Do you want to know if SCN2A has been expressed in HeLa cells? You can find your answer to this question and others using a trick explained by EP FELLOW.

Here’s how:

While specialised search engines will always have their place, I find myself drifting more and more toward google for the thorough, ‘all document’ [...]]]>

Do you want to know if SCN2A has been expressed in HeLa cells? You can find your answer to this question and others using a trick explained by EP FELLOW.

Here’s how:

While specialised search engines will always have their place, I find myself drifting more and more toward google for the thorough, ‘all document’ search. Here is a simple example – I want to know if SCN2A (the gene encoding the Nav1.1 channel) has been expressed in HeLa cells. My first destination is PubMed:

- SCN1A HeLa ? 1 result, a ‘false’ positive

Next, I’ll try google:

- SCN1A HeLa ? 6070 results

Far too many to search through. Most of the results appear to be mentions of one or both words on the same web page.

If I think about what I am actually search for it is: “We expressed SCN1A in HeLa cells…”. I could search for that exact expression (0 results), but I know that there are a hundred different ways of saying the same thing. I would like to search for all those web pages where SCN1A is in the same sentence as HeLa cells. There is at least one commercial solution out there – the excellent DevonAgent, which I suggest is worth a look. But a similar, though limited, functionality is available in Google.

- “SCN1A * HeLa” ? 1 result, a ‘false’ positive

(Enter with the quotation marks). This produces all the webpages with SCN2A preceding HeLa in the same sentence; of course HeLa may precede SCN2A, so I also need to enter the search phrase:

- “HeLa * SCN1A” ? 0 results

This gives me some confidence that SCN1A has probably not been expressed in HeLa cells; at least not documented to have been expressed. I realise that this method may result in some misses – when HeLa and SC12A are split by a single period for instance. But it is a far better method than the standard google search and has many uses beyond science.

I long for the day when one can supply a search modification in the google search bar along the lines of ’search for these two words, and only return those webpages where they are within [x] words of each other’.

Google Trick for Science Search [via EP FELLOW]

GRADupdate (from UWO)  has always had very useful tips for the everyday graduate student. Even though  some of the tips may not be groundbreaking discoveries, they act as reminders and they are always welcome. This past issue was dedicated on the dreadful final step: the thesis and defense preparation.  I remember when I [...]]]>

GRADupdate (from UWO)  has always had very useful tips for the everyday graduate student. Even though  some of the tips may not be groundbreaking discoveries, they act as reminders and they are always welcome. This past issue was dedicated on the dreadful final step: the thesis and defense preparation.  I remember when I started writing my Master’s thesis; I must have read tens of ‘how to…’ articles. But the most useful tips of all I applied at that time  was to “start writing early and to write for an hour or 30 minutes every single day”. Writing for blocks of hours can be very exhausting, but writing in small stints may actually be more productive. But here’s the GRADupdate article….

Hello Graduate Student,

Your thesis or dissertation defense represents the final leg on your long journey to a graduate degree. You may sometimes wonder if you will successfully reach that point, but perseverance, optimism and a good support system will get you there. If this academic milestone is almost in reach, congratulations!

If you are beginning to plan and prepare your thesis/dissertation defense, feelings of excitement and pride for getting this far may be mixed with feelings of stress and anxiety. Anxiety is very normal as you embark on this major scholarly achievement, yet with effective planning and preparation, you can make the experience a positive one.

Below are some suggestions for how to prepare and deal with your thesis or dissertation defense.

Preparing for your thesis or dissertation defense

• When preparing for your defense, become aware of the guidelines and requirements your department has put in place. Speak with your advisor to be sure that you know what is expected of you.

• It can be extremely helpful to speak with others who have already defended their thesis or dissertation, as this can provide you with a stronger sense of the expectations you are facing. Ask them what kinds of questions they were given and prepare answers to those questions. While you cannot know for sure what your committee will say, anticipating possible questions and preparing answers will help you feel more confident.

• Before your defense, sit down with your advisor for a strategy session. Use this time to organize and plan your defense. Pay close attention to your advisor’s advice as he or she has heard many defenses and knows what committees are looking for.

• Remember that you are an expert!  You probably know your topic far better than most of the faculty who form your thesis/dissertation committee.  You have been researching, contemplating and writing your thesis or dissertation for a long time and the material is fresher and more immediate for you. Acknowledging your expertise may give you some extra confidence as you prepare for your defense.

• Visualize your most successful moments in the past. What did you feel like? Recall that experience using all of your senses. Imagine and visualize the kind of atmosphere you want to create. Think of your strengths (e.g., creativity, sense of humor, curiosity) and how you will use them in the room. Pick a few “trigger words” to describe how you intend to be (e.g., confident, expert, flexible, powerful). Set aside 15-30 minutes every day to practice. The more you practice getting yourself into this state of mind, the easier it will be for you to go there when the big day comes. (Schweiger Levy, J., Ph.D.)

• If you are imagining your committee as an intimidating group of people who will be aiming to find fault with your thesis or dissertation, try reframing these images into something positive. The committee’s aim is not to intimidate you. They want to learn more about your findings and achievements, and to see you succeed.
• Be passionate! If the committee members see how much you care about your subject they will be engaged and more likely to believe in what you’re saying.

• Rest, eat well, and get enough sleep the night before your defense. Practice relaxation techniques and deep breathing.

Resources

Schweiger Levy, J.,” Perform your Best at your Orals” from All-But Dissertation Survival Guide website: http://www.abdsurvivalguide.com

“Defending Your Thesis While in Graduate School” from GradSchools.com website: http://www.gradschools.com/Article/defending-your-thesis/1577.html

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GRADUpdATE@uwo.ca is a twice-monthly e-mailout dedicated to helping students succeed in graduate school

The need to express personal feelings, dietary habits, travel itineraries, misfortunes and general whereabouts has become widespread. This somewhat egomaniacal urge has spawned from the proliferation of social media websites – facebook, myspace, twitter, linkedin and other general blogs. But what to do when these social media outlets cause embarrassment, ridicule, or worse…?

What compels [...]]]>

The need to express personal feelings, dietary habits, travel itineraries, misfortunes and general whereabouts has become widespread. This somewhat egomaniacal urge has spawned from the proliferation of social media websites – facebook, myspace, twitter, linkedin and other general blogs.
But what to do when these social media outlets cause embarrassment, ridicule, or worse…?

What compels me to write this post today was reading this entry on the Huffington post “The Funniest Facebook Snafus Of All Time” and Facebook recent privacy changes. The first article made me laugh for a good 10 minutes, but then hilarity was overcome by a sinking feeling of terror (fueled by the second article): world-wide-web embarrassment could happen to anyone, it could happen to you or me.

The idea of offering to the public an extremely private or sacred piece of information, offers a compelling question at this point of my life: should we protect our lives from lab mates, co-workers, collaborators and supervisors? How much information should we really put out there? Are our private lives a liability for our careers? Do we risk to lose the respect of our colleagues or bosses after they take a glance at the “crazy pictures from last night party at John’s house”? Should graduate students be weary of messages, posts, pictures they share with the world? In my opinion the answer is YES.

Any good book on graduate school will warn the student too eager to produce his or her first research article from publishing mediocre results, to avoid the embarrassment years down the road, when that journal article might be considered at best, regrettable. Likewise, these social networks are creating an everlasting retrievable digital trail that one day may be hard to look back with pride.

Tasteless pictures, controversial comments and opinions might not turn off a prospective employer or collaborator, but we should all keep in mind that we are liable for whatever we decide to release into the “social media-sphere”, and that it is certainly up to one’s judgment to decide what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate

That being said, to open up our lives and psyches to general examination by people who might judge us may seem scary. But personal expression can be quite liberating. Also, sharing the content of our character and displaying an interesting personality may actually endear someone to you; your lab-mates may find you funnier than during those ‘Thursdays morning meetings’ and your future boss may think that your traveling experience may come in handy with the new collaborator from Spain.

There is no doubt that social networking may be a liability when used inappropriately, but the possibilities for success (personal and non-personal) are limitless. Perhaps, one must remember the goal for which social networks were created : simpler and faster social interaction.

UPDATE Feb 10 – As though we needed another social networking website the “big G” aka big brother Google jumped in the mix with the new ‘Google Buzz’, here’s what NOT to get into:

I promised my next post to be dedicated to the end of Paper Lab Notebooks, but on Wednesday January 27th, Apple released the device that pretty much every geek has been waiting for (to either bash it or adore it). It’s called, the iPad.

Here is the illustrious Steve Jobs introducing this little device [...]]]>

I promised my next post to be dedicated to the end of Paper Lab Notebooks, but on Wednesday January 27th, Apple released the device that pretty much every geek has been waiting for (to either bash it or adore it). It’s called, the iPad.

Here is the illustrious Steve Jobs introducing this little device to the world:

Instead of posting my thoughts on its’ limitless potential and use-case scenarios, let me do something different ask the people in MBP: what do *YOU* think about the iPad? Where do you see the iPad fitting in with your life? What are your questions/concerns/criticisms?

I’ll collect all your questions from the comments below (feel free to leave anonymous q’s), and try and address as many as I can in Part 2 of this post (as well as my thoughts on where the iPad is going)

…. Fire away!

P.S. Let’s try and keep the comments mature and thoughtful – the internet is full of hate, I’d hate to give a voice to internet trolls!

(more after the jump)