Well, today we began revisions on our NIH grant proposals in preparation for the upcoming submission deadline in March. This may seem like a long time to work on something, but we are actually going to be quite busy up until the deadlines. One grant is for my mentor, and though I'll be doing most of the actual writing, she will be guiding the experimental designs. The other grant is mine, and I get to call the shots to a large degree, although my mentor's input will be formative.
Both grants did well in the last round of reviews, but not so well that they received any of the limited, precious NIH money. Our scores for both grants were mediocre. This time, I hope that at least one of them will be funded. It would be terrific if both of them could be.
Our revisions will focus on addressing the concerns of the scientists who reviewed our last submissions. We will make most of the changes that they suggested to improve the grant, and will add some changes of our own to spice it up a bit.
For the next few weeks, I will be all work and no play (well, not much play, anyway).
Monday, January 15, 2007
Friday, January 12, 2007
Let's talk about brains, baby
So, what do I do during a typical day in the laboratory? This is a question I often get, and I will attempt to define my responsibilities in this post so that my friends who read this will understand a bit more about me.
I am a Neuroscientist. Neuroscience is a large field. "Neuroscientists" can address anything from the smallest working components of a specific portion of a cell to the way in which the touch receptors in your toes talk to complex circuitry in the highest processing centers in your brain, so the term requires further subdivision. I consider myself to be a Neuroanatomist first and foremost. I am most interested in the normal neuroanatomical structure small anatomical changes that occur in the brain in response to injury (in vertebrates), and how we can guide those changes to enhance recovery. To study these topics, my work involves not only neuroanatomical techniques, but also behavioral assessment (limb movement, grasping, etc) of rodents.
My work differs from one day to the next. One day may involve working with the animals, cutting brain tissue for study, or performing an experiment to examine the structure of the brain. Other days are spent writing about the results of my experiments, preparing grants for submission, or revising manuscripts based on comments from anonymous peers.
I like science for many reasons, but the most salient is the following phenomenon: every time I set out to test a hypothesis ("answer a question," if you will, although it's not always an answer), the data that come from the experiment raise several more questions. Therefore, my work never gets old or dull. There's always a new hypothesis to test, and many times a novel experimental design is necessary, which winds up taking me in directions in which I have never gone before. Always, however, my results lead to one place: the complex labyrinth of the brain and it's fantastic workings. No matter how hard I work and how many questions I ask, I'll never fully understand our brains. It will be fun to try, though.
I am a Neuroscientist. Neuroscience is a large field. "Neuroscientists" can address anything from the smallest working components of a specific portion of a cell to the way in which the touch receptors in your toes talk to complex circuitry in the highest processing centers in your brain, so the term requires further subdivision. I consider myself to be a Neuroanatomist first and foremost. I am most interested in the normal neuroanatomical structure small anatomical changes that occur in the brain in response to injury (in vertebrates), and how we can guide those changes to enhance recovery. To study these topics, my work involves not only neuroanatomical techniques, but also behavioral assessment (limb movement, grasping, etc) of rodents.
My work differs from one day to the next. One day may involve working with the animals, cutting brain tissue for study, or performing an experiment to examine the structure of the brain. Other days are spent writing about the results of my experiments, preparing grants for submission, or revising manuscripts based on comments from anonymous peers.
I like science for many reasons, but the most salient is the following phenomenon: every time I set out to test a hypothesis ("answer a question," if you will, although it's not always an answer), the data that come from the experiment raise several more questions. Therefore, my work never gets old or dull. There's always a new hypothesis to test, and many times a novel experimental design is necessary, which winds up taking me in directions in which I have never gone before. Always, however, my results lead to one place: the complex labyrinth of the brain and it's fantastic workings. No matter how hard I work and how many questions I ask, I'll never fully understand our brains. It will be fun to try, though.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Jobs, grants, and the next generation
Several things to cover in this post.
First, Kathy and I are expecting a baby! She is 12 weeks along now. Her due date is July 28, 2007. We are very excited about our potential offspring, but we're just taking it all one day at a time right now. It was fun to tell our familes at Christmas time.
Second, and not unrelated: I am still looking around Chicago for academic jobs (professorships). I have applied in several places, but not been called for an interview yet. Honestly, it's probably a year too early, but it's been good practice. I'm getting more used to the idea of not hearing anything, so it's fine to keep sending out applications (CV, research and teaching statements). I am funded in my current position until 4/08, but I decided to try for these jobs while they are open. Every day I hear rumors of new jobs opening at my current University, so I'll keep trying for those.
Third, and not unrelated: My research is going along well, but I need to keep pushing hard to get everything done. My findings are good, I think, but it may be tough to make the paper stress the importance of the data. I hope to get this paper out soon, but with impending grant deadlines (2 due to NIH in March; which seems a waste of time, as they are only funding the top 5% right now - Haliburton is getting the rest of the $$$) I may not get it done. Here's hoping.
Mostly, I'm just happy about the baby right now, and I'll let the rest of the details work themselves out.
First, Kathy and I are expecting a baby! She is 12 weeks along now. Her due date is July 28, 2007. We are very excited about our potential offspring, but we're just taking it all one day at a time right now. It was fun to tell our familes at Christmas time.
Second, and not unrelated: I am still looking around Chicago for academic jobs (professorships). I have applied in several places, but not been called for an interview yet. Honestly, it's probably a year too early, but it's been good practice. I'm getting more used to the idea of not hearing anything, so it's fine to keep sending out applications (CV, research and teaching statements). I am funded in my current position until 4/08, but I decided to try for these jobs while they are open. Every day I hear rumors of new jobs opening at my current University, so I'll keep trying for those.
Third, and not unrelated: My research is going along well, but I need to keep pushing hard to get everything done. My findings are good, I think, but it may be tough to make the paper stress the importance of the data. I hope to get this paper out soon, but with impending grant deadlines (2 due to NIH in March; which seems a waste of time, as they are only funding the top 5% right now - Haliburton is getting the rest of the $$$) I may not get it done. Here's hoping.
Mostly, I'm just happy about the baby right now, and I'll let the rest of the details work themselves out.
