1) Write up my annual PhD candidate progress report.
2) Convince a leading opiate addiction expert that I can construct a tractable thesis project centered on the effects of chronic opiate exposure on the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus.
3) Convince a leading stem cell expert that I can construct a tractable thesis project centered on the effects of chronic opiate exposure on specific stem and progenitor cell compartments within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus.
4) Convince a leading chromatin biology and epigenetics expert (and potential Nobel laureate) that I that I can construct a tractable thesis project centered on the effects of chronic opiate exposure—as mediated by alterations in chromatin structure and epigenetic machinery—on specific stem and progenitor cell compartments within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus.
5) READ READ READ so that I can do 2, 3, and 4 without sounding like an idiot.
So I’m gonna be super responsible and have a Red Stripe at 2:40 in the morning.
This is me attempting to give a fuck about tubulin because I have to give a microtubule-themed presentation on Tuesday morning. I have something to talk about, but it’s not very exciting and oh my god I am so bored with this shit.
First trip to the dentist in a while today. Need a lot of work. Luckily, my dental benefits for the year are untouched, and I can get some of pretty expensive work done before I lose my 2011 dental moneys. BUT will definitely have to do some of it out-of-pocket. I’m okay with that, but hopefully we can break it up so that I can maximize my yearly allowance. We shall see.
Apparently, I eat too many carbs and my diet is poor (it’s not). I don’t drink much soda, no juice, use minimal sugar in my coffee, eat very little dried fruit (except for raisins every now and then), and eat whole wheat everything.
That leaves cookies, which I will not give up. I will figure something out.
~
I’m currently taking a break from writing a Cell-style minireview on the neural crest stem cell lineage for my stem cells class. It’s a vast topic, which is great and not-great at the same time. There’s no dearth of things to write about, but I think I may be trying to accomplish too much in what shouldn’t be more than a 3500-word article.
I’m about halfway done. It’s due tomorrow at 5ish. I feel good.
My life is awesome. Whenever life seems hard, I will remember this:
I took this video of the the view from the 38th-floor fitness center in my building complex. It is spectacular. I now live in the one of the nicest sections of richest neighborhood in the nation, with presumably the highest concentration of wealth in the world…for literally hundreds less than what I paid in Chicago, even though properties here can fetch up to $1200…per square foot. From my apartment (which is bigger than any other place I’ve lived), I can see the East River, Roosevelt Island, and the Queensboro Bridge. From the fitness center, I can see four boroughs in one view (Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx). I get all of this…as a graduate student.
My building is adjacent to my school, The Rockefeller University, one of the best, most highly regarded biomedical research institutions in the world. I can take classes for free at Sloan Kettering or Cornell Medical College (two other amazing institutions which are literally just down the street).
I get the chance to talk directly to Nobel laureates. Every day. I go out drinking with some of the best young minds of our era.
The professor I want to do my first rotation with is one of the three people who developed methadone treatment for opiate addiction, literally saving thousands upon thousands of lives. Antibiotics were born here. As was virology. And blood typing. And the AIDS drug cocktail.
I get a living salary. I have a doorman. I get tens of thousands of dollars of tuition paid for.
My life is awesome. I am extremely fortunate. And extremely grateful. And if you ever hear me say otherwise, fucking punch me in the face. Please.
I’ve never really thought seriously about studying the biological bases of addiction and addictive behavior, but I really liked the approaches (and more generally the attitude) that this PI employs. Also! There’s a huge potential for me to use my existing behavior/psychology/neuroscience background to do something that dovetails pretty nicely with my interest in disproportionately affected populations.
I’m finding more and more that I can’t escape my translational biology heritage.
Because you all have been—quite rightly—foaming at the mouth to know, my official New York move-in date is August 29th. Probs leaving Chicago sometime during the weekend of August 26th.
Get your Devon time in while you can!
BOOM!
The GRE and grad school application completion are fast approaching. As I consider new directions for my scientific career, I can’t help but look back at what I’ve done in the past. I need to figure out what the general course for my graduate study will be. Evo-devo? Genetics? Stick with neuro (probably not)? I’m not sure, but certain things are speaking to me.
I became somewhat of a confocal and electron microscopist as an undergrad, and I have to say, it was some of the most gratifying work I’ve ever done. And I was really good at it. Like, I produced a fuck-ton of data and publishable images. Here are some of my favorites. Not all of them are my best, but I’m really proud of them, regardless. They are pretty AND informative.
You’re looking at in situ images of ALS in action. These are degenerating (and, in some cases, regenerating) motor neuronaxon terminals (green) at several different neuromuscular junctions. In normal individuals, the axon terminal would completely cover the endplate (red) on the muscle side of the junction. In individuals with ALS, the terminal degrades/retracts from the muscle endplate. The nerve and muscle can no longer communicate, leading to weakness and paralysis.
Looking for stuff for Scott got me excited about going back to school again. Thanks Scott.
Devon, what are you looking to do?
The very same thing you found for Scott! I was looking at Mailman’s public health programs the other day! I think I already told Scott, but I’m seriously considering public health. Berkeley has a really great PhD option in molecular infectious diseases which would dovetail pretty nicely with the molecular pathogenesis experience that I already have. UIC has a cancer epidemiology program that looks pretty enticing. If I go the public health route, I’ll probably want to deal with issues affecting LGBTQ and poor/marginalized communities.
Aside from that, I want to PhD in genetics, probably concentrating on gene regulation and epigenetic mechanisms. That shit is just TOO interesting.
