.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24484278
AND…
RNA-based blood genomics as an investigative tool and prospective biomarker for ischemic stroke.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23635721

George Crocker:
Effects of oleic acid-induced lung injury on oxygen transport and aerobic capacity.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24594105
And…
Hypoxia and CO alter O2 extraction but not peripheral diffusing capacity during maximal aerobic exercise.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24399110

Jesse Krause:
Estradiol differentially affects auditory recognition and learning according to photoperiodic state in the adult male songbird, European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24058881
AND….
Changes in plasma concentrations of progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone and corticosterone in response to acute stress of capture, handling and restraint in two subspecies of white-crowned sparrows.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25072921

Hannah Aizad :
Differing leukocyte gene expression profiles associated with fatigue in patients with prostate cancer versus chronic fatigue syndrome.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24054763

Heather Clifton:
Nicotinic acid activates the capsaicin receptor TRPV1: Potential mechanism for cutaneous flushing.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24675661

Nicole Coggins
Pancreatic T cell protein-tyrosine phosphatase deficiency ameliorates cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24606867

 
Tony Herren:
CaMKII-dependent regulation of cardiac Na(+) homeostasis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24653702

Tingting Liu:
Mitochondrial proteome remodeling in ischemic heart failure.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24548633

Colin McCoin:
Acylcarnitines activate proinflammatory signaling pathways.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24760988

 Adam Ross:
The emerging roles of ribosome biogenesis in craniofacial development.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24550838

Brittani Wood:
β-adrenergic signaling inhibits Gq-dependent protein kinase D activation by preventing protein kinase D translocation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24643961

Please go to our "Publications" tab to view previous other works from MCIPers!

Adam Ross's Exit Seminar

You're invited to:

Adam Ross (Zarbalis Lab) Exit Seminar

Title: “Novel insight into the role of ribosomopathies in craniofacial development”

When: Tuesday, August 26^th 2:00 p.m.

Where: Shriner’s Hospital, Room 667 (6^th floor conference room)



CONGRATULATIONS ADAM! :)

MCIPer's Receive Awards!

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Kate Watson for receiving the Max Kleiber Graduate Research Prize 2014
http://bme.ucdavis.edu/blog/kate-watson-receives-carlson-kleiber-prizes/

Karine Schaal for receiving an Achievement Rewards for College Sciences (ARCS) award


Way to go Kate and Karine!

Summer Dinner with the Faculty

Hi everyone,

Kristi had sent out an email via doodle poll a week ago (July 30th) to get an idea of the times people are available for our summer dinner with the faculty event. If you don't know already, our faculty host this time will be Dr. Veronica Marinez Cerdeno and her husband Dr. Stephen C. Noctor (who happens to be looking for a graduate student to join his lab). This will be a BBQ so come hang out! 

The doodle poll link: http://doodle.com/g6se2qaqifgy4z89

MCIP Summer potluck

Come catch up with other MCIPers at our summer potluck! Bring a side dish, desert, snack, or beverages to share.

Where: Community Park

When: Monday August 11th at 7:00 PM (guaranteed to be less than 100 F at this time of day)

See you there!

Student Mentors Needed

HI everyone!
If you haven't heard already, we have 7 new MCIPers joining us this upcoming fall. We are in need of student mentors. As a mentor, your job is pretty easy. All you have to do is email over the summer to introduce yourself and answer any questions they have. Then when school starts we'll have an event for you to meet. From then on, just be a friend throughout the year if any other questions come up.

If you want to be a mentor, email Kristi @ mkhhamilton@ucdavis.edu.

Thanks!!!!

Celebrating the life of Ken Eum

Happy Birthday Ken,

Today let's celebrate the life of Ken. He was a scientist, a teacher, and most of all a friend. He got the most out of life with successful research, mastering Taekwondo, being an active church member, managing his house, caring for his dog, and helping others whenever possible. Ken had a huge heart. He was very thoughtful and was always there to celebrate in people's accomplishments or be a shoulder to cry on. He knew how to enjoy life and was always ready to have fun and try new things. Ken was an amazing person. He will be missed.

There really are no words to describe what a horrific loss this tragedy is. If you haven't heard the news until now, here's a link for more info:

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140624/NEWS/406240342

Lets come together as members of MCIP and support one another as we grieve. UC Davis also has good support groups for times like these:

http://shcs.ucdavis.edu/services/groups/grief.html

Happy Birthday Ken. Thanks for being a great friend and showing us all how to fully live and love life!

Night at the Park

Greetings MCIPers,

The social and steering committee is getting together an event at the Farmer's Market next Wednesday at 5:30pm. The steering committee meeting will be very brief to go over summer plans for events and a Dinner with the Faculty, as well to organize replacements for current steering committee members that will be leaving the university or their position sin the following year. Drinks from the previous Dinner with the Faculty will be provided at this event. 

We hope to see you all there!

Heather Clifton's Exit Seminar

You're invited to attend:

Heather Clifton's Exit Seminar (Saul Schaefer’s Laboratory)

“A Novel Mechanism of Niacin-Induced Flushing: Investigating the Role of TRPV1 channels”

Date: Friday, June 6, 2014

Time:          9:00 am.

Place:         1022 Life Sciences

Congratulations Heather!

MCIP Annual Meeting & Luncheon

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

MCIP Annual Meeting & Luncheon

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon; Annual Meeting

12:00 noon – 1:30 p.m.; Luncheon

Putah Creek Lodge

Please respond to the Doodle Poll link (http://doodle.com/tkqgn6z5e735sm22) so we know how much food to order for the luncheon. Thank you!

Spring Quarter Faculty Dinner is Tomorrow!!!!

Hi All,
The Spring Quarter Dinner with the Faculty Event is tomorrow, Tuesday, May 13th with Dr. Paul Allen. It will be hosted at the clubhouse at West Village at 7pm and will be catered by Davis Taqueria. It's not too late to RSVP using the link below. Also, even if you have RVSPed for the previous cancelled date (May 6th), please RSVP this time as well. Thank you!!! See you all there!!

http://doodle.com/ikqczifbcuzm6btw 

2014 Whole Earth Festival May 9th, 10th & 11th

The 45th Annual Whole Earth Festival will be held next week May 9th, 10th & 11th at the UC Davis Quad. There will be dancing, music, speakers, and many other activities to experience. Go to http://wef.ucdavis.edu/  for more information as well as the program, guide, and map. Peace!

Spring Quarter Faculty Dinner Update #3 - DATE CHANGE

Due to an unexpected event, Dr. Allen would like to postpone the faculty dinner until the following week. Everything else remains the same. Please go back on to the doodle site to RSVP for the new date. http://doodle.com/ikqczifbcuzm6btw

Sorry for the inconvenience. Enjoy your extra free evening next week and I hope you all can attend on May 13th!

Spring Quarter Faculty Dinner Update#2

MCIPers! 
The spring quarter dinner with the faculty event catered by Davis Taqueria is now only 1 week away. If you haven't RVSPed, please do so by following the link below. Kristi will send out the address to the people who have RSVPed in efforts to keep where Dr. Allen lives more private. This means that if there is any chance you can come, RSVP. All are welcome, even if you can't make it on time.

http://doodle.com/ikqczifbcuzm6btw

GETTING NEW TASKS FROM MY PI

whatweshouldcallgradschool.tumblr.com

Spring Faculty Dinner Update - RSVP

The spring quarter faculty dinner with Dr. Paul Allen is 2 weeks away! Mark your calendars and come out to celebrate seis de mayo with some food from Taqueria Davis sitting in the sun by the pool/ Please RSVP through the link below so we know how much food and drinks to buy.

http://doodle.com/ikqczifbcuzm6btw

Hope to see you all there!

Michael Steinman's Exit Seminar

You’re invited to attend:

Michael Steinman’s Exit Seminar (Trainor Lab)
“A sex-based comparison of immediate and long term effects of social defeat on oxytocin and vasopressin systems in California mice”

Tuesday, 5/27/14

12:10 PM

Young Hall 166 (as part of the Psychobiology Brownbag seminar series)

Congratulations Michael!

Check out Dr. VandeVoort in the news!

Total e-Clips, the online news service for biomedical research, has featured research done at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) by Dr. Cathi VandeVoort (RSRM) on the effects of a high sugar diet on oocyte quality. Within hours of publication, the story was being covered by other media outlets. Check them out below.

MedPage Today, http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/45260

Inagist, http://inagist.com/all/455878724366262272/

Faculty Dinner with Dr. Paul Allen

Hi All!
The faculty dinner with Dr. Paul Allen has been set for Tuesday, May 6th. An RSVP email/announcement will be coming very soon. Keep an eye out!

#gradschoolproblems

When you find the perfect article that you have spent days looking for that seems to exactly support your argument and give you citations for all of the final points you need to make:

When you realize that your school library only has access to the abstract, not the full article:

Davis tops list of college towns with excellent education and quality of living

Check out the entire list (and see who we beat out) in Cities Journal in the link below! What other number would we be? We've got cows and wild turkeys.

http://www.citiesjournal.com/the-top-15-college-towns-with-excellent-education-and-quality-of-living/15/

The Semiotics of Professor E-mail Signatures

Is this true for your PI?

Relationship between sleep and coffee consumption

Lab Tour Request Friday April 11th in the afternoon

Shannamar needs some help! Please see her request below!

Hi hi MCIPers.

I'm hoping Nick will email you this little note so I can beg a lab tour or two (actually hoping for four) on the Friday before picnic day (April 11th).  We would also love it if some of you would join us for dinner that night and/or lunch the next day. 

Oh, yes, who are "we" I was somehow bullied into being the academic adviser for the newly formed student lead research club on campus here. These kids just want to see real life research, a big fancy university and interact with real scientists. They are the motivated, transfer bound science nerds of the community college where I now work and they are actually a fun group. We should be about 10 people strong. A tour could be as mundane as a ten minute walk through or as cool as the opportunity to watch some exciting lab action- anybody pipetting extremely small volumes of something into a microfuge tube?. Any exposure to lab life and inner workings would be fabulous.

We'd probably be looking to fill the time between 1 and 5 or 2 and 5, something like that b/c we are driving up that morning. We really are also hoping to take a small group out to dinner with us as well, could be the tour guides or different volunteers.

Thanks for considering sharing your valuable time with us! I hope you all are doing well. I miss you guys!

Shannamar

Oh yes, please respond to either my Davis email or shannamard@cos.edu

Scientific Reproducibility?

New discoveries or one hit wonders? Would you be able to reproduce your published experiments? Some food for thought.

http://www.bwfund.org/newsroom/newsletter-articles/special-report-biomedical-research-are-all-results-correct

2014 Interdisciplinary Graduate & Professional Symposium

This week, April 3rd and 4th, will be the 2014 Interdisciplinary Graduate & Professional Symposium. We have two MCIPers participating this year - Kenneth Eum (Laboratory of Dr. Jon Sack) is doing an oral presentation and Heather Clifton (Laboratory of Dr. Saul Schaeffer) is doing a poster presentation. Go show your support! Please see the calendar attachment (on the right side panel of this blog) for specific times and other activities throughout this two day event held at the UC Davis Conference Center.

First Faculty Dinner of 2014 with Dr. Paul Allen

Hi MCIPers!
If you haven't done so already, please reply to the doodle poll (linked below) to help set a date for the first faculty dinner of 2014 with Dr. Paul Allen!

http://doodle.com/kdxpvqi8hndh8wmq

Picnic Day

100th Annual Picnic Day!!!!

In just over two weeks UC Davis will celebrate Picnic Day for the 100th time. It is a great tradition for Aggie's and Aggie friends. It is a free event, with free parking! This  event will take place on Saturday, April 12, 2014.

For more information, go to: http://picnicday.ucdavis.edu/

Social Event - Karaoke Night

It's time for another social event! Come celebrate the end of the quarter or take a break from lab with your fellow MCIPers!

What: Karaoke

When: Tuesday, March 18th @ 9:00PM

Where: G-Street Wunderbar

Winter Colloquium Schedule

MCIP Recruitment Activities, Friday, March 7th

Please join MCIP faculty and students in our annual recruitment activities:

1. 12:15pm, Lunch at Tercero Dinning Commons
2. 3:00-5:00pm, MCIP Colloqium at  AGR Room, Alumni & Visitors Center
3. 5:30pm, Dinner at the AGR Room, Alumni & Visitors Center
4. 7pm-sleep, Drinks and more fun at De'Vere's Irish Pub downtown

For Lunch and Dinner, please RSVP to this Doodle poll http://doodle.com/crfk77uqddnhv9ur 

Hope to see everyone there! :)

Congratulations Kate!

The MCIP Support Committee has selected Katherine Dee Watson (Major Professor:  Dr. Katherine W. Ferrara) as the recipient for the  2013-2014 Loren D. Carlson Prize in Physiology for her dissertation entitled: Ultrasound is Making Waves in Cancer Diagnosis, Monitoring, and Treatment.

Congratulations Kristi!

Kristi Hamilton (Raybould Lab) is the recipient of the 2013-2014 Irving J. Hertzendorf Memorial Award in Physiology for her outstanding qualities as a scholar and as a humanitarian. 

Recent MCIP Grads and Publications

PhD in MCIP!
Kristi Bezold
George Crocker
Keri Hayakawa
Liz Martin
Richard Myer
Kit Ng
John Rudell
Natalie Yuen

MS in MCIP!
Jenny Figueroa

Publications!

Kristi Benzold: A gain-of-function mutation in the M-domain of cardiac myosin-binding protein-C increases binding to actin.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23782699

Shannamar Dewey: Proteomic Analysis of Hearts from Akita Mice Suggests That Increases in Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase and Antioxidative Programming Are Key changes in early stages of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23848590

Colin McCoin: Contributions of adipose tissue architectural and tensile properties toward defining healthy and unhealthy obesity http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24302007

Angela Papalamprou: Glycogen Content Regulates Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor-∂ (PPAR-∂) Activity in Rat Skeletal Muscle
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24146969

Tyler Stradleigh: Dopamine and full-field illumination activate D1 and D2-D5-type receptors in adult rat retinal ganglion cells.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22678972

Michael Steinman: Tuberal hypothalamic expression of the glial intermediate filaments, glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin across the turkey hen (Meleagris gallopavo) reproductive cycle: Further evidence for a role of glial structural plasticity in seasonal reproduction.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23948371

Kate Watson: Complete regression of local cancer using temperature-sensitive liposomes combined with ultrasound-mediated hyperthermia.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23994755

Karen Word: Experimental chronic noise is related to elevated fecal corticosteroid metabolites in lekking male greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23185627

MCIP Happy Hour (s)

Next Thursday (1/16/14) we will have a happy hour at Woodstocks Pizza starting at 5:30. You are a graduate student, pizza is your currency, come enjoy the riches!
We will also have a Student Steering Committee Meeting while gathered.
Hope to see you there!


The same day at DeVere's Irish Pub there will be a GSA happy hour starting at 3:30. Yay for more free food!