Free is favorable these days. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two months, you’ve probably heard something about the economy melting down, with hyperbole about imploding real estate markets, skyrocketing unemployment, and senior citizens heading back to work as they see large chunks of their retirement savings vaporize. If the numbers are to be believed, retail spending has fallen off a cliff. In style: coupon-clipping, knitting , made-from-scratch meals. Out of style: looking at your quarterly mutual fund account statement.
Scientists with even passing knowledge of plant biology are generally quick to recognize the foremost model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana – a modest weed in the mustard family that goes by the common names thale-crest or mouse-ear crest. With a six-week seed-to-seed life cycle and an unusually compact genome, Arabidopsis is regarded as the best “lab rat” for plant biology. I’m dating myself, but the genome sequence of Arabidopsis was completed in 2000, while I was in graduate school.
Last night I attended an “Innovation” talk presented by Accelerate Madison and WTN (Wisconsin Technology Network). The seminar was at the Fluno Center – which always provides tasty nibbles, by the way – and was given by Tom Koulopoulos, who has is on the consulting/speaking engagement/book-writing/web seminar circuit. Funny thing: the first time an e-blast went out to advertise the seminar, the Monday night seminar was simply billed as a “kickoff address and social”.
“So who has TIME to read blogs, anyway?” As much a statement as a question, remarked by a colleague in purely genuine fashion with an impatient head toss. Not an entirely unfair assessment, I concluded. My workspaces at home and the office typically have multiple stacks of articles and books. Architectural columns of printed content, each page fascinating at first glance and earmarked for a quieter moment (when??), but dangerously resemble multiple Leaning Towers of Pisa. This is apart from the steady digital diet of TOCs, regional biotech news digests, and RSS feeds. I doubt I’ll ever be able to absorb it all, but every day brings more fabulous finds.
Recently there has been a lot of excitement in on the UW-Madison campus - and for good reason. Initial funding ($125 M) from the Department of Energy has been awarded to create the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. (This is the largest formal grant in the history of the university.) The GLBRC will be based at UW-Madison but will involve extensive collaboration with academic, industrial, and governmental research entities throughout the region (and beyond) - all for the purpose of developing technologies for cellulosic biofuel production. As a former plant cell wall researcher, this is tremendously exciting. My former graduate advisor, Ken Keegstra, is leading the collaboration between Michigan State University and UW-Madison.
Press releases and media coverage:
UW-Madison press center kit
“I know what motivates every scientist.”
My eyebrows raised. It was one of those moments that occurs at nearly every scientific conference: a late-night, after-poster session, caffeine-fueled conversation among scientists who are continuing the shop talk. The individual who had just made this statement was a former colleague and an up-and-coming star in his field. I knew well his dedication and intense focus. As well as his not-insignificant intelligence.
“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.”
George Bernard Shaw
Author and playwright (1856 - 1950)
I’ve created this web site as a professional tool, since I am currently seeking employment. However, my intention is to add content on a continual basis in the form of blog posts, other original writings, and links to useful resources. I'm particularly excited about blogging, as this genre seems fairly underutilized in the life sciences - but has tremendous potential, and offers an opportunity for the wonderful intellectual exercise of essay-writing. I'm ruminating on several topics for future blog posts already, so stay tuned.
