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.