Nerdy Science Blog

I was looking at the immunology jobs listed in Seek. There are not much job opportunities in immunology compare to other fields. I came across this full-time research assistant job offered by the University Of Melbourne and I think it is a pretty good offer.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Location:Parkville

Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences

Salary: $50,191 - $68,109 p.a.(Research Assistant Level A)
Superannuation: Employer contributions of 9%

This is an exciting opportunity to join the HIV vaccine research design and development team of Dr Damian Purcell and Dr Robert Center.

You will assist with the development of new experimental HIV vaccines designed to raise neutralising antibodies. Additionally you will perform HIV-reporter virus neutralisation assays with antisera raised to these new vaccines.

A degree in biological science with Honours or an equivalent higher degree is required. You must have experience with molecular biology, and tissue culture techniques. Preferably, you will have some experience working with antibodies, cellular assays, and small animals used in routine vaccine testing.

Please click here for more information and application.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Why do plate streaking? A friend of mine asked.

Why? Because this is one of the best, cheap, easiest ways to isolate a pure culture. And plate streaking can be fun when it come to coloring~

Although this is easy and cheap, it doesn’t mean it is not important. How pure is your culture often determine “dead or alive” of your microbiological experiment; and by mastering this simple technique, it can save your day…

Metallic green E. coli on EMB agar, picture derived from my undergrad thesis.

Read more »

Popularity: 2% [?]

NGS, a biotechnological research and development company based in Malaysia is looking for:
MICROBIOLOGIST

Requirements :

*       BSc or Higher Degree in Microbiology OR related fields
*       Must have 1-2 years experience with experiments in Microbiology OR related fields.
*       The Person must familiar with the Microbiology

DEADLINE is 23th March 2008.

If you are interested in this job, you can apply it at 88DB Malaysia Service Portal.

Popularity: 2% [?]

The Hindu:

An Indian microbiologist is trying to use nanotechnology to help identify an opportunistic pathogen that colonises recto-vaginal areas in up to 50 per cent of women worldwide and causes several life-threatening diseases in infants. Atul Kumar Johri, Associate Professor at JNU’s School of Life Sciences in New Delhi, is keen to develop a mechanism to identify Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria that cause pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis in newborns and is responsible for significant morbidity in pregnant women and the elderly.

Dr. Johri along with scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia is working on a project to make use of nanotechnology for rapid, more sensitive as well as efficient detection of the GBS bacteria in pregnant women.

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It’s good to have dates from different fields so that you can know a lot of things which you’re not suppose to know.

I googled this “Reasons to Date a Microbiologist“.

- We do everything 10x 40x 100x bigger and better
- Size doesn’t matter
- We know the meaning of complement
- We always wear protection and use sterile technique
- We can run our own pregnancy and STD tests
- We do it on a stage
- We don’t wear anything under our lab coats
- We know the importance of direct contact during conjugation
- We wash our hands before and after everything
- We love Coronavirus with a lime

(link [pic])

Popularity: 2% [?]

One of our author, youzi, went to the International Fireworks Competition 2007 held in Malaysia. She pointed out that one of the photo she took look like Gram stained negative E. coli.

[pic]

Popularity: 4% [?]

When I read this piece of news, the first thought came across my mind was “Virus Toothpaste”

In one of the first potential applications of synthetic biology, an emerging field that aims to design and build useful biomolecular systems, researchers from MIT and Boston University are engineering viruses to attack and destroy the surface “biofilms” that harbor harmful bacteria in the body and on industrial and medical devices.

– ScienceDaily: Team Builds Viruses to Combat Harmful ‘Biofilms’

Biofilms are microenvironments and niche form by microorganisms. Biofilms consist of layers of microorganisms immobilized at a substratum surface with complex structural and functional characteristics. They can easily form on the teeth in the form of plaque.

Will the toothpaste in the future be advertised as “whitening, refreshing and full of virus”. By the way, not all viruses are bad, there are good viruses too.

Popularity: 1% [?]