This information is compiled by the MCB office, and represents the current occupations of the >90% of MCB alums that are using their degrees towards a science-related field.

With almost 60 students in attendance, this year’s Fall Gathering was a big success.

This book is an interesting read for those of us who feel reluctant or uneasy about negotiating, and can provide insights that may help when it comes time to negotiate for that first job offer after graduation.

By Jennifer Lachowiec
Seattle University is a Jesuit university with almost 8,000 grads and undergrads. Patrick Murphy, PhD is an Assistant Professor there, with a passion for teaching and undergraduate research. We discussed his career path that has culminated in teaching pharmacology to nursing students. He also shares some of his advice in landing a teaching job at a liberal arts institution.
JL: How did you get into research?
PM: I went to a liberal arts college in Ohio [Wittenberg], with corn fields surrounding it. We had a small, but very good biology …

We all have to give presentations during our grad school careers, from lab meeting to committee meetings, posters and talks for conferences, and hopefully someday job talks. The difference between a good presentation and a bad one could have a big impact on your career, or at least impress your PI.

Five years’ worth of Biol 200 quarters has gotten Wiggins thinking about what makes a good teacher, especially what makes a good science teacher. And he’s got some ideas about how we can all be better science communicators.

Three quick pieces of advice to TAs from Ben Wiggins, who chatted with us about teaching and talking about science:
1. Come in humble. If you do, you can serve a lot of people. If you come in demanding respect for your position, you will lose people.
2. Be as efficient as you can. The coolest things about teaching won’t happen until the other prep (like planning, grading, etc.) is done.
3. You will make mistakes. Don’t be afraid of them. By making mistakes and accepting it, …

We want to see your best/worst contamination photos!

Understanding why the faculty gender imbalance persists and how it impacts the experiences of women at MCB affiliated institutions.

Many MCB students apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, but it is not necessarily the best option for everyone. What if your project is disease based, and therefore likely to be rejected by the NSF? Or you are an international student? Or you simply do not receive the NSF fellowship? There are a variety of other funding sources available, which are summarized here.

Long for this World is an interesting book about aging for a general audience.

The Weintraub Award talks are on Friday May 6th in Pelton.

As per MCB tradition, a group of second year students organized a welcome bbq for the incoming first years early in September at Gas Works park. Students from all class years, program directors and adminstrative staff met and mingled with the new students, enjoying some outside time and some summertime barbeque food.

A group of undergraduates – mentored in part by MCB student Matt Smith – won first place in the Best Health and Medicine category in an international competition. Each year, a group of undergraduates at the University of Washington compete in the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM). A team of students works together on a synthetic biology project for the better part of a year, then presents their work at an international conference before other teams and judges.
This year, the team focused on developing two “Twenty-first century antibiotics”. Half …

Find out about this year’s prize winners, new technology, or some wacky science.

Hard work has paid off, literally, for third year MCB student Xiaoji Chen. At the Small Nucleic Acid Symposium held in October at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Xiaoji was awarded $20,000 for her poster presentation “Functional Genetic Approach to Map Regulatory Networks Governing the Lineage Commitment of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells.” Competing against post-docs, PIs and other students, Xiaoji was one of eight people chosen for awards by Hutch faculty judges and symposium attendees.
The awards are funded by a pilot …

As I write this, my general exam looms ahead, a little over a month into my future. I’m really nervous.

When you teach science to twelve year old girls, you never know what might happen. They might get really excited about the pipettes, or ask an insightful question. Or like one girl who was asked “Do you know what yeast is?”, they might shriek “IT EATS SUGAR! AND MAKES BREAD!!!”

If you love PhD comics, you’ll find Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School to be funny (and sad) because it’s true. This book, by Adam Ruben, is a not-so-serious take on the grad student experience.

On June 10, 2010, MCB’s own Ilana Cohen, a third year student in the Salama laboratory, appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy. Facing stiff competition in the first round, in which the leader jumped ahead by over $4000 due to his knowledge of 1970s sitcoms, Ilana came back in the double Jeopardy section of the show and answered the final Jeopardy question correctly, finishing only $200 behind the winner. Overall, Ilana had a very impressive showing, finishing with $18,601 and taking home a well-deserved $2000 reward.
Ilana’s greatest triumph as a …