The Goods - Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences News

 

February 22, 2021 | Volume 4, Issue 22

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Dear GSBS Community: I am writing to highlight President Monaco’s message from last Wednesday describing the work Tufts has been doing to work toward the goal of becoming an anti-racist institution. Over 100 faculty, students and staff worked together to identify and prioritize areas of change in each of the five workstreams. Links to those reports are below: Executive Summary   Final report of the Institutional Audit and Targeted Action workstream   Final report of the Campus Safety and Policing workstream   Final report of the Public Art workstream   Final report of the Compositional Diversity workstream   Final report of the Equity and Inclusion workstream   Importantly, the University has pledged $25 million towards these efforts, an amount that includes resources dedicated to hiring faculty from underrepresented groups, thus addressing a longstanding challenge to creating more diverse and inclusive community at Tufts. I’m especially proud of the accomplishments of the GSBS anti-racist working group, whose volunteer members have worked to define and find solutions for issues within GSBS. Our admissions subcommittee has provided cultural bias training for our admissions committees to ensure a more equitable process, and our public events subgroup has worked, along with others at GSBS, to put on a series of events to celebrate and recognize Black History Month. The last two events will be this week: “A New Era of Equity in Biotech,” a talk by Tia Lyles-Williams sponsored by the Black Student Alliance, will take place on Tuesday; and “Medicine, Public Health, and Anti-Racism Activism: The Life of Dr. Virginia M. Alexander,” a talk by Vanessa Northington Gamble, is happening on Thursday. More information about those events can be found below. Dan Jay

HIGHLIGHTS

2021 Health Sciences Virtual Employer Expo and Career Fair February 23 | 11am - 3pm Register here. This event is open to all GSBS students, as well as students from Public Health and the Friedman School. The fair is an excellent opportunity to explore career opportunities with diverse employers in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. If you are not currently in the job hunt, this is a great opportunity to network with employers, find out what opportunities their organizations have and learn about the culture. Registration information is available on the website, and will remain open through the day of the event. If you have any questions regarding the fair, feel free to contact Alexandra.Israel@tufts.edu.

A New Era of Equity in Biotech with Tia Lyles-Williams February 23 | 5 - 6pm Zoom link: https://tufts.zoom.us/j/92469094986?pwd=ODNFUkNXSjdlOUlqdEs3bVlMbUk1dz09 Passcode: 682806 The Black Student Alliance presents a conversation with Tia Lyles-Williams, Founder and CEO of LucasPye Bio and HeLaPlex. The conversation will focus on accelerating drug development and democratizing drug costs for underserved communities. Tia will discuss her journey in biotech and approach to building science-community relationships. For more information, see the flyer.

Medicine, Public Health, and Anti-Racism Activism: The Life of Dr. Virginia M. Alexander (1899-1949) February 25 | 4pm Register here. The GSBS Anti-Racist Working Group invites you to a talk by Dr. Vanessa Northington Gamble(George Washington University). Please see the flyer for more information, and contact alexandra.israel@tufts.edu with any questions.

GSBS STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

Yishak Woldetsadik responded to the call for felines with pictures of his cat, Pablo!

Justine Tang shared this cake she baked for a friend's son's birthday. It’s a chocolate cake with whipped chocolate ganache, Swiss meringue and German buttercream, and if anyone is interested, she takes commissions!

Maria Brouard's cats (Agapi the cuddly calico and Biddy the filo-eating tabby) are helping her study for Step 1. Agapi is almost 17 years old and Buddy has his sweet sixteen in July!

New Student Spotlight: Ali Setaro My name is Alessandra Setaro and I usually go by Ali. I grew up in Connecticut and have been in Boston for the last six years. In undergrad I was a Biology major and Public Health minor at Boston University. I currently work at the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel. Our lab focuses on HIV-1 vaccines, but we are currently running COVID vaccine trials and working on other SARS-COV-2 related projects. I enjoy my current work, which is largely focused on humoral immunity, but look forward to learning more about other areas of immunology. Outside of science, I enjoy singing and cooking. Boston is a great city, and I love the proximity to nature, museums, and great food in the area.

Marina Anastasiou's dog, Gohan, has been really enjoying the snow lately and he wanted to share snapshots of his adventures! Clockwise from top left: a daytime play session at Peters Park; spending time with a friend; a nighttime play session at Blackstone park; a visit outside our very own Jaharis building, during which he patiently waited while his mom was getting her Covid test; and building a snowman at Ramsay Park.

Mac Sawden's cat, Moose, was adopted in August and promptly gained 2.5 pounds (up from 11 to 13.5!). He was a little chonky and wanted to get fit for the new year. He has since switched to a diet cat food and has been spending even more time running up and down the hallways at 3 in the morning. His story is an inspiration to us all. (Before photo on the left, after photo on the right).

Congratulations to Josh Man on being a finalist for the APS Cardiovascular Section Outstanding Trainee Award! We wish him luck as he presents his work in the finalist award session at the EB meeting this spring.

Lauren Donnelly and her dog, Gracie, went cross country skiing in North Andover. Gracie is almost a year old now, and as you can see loves the snow!

To have your student spotlight included in The Goods, send it to alexandra.israel@tufts.edu by 10am on Friday!

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 22 TBBC Career Exploration Series: Consulting 5pm Register here. So, what do consultants do anyway? Find out in the first event of TBBC’s Career Exploration Series, where you can learn about careers outside of academia and how to get into them! RVSP today on Eventbrite! February 26 Miriam Ramliden Thesis Defense 9am Zoom link: https://tufts.zoom.us/j/98194152212?pwd=blBFK2lyTTBoYUxJQVVlTE5MTEFJQT09 Passcode: micro The Graduate Program in Molecular Microbiology invites you to Miriam Ramliden’s defense of her dissertation, “Identifying targets of cyclic GMP-AMP signaling in Vibrio cholerae”. See the flyer for more information. Healthy Aging at Tufts Webinar: Dr. James Kirkland 12pm Register here. Join the Healthy Aging at Tufts Priority Area Research Group for this talk by Dr. James L. Kirkland, Director, Robert & Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at the Noaber Foundation Professor of Aging Research, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota. For more information, see the flyer. March 1 BioRender Software Demo 12:15pm Zoom link: https://biorender.zoom.us/j/97261328565 BioRender is the easy-to-use science illustration tool that can save scientists 16-20 hours per month creating scientific figures! Beyond the time savings, it also helps improve the quality and consistency of graphics being used to represent your research. Seeing is believing with visual tools like BioRender, so come join our demo to get a personalized walk through of the platform. All questions are welcomed and encouraged. For more information, see the flyer. March 4 Lauren Shull Thesis Defense 2pm Zoom link: https://tufts.zoom.us/j/99397992726?pwd=SkVYbjlZYnhLMnlxa0RaU0R6cXlPQT09 Passcode: micro The Graduate Program in Molecular Microbiology invites you to Lauren Shull's defense of her dissertation, "Characterization of transient hyperinfectivity and of the vieSAB operon in Vibrio cholerae El Tor." See the flyer for more information. March 11 Developing the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: A Personal Perspective 12 - 1:30pm Register here. You are cordially invited to a March 11 virtual lunchtime event with Brett Leav, A87, A23P, Vice President of Clinical Development, Public Health Vaccines at Moderna, Inc. Brett led the Clinical Trial team at Moderna that developed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in record time. Brett will discuss his path from Tufts to Moderna as well as his experience in leading the vaccine clinical trials. For more information, see the website. March 23 Christina Deliyiannis Dissertation Defense 1pm The Graduate Program in Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics invites you to save the date for Christina Deliyiannis's defense of her dissertation. Details and Zoom information to follow. Recurring Events Associate Dean Dan Volchok's Zoom Office Hours Every Tuesday and Thursday, 3 - 3:30pm Zoom link: https://tufts.zoom.us/j/92583128894?pwd=NjlCbStnKy9pMXBvb2NwMG14WGFmUT09 In order to keep people informed, Associate Dean Dan Volchok will be holding open Zoom “office hours” focused on student and academic issues. Please feel free to use these sessions to ask questions, make suggestions, or to just touch base and chat. Virtual Yoga & Meditation Classes Schedule Register Here The Student Advisory & Health Administration Office is offering Virtual Yoga & Meditation classes for all Health Sciences Students on the Boston Campus. Please see the flyer for the schedule and class details. This class will be taught via Zoom, you will be sent the link prior to the next class. To sign up, click here. Everyone who participates in yoga is REQUIRED to complete and return the attached liability waiver to Madeleine.Caron@tufts.edu. Virtual Drop-in meditation Thursdays | 12:30pm Interested in developing a stronger meditation practice? Every Thursday at 12:30pm, Dr. Christina Pastan, Director, Mind-Body Wellness, School of Dental Medicine offers a 20-minute session which begins with a short talk about an aspect of meditation followed by a guided experience. If you would like to be added to the listserv to receive additional information for this session, send an email to christina.pastan@tufts.edu. The Science of Childhood Cancer Lecture Series at St. Jude's Thursdays | 12pm - 1pm CT Register here. St. Jude's would like to invite you to the spring session of The Science of Childhood Cancer, a weekly virtual lecture series hosted by the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center. The series is designed to engage the scientific community on key questions in pediatric cancer research. Based on the enthusiastic reception of the inaugural series in fall 2020, a new 15-week session of the series will launch at 12pm CST on Thursday, January 28, 2021. For the first session, St. Jude’s own Jinghui Zhang, PhD, will be presenting “Genomic Variants in Pediatric Cancer: Landscape, Precision Oncology, and Data Sharing Ecosystem.” For information about upcoming lectures, see the website. Racism, Medicine, and Bioethics: Learning from the past to ensure a healthier future Wednesdays | 5pm Register here. In honor of Black History Month, Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics and the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care are partnering on a series of events examining the history of racism in medicine, its impact on Black individuals and the Black community, and gathering solutions for a healthier future from experts and thought leaders in history, health policy and law, social justice, and public health and medicine. You can register for upcoming lectures in the series on the website. Previous lectures are posted on the Center's YouTube page. VIEW THE FULL CALENDAR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

GSBS Anti-racist Working Group - Open Meetings and Suggestions Document The GSBS Anti-racist Working Group will be opening up its meetings to any member of the community who wishes to attend. Students, faculty, staff, and postdocs are invited to stop by and share their suggestions, comments, and feedback. Watch this space for meeting details.  If you can't attend a meeting, or would prefer to make suggestions in a different format, the group has a Google Doc of proposed topics, initiatives, and action items. Members of the GSBS community members are free to look at the doc and add their own suggestions. Applications are Now Open for Krinsky and SEF Awards! Due date: March 16, 2021 Applications are now open for two student awards! Krinsky Excellence in Teaching Award – This $500 award honors students who have shown sustained teaching excellence through classroom lectures, seminars, recitation/study sections, training students or tutoring. Additional details regarding the award, including the application process and selection criteria, are available on the website. All application materials are to be submitted by the student as a single PDF file via email to Alex Israel at Alexandra.Israel@tufts.edu by March 16, 2021. GSBS Student Enrichment Fund (Travel Awards) – Through the GSC’s Relays and other sources, a limited amount of funds are available to support PhD and MD/PhD student travel to meetings, courses or seminars. While we know travel is currently restricted, we are accepting applications in hope that travel will be possible in the late summer and fall. Students who receive SEF funds for an event that is subsequently cancelled will remain eligible to apply for future SEF grants. Applications are now being accepted for travel scheduled to take place April 1, 2021 through October 31, 2021. Additional information is available on the website. The application must be completed online by March 16, 2021. Sign Up for the Tufts Biomedical Business Club's Mailing List The Tufts Biomedical Business Club is back this semester with all new virtual events. Subscribe to our mailing list to get updates on our seminars, workshops and networking events! Volunteers Needed for the Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) The Tufts chapter of the non-profit Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) is looking to recruit new graduate student and post-doc volunteers! Using scientific peer review, JEI helps students around the world turn their projects into professional manuscripts, while teaching them to think, read, and write about science. Staff at JEI gain valuable professional experience in manuscript editing and review, as our Editorial Manager platform is the same used by Cell Press and Nature. New outreach opportunities are also available beyond the publishing branch. JEI is expanding programming to increase diversity in the STEM community by supporting underrepresented minority students interested in science through mentorship and publishing opportunities. Those working in the outreach branch will gain a better understanding of the barriers to succeeding in STEM and how education plans to break them down. If you are interested in joining a role at Tufts JEI, contact Chris Schwake or Kathryn Lee at Christopher.schwake@tufts.edu and Kathryn.lee@tufts.edu for more information! Let's celebrate each other: a digital space for community, kindness, appreciation, and support To say that this has been a difficult and painful year would be a massive understatement. Tufts SPINEs wants to create a place of kindness, community, and appreciation, especially as the end of the year approaches. In this document you will find an empty powerpoint where you can fill out virtual "sticky notes" and use that space to give people shoutouts, appreciation, share gratitudes etc. We want to thank and credit our amazing facilitator Yesenia Ayala for this idea, as she has been running this activity with our First-Generation, Low-Income, and/or Working Class Workshop Series participants. The form itself is completely anonymous, so no one will know what you write unless you put your name down! Please use this place to shout out faculty, staff, trainees, and all members of our community. And do not forget to visit this page often to see the shout-outs being sent your way! We have filled out some sticky notes to get the conversation moving. Let's grow this as big as we can and celebrate each other! Health Research Alliance/PLOS Essay Challenge: “Reimagine Biomedical Research for a Healthier Future.” Deadline: March 11, 2021 By March 11, submit a 1500-word essay proposing bold, collaborative, systemic changes that re-commit to serving society and achieving an equitable, diverse, and creative environment for all those working to advance scientific discovery and improve human well-being. In addition to cash prizes, winners will be published in PLOS and highlighted in an HRA-hosted webinar. Details can be found on the website. Albert Lasker Foundation 2021 Essay Contest Deadline: March 31, 2021 at 1pm ET The question to be addressed, in 800 words or less, is: What is the most important scientific lesson you have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic? Discuss how that lesson will influence your research work and/or career. For details, including information about prior winners and prizes, please see the website. Institutional Research and Career Development Awards (IRACDA) Application Deadline: March 31, 2021 We would like to let you know about an exciting training opportunity at Tufts for current or incoming postdoctoral fellows called the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards Program (IRACDA). This NIGMS-funded program is designed to prepare talented young scientists for the multiple demands of an academic career in biomedical research. Scholars spend on average 75% of their time conducting bench research and 25% of their time in career development activities. Teaching skills are developed through programs involving mentored classroom assignments at minority-serving institutions in the Boston area. The training is further supplemented by workshops on essential skills such as grant and manuscript writing, mentoring, lab management, scientific presentations, and responsible conduct of research as well as on teaching methods that encourage active learning. For more information, see the flyer. For application instructions, visit the website. With questions, contact Claire Moore or Jordan Wilkinson. Healthy Aging at Tufts 2021 Pilot Grant Program: Request for Applications Due February 26, 2021 The Healthy Aging at Tufts Priority Area Research Group (PARG) Steering Committee is pleased to invite applications for the 2021 Pilot Grant Program. The primary intent of this grant program is to support the generation of preliminary data necessary for the applicant to seek impending major extramural funding. We welcome aging-related research applications from all disciplines. Priority will be given to applicants that foster interdisciplinary research and/or propose approaches from investigators to collaborate and who have not traditionally conducted research in the area of aging. Both junior and senior investigators are encouraged to apply. It is anticipated that a maximum of 3 grants will be awarded. For more information, see the full Call for Applications. $100K New Venture Competition - Applications Open February 1 The $100k New Venture Competition is the flagship venture competition at Tufts University. Hosted by the Tufts Entrepreneurship Center, this competition draws innovators and entrepreneurs from across the Tufts community: Undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, faculty and staff across all 11 schools and colleges at Tufts. The $100k competition helps early stage Tufts entrepreneurs develop their venture ideas and share their passion with the greater entrepreneurship ecosystem all over the world. For more information, see the website. Free IEEE English for Technical Professionals Course sponsored by Tufts SOE The Tufts School of Engineering Graduate Office is sponsoring anyone with a Tufts ID to take the “IEEE English for Technical Professionals” online course for FREE. This new online course by IEEE enables professional engineers and technical professionals whose first language is not English to improve their language skills in a way that fits the needs and priorities of working adults in technical or engineering fields. The IEEE Xplore subscription is available using our Tufts UTLN authentication process. Please use your Tufts UTLN credentials to access the site, and then you will need to create an IEEE id as the second step of the login process. If you have technical questions about the software, or require additional assistance, please feel free to contact onlinesupport@ieee.org.

HIRSH LIBRARY NEWS

Open Workshops For this week's Open Workshops, you will get an overview of PubMed and an introduction to copyright and your thesis! You can register at this link for PubMed: An Introduction and at this link for Copyright & Your Thesis. All Open Workshops are held on Tuesday or Thursday at 12pm. Data Carpentry Workshop Register for a Data Carpentry Workshop hosted by Hirsh on Tuesday (3/9) and Wednesday 3/10)! Participants will learn about spreadsheet organization, Open Refine, and R/R Studio and do not need to have prior experience with these tools! For more information on the event and how to register, check out this website or contact Andrea Kang.

Hirsh Library Office Hours for GSBS Students Mondays 11am - 12pm Wednesdays 1pm - 2pm Office hours will be happening remotely via Zoom. Those who wish to attend can find information at this link.

CAREER NEWS

GSBS Internship Program - Applications are Open! Due Date: March 15, 2021 After a hiatus due to the pandemic, GSBS will be restarting its industry internship program This program is part of our commitment to career-driven graduate education. Internships are open to all GSBS PhD candidates during their graduate career; for specific requirements, see the Internship Information and Application sheet. This internship program is an opportunity for students to think about career opportunities, experience a corporate environment, and build a network within industry. Interested students should submit dossiers to Alexandra.Israel@tufts.edu by March 15, 2021. Questions about the internship program can be directed to Dean Jay. Career Coaching Meetings with Sarah Cardozo Duncan The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, in partnership with the Tufts Postdoc Association, is pleased to offer one-on-one career coaching meetings with Sarah Cardozo Duncan. Based in Boston, Sarah is a career strategist with an established global client base and runs her own consulting firm, Career Strategist. Sarah conducts hands-on training and workshops for postdoctoral fellows and her commitment and dedication to helping scientists, mainly postdocs, transform their career paths earned her the 2014 Mass AWIS Mentor of Excellence Award. There are no required prerequisites to sign up for these meetings. You can sign up here. Please contact alexandra.israel@tufts.edu with questions. Law Day on the Hill 2021 March 4 | 6 - 7:30pm Register here. Law Day is an opportunity for alumni to share career journeys and experiences with students, including but not limited to the process of applying to law school and insight into being a law student. Panelists include Susan V. Levin (J96), Assistant General Council at Pfizer, and Emily S. Mahoney (MG13), Counsel at Faber, Daeufer, & Itrato, P.C. The panel discussion will include Q&A and will be followed by networking in breakout rooms. Postdoctoral and Research Associate Positions at HNRCA The Lab for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (JM-USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University, Boston, is seeking outstanding candidates with a recent PhD in Biochemistry or a related discipline to work on one of the following funded projects: Discovering novel stress-induced ubiquitin and autophagy enzyme interactions in response to glycative stress.   Regulatory mechanisms of eye lens differentiation,    Elucidate interactions between dietary glycemia, metabolomics, microbiome, AMD, cataract, aging in animal studies and/or human populations, including planning randomized intervention studies.  Click here for additional information, including application instructions. For specific position descriptions, see the flyers. Postdoctoral Positions Available in the Chen Lab We are seeking 1- 2 postdoctoral fellows in the field of translational medicine using cell and molecular biological approaches. They should have profound experience in one or two of the following research areas: non-coding RNA including lncRNA and microRNA; signal transduction pathway; epigenetic regulation on gene expression; mechanisms of diabetes, osteoporosis/arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and squamous cell carcinoma; regenerative medicine for tissue engineering and wound repair; nanomaterials for in vivo delivery; transgenic and gene knockout strategy. The postdoctoral fellow will be working under the supervision of Dr. Jake Chen and supported by his current NIH grants. A successful postdoc may have the opportunity to be promoted to junior faculty positions. Salary will be from $52,700 to $70,000/year. This is an entry level position but individuals who have been a postdoc for not more than 2 years are eligible to apply. Interested candidates should send a curriculum vitae, a brief description of research interests and contact information for three professional references to Dr. Chen at jk.chen@tufts.edu. CSHL Postdoctoral Fellow Opportunities See this flyer for all of the recent Postdoctoral Fellow opportunities at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Anyone who would like to be considered can go to the CSHL Post Doc Careers page where they can create an account and apply directly to the opening. After application you can contact Jessica Toner (toner@cshl.edu) to have their materials sent directly to the Principal Investigator for review. You can also contact Jessica with any questions. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Postdoctoral Opportunities Cincinnati Children's Hospital has a number of postdoctoral opportunities available. See the flyerfor current listings, or visit the website for more information, including application instructions.

Feeling like your mental health could use a boost? Check out the Insight's latest article on maintaining your mental health during a pandemic!

STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Wellness Advising Office Mon | 9:30am - 5:00pm Tue | 11:00am - 7:00pm Wed/Thurs/Fri | 9:30am - 5:00pm   Email Sharon.Snaggs@tufts.edu to set up a meeting. Check out the Week in Wellness Newsletter! This week's issue includes events, resources, and recipes in celebration of Black History Month. Contact Catherine Choi, catherine.y_choi@tufts.edu, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences' representative for the Student Wellness Advisory Committee, with questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding student health and wellness.

Talk One2One - 1.800.756.3124 Free and Confidential counseling service available 24/7 In-person counselors are available on the Boston Campus and can be arranged at off-site locations. Make an appointment through the secure group email account Tuftscounseling@allonehealth.com. You can also call the 1-800 number for immediate ”in the moment” mental health support, and/or if you prefer speaking with a person to assist in getting connected.

Want your event or announcement in The Goods? Email alexandra.israel@tufts.edu by 10am on Friday.