The Goods - Newsletter of Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

 

The Goods The Weekly One-Stop Shop for All Your Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences News

July 26, 2021 | Volume 4, Issue 40

MESSAGE FROM THE GSC

Hi GSBS! We hope everyone is having a great summer so far! Relays is steadily approaching and will be held this week on Friday July 30th (8/6 rain date) at the Bello and Ounjian Fields (Medford campus)! Please arrive between 11-11:30 am for check-in on Friday. Here is a tentative schedule of events: Relays Schedule of Events Ticket for Relays and raffle tickets are now available for purchase. Students, please reach out to your program’s student representatives for details about ticket sales for your program. Faculty and staff need to purchase relays tickets through the online store. Raffle tickets will also be available for purchase through the website and with cash the day of Relays. GSBS stickers and Relays glasses are also on sale along with the tickets. Ticket + Sunglasses/Stickers Sales All proceeds from Relays will go towards the student enrichment fund. Everyone that would like to donate directly can do so here: GSBS Relays Fundraising Site And lastly continue to fill out academic points until the end of the day Wednesday July 28th: Submit your points We are excited to see you all in-person later this week! -GSC

HIGHLIGHTS

Call for Student Videos! GSBS is looking for student contributors to a video introducing the school to prospective applicants. The video will allow prospective students to hear directly from our current students about their research, why they chose GSBS, and other aspects of the student experience. If you’re interested in participating, please record short (one sentence) video responses to any or all of the prompts below. Phone recordings are great! Why did you choose GSBS? Summarize your research in one sentence. What is your favorite thing about being a GSBS student? Once you’ve recorded your video, you can upload it to this Box folder. Email Alex Israel (Alexandra.Israel@tufts.edu) with any questions.

GSBS STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

It's never too dark to wear a sweet pair of Relays glasses. Brit and Jacob are seen here sporting these fancy shades. You can pick up a pair of your very own Relays sunglasses here.

Judi Hollander has been growing tomatoes! She's very impatient to find out how they taste, but unfortunately, they have a ways to go before she can eat them.

Maria Brouard had an AMAZING gyro from a Greek place in Larnaca, Cyprus! And her Pappou keeps beating her in card games on their trip!

Maria Zambrano went to Colombia (pictured; on the right she is holding a papaya from her dad's papaya tree) and Mexico this summer. She also recently moved to a new place in Boston! To beat the hot summer she has been dedicating my time to making refreshing fruit popsicles.

Last week Jacob Klickstein made some pork and scallion dumplings! They were easier to make than he thought (especially when you buy the wrappers pre-made) and cooked in about 5 minutes on the stove! Highly recommend.

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

UPCOMING EVENTS

August 10 - 12 National Anti-Racism Teach-In (NART) Register here. All Tufts students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the National Anti-Racism Teach-In (NART). This exciting annual conference is FREE to all persons with a tufts.edu email. It will feature symposiums, general sessions, workshops, extensive group work, and dialogue sessions with some of America’s most notable anti-racism scholars, experts, authors, practitioners, and other preeminent thought leaders. All current faculty, staff and students can use this link to register for free with their Tufts email addresses. August 11 - 12 Optimizing Mentoring Relationships Workshop August 11, 10am - 12pm | August 12, 3 - 5pm Register here by July 15 On behalf of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) and the Tufts University Institutional Research and Career Development Award (IRACDA) Postdoctoral Program, it is our pleasure to invite you to participate in an online workshop aimed at supporting your continued efforts to optimize your mentoring relationships. If you are a grad student who is currently mentoring someone or soon will be, we invite you to register! Very few spots left! August 13 Katie Watters Dissertation Defense 1pm Zoom link: https://tufts.zoom.us/j/91707435122?pwd=ZTEvbzliekxscFRkZDNWUjk2R2Zsdz09 | Passcode: neuro The Graduate Program in Neuroscience invites you to Katie Watters's defense of her dissertation, "A Tale of two SynCAMs: SynCAM 1 and SynCAM 2 mediate rodent prefrontal cortex synapse densities throughout CNS development". See the flyer for more information. 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. TUSM Run Club Every Thursday The TUSM Run Club is starting up again! Run anytime on Thursdays, then post your runs on Strava (https://www.strava.com/clubs/676763) and pictures on Instagram (@tusm_run_club). See the flyer for more information, and contact Jamie Maguire (Jamie.Maguire@tufts.edu) with questions. Virtual Yoga Classes Restorative Yoga | Tuesdays at 5pm | Zoom link here. Yoga Sculpt | Wednesdays at 5:30pm | Zoom link here. The Student Advisory & Health Administration Office is offering Virtual Yoga classes for all Health Sciences Students on the Boston Campus. On Tuesdays, Dr. Christina Pastan will offer Restorative Yoga. Please log on 5 minutes before the start of class and get yourself situated for practice. Participants will not to be able to enter the class after 5:10pm. Participants video will not be seen, and no experience is necessary. On Wednesdays, Julia Citron, TUSM 24, offers Yoga Sculpt classes. This yoga flow class incorporates cardio movements, weight training, and upbeat music. All levels are welcome, and weights are optional! 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. 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. Hirsh Challenge for Biomedical Scientists GSBS Board of Advisors member, Jane C.I. Hirsh, J97P, A04P, AG00P and her husband Mark Hirsh, D.D.S., D68, J97P, A04P, AG00P have issued a challenge to our community. If 125 gifts are made, then they will give $25,000 to support the Career Development Fund. You know better than most that one of the top priorities of the school is to give students more and enhanced opportunities to explore the different career paths available to them as well as to teach them the leadership skills they will need outside of the lab. The funds received from this challenge will help us do that. So in the spirit of the collaborative nature of our community, will you join the challenge by making a gift to the Hirsh Challenge?  Here is what you need to know: Visit go.tufts.edu/hirshchallenge to make your gift. Gifts of any amount, to any GSBS fund will count towards the challenge. Thank you in advance for your consideration and all you do for Tufts. If you have any questions or would like to make your gift by other means, please contact Kristin Hill (kristin.hill@tufts.edu). Lucy Liaw and Philip Hinds Receive Zucker Research Prizes Two GSBS faculty members, Lucy Liaw and Philip Hinds, were selected as recipients of this year's Zucker Research Prizes. Dr. Liaw, Professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine, member of the CMDB program, and Director of Research Training Programs at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, received the The Milton O. Zucker, MD, FACS, and Natalie V. Zucker Award. Dr. Hinds, Professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine, member of the CMDB and Genetics programs, and Director of the MS in Biomedical Management program, received the Zucker Family Prize. For more information, see the website. Congratulations to Dr. Liaw and Dr. Hinds! Wang YMCA Information and Rates 2021-2022 Tufts University has partnered with the Wang YMCA to offer Dental, Medical, Nutrition, Public Health, Physician Assistant and Biomedical Sciences students discounted membership rates. Please see the flyer for details regarding 2021-2022 rates.   The Wang YMCA staff created a plan to ensure the health and safety of all members, please make sure to review the new procedures prior to attending the Wang Y.   New Membership Process Student Verification Forms are required for Boston Health Sciences students that are not currently a member at the Wang Y. Student Verification Forms can be obtained by emailing saha-admin@tufts.edu.   New members must set up an online account. Once your account is created, please call 617-426-2237 or go into the YMCA to speak with someone so your discount can be applied.    Your Wang YMCA Metro membership entitles you to use any of the 13 branches listed on the rate flyer. More information can be found here. Natalie V. Zucker Research Center for Women Scholars Award Winners Several members of the GSBS community are among the recipients of the Natalie V. Zucker Research Center for Women Scholars award for 2021. These awards were established through the incredible generosity of Mrs. Natalie V. Zucker in order to further the research careers of junior women scientists conducting basic and clinical research in the School of Medicine, the School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Health, the School of Dentistry, the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, or the major Tufts-affiliated hospitals. Awards are made to further specific research projects and to fund travel and training opportunities. This year's recipients include Jennifer Helble, a postdoctoral researcher in the Hu lab; Huiyun Liu, a postdoctoral scholar in the Moore lab; Whitney Perry, a graduate of the CTS Master's program; and Fangfang Qiu, a postdoctoral researcher in the Hamrah lab. For the full list of recipients, see the website. QM&DS Training in Biomedical Data Science summer course: registration open The Center for Quantitative Methods and Data Science (QM&DS), Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), and Tufts University Data Intensive Studies Center (DISC) are pleased to announce a series of trainings in biomedical data science this summer. Basic statistical knowledge and computational experience will be helpful, but are not required. You may sign up for as many seminars as you would like. Please find the schedule, topics, and iLearn registration links below. The zoom link will be sent to registered participants before the event. Please email Lori Lyn Price at lprice1@tuftsmedicalcenter.org to be added to our mailing list or if you have any questions. July 28: Functional and Enrichment Analysis Methods for RNAseq Data Tauber Fitness Center is now open! The Tauber Fitness Center is open to Health Sciences Campus students! Pre-registration is no longer needed. Students are now able to utilize the center during all open hours and use all available equipment during their visit. Locker rooms are also open, and can be used for short-term storage during your workout. Overnight storage is not allowed. Students must be participating in weekly surveillance testing to work out in the fitness center, and masks must be worn the entire time you are in the Fitness Center. The Fitness Center has returned to regular hours! For the summer, hours will be as follows: M and F: 7am - 7pm T-W-TH: 7am - 8:30pm Weekends: 12 - 5pm For more information, see the website. Apply for the Rowland Fellowship Deadline: August 20, 2021 The Rowland Institute at Harvard is seeking applications for Rowland Fellowships for the 2022 Academic year. We seek the best young experimentalists in all fields of science and engineering. The Rowland Fellowship provides an opportunity to work in the rich intellectual environment at Harvard and the surrounding area, while establishing an independent program. We welcome applications from candidates with newly awarded doctorates or with up to three years postdoctoral experience. The Fellowship provides laboratory space, funding for equipment, personnel, and general operations. Staff scientists and engineers work with the Rowland Fellows to design and fabricate new experimental set-ups. Additional shared facilities are also available through Harvard. For more information, as well as application instructions, see the website.

HIRSH LIBRARY NEWS

Anti-Racism Reading Group Please register for our final summer discussion group for Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight against Medical Discrimination by Alondra Nelson. We will be discussing chapters 5 and conclusion. You do not have to have attended the previous discussions or read the entire book to participate! You can register at this link. For more information on Anti-Racism Reading Group sessions, please see our research guide where future fall 2021 sessions will be announced! Hirsh Library Service Desk Re-Open The Library Service Desk on the 4th floor of the Medical Education Building (145 Harrison Ave) is now open! For more information, please look at this FAQ page!

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

Postdoctoral or Research Associate positions to work on proteostasis, aging, microbiome, lens development and aging in the Lab for Nutrition and Vision Research (Allen Taylor) 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 in tissue engineering and wound repair; nanomaterials for in vivo therapeutic molecule delivery; application of over 10 transgenic and gene knockout mouse lines in the Lab. 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 $53,600 to $70,000/year. Dr. Chen’s Lab is conveniently located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. 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 and a brief description of research interests to Dr. Chen at jk.chen@tufts.edu or via Interfolio.

Imposter Syndrome? Sounds Like a "You" Problem. Have you ever self-diagnosed or been told you have imposter syndrome? A recent article in the Harvard Business review examines the origins of imposter syndrome and why it exists in the workplace. The authors describe a framework of racism and implicit bias that exacerbate feelings of inadequacy in women and people of color (POC). They argue we should stop telling women and POC they have imposter syndrome.

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 photos from the Plantapalooza event and a recipe for marinated grilled chicken. 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.