singlecell

Alfredo Spinach Artichoke Dip adapted from an internet recipe 2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed 2 cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained 1 package cream cheese 2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 jar of alfredo pasta sauce (I recommend roasted garlic flavor) 4 cloves garlic, minced fresh cracked pepper, to taste Drain the thawed spinach by squeezing handfuls until all water comes out. Water in the spinach will make the dip soupy, so drain it well! Roughly chop the artichoke hearts; add artichokes and drained spinach to a large mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese, parmesan, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, alfredo sauce, pepper, and garlic. Mix well with a rubber spatula taking care that the cream cheese gets broken up. Spread the mixture in a large glass baking dish, and cover the top with the other 1/2 cup mozzarella shreds. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes, or until the edges of the cheese start to brown. Serve with sliced french bread, or tortilla chips. This is a great appetizer for parties. Sometimes we even eat it for dinner.

LOL. My labmate showed me this the other day. We were scratching our heads over the amount of time she spent crafting those Gaga-esque frocks out of biohazard bags and other lab gear, she does like 3-4 full costume changes!!! I love it. But where did they find the time??

Good point, it never hurts to be your own advocate.

My answer on how to get a research position is a little different than the advice above, which I think is good nonetheless. Basically, it entails giving 100% effort and attention to detail in everything you do, be willing to 'pay your dues,' and hope that it gets noticed. I obtained my undergraduate research position when I worked for the department's lab prep staff, a job that is like a stepping stone for getting a more serious lab job if you play your cards right. I had to prepare lab materials for all of the biology department's labs and interact with the professors whenever they needed something on the fly. It was a great way to get acquainted with Professors and most importantly let them know who I was. My current mentor noticed that I did a good job preparing microbiology media for her course and complimented me saying that if I could meet her expectations in that capacity, she thought I would be a good addition to her lab group. I mention this to point out you don't need to rely on social graces or 'cold-calling' Professors by email to get involved in research. But these things can't hurt!

I know, it stinks. I think because it was an informal Q and A and not a legit interview the Professor barely squeezed by with that comment.

What sort of job do you want? I would venture that viral replication experience is more valuable in the pharmaceutical industry. In academia, I don't know. I'm interested to hear what people think about this. I'm going with bacteriology or bust (biofuel focus)

Thank you for the pipl.com reference. I had not heard of that before. My search there showed my LinkedIn profile, and an abstract. Not too shabby...

Yes! I just self-Googled and found the same thing. I don't come up in the first page of people with my name at all. None of the google images are of the real me, either. Cheers to uncreative parents!

On the flip side, I know a gentleman in my current lab- he is probably about 55 years old, and looks it (full gray beard and all). He attended a neurobiology PhD open house at a state university. In a casual sit-down with a professor, he was asked point blank how old he was. When he answered truthfully, the professor said something to the effect of, "You have to be kidding. There is no chance for you to get in here." Part of that is the field of neuro, which is highly competitive. I think there is also that issue of investing so much money into a PhD student, and wanting to get a return on that investment, in the form of several years of research and/or teaching. I still feel pretty bad for him, but maybe that Prof did him a favor. He can save himself the application fee and not get his hopes up.

I'm 30 too, and I've gotten two interviews. I am ready to answer questions about why I am a bit older than some other applicants, but I don't expect it will hurt my chances of acceptance. I was definitely not mature enough for the rigors of grad school at 22...

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Jan 24-25 Boston University School of Medicine CMB: Feb 14 Brown-NIH GPP (Neuroscience): Feb 28-Mar 3 Columbia CMBS: Jan 21-23 / Jan 28-31 Duke: Feb 4-5 / Feb 18-19 Emory (Cancer Biology): March 3-5 Emory (Neuroscience): Feb 10-12; Feb 24-26 Georgetown(Tumor Bio) Jan 24/Feb 18 Gerstner Sloan-Kettering: Jan 18-20 Harvard BBS: Feb 10-13 / Feb 24-27 Indiana U IBMG: Feb 3-5 / ??? Johns Hopkins--CMDB: February 10th-13th NYU Sackler Institute Biomedical Sciences: Jan 13-14 / Jan 20-21 / Feb 3-4 / Feb 10-11 OHSU Neuroscience: Feb 6-8 Rockefeller: Mar 3-5 / Mar 10-12 Stanford Biosciences (Chem/Systems Bio): March 3-5 Stony Brook Neuroscience: late January/early February?? The Scripps Research Institute: Feb 24-26 / Mar 3-5 U Alabama - Birmingham: Jan 13-15 UC Berkeley MCB: Feb 6-8/Feb 27- Mar 1 UC Irvine CMB: Jan 27-29 / Feb 3-6 UCLA ACCESS: Jan 29-31 / Feb 12-14 / Feb 26-28 UCSD Biomedical Sciences: Feb 17-20 UCSF TETRAD: Feb 3-5 / Feb 24-26 University of Chicago--Immunology: February 10th-12th U Georgia - Genetics: Jan 27-29 University of Iowa - Biology: February 17th-19th (second weekend sometime in March) U Maryland - Baltimore Neuroscience: Jan 21 / Feb 11 / Feb 18 University of Minnesota Neuroscience: March 3-6 UNC BBSP: Jan 27-29 / Feb 17-19 / ??? University of Pittsburgh CNUP (Neuroscience): Jan. 27-29 or Feb. 3-5 USC PIBBS: Jan 13-14 University of Virginia Neuroscience: Feb. 3-5 or Feb. 24-26 University of Washington Immunology: Feb 17-19 / Feb 24-26 University of Washington Microbiology: Feb 13-15 / Feb 27-Mar 1 University of Washington Neurobiology and Behavior: Jan 18-19 / Jan 19-20 U Wisconsin Microbiology: Feb 3-6 / Feb 17-20 Wake Forest Neuroscience: Jan 13-15 Washington University in St. Louis Neuroscience (WashU/WUSTL): Jan 27-29 Watson School of the Biological Sciences: Jan 27-30 / Feb 3-6 Weill Cornell Immunology and Pathogenesis: Feb 16-18 Weill Cornell Allied: Feb 16-18