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Lab Work During Covid and My First Panic Attack
Do you think lab work is just carrying on as usual during COVID? I’m here to tell you it’s not. COVID adds obstacles that make research much more challenging. Here’s my experience: Before COVID, I could go to my lab’s supply closet and find all the consumables I needed. Now, gathering supplies for an experiment is like a treasure hunt. If it’s not in the stock room then I check shelves in the lab, then shared drawers and cabinets, I look on or in my lab mates' benches, and, finally, reach out to other labs.
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Science Meets Journalism
Understanding the complex mechanisms that make us human is a driving force behind much scientific research, but getting at the root of what makes us human is not a purely scientific pursuit. San Francisco Chronicle science and health writer Erin Allday, who spoke at UCSF on Jan. 26, uses journalism to not only explain science but also to better understand people. Much like a scientist, Allday starts with questions she wants to answer, works meticulously to gather data, and then presents her results.
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The Psychology of Betrayal
Stories of sexual assault are rampant in the news today. From Hollywood producers and radio hosts to politicians and news reporters, it is clear that no field is immune to violations of trust. The chain of events may seem clear for those who have not experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. A betrayal occurs, a survivor reports that betrayal, and the perpetrator is punished. However, these betrayals and their underlying psychology are far more complex.
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The Future of Genetics
A couple sits close, intently studying a dossier. On the dossier is a list starting with Embryo #1. According to the description, Embryo #1 is female, has a high risk of Type II Diabetes, will have blue eyes and blond hair, and has a 20% chance of being in the 90th percentile for math ability. Alternatively, Embryo #100 is male, will have blue eyes and dark hair, has a 60% chance of being in the top 10% for musical ability, and is at a high risk for depression.
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The Maternal Wall Bias
Federal regulations are establishing stronger rights for career women in a variety of industries choosing to have babies, but these protections aren’t taking hold in the world of academia. PhD-holding women who have children are 35% less likely to enter a tenure track position, and 27% less likely to become tenured – even if they are on a tenure track – than their male counterparts. Statistics like these suggest that being a woman, especially a woman who wants to have a family, is seen as an undesirable quality for those who want to pursue a permanent post in academia.
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The Resurgence of IUDs
“Every time I place an intrauterine device I feel like Margaret Sanger!” Lisa DiGiorgio-Haag exclaimed. DiGiorgio-Haag has been a nurse practitioner at UCSF Student Health for 24 years and specializes in women’s health. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to earn a Master of Science in Nursing and certification eligibility as a Family Nurse Practitioner from UCSF. It was during her graduate studies that DiGiorgio-Haag decided to focus on women’s health, despite being discouraged to do so.
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Walking the Work-Life Tightrope
Many, if not all, of us are constantly trying to attain work-life balance, but in this day and age we all have so many things to juggle. In addition to work we have relationships to tend to, side projects to amuse and challenge us, and the extra hours of sleep we wish we were getting. We think a work-life balance will fix all of our problems, but try as we may, it often seems impossible to attain the balance we desire.
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Endo-Lysosomes and Antigen Presentation
For phagocytic immune cells, endosomes and lysosomes are critical organelles. Endosomes transport samples of extracellular material into the cell and eventually fuse with lysosomes to create the endo-lysosomal compartment. In this compartment antigens are processed and loaded onto Major Histocompatibility Complex II (MHC-II) molecules for subsequent antigen presentation to T cells. Although classically recognized as waste-management organelles, in pathogen-stimulated dendritic cells (DC) these degradative abilities are dampened to preserve peptides. In addition to functional changes, endo-lysosomes also transform from globular organelles into far-reaching tubular networks.
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Hello World
I began thinking of myself as a writer when I was ten. I wrote in my diary religiously, submitted poetry to contests, and when asked to submit one or two page stories in English class I submitted ten. I began thinking of myself as a scientist when I was 12. For one of my elective classes I signed up for Genetics where I extracted DNA for the first time from dog testicles, learned about polydactylism, and bred fruit flies in an attempt to create a new mutant.
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