Nerdy Science Blog

Jonathan W. Yewdell published an essay in Nature regarding to how to succeed in science (for biomedical scientists). There are two parts, and I think it’s worthwhile to sit down and read.

In part I, Yewdell first stated that there are four facts young scientists need to know:

• Only minority of Ph.D. is able to become principal investigator (P.I.).
• When you receive your first research project grant, you are old.
• PI spends excessive efforts into writing grants.
• Professorship won’t make you poor, but financially worse than others who choose different careers

There are two steps to become a successful biomedical scientist.

1. Graduate school: choosing a graduate programme, laboratory, mentor, and skills (not paper)
2. postdoctoral fellowship

It takes two things to stay in science field, which are perspiration and talent.

In part II, Yewdell pointed out that the mission of scientists is to “discover something completely expected about how cells or animals work”. In order to achieve this, you need to work out in the following aspects:

• choosing a project
• designing experiments
• doing experiments
• interpreting experiments

References:

Yewdell, J.W. (2008), How to succeed in science: a concise guide for young biomedical scientists. Part I: taking the plunge, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, vol. 9, pp. 413 - 416.

Yewdell, J.W. (2008), How to succeed in science:a concise guide for young biomedical scientists. Part II: making discoveries, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology.

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I can’t stop myself watching this video for several times. Here’s a riddle for you guys:

What fits in your hand, have non-slip surface, tab on top so the contents won’t squirt out, narrow at the top for easy entry into the mouth as you hold it, and curved towards the face make the whole process much easier?

The answer is “BANANA”. Banana proves that creationists are correct, WOW! Start from now on, when you see traffic light is green, please slow down your car. When it’s yellow light, please accelerate as it means good in banana. When you see black/red, please stop your car as that indicates the banana has rotten. Banana rules.

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Energy Current (8/5/2008):

Mission also intends to begin producing biodiesel from jatropha seeds next year. The biodiesel producer has contracted 200,000 acres (80,937 hectares) of farmland in Malaysia to grow jatropha and expects to expand the land area to increase to 750,000 acres (303,514 hectares) by the end of 2008. The total land area is expected to increase to 1.5 million acres (607,000 hectares) in 2009 and 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) in 2010.

Bernama (5/5/2008):

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (Bernama) — Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to cooperate in development of the jatropha industry under the ambit of renewable energy, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry said Monday.

The cooperation will cover research and development (R&D) activities related to agronomic practices, breeding of quality seeds and processing technologies, the ministry said in a statement.

Bernama (14/5/2008):

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 (Bernama) — The government is looking at the possibility of using jatropha oil as a raw material for the production of biodiesel in the future, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said.

However, this is still at the research and development stage and it has not reached the commercialisation stage yet, he said.

The current use of palm oil and other vegetable oils as fuel has raised differing views as well as competition on their use as fuel or food sources, he said.

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