Come fly the friendly skies.....or perhaps the one piloted by an apostle

President Uchtdorf, 2nd Councilor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and former commercial pilot and executive, taught, received instruction , then took to the skies.


Reported here and here

Fall in New England

New England Trees.

Famous apple pie baked by Kristen. (The apples were from our day laborer apple harvest.

Our first family Jack-O-Lantern.

T-mobile G1 with Android

I thought I would be a tech geek today and speak about the T-mobile G1. I am not going to go into all of the finer specs you can easily read from a more techy website or T-mobile. I am going to go into a few tidbits that thought were cool and share a few experiences.

First, my dad bought the phone in Costco on Saturday. He was told that he had to get the data plan to access the Internet and use the phone. "Really?!" I thought. So we tested it out. My dad bought the data service with the phone and found he could use it like he should, after all this is what the rep said. We then removed his sim card and replaced it with my pay-as-you-go sim card. Would the phone work? You bet!! We made phone calls and even successfully browsed the Internet using wifi. My suggesting now is to play with the data for the 30 day trial period, then cancel and go back to the original plan.

So what does this mean? Well, you can have your friend who has a T-mobile data plan put their sim card into your new G1, activate the phone, then replace your sim card and you should be good to go..assuming you have some other T-mobile service.

Second, one would think with such a cool gadget you could do cool things like read a pdf or word file. Well, not so fast. In order to read a word or excel file you have to view them through google documents. We tried viewing a pdf that way and had no luck. Using an online pdf viewer was hit or miss since flash enabled apps (like http://www.pdfmenot.com/) don't work either. We were able to view a pdf using http://view.samurajdata.se/. A little app called MultiReader 1.0 for the Android system may work; we just never got around to it.

Wifi was great. Opening files was another thing altogether.

Third, The camera is nothing short of abysmal. Sure it is 3mp, but has limited functionality. It does autofocus, but does not zoom, record video, have color correction, etc...

Finally, the battery is not long lasting especially while using wifi. I guess this is no surprise. Its a good thing Android is quite peppy so that time is not wasted. Although the folder arrangement could use some work. All in all, this could become one awesome machine once apps are made to utilize all of its cool features (camera, gps, wifi, integration with google, phone, keyboard, etc). I am definitely for this amazing machine despite its minor flaws.

How will you vote? 'Cause I am lost in this election

I discovered a nifty website thank to PCmagazine. It is http://glassbooth.org. You first select the issues that matter the most to you. Be careful, because you only get 20 points with which to work. The following screen is a quiz that asks you questions related to the topics you are most concerned with. Once you have completed the quiz, you are shown which candidate shares your views the most. You can then view why you match so well within each category where you can read statements from the candidate and see how the candidate would answer the question you answered. You can also see how you fared with all of the other candidates.

My dilemma, as it has been this whole election was not improved by this website. I am a registered republican, but am very divided in my conservative and liberal approaches to government. I'd probably classify myself as an independent, but I have a hard time being the lone man outside the two big parties. Besides, I like to vote in primary elections and would rather not have to be limited by the state I live to decide to do so.

So, how did I fare on http://glassbooth.org? My scores are below.

Barack Obama shares a 73% similarity with your beliefs

Taxes and Budget 63% Find out why
Science 75% Find out why
Civil Liberties and Domestic Security 75% Find out why
Iraq and Foreign Policy 75% Find out why
Trade and Economics 75% Find out why
Environment and Energy 100% Find out why
Immigration 58% Find out why
Health Care 63% Find out why
Education 100% Find out why
Gay Rights 100% Find out why
Abortion and Birth Control 50% Find out why

However, John McCain shares a 68% similarity with your beliefs.

A 5% difference.

Taxes and Budget 50% Find out why
Science 75% Find out why
Civil Liberties and Domestic Security 88% Find out why
Iraq and Foreign Policy 67% Find out why
Trade and Economics 25% Find out why
Environment and Energy 100% Find out why
Immigration 42% Find out why
Health Care 88% Find out why
Education 75% Find out why
Gay Rights 100% Find out why
Abortion and Birth Control 50% Find out why

So how will I vote? I'll see on Nov 4.


Just a note, I did the test again, this time switching my category priorities a bit, but answered the same questions the same and the new ones as I thought I should. Now John McCain shares a 70% similarity and Barack Obama shares a 60% similarity. Perhaps I should just flip a coin?!

Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for Fluorescent Proteins

Congratulations to: Osamu Shimomura, 80, an emeritus professor at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. and Boston University Medical School; Martin Chalfie, 61, a professor of biological sciences at Columbia University; and Roger Y. Tsien, 56, a professor of pharmacology at University of California, San Diego.


RGyN Zebrafish Photo by Joshua Cameron

A few have taken the art of fluorescence to the extreme:


Artwork by Nathan Shaner, photography by Paul Steinbach



Brainbow Confocal image by Tamily Weissman. Mouse by Jean Livet and Ryan Draft.

Read me if you can

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Cazry ins't it? So mcuh for lranenig our ABC's or how to splel wrdos.

The Bailout Alternative, A Common Sense Fix

I'll be the first to admit I am no economist, but having read HR1424 -well not all of it, but enough, I am thoroughly disappointed. What a waste of billions of dollars!! True, we need to do something, but spend lots of money we don't have to solve a problem that began much the same way!!??

Courtesy of Dave Ramsey.

Years of bad decisions and stupid mistakes have created an economic nightmare in this country, but $700 billion in new debt is not the answer. As a tax-paying American citizen, I will not support any congressperson who votes to implement such a policy. Instead, I submit the following three steps:

Common Sense Plan.

I. INSURANCE

A. Insure the subprime bonds/mortgages with an underlying FHA-type insurance. Government-insured and backed loans would have an instant market all over the world, creating immediate and needed liquidity.

B. In order for a company to accept the government-backed insurance, they must do two things:

1. Rewrite any mortgage that is more than three months delinquent to a 6% fixed-rate mortgage.
a. Roll all back payments with no late fees or legal costs into the balance. This brings homeowners current and allows them a chance to keep their homes.
b. Cancel all prepayment penalties to encourage refinancing or the sale of the property to pay off the bad loan. In the event of foreclosure or short sale, the borrower will not be held liable for any deficit balance. FHA does this now, and that encourages mortgage companies to go the extra mile while working with the borrower—again limiting foreclosures and ruined lives.

2. Cancel ALL golden parachutes of EXISTING and FUTURE CEOs and executive team members as long as the company holds these government-insured bonds/mortgages. This keeps underperforming executives from being paid when they don’t do their jobs.

C. This backstop will cost less than $50 billion—a small fraction of the current proposal.


II. MARK TO MARKET

A. Remove mark to market accounting rules for two years on only subprime Tier III bonds/mortgages. This keeps companies from being forced to artificially mark down bonds/mortgages below the value of the underlying mortgages and real estate.

B. This move creates patience in the market and has an immediate stabilizing effect on failing and ailing banks—and it costs the taxpayer nothing.


III. CAPITAL GAINS TAX

A. Remove the capital gains tax completely. Investors will flood the real estate and stock market in search of tax-free profits, creating tremendous—and immediate—liquidity in the markets. Again, this costs the taxpayer nothing.

B. This move will be seen as a lightning rod politically because many will say it is helping the rich. The truth is the rich will benefit, but it will be their money that stimulates the economy. This will enable all Americans to have more stable jobs and retirement investments that go up instead of down. This is not a time for envy, and it’s not a time for politics. It’s time for all of us, as Americans, to stand up, speak out, and fix this mess.


My economic outlook follows a pattern like this if nothing is done to stave off what appears to be the inevitable:


I am no longer a grad student and I am not a professor.....well, I am a Senior Lecturer, Post-doctoral fellow, and I am applying for a permanent job. Do any of those count?

An interesting illusion of my own creation

Is the blue box truly a box or are the lines bent? Clicking the image will open it in a new window with a white background and you will see only the box itself.

Remember that commercial.....

....where the dad is looking for his son and can't find him because the son has climbed up the wall. I have no idea what the actual product was, oh well. Anyway, Harrison surprised me one day by climbing up the wall. These pictures were taken on subsequent climbs, so it wasn't just a one time thing. I am so glad that a 3 1/2 year old is able to figure out on his own that his hands and feet can touch opposing walls. He further discovered, completely on his own, that by putting pressure on those hands and feet he can go up the wall.

When it rains, it tends to pour

So, we are going to Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Las Vegas in a few days and getting there is becoming difficult. Initially we got great deals back in January on airfare. Then our airline taking us to Hawaii, ATA, went bankrupt. All flights were canceled and we needed tickets. Of course this happened in April and tickets had gone up quite a bit. We next hear from Delta, our carrier to the West coast, that our once non-stop flights had been canceled and we were put onto new flights with plenty of stops. (Oh and none of use were sitting together either.) After a few phone calls Delta agreed that having our kids sit with us would be a good idea and that being on a non-stop flight, albeit at slightly awkward times, would be a good idea too. So, flights solved.

Then Kristen is going to have surgery to try and solve the pain she has had for months now. With scheduling conflicts, she elects to have surgery two weeks before traveling. If the surgery helps with the pain the vacation would be all the better. She'll need to rest a lot before traveling, but I can be home and my sister is out to help as well. Good timing Bonnie!! We are into week two and Kristen is now up and moving around a lot more. She's still in lots of pain, but able to travel - we hope.

This story becomes more interesting with an accident I had yesterday. While riding my bike, I was hit from the side and damaged my knee. To make a long story short, my knee is sprained. Sorry Kristen. I get to take a cane, much cooler than a crutch, on our vacation. And, for just $35 a day I can tour Disneyland in one of these......



Just a few more days and we'll be on our way. Hobbled, but not crippled, we count our blessings and look forward to seeing family, friends, the beach, and warm weather!!

Grading papers part 2

Nearly 300 pages later, I am done. Grades have been submitted. Here are my thoughts: Some were quite amazing, however others left a lot to be desired. I was particularily impressed with a couple of students who provided intriguing insight and even gave me a few ideas to ponder. I gave up trying to be a red-pen-Nazi and stuck to thorough reading, an occasional comment to show disgust or praise, and a red score written on the first page.

My biggest pet peeve, endless paragraphs that go on for a page or more. Are ENTER and TAB to difficult to press? Along similar lines, periods could have been used a bit more frequently. Granted, this was not an English paper, but come on! My conclusion: I should offer editing services. I could easily garner an additional 5-10 percentage points for some of these papers, padding my wallet at the same time.

Grading papers part 1

Well, the day finally arrived. The next week or two will be spent diving into this stack. I am curious how Harvard students will fair compared to papers I saw at BYU or in Hawaii - its probably not fair to compare college students to high school students, but who knows. More to come as the process continues.

Lessons Learned

A cake can be cooked using a broiler. I do NOT recommend this method however.

A cake made using a broiler is done in less than half the time.

Cooking a cake in the broiler for the full time burns the cake.

Cakes that burn make lots of smoke.

I have no response when my 3-year-old confesses to turning on the broiler, when he wasn't even under suspicion for changing the over settings.

My 3-year-old knows how to turn the broiler on.

The future of medicine

I study eyes so naturally any exciting news in the visual field catches my eye. Here is a great editorial providing a lay perspective on two articles published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. In short these scientists used a virus to introduce the correct gene, RPE65 into the retinas of patients who had specific genetic mutations in RPE65 associated with Leber's congenital amaurosis, a form of retinal degeneration. The results are quite preliminary, but the implications are amazing. First, the use and administration of this viral vector is safe. This means that other genes can be introduced in the retina. Second, the treatment actually improved the visual acuity of two of the participating patients. This video demonstrates just how effective the treatment was. Click on patient #3 before injection and after injection to see the effects. The beginning shows the actual injections, so some may want to skip to the behavioral results. Absolutely amazing!

A Light Lesson

Need I say more?

A First Science Project

If you plant them they will grow. We have this cute little greenhouse that the kids love. A week after planting during General Conference weekend, the first fruits spring through the soil.



A closer inspection reveals many small plants waiting for more sun, water and lots of love. Which are amply supplied by two energetic kids and one patient father.



And to our experiment: On the right a specimen of green onion selected from the local supermarket. On the right a few green onion seeds, also planted over Conference weekend. Will the supermarket specimen grow? Will seeds several years past their expiration fair any better? Looking good so far.

Artistic creations by Harrison

He's perhaps the next Picasso with this doodle pro rendition of our family. You can try to figure out who is who.


Or perhaps the next Frank Lloyd Wright with his amazing architectural insight using peek-a-blocks and wooden blocks.



Am I a bit biased? You bet! Still pretty impressive for a three year old.

Introducing...The Lizard

Some people have cats, others maybe a dog. I have a Uromastyx, an adult yellow nigerian or saharan Uromastyx to be more specific. The scientific name is Uromastyx geyri. To be original we affectionately call him "the lizard." He has been part of our family for 3 years and made the trip out to Boston riding under the front seat of the moving truck. He loves a fresh mix of greens and basks in 130 degree heat. Like a dog we often give the lizard table scraps. Unlike a dog however, we give him the last bits of salads. Yummy!

A lesson of hope

Faced with insurmountable odds, a young calf finds itself first in the clutches of a pride of lions. Then, to make matters even worse, a crocodile latches on and a tug-of-war ensues. The lions wrestle their prey from the croc and drag the bleating calf to shore. What will become of this poor calf? His herd watches nearby. What can they do?



I know the video is a bit long, but the imagery is just amazing. Before you read any further you have to finish watching the film, unless you like spoilers. I promise that it isn't too graphic. A bit gut wrenching perhaps, but not blood and gore. In the end, the other water buffalo come to the rescue and save the calf's life after minutes of torture at the hands of predators. The lions are chased off and the calf returns to his herd. Truly an amazing story of hope and overcoming adversity. So the next time you find yourself at the mercy of "lions" or the jaws of a "crocodile", think of the calf and have hope. We all have a "herd" that will come to our aid in times of need.

Here is a shorter version per Kristen's suggestion.

What I did as an undergraduate

Well, I thought I would dive into a bit of history. I am adding to the series of what I do now with things I have done. I chose to begin with my undergraduate time, because going further back would be a bit much and not too terribly interesting. I am keeping this in relation to science, so the other significant parts are conspicuously absent from this post, as is anything I did in graduate school.

If I were to have written this blog in 2003 or 2004 this is what I would have written: (I actually did write most of this then, but I've elaborated a bit now).

I did all (well nearly all) of this work under red-light conditions in the lab of Dr. Heidi Vollmer-Snarr at BYU.


My research revolves around A2E, a pyridinium bis-retinoid (see below).


A2E was first discovered in the late 90's and is easily oxidized by light radiation from the UV to about 500nm (see really cool picture below).


Compare the above image with this one and see you see that playing with blue light runs in the family. Harrison just wanted to be like dad. Poor little guy.


A2E was first isolated from retinal pigment epithelium and was later synthsized biomimetically. Our lab synthesizes A2E by reacting 2 equivalents of all-trans-retinal with one equivalent of ethanolamine and acetic acid. My research with A2E has evolved into two directions:

The first is A2E's implications in the etiology of age-related macular degeneration. We have found significant concentrations of A2E present in both lipofuscin and melanolipofuscin of human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, meaning that A2E is likely more involved in AMD than originally thought. We use high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to quantify A2E extracted from human and murine eyes. I have been working in collaboration with Dr. Kang Zhang (see What I did in Graduate School) at the University of Utah studying the human ELOVL4 gene that we believe may be partially responsible for AMD. Our research involves studying A2E concentrations in ELOVL4 transgenic mice compared to normal mice. See publications.

My second area of focus is A2E's application as a photodynamic chemotherapy treatment. Evidence shows that A2E is not cytotoxic alone, but becomes lethal when exposed to blue light. The light mechanism involved in A2E toxicity can be controlled and used to trigger cytotoxicity in cancer cell lines. We have been studying A2E's triggered cytoxicity on HeLa cell lines, but have recently begun similar experiments on HL-60 cells. We hope to begin further studies on MCF-7 cells soon. We have also linked folic acid onto A2E making an A2E-FA compound that we will use in competition assays with A2E. I presented several papers on this topic at national meetings and hope to have a journal publication soon.

I should also acknowledge my grants from BYU ORCA and the BYU Cancer Research Center.

Grading a Midterm

A day after proctoring a midterm I found myself grading a midterm. 8 pages. 118 questions. Nearly 300 students. You get the picture. Well, fortunately for me, I only had to grade 1 page, times just 10 questions, times about 300 tests. That's 3000 answers to grade for those who were trying to do the math in their heads. The mnemonic I used to help me remember the correct answer order is still in my head. But, I count my blessings. I could have had the page with 21 questions. In other words, 6300 answers to grade. Way to go Brendan!! Thank you students for some very colorful answers or just random thoughts scribbled on the page that broke the monotony.

I get a week reprieve before exams are handed back and my inbox fills. Until then, I'll have to come up with some fun topic to discuss next week.

Proctoring a Midterm

Carrying a box full of blank exams down the aisle, I can sense the suspense. 150 or so eyes watch as the exam is removed and explanations are made. Several have a last minute peek at notes hoping to savor the last drop of information in hopes it will provide a needed solution. "You can begin," and the sound of flipping pages and scribbling pens/pencils fill the auditorium. And then quiet, only interrupted by sporadic page flips and tapping of pens. Quickly hands fly and questions come to my ear. Explanations are given and occasionally a quiet apology, "I'm sorry I can't answer that question." Why? Well, suffice it to say some questions were a bit leading.

The questions continue and finally people begin turning in completed exams. First one, then three, and the waves continue as each student slowly approaches the front of the auditorium scanning for any last mistakes or second guessing answers that were probably right the first time. As the end approaches, the auditorium looks rather empty. Just a handful of students remain. The last minute trickles by and all exams are collected. The exam finished, well, at least until grading begins, we carry the exam to the office for storage until tomorrow, when a bunch of instructors will sit, grade, laugh, cry, and wish that the exam had been a page or two shorter.

Mind, Vision, and a Challenge

Dr. Dale Purves delivered an excellent lecture today in MCB80 as a guest lecturer. The past few lectures have focused on vision and the biology behind it. Dr. Purves presented the class with a unique perspective. The above photo (from Dr. Purve's website), was probably one of the most intriguing shown. Believe it or not the gray at the top and the bottom are the same gray. Don't believe me? Cover up the space where the top and bottom meet and you'll see. Your finger or a pen will do just fine. See it yet? Copy the image, open it in Photoshop and use the color picker to see for yourself. The top and bottom grays are the same.

Looking at the image as is, it turns out your mind is telling you a lie! Why you may ask? Well its all about experience. Not just yours, but your father's, father's, father's experience as well. Rooted in your brain is the experience that when light shines on a surface, such as the top above, the color should have more luminance. A surface in the shadow, such as the bottom above, should appear darker than normal. What you normally see is dark gray on top and white on bottom. The odds of seeing equal grays on both top and bottom in the real world is probably quite low. Experience has taught us this. Take a picture of a dual colored cube with light shining above. Good luck getting the lighting just right such that the luminance on the top and bottom are the same. So there's my challenge. Reproduce this phenomenon in the real world - no Photoshopping. I can do a bit of that myself. I actually used Gimp, but who's asking.

Free Burrito Day!

It only happens once, well at least at this location. The new Chipotle Mexican Grill in Harvard Square (its actually in Brattle Square) had free burritos for any customer crazy enough to wait in line. Did I mention that it was a 45 minute wait? Oh yeah, it was raining and icing for about 25 minutes of that wait. Wouldn't you know, the precipitation only feel while I was standing outside. The sun was shining through the clouds by the time I entered the front door. I ordered a barbacoa burrito with pinto beans and their green chile salsa. It looks something like this. Yummy!!!
As of this post you have 15 minutes to get your free buritto. The offer ends at 8PM!!

Vision in the Boston Temple

Yesterday began with me waking up at 4am with a strong desire to attend the Boston Temple. I initially thought, they have sessions at 6:15am on Wednesdays, so I could make that session. I quickly realized that those only occur on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. Yesterday was the first Wednesday in March. I had to work and so I would have to wait until the 8pm session, once my kids were in bed. Even making that session was put in jeopardy as Kristen called me early in the afternoon saying she was sick and needed me home ASAP.

Once the kids were asleep she gave me the OK to go to the temple. I made it to the Boston Temple around 7:45pm and quickly dressed and was ready for the 8pm session with time to spare. However, I found out I was the only patron and so they would not be holding the 8pm session. It was at this point that a temple worker and then one of the temple presidency suggested I do sealings. This is where the fun began.

I enter the room and join two other couples, both actually from my Arlington Ward. They however had no idea who I was at first, but we quickly became acquainted. After a brief time, the sealer asked about me as the others apparently knew each other quite well. Here is a paraphrase of our initial conversation.

Sealer: What do you do?
ME: I am a researcher at Harvard.
Sealer: What type of research?
ME: Vision resarch.
Sealer: What kind of vision research?
ME: I study the development and disease of the eye?
Sealer: Oh really, can you be more specific?
ME: I currently am studying the role of retinoic acid (Vitamin A) plays in retina development and disease.
Sealer: Interesting, I study light and dark adaption in the photoreceptors (part of the retina) and in particular retinol and retinal in the visual cycle at Boston University. Who do you work with?
ME: I am a postdoctoral fellow in John Dowling's lab.
Sealer: I know him quite well, we'll discuss more after we are through.

I was floored! Usually I meet someone and never get very far with my research interests. Most hear something about eye, disease, vitamin A and I get a that's interesting. I also never would have thought to meet a fellow colleague in the temple was the reason for my prompting at 4am in the morning. That night we finished the session about 10 minutes to 9pm and then I spent the next 30 or so minutes talking with the sealer, Brother/Dr Carter Cornwall. We had an amazing conversation. I am just amazed at how the Lord directs us if we but listen. Who knew at 4am that I would meet Bro Cornwall in the temple and make a wonderful contact in vision science?

As it turns out I am quite interested in his work and even had included part of his research in a draft of my dissertation, though it was nixed by a couple of my committee members. He knows my current boss, John Dowling, and Steffie, John's assistant, and many others whom I work/have worked with. I am so glad that I heeded the prompting that woke me at 4am. I look forward to meeting with Bro Cornwall in the future. This was my interesting discussion of Vision in the Boston Temple.

MVEMJSUNP or MVEMCJSUNPE

What??? Well, MVEMJSUNP is known to many of us as My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas or My Very Eager Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Pins. Remember those mnemonics from elementary school to help remember the correct order of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto? Well now we have a new one thanks to the addition of two planets, Ceres and Eris (aka 2003 UB313), to our solar system. Say what? Well, it turns out they've always been there, but were recently voted in as planets - dwarf planets actually. But thanks to a little girl's winning mnemonic we can win the million dollars on "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?", the famed Fox show. (Well maybe not so famous but hosted by a bit more famous Jeff Foxworthy.) To help us all remember the order MVEMCJSUNPE we now have My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants. Ridiculous! We now get: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris. This is according to National Geographic, who hosted the competition the young lady won.

But, wait! Based on the published findings of IAU (International Astronomical Union) in 2006, our solar system really only has 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. They also found that there are 3 dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, and Eris. To avoid confusing our children perhaps we should just learn MVEMJSUN. The new mnemonic could go something like: My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Noodles. Sorry kids, Pluto is now just a dwarf planet. With only 3 in that category, you are better off just memorizing Ceres, Pluto, and Eris as opposed to a silly mnemonic. Oh and in 2009, when the IAU reconvenes, we may yet learn of new confusion. For now, we can say that we have somewhere between 8 and 11 planets. Feel free to pick the ones you like most, everyone else does.

Goodreads

I found Goodreads on Nicole's blog and explored the concept a bit further. The site is basically a collection of book reviews and allows people to swap books. I was more interested in the little script they have that lets me show what books I've read recently. So, below my blog archive, you ca now find my list of read books. Click on a book and you'll see a brief review. I am still updating reviews, so don't expect too much just yet. You can also look at books that I am currently reading and books that I plan to read. I am always looking for new ideas. Feel free to share!!

I can't believe I have read so many fantasy books. I'm impressed, as is Kristen. I love the escape they provide from my frequent reading from scientific literature and other more non-fiction/religious texts.

I am currently re-reading Jesus the Christ by James Talmage. I love this book and wish I had more time to explore the notes at the end of each chapter as I did while serving my mission.

Brisingr by Paolini

Well, by luck I found out that Brisingr is the title of Paolini's 3rd book of his once supposed trilogy and now planned four book series. The first two are Eragon and Eldest. A good deal of info can be found here. It won't be released until September 20, 2008, but I am putting it my short list of things I want. :) It is already on sale at amazon.com for $16.50 plus an additional 5% off because it is a pre-order book.

In other happenings, my class today went really well, at least in my opinion. I used a software application from graduate school to help explain some difficult concepts relating to action potentials in neurons. The students seemed to really enjoy it. I especially like that it saved me from writing more on the blackboard. I really don't like using chalk. Whiteboards are definitely the way to go!

Teaching finally

Today was the day. I finally had the opportunity to provide instruction to some of the greatest minds around. Scary thought! For the next few months I will spend 3 hours every Monday teaching 2 sections of Neurobiology of Behavior. Each section is 90 minutes long and both are back-to-back. Fortunately they are in the same room so I just plant myself and hang around for 3 hours.

My first day went pretty well. I was prepared and I felt that the students wanted to learn and that always makes teaching easier. I am glad I brought a large nalgene water bottle - one of my Valentine's Day presents from Kristen. Talking for 3 hours can really dry out your throat.

I am excited for the future and look forward to facilitating the learning process for these students.

In other news I will be doing an outreach program demonstrating labs about Neuroscience and embryology. I am excited for the opportunity!

Follow-up impressions

Now that class has been going on for 2 weeks here are my revised impressions. I still love the room layout. The seats are quite comfortable, though the desks are small. What's new about that on a college campus though? One would think that some company out there could make a desk for college-aged adults that could at least fit a notebook - especially at Harvard of all places.

Shopping for classes is indeed an administrative nightmare. The third week of classes is rapidly approaching and my sections are still not finalized. To complicate matter further, the first sessions were supposed to begin on Monday, the 11th. But, that day passed without sections, so they were rescheduled for next Monday - yes, President's Day. I am sure the students are just as happy about meeting during a school holiday as I am. Isn't shopping wonderful? Whatever happened to designing a catalog with a class of 300 students divided into 20 sections with 15 student each? You could even break it down a bit further by having 16 sections with a cap of 18 students and still get 288 to register, which is more or less this year's class. Even with 20 sections with an 18 student cap some sections may have only 7 or 8 students. All the better for the instructor and the student. 7:1 is much more manageable than 18:1. Why? I ask again WHY?

I must give credit to Josh Sanes and Jeff Lichtman. They are giving excellent lectures. Albeit the material is being covered a bit fast for what many students can keep pace, but hey this is college and we are at Harvard. Hold tight we are in for a fast paced ride. But, to be fair, I think the lectures are great and the material quite fair. Even the reading assignments are manageable. Although to be honest I haven't been keeping up with the reading in the book. I had two years worth of graduate courses covering this material and have been to countless lectures and seminars diving into many more of the particulars covered. I hope I understand what is being covered in a basic neurobiology course catered to students with little scientific background. I'll find out what the students think of my understanding of neurobiology during my first section on Monday.

I love being on the other side of the coin!! I hate laptops....no laptops are fine-its the finger pounding rapidly on keys that drives me crazy! Much of what is being said is written verbatim on the pdf handout. Rest those fingers and open your minds! Oh and turning off cell phones would be a polite thing to do.

Harvard First Impressions

I participated in my first undergraduate Harvard class this past week. I should probably set the stage a bit before expressing my opinions. I am not a student; I'm a teaching fellow for this course. This was an experience from the first class of the semester. The course is open to students all across campus and has no prerequisite.

My first impression was that the room was amazing. It reminded me more of a theater than a classroom. I've met in large lecture halls before at other campuses, but this was WAY nice. The projection screen was huge, contributing to the theatrical feeling. The seats were quite comfortable, but the desks, like always were quite small. I also got to see the prep room, which is just amazing and reminds me of the space I saw at the Shakespearean Arts Festival behind one of their theatrical stages. In other words it is huge and has just about anything for various lecturer needs.

My second impression is that of the students. Because this is the first class, this means Harvard is still abuzz with students shopping for classes. Yes, I said shopping. Students have not registered formally and are literally looking in on classes before deciding if they should take it. Hence the term shopping. To illustrate the shopping phenomenon, when this class began the hall was full. A seat was scarcely available with some students standing in the back. As the class wore on students trickled in and out. By the end of class, the number of empty seats was quite evident. What fun for a person lecturing and having to watch as student literally walk out on them. Its a good thing I don't start any instruction until after this shopping period and the students are divided into sections. (Oh yeah, sections aren't decided until shopping is done. What an administrative nightmare!!)

My third impression is one that may change as class goes on. To me it appeared that the instructors were going out of their way to sell the course to the students. The lecture was quite entertaining and involved some fun interactive aspects. That's pretty amazing for a class of about 300 students. I would be most impressed if lectures continue to be as dynamic, fun, and entertaining. However, I suspect that the lectures will probably droll off to what I've come to expect from science classes in such a setting. Only time will tell.

Finally, I love not being a student!! I am free to look around and see what students are frantically writing down in their notebooks or typing on their laptops (the front row should be dubbed laptop-row). Come on! It is the first day of class. Students are still shopping for classes. The course was outlined and the syllabus reviewed. I saw some students with multiple pages of notes. Crazy! Well, perhaps not. I'll see how note taking goes as the course goes on. I bet having the presentations available on pdf before class will affect those pen speeds and the carpal tunnel.

What do I do?

Many have asked and wondered what it is I will be doing while I am here at Harvard. Well hopefully I can explain it a bit here and show you some fun (at least in my opinion) pictures.

I work with zebrafish (Danio rerio is the scientific name). An adult is shown below.

Zebrafish are an excellent tool for studying early development. Here is a quick video from YouTube that shows a time lapse of the first 24 hours after fertilization. The embryos I'll be working with are about 10-14 hours old. So about half way through this video, just when the eye begins to form.

More specifically I work with zebrafish embryos' eyes. I am hoping to understand the role Vitamin A plays in the zebrafish eye development. I use biochemical treatments to alter the Vitamin A production in 12 hour old embryos. I then look at the genes from the eyes at about 14 hours of age and compare untreated animals to treated animals using sophisticated gene microarrays. See below.













The hope is to better understand the genes involved in early eye development associated with Vitamin A. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the fish I'll be working with fluoresce a yellow/green color in the presence of Vitamin A (RA)? (Photo published in Dev. Biol. 2001 229: 89-101)

Postdoctoral Training Grant

Yeah!

"Dear Dr. Cameron,

It is a pleasure to inform you that your application to the Postdoctoral Training Program in the Molecular Bases of Eye Disease has received a favorable review from the Program's Trainee Selection Committee. The Committee has recommended your appointment to a one-year, postdoctoral level position on the NEI-funded Training Grant, beginning on February 1st 2008 and ending on January 31st 2009....

...In light of your exceptional academic record, accomplishments, and potential for a productive career in vision research, we are most pleased to welcome you to our Training Program. We look forward to your participation in the months ahead."

I am so grateful for this award, and I'm sure Kristen is even more so. I was worried since I hadn't heard anything and was told I should be getting notice in late December. I received a phone call from Steffie, Dr. Dowling's lab assistant, telling me the good news on Friday January 4th, my birthday!! Kristen took me into the lab on Saturday to pick up my letter and now I just have to figure out all of the details of switching over to this grant. I've also been offered a Teaching Fellowship for two sections of MCB 80-Neurobiology of Behavior. I am excited about these opportunities and look forward to a fun filled, and quite busy, year.

My Holiday Toy

I had fun putting this together. I love K'nex and Amazon. What an excellent combination.