ASCB Newsletter

NEWSLETTERASCB

V O L U M E 3 8 , N U M B E R 5

President’s Column 3

MBoC Special Issue 5

Did You Know? 6

WICB Column 8

Public Policy Briefing 12

COMPASS Points 14

Office Hours with EdComm 18

Annual Meeting Program 20

Annual Meeting Update 22

Top Stories from the Post 24

2015 Call for Nominations 24

Seen on the Cell 25

Recent Local Meetings 26

Upcoming Local Meetings 28

Highlights from MBoC 29

MyASCB Portal 30

In Memoriam 31

Members in the News 32

Member Gifts 33

Meetings Calendar 34

Teaching Mentors, Mentees 34

Managing Your Membership 34

LSE Table of Contents 36

Call for Nominations 37

One-on-One CV Review 38

Dear Labby 38

Confronting Scientific Workforce Challenges

Page 3

Staying Engaged in Retirement

Page 8

Inside

J U N E 2 0 1 5

Choosing a Textbook

Page 18

In recognition of her long-standing contributions to bringing underrepresented students into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and helping them to be successful in their education, the ASCB has selected Deborah Harmon Hines to receive the 2015 Bruce Alberts Award for Excellence in Science Education.

Over the past 25 years Hines has reached thousands of students—from K–12 public school students in Worcester, MA, to undergraduate and professional students in biomedical research and the health professions, to University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) graduate, nursing, and medical students.

Deborah Harmon Hines to Receive Alberts Award

Deborah Harmon Hines Alberts, continued on p.6

Cell Biology Day at Einstein: Introducing Kids to Research

Eighth graders from P.S. 89, a public school in the Bronx, during Cell Biology Day at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

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February 25, 2015, was a special day at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. For the first time ever, a group of 30 eighth graders from P.S. 89, a neighboring public school in the Bronx, visited the campus for “Cell Biology Day at Einstein.” I was nervous that morning, but seeing their excited faces as they entered the building calmed my nerves and made me realize that the hard part of planning and organizing was over. It was time to have fun! I remembered how just a few months before, hosting them here, introducing them to scientists in their labs, showing them cells glowing under the microscope, and making model cells from Jell-O were just a bunch of muddled ideas in my head. These ideas eventually turned into a successful proposal for a COMPASS outreach grant and on February 25, a reality.

Einstein, continued on p.14

Annual Meeting

Poster Inside

Please remove and post!

Apply now for ASCB Kaluza Prizes (p. 11) and new ASCB-Gibco Emerging Leader Prizes (p. 15)

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3JUNE 2015 ASCB NEWSLETTER

The American Society for Cell Biology

8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 750Bethesda, MD 20814-2762, USA

Tel: 301-347-9300Fax: 301-347-9310

[email protected], www.ascb.org

Stefano BertuzziExecutive Director

Officers

Shirley Tilghman PresidentPeter Walter President-ElectJennifer Lippincott-Schwartz Past PresidentGary J. Gorbsky TreasurerKathleen J. Green Secretary

Council

Martin ChalfieAnthony A. Hyman

Daniel KiehartRuth LehmannIan G. Macara

Laura M. MacheskyIra MellmanTom Misteli

Denise J. MontellJodi Nunnari

Samara Reck-PetersonClaire Walczak

The ASCB Newsletter is published 11 times per year

by The American Society for Cell Biology.

W. Mark Leader EditorJohnny Chang Production ManagerKevin Wilson Public Policy DirectorJohn Fleischman Senior Science Writer Christina Szalinski Science WriterThea Clarke Director, Communications and Education

Advertising

The deadline for advertising is the first day of the month preceding the cover

date. For information contact [email protected].

ASCB Newsletter ISSN 1060-8982

Volume 38, Number 5June 2015

© 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. Copyright to the articles is held by the author or, for staff-written articles, by the ASCB. The content of the ASCB

Newsletter is available to the public under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike

Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

by-nc-sa/3.0).

Postmaster: Send change of address to: ASCB Newsletter

The American Society for Cell Biology8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 750

Bethesda, MD 20814-2762, USA

A year ago ASCB members Bruce Alberts, Marc Kirschner, Harold Varmus, and I published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy entitled “Rescuing Biomedical Research from Its Systemic Flaws.”1 Our purpose was to catalyze conversations among the scientific community, university leaders, and government officials regarding what we saw as a corrosive hyper-competitiveness within our profession, brought about by too many people chasing too few resources. At the heart of the problem is a longstanding assumption that resources to support the biomedical enterprise would continuously grow at rates well above that of inflation—an assumption that no longer holds, and because it creates a Malthusian dilemma, cannot sustain a healthy system capable of producing great science.

The negative impact of the current environment is being felt by scientists at all career stages, who feel discouraged from branching out from the tried-and-true and taking risks and find themselves spending far too much time writing and rewriting papers and grants. But the burden of this system is falling most heavily on the youngest members of our community, who are spending their most productive years in dependent training positions, looking ahead to uncertain futures.

A New Willingness to Confront the IssuesThe four of us are hardly the first to point out the nature of the problems that we face as a scientific community. Indeed those problems have been building for at least two decades and were predicted in several major studies in the late 1990s.2,3 What feels different today is the willingness—dare I say even eagerness—to confront the issues, roll up our sleeves, and start redressing the longstanding practices that have landed us where we are today. It has been

immensely gratifying to see the initiatives taken by young scientists themselves. For example, a group of postdoctoral fellows in the Boston area held a symposium last fall in which they

discussed the issues and debated solutions.4 One of the organizers of that meeting is Jessica Polka, who just stepped down as co-chair of ASCB’s Committee for Postdocs and Students, COMPASS.

Anyone who has given even cursory thought to the problems confronting the scientific workforce is necessarily struck by how complex our ecosystem is, and how there are no magic bullets or painless solutions for what ails us. Indeed there are

significant differences of opinion about the best way to proceed that will need much careful consideration before implementation. That is why I was so impressed this spring with an initiative led by ASCB member Judith Kimble, together with Marsha Mailick, Vice Chancellor for the Office of Research and Graduate Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Together they organized a campus-wide set of discussions about the future of biomedical research that culminated in a well-attended day-long conference on their campus. Their work provides a terrific blueprint for the kinds of brainstorming and vetting that will be essential to develop wise paths forward.

The work at Wisconsin was overseen by a steering committee on which everyone from graduate students to senior administrators participated. They defined four broad questions that were studied, refined, and debated over a six-week period prior to the conference. The questions were:n How should the pipeline change to reduce

the number of independent investigators who compete for research funding?

n How should university policies, departments, and laboratories change to accommodate fewer government funds available to maintain them?

Rolling Up Our Sleeves to Confront Scientific Workforce Challengesby Shirley Tilghman

President’s Column

Shirley Tilghman

Job # 15-0922 Publication ASCB Newsletter Trim Size 8.25” width x 10.75” height Run Date 06/01/15

Presenting automation that lets you sort cells right in your lab.The S3e™ Cell Sorter is designed to make cell sorting simple and accessible to all. Advanced automation features eliminate the need for extensive flow cytometry expertise by allowing instrument setup and operation with minimal user input while a small footprint and affordable price ensure that the S3e fits into almost any lab. It’s time to put the focus on research and take the how, when, and where out of cell sorting.

Learn more about the S3e Cell Sorter at bio-rad.com/info/ascbS3e

15-0922_CBBU_S3e_Lab_Bench_ASCB_Newsletter_IFC_060115_FINAL.indd 1 5/8/15 3:42 PM

4 ASCB NEWSLETTER JUNE 2015

[T]here was consensus that constricting the pipeline of future scientists at the beginning of graduate school would not be wise.

n What mechanisms should be introduced or changed to increase funding available to young investigators and mid-career investigators?

n How should peer review be reconfigured to increase funding for proposals with potential for ground-breaking advances?Their preliminary recommendations were

then presented to the entire community at the conference on April 11, 2015. Because the participants came to the symposium having already thought deeply about the issues, the quality of the debates was much richer and the outcome ultimately more productive than they might otherwise have been.

Some ConsensusWhat were some of their conclusions? Many colleagues I have spoken to in the last two years, there was consensus that constricting the pipeline of future scientists at the beginning of graduate school would not be wise. Our ability to predict who is going to succeed as a scientist is imperfect at best, and certainly this is most evident at the beginning of graduate training. However, if that is not the constriction point, then others must be found. This group strongly endorsed the need for broadened graduate training that reflects the reality of the future labor market for PhDs, encouraging only those PhD graduates who wish to go on to research-intensive careers to pursue postdoctoral positions. They also argued in favor of the replacement of some fraction of trainees with staff scientists.

There was enthusiastic support for a greater use of core facilities that would employ well-trained PhDs capable of remaining at the

cutting edge of their technology, as a strategic way to reduce the amount of work that needs to be done within individual labs. In the same vein, conference participants encouraged greater flexibility in the structure of laboratories to both recognize and reward collaborative work and more efficiently allocate research space. Greater opportunities for collaboration, which is becoming essential as the questions we ask require the ideas and tools from other disciplines, will compel tenure and promotion processes to adapt to recognize joint as well as individual contributions.

I left Madison thinking that although much work and many hard choices are still required before we have a clear path to implementation,

I had witnessed the kind of committed engagement with the future of our profession that is needed to create a sustainable, creative, humane, and highly productive enterprise. n

References1Alberts B, Kirschner M, Tilghman SM, Varmus H (2014). Rescuing biomedical research from its systemic flaws. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 111, 5773–5777.

2National Research Council (1998). Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

3National Research Council (2000). Addressing the Nation’s Changing Needs for Biomedical and Behavioral Scientists. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

4McDowell GS, et al. (2015). Shaping the Future of Research: a perspective from junior scientists [v2; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/4yc]. F1000Research 3, 291 (doi:10.12688/f1000research.5878.2)

[T]he burden of this system is falling most heavily on the youngest members of our community….

President’s Column

“ASCB,” “The American Society for Cell Biology,” “iBioSeminars,” “DORA,” and “Molecular Biology of the Cell” are registered trademarks of The American Society for Cell Biology. “The Cell: An Image Library” is a common law trademark of The American Society for Cell Biology.

Questions and comments are welcome and should be sent to [email protected].


ASCB and Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC) recognize the profound influence that concepts and technologies from the physical and computational sciences are having on cell biology. The 2014 MBoC Special Issue on Quantitative Biology was an unprecedented success with leading researchers in the field contributing 17 research articles and 14 Perspectives.

We invite you to submit your best research articles, including methods papers, in these areas for the second MBoC Special Issue on Quantitative Cell Biology:

Big Data methods and applications • Quantitative imaging • Superresolution imaging techniques and their applications • Biophysical properties of cells and cell structures •

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2nd Annual MBoC Special Issue on Quantitative Cell Biology

Issue Co-Editors: Charles Boone, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, and Julie Theriot

Submit by June 15 • Release Date: November 2015

Visit www.molbiolcell.org or contact Editor-in-Chief David Drubin at [email protected]. Submit your paper at www.mbcpapers.org.

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Hines currently serves as Vice Provost for School Services at UMMS. After receiving her PhD, she became a faculty member at Meharry Medical College, where she founded the Women in Biomedical Sciences group. In 1989 she was recruited to UMMS to be Associate Dean for Minority and Community Academic Affairs.

In 1995, Hines was the architect and prime mover of the Worcester Pipeline Collaborative (WPC). The goal of the WPC was to increase the numbers of students from underrepresented groups and disadvantaged backgrounds entering careers in biotechnology, biomedical research, and the health professions. The program continues to provide activities for elementary, high school, and college students to help them gain math and science literacy and provide them with mentoring, job shadowing, tutoring, clinical and research internships, lab opportunities, after-school science programs, visiting scientist programs, and a speakers bureau. Annually more than 6,000 K–12 students from eight public schools (elementary, one middle school, and two high schools) are involved. A large percentage of those have entered or will enter careers in biotechnology, health sciences professions, or biomedical research.

In addition to the WPC initiative, Hines refined and oversees the College Summer Enrichment Program, the UMMS Health

Sciences Preparatory Program, and the High School Health Careers Program, all of which serve underrepresented minority or economically or educationally disadvantaged students. Hines has directed the UMMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program, which is presently in its fifth consecutive five-year award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, since 1993. Outcomes of this program include significant numbers of trainees who have completed their doctorate degrees, MD/PhD programs, and medical school. More significantly, from more than 350 trainees in this program, there are over 300 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Hines also spends considerable time personally mentoring individuals, with notable ripple effects over the many years of her career. Many of those she has mentored have been inspired to mentor the next generation. In 2008 Hines received the University of Massachusetts President’s Public Service Award and in 2013 was awarded the University of Massachusetts Worcester Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence in Diversity. She served on the ASCB Minorities Affairs Committee (MAC) from 2007–2013, and has presented at many MAC Junior Faculty and Postdoc Career Development Workshops.

Hines will accept the award at 3:15 pm on Sunday, December 13 at the 2015 ASCB Annual Meeting in San Diego. n

—Thea Clarke

Alberts, continued from p.1

Did You Know…?

ASCB Offers Career Development Resources

ASCB is here to help you in your career development with a wide variety of career resources:

n Looking for a job? Check out the ASCB Online Job Board. Post your resume, and sign up for Job Alerts for free. n Have a job opening? ASCB members receive a 50% discount on job posting rates.n Want to get your resume or CV reviewed before you go to the Job Board? ASCB members are available to help you, one-on-

one. Sign up for this online service today!n Career Advice for Life Scientists Vols. I & II (combined) and Vol. III. In these compilations of articles from the ASCB

Newsletter’s WICB Column, you’ll find information on writing and publishing, graduate and postdoctoral issues, academic careers, and science careers outside of academia, to mention just a few of the many topics covered. And the price is right—you can download the PDF files for free from our website.

For more information on these and other career resources available to you, go to www.ascb.org and click on “Career Development.” n


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WOMEN in Cell Biology

Retirement. The word suggests a sleepier period of one’s career. For decades, there has been no room for a sleepy period as we have maintained the pace needed to be successful in science, whether our career has been in industry, academia, government, or politics. And we enjoyed the effort and the pace most of the time. So now we are thinking about retirement, and what will that mean? Can we have one final National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded chapter in our careers? For many scientists deciding to retire is very difficult, and the NIH has been trying a creative approach to help them in this period.1 Or are you ready for new adventures as well as continued activity—perhaps a foot in science and a foot in non-science. Finances? Personal status and identity? Health and healthcare issues? Family adjustments? There is much to consider, but many before us have grappled with these considerations and moved into new active next phases of their careers. What might that next phase look like? The honest answer looks as unique as the individual scientist who is retiring.

Information Resources for Programs and Ideas There are several places beyond those available at your own institution where you can look for information related to retirement. While AARP (www.aarp.org) does not have a focus on scientists, it does have a variety of resources on the process of transitioning from 60- to 70-hour work weeks to 60- to 70-hour weekly time frames that are now ours to fill as we like. (Unstructured time? What to do with that?)

The Association of Retirement Organizations

in Higher Education (AROHE; www.arohe.org) has nearly 150 member institutions with retirement centers, university colleges, and retirement associations, each with its own flavor and its own resources. The goal of AROHE

is “transforming retirement in higher education.” (Disclosure: C.M.K. is president elect of AROHE.)

And the Road Scholar Institute Network, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing educational travel (formerly as Elder Hostel) and lifelong learning opportunities

for adults, acts as a voluntary and dues-free association of more than 400 Lifelong Learning Institutes (LLIs). An LLI is “a community of peer-learning in which members, and/or both retired and active faculty, and outside experts learn from and teach each other. Called a ‘health club for the brain,’ an LLI is often associated with a college or university, and its members can take courses on topics as diverse as James Joyce’s Ulysses and Darwinism—all at a nominal fee”

(http://bit.ly/1FiGV3A).

University-Based Emeriti ProgramsHere are some examples from our communities that we have observed as president of the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Emeriti Association (C.M.K.) and Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University (B.W.), respectively. Both institutions provide

strong options for emeriti to engage with the campuses and with the community, as described here. Although many other campuses have their own engagement programs, there are some that have none yet, so this article may spur them on by providing working examples.

Wise Guys

Career Advice for Women and Men

Caroline M. Kane

Unstructured time? What to do with that?

Programs That Acknowledge the Wisdom of Retired Faculty and Allow Them to Contribute to the Academic Community

Beverly Wendland

Photo credit: WIll Kirk


The entire university community benefits from emeriti involvement on campus, both with each other and with current faculty and students.

other universities that have established emeriti colleges. The entire university community benefits from emeriti involvement on campus, both with each other and with current faculty and students. Many retired faculty choose to remain actively engaged in their scholarship after they retire, and they prefer to pursue

their scholarly activities within the context of the university community. Others wish to stay involved by attending lectures, contributing to and following new developments in their fields of interest. The mission of the Academy at Johns Hopkins is to enhance the voluntary participation of retired faculty in the intellectual life of the university.

Many institutions’ emeriti (including Academy Professors at Johns Hopkins) plan themed seminars—which may partner with academic departments—and invite the campus community and the public. At UC Berkeley, these series are referred to as “Learning

in Retirement,” with three to four different lectures on three to four different topics each year; Berkeley’s retirement center provides logistical support. These examples emphasize how the university benefits from the continued scholarship of retired faculty members.

Nonacademic Employment of Retirees: Paid and UnpaidIn companies like General Mills, Proctor & Gamble, Boeing, and Michelin, retirees are welcome to become paid mentors, sharing their corporate insights with those newer to the culture. (Also see the list of job resources at the Retirement Living Information Center website, http://bit.ly/1K4TeS8.) Many science retirees become consultants paid to share their knowledge and experience with budding companies, with new programs and centers, and in courtrooms during intellectual property cases.

Older scientists often know how to share scientific information with the public, since they have spent their careers explaining their work and the work of others to students, funders, and friends and sometimes to journalists. Thus their participation in science cafes, science fairs, Rotary Club meetings, and the like is often welcomed and can be sought out.

You’ll find many more specific examples at

UC BerkeleyJust as we did when we were full-time faculty, we retirees mentor. At UC Berkeley (and other AROHE member institutions), retirees mentor students and junior faculty. They also mentor, formally and informally, those considering retirement and those transitioning into retirement. UC Berkeley’s retirement center and its emeriti and retirement associations help retirees learn about and navigate these opportunities. The emeriti know the lay of the land and the unwritten rules, which they share with those stumped by questions across the spectrum of life and profession.

Johns Hopkins Emeriti CollegeAt Johns Hopkins and some other colleges and universities, there are emeriti colleges. The Academy at Johns Hopkins, established in 2011, is an institute for advanced study that fosters the continued scholarship and research of retired faculty of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (http://krieger.jhu.edu/theacademy). The faculty within the Academy provide a rich source of knowledge and experience and a vital element of the university’s intellectual community.

All current tenured faculty members will be eligible, upon their retirement, for membership in the Academy, where they will have the formal title of Academy Professor. Membership benefits include an annual research allowance of $2,000; office space; support for seminars, lectures, workshops, and visiting professors; speaker series; full library privileges; and occasional classroom teaching opportunities. In addition, full-time faculty members age 65 and above who retire from the university with a minimum of 10 years of continuous, full-time service and join the Academy receive a healthcare incentive stipend of $4,000 per year to help close the gap between the cost of retiree health insurance and that of full-time faculty health insurance.

Retired faculty members often lose connection with the university even though they plan to continue scholarly work. But the retired professors of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences are viewed as among the school’s greatest assets, and this feeling is shared at

Older scientists often know how to share scientific information with the public….


the AROHE website cited above, and members of that organization also can advise on setting up retirement centers, emeriti colleges, and other activities for interested academicians in the sciences and other disciplines. Jane Fonda has referred to this time as “life’s third act,” and there are lots of roles for you wise guys and wise gals to choose among. n

—Beverly Wendland, Johns Hopkins University; Caroline M. Kane, University of California,

Berkeley

Footnote1Unfortunately, efforts by the NIH to make use of the knowledge and skills of retiring scientists have met with opposition. For example, “an NIH proposal for a new funding mechanism to help senior investigators transition into retirement has set off an intergenerational fracas among researchers,” according to a recent article in Science. There is concern that past productivity will be used as a proxy for funding rewards as one heads into retirement; there is a concern that those “olders” will take more than their fair share of funds without a productive return on the NIH investment. Perhaps a better thought is that experienced researchers who still choose to keep pace in the race could be encouraged for a period of time that allows the contributions of their groups to be completed as they head into the next phase of their careers. See Kaiser J (6 February 2015). NIH proposal to create grant for aging scientists hits a nerve. Science http://bit.ly/1FtCdvX.

Volunteer to Review CVs

We are always looking for volunteers, including ASCB members in academia and industry, to help review cover letters, CVs, and resumes of young ASCB scientists. We will match you, and will only ask you to review two or three times a year. If you can help, please contact Thea Clarke at [email protected]. n

ASCB members are in every stratum of the cell biology community, from well-funded senior investigators to the students and postdocs who will be tomorrow’s star scientists and Nobel Prize winners. Reach your customers by advertising in the widely read ASCB Newsletter or in our highly acclaimed journals, MBoC and LSE.Print and digital ads available—ask for our RATE CARD

Contact [email protected] or call 301-518-5990.

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12

PUBLIC POLICY Briefing

ASCB NEWSLETTER JUNE 2015

Miles’ Law states that where you stand depends on where you sit. The House of Representatives proved that maxim true this week when it debated and voted on the America COMPETES Act, a bill to authorize the activities of the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Energy Department, and the Office of Science and Technology.

The America COMPETES Act was first passed by Congress in 2007 in response to Rising Above the Gathering Storm, a report by the National Academies of Science about the need to reinvigorate American scientific competitiveness. Earlier versions of the bill were written and debated in more of a bipartisan fashion than the 2015 version has been.

When the debate was over and the voting concluded, the bill passed with 217 of the 244 Republicans in the House voting for it. None of the Democrats voted for the bill.

During the debate, the casual observer might have thought speakers were talking about different bills. Republicans argued that the bill would focus limited federal funds on basic research that meets the important national goals. Democrats insisted it created a level of political review of science aimed at withholding

funds from areas of science, particularly climate change science, that don’t fit with the Republican ideology.

The two parties also debated what role Congress should play in the scientific process. Democrats argued that science, and scientific review, should be left to scientists, while Republicans asserted that Congress does have a role to play in determining which areas of science receive support by federal agencies.

Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called the bill an “assault on science,” while Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the sponsor of the bill, said that “real priorities require making real choices.”

The bill’s next stop is in the Senate. Its future there is uncertain, clouded, in part, by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), chair of the Committee on Environment and Public Works and a vocal opponent of climate change science. One thing that is certain is that President Obama has indicated that he will veto the bill as passed by the House. It is possible that the Senate will modify the bill to meet the concerns the White House has, but that seems unlikely. If it is vetoed, it is unlikely that Congress will have the votes necessary to override the veto. n

—Kevin M. Wilson

Standing and Sitting in the Halls of Congress

What Went on in Washington, DC, This Week? Sign up to receive a weekly science policy email every Friday with details about science policy goings-on during the previous week. Visit http://ascb.org/ascb-weekly-policy-updates-signup to sign up. n

13

PUBLIC POLICY Briefing

JUNE 2015 ASCB NEWSLETTER

Cafeteria Science—House Science Committee Chows Down on Core Menu

A new menu is being written on Capitol Hill by congressional leaders determined to change the taste of federal science funding. As the House of Representatives begins its work on the FY16 federal budget, words like “core,” “pure,” “important,” and “hard” are being used to differentiate which fields of science receive funding and which will go away with empty plates.

Basic biomedical research seems to fall into the favored category of “core” science so far, but these distinctions are being viewed in Washington as code words behind an effort to shrink the overall size of government and, in particular, to withhold funding for research into climate change and into social and behavioral sciences.

Most recently, Rep. John Culbertson (R-TX), the new chair of the House Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations (CJS) Subcommittee, told Science that he wants to see the National Science Foundation (NSF)

spend “about 70% of their money on the core sciences.” Currently, that figure is 65%.

The FY16 CJS budget is the first course in Culbertson’s new banquet. The NSF budget is increased by only $50 million, or 0.7%. In addition, science programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are cut and the overall budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is cut by $274 million. The NSF often supports social and behavioral science studies. NIST, NASA, and NOAA fund climate change research.

Passage of the CJS funding bill is the first in a series of steps leading up to the final budget. However, it is likely the funding decisions made by the House subcommittee will remain as the bill makes its way through the House of Representatives. n

—Kevin M. Wilson

Where to Find Research Funding OpportunitiesCheck out ASCB’s new online resource for information and advice about funding sources: http://ascb.org/where-to-find-research-funding-opportunities. n


COMPASS Points

Magnificent Mitochondria and Wonderful VacuolesWe all gathered in a conference room and the kids and their chaperones settled down after having some breakfast and putting on their nametags, which included their designated groups. They were happy to see the group names they had chosen weeks before represented on their nametags. We couldn’t have come up with better names than the ones they chose, which included “Magnificent Mitochondria” and “Wonderful Vacuoles.” Dividing them into groups was a great help in planning the rest of the day.

The animated chatter stopped and everyone was intently looking at Samer, another grad student and my partner in this event, and me. Samer was of tremendous help in conceiving and organizing this day. We stayed up late the night before, finishing up the mini-presentation we were about to give. We called it “Cells and Microscopes.” After welcoming them, we started talking about cells and their organelles, the different types of microscopes, fluorophores, and green fluorescent protein (GFP). The presentation was filled with images and movies taken by my fellow grad student volunteers, whom the kids got to meet later. It was an interactive talk, and the students loved the comparison of a cell to a city we called Eukaryopolis. They were eagerly figuring out which department/plant represents which organelle.

At the end of the presentation, we showed the schedule for the day: Each group would visit a different lab and would get to see different types of cells and/or animals under a fluorescence microscope. After that we would all have lunch with other scientists, and finally, we would be making cells out of Jell-O and candy. We had six labs hosting: the laboratories of Dianne Cox, David Sharp, Bernice Morrow, Erike Snapp, Florence Marlow, and Paraic Kenny. Interestingly, the kids were confused as to why the labs were referred to as the Sharp lab or the Marlow lab and so forth. So before we

Reprinted from the COMPASS blog, which is moderated by the ASCB Committee for Postdocs and Students. To view more blog content or contact COMPASS, visit http://ascb.org/ascbpost.

headed out with each group’s assigned usher, we explained to them the structure of a lab and how one becomes a scientist. Explaining graduate school to anyone, let alone to a bunch of 12-year-olds, is not a very easy task, but it was the epitome of why they were there. At the

end of the day, we wanted to introduce them not only to cells and microscopes, but to the world of research and scientists.

First Time in a Research LabThe six groups went to their selected labs and met different PIs, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. This was their first time in a research lab, so other than knowing they should not put anything in their mouths, they did not

know what to expect. In the Sharp lab, members of my group, the Nerdy Nervous System, were in silent awe about everything from the shakers to the –80°C freezer. But soon after they saw bone cells under a light microscope and fixed neurons under a fluorescence microscope and used a confocal microscope to make a movie of live cells expressing microtubule end binding protein (EB1 linked to GFP), their enthusiastic questions were endless. They wondered about basic concepts, like the reason why EB1 moves as a comet, as well as more complicated ones, like the hard-hitting “what do people do after graduate school? Do they all become PIs?” All the groups were exposed to diverse fields that introduced them to research in breast cancer, zebrafish development, murine heart development, macrophage phagocytosis, and the role of the Golgi apparatus. As we were heading back, I was worried that it might have been too overwhelming for them. Minutes later I was proved very wrong.

As we all gathered back for lunch with more graduate students and PIs joining us, I noticed something incredible happening. As the kids munched on their pizza, they animatedly shared their experiences with the other kids from different groups. They had so much to talk about—what they saw and who they met— that we didn’t need to ask them any questions. One student told Samer that it was very cool

“[W]hat do people do after graduate school? Do they all become PIs?”

Einstein, continued from p.1

Rabab Cherafeddine


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to actually see how and where experiments are done. Another chimed in saying, “We’ve learned about cells before but always through textbooks. Today we looked at actual cells under the microscope, and it was awesome!” Several revealed that they have always heard about Einstein but never really knew what was inside a lab. From their reaction it seemed like they were more than pleasantly surprised. But there was more to come: A harmonious chaos of building cells with Jell-O and candy would soon erupt.

Make Your Own CellWe spent several hours the day before preparing clear cups with different colors of Jell-O. We divided the types of candy that looked like different organelles, but, not to hinder the kids’ creativity and to make it more fun, we didn’t assign them. As we were distributing the Jell-O cups and candy to the randomly formed groups, it proved to be a great idea. The kids were having fun making their cells and figuring out what organelles to put in next. Some were making plant cells, most were submerging their “organelles” in the Jell-O, but everyone wanted some sprinkles. The volunteers were having as much fun as the kids and told everyone to take a picture to share on Instagram with the hashtag #cellfie.

As the day came to an end, we thanked everyone for coming, all the volunteers for helping, and most importantly ASCB’s COMPASS for sponsoring the event. The kids giddily rushed out with mementos, stickers, and half-eaten model cells. That day was perfect. I was happy to be surrounded by cheerful eighth graders and everyone who helped see this through. Still the skeptic, I wasn’t sure if our message to the kids came across clearly.

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The “Awesome Atoms” examining tumor cells under the microscope with Charles Jenkins, a postdoctoral researcher at the Kenny lab.

Weeks later, I received long thank you letters from every single student, detailing their experience and what they’d learned on their trip to Einstein. One student wrote, “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to experience how to work in a lab and for making learning fun!” and another echoed, “This experience has influenced me to take an interest in science as a major or a career. Seeing how hard everyone worked and how dedicated they were to their job was inspiring.” They all wrote with a sense of ease and familiarity about labs and scientists. One even wants to have his birthday party in a lab! As I finished reading the letters, feeling content and proud, I sighed, “They got it!” n

—Rabab Charafeddine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Do you have an outreach idea? Make it happen! Apply for a COMPASS Outreach Grant (ascb.org/compass-outreach-grant), get some friends together, and get going. You won’t regret it.

AcknowledgmentsI would especially like to acknowledge and thank Samer Hanna, Bassem Khalil, and Erica Hasten for all their help and support in planning and organizing this event.

Thank you to volunteers Leah Guthrie, Veronika Miskolci, Deepti Mathew, Wendy Lui, Julie Nadel, Meredyth Forbes, Dayle Hodge, Samantha Heitz, Emily Spaulding, Magdalena Kalinowska, Lisa Baker, Natasha Chandiramani, E. Charles Jenkins, Juan D. Diaz, and Odelya Hartung for being of great help during the event.

Thank you to Dianne Cox, David Sharp, Bernice Morrow, Erike Snapp, Florence Marlow, and Paraic Kenny for opening their labs and interacting with the kids.

A big thank you to the folks from P.S. 89: Joanne Caruso, assistant principal Kim Nieves, the chaperones, and the well-behaved eighth graders whom we had the pleasure of hosting.

Last but not least, I would like to thank COMPASS for funding this day and Albert Einstein College of Medicine for accommodating us and the kids.

“Thank you for giving us the opportunity to experience how to work in a lab and for making learning fun!”


Office Hours with EdCommRegardless of our current role in the academe, education—for us and for our students—is central to our identity as scientists. With that in mind, the ASCB Education Committee (EdComm) is pleased to offer Office Hours with EdComm, a column addressing broad issues in education, ranging from career choice to curriculum development to incorporating technology into your lectures. EdComm Members and Associates look forward to answering your questions; please direct them to [email protected].

Things to Consider When Adopting a TextbookDear EdComm,I am starting to teach a new introductory biology course and need to pick a textbook that will be informative, understandable, interesting for the students, and hopefully useful for them in the long run. I quickly got lost among the numerous titles available for adoption, including electronic and traditional textbooks. Any advice?

—Lost in Textbooks

Dear Lost in Textbooks,Choosing a textbook for your lower-division biology course can be a daunting task. The number and diversity of options can feel overwhelming. And, if your experience is anything like mine, you will be asked to make a decision months ahead of time, before you have really given much thought to the next term, and usually when you are right in the middle of the busiest part of the current term. Not the best recipe for thoughtful consideration. Here are four questions that may help guide your decision.

1. Does the textbook align with and support the learning outcomes for your course?Every major’s biology textbook will have chapters addressing the core concepts of biology appropriate for your course. Learning outcomes, however, are more than a list of topics in a syllabus. In addition to the obvious gains in conceptual knowledge, desired learning outcomes include the behaviors, attitudes, and habits of mind that you hope to instill in your students. If one of your outcomes is to help student develop higher order/critical thinking skills in biology, then you need a textbook that provides students with examples and opportunities to practice these skills.

2. Do the assessments align with your style of testing?End-of-chapter questions, adaptive learning questions, and online quiz questions tend to be written in a multiple-choice format. While many authors attempt to provide questions at the various levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (knowledge, comprehension, application, etc.), the thinking skills required to answer traditional multiple choice–type questions are different from those required for short answer/essay, interpretation/application, or diagram/concept map questions. Ideally, the question formats students use to study and practice their knowledge will match those they see on the exams, quizzes, and homework you assign.

3. What obstacles might your students face with the textbook?Textbooks are intended to support student learning. However, problems can occur. Perhaps the most universal obstacle a student will face is the cost of the textbook. Students who put off purchasing the book due to financial concerns will fall behind in your course. If your course is part of a lower-division series, then selecting a textbook that can be used for more than one course is a cost-saver. There are an increasing number of “e-text” or other online options that are typically less expensive than print. However, these come with their own set of problems. Two unexpected issues I encountered when I adopted an online text were that some students did not have reliable Internet access off campus and that some students expressed a strong preference for a print text both for ease of use (familiarity?) and because it was too easy for them to become distracted while reading online. Most importantly, independent of the format you select, it is critical that your textbook be accessible and understandable to your students. Consider the “voice” of the text and the level of detail provided. Choose a concept that you know students struggle with. Review that portion of the textbook in detail with an eye to how the narrative and accompanying images function as an integrated instructional unit.


ResourcesInterested in finding an introductory textbook designed to align with the five “big ideas” in biology (information, evolution, cells, emergent properties, and homeostasis)? See Barsoum MJ et al. (2013). CBE Life Sci Educ 12, 106–116 (www.lifescied.org/content/12/1/106.full).

Still deciding whether to teach with or without a textbook? Explore other points of view on this topic in Klymkowsky MW (2007). CBE Life Sci Educ 6,190–193 (www.lifescied.org/content/6/3/190.full).

Interested in the relationship between college-level general biology textbooks and MCAT content? Check out this study: Rissing SW (2013). CBE Life Sci Educ 12, 429–440 (www.lifescied.org/content/12/3/429.full).

Thinking about teaching with primary literature instead of a textbook? Try these strategies:“Deconstructing” scientific research as described by Clark IE et al. (2009). PLoS Biol 7, e1000264 (http://bit.ly/1ExLZKM).CREATE method as discussed by Hoskins SG et al. (2011). CBE Life Sci Educ 10, 368–378 (www.lifescied.org/content/10/4/368.full).

4. How will the textbook support your ability to provide quality instruction?A textbook should make it easier to do your job better. Look again at that challenging concept. How does the textbook’s presentation match the narrative that you would use in the class? Ideally, textbook and lecture will work synergistically to promote student learning. Most textbooks provide instructor resources such as PowerPoint slides, “clicker questions,” test banks, animations and videos, etc. The quality and ease of use of these resources can vary. The key is to find a textbook that complements your vision of the course and provides you with the resources to engage and challenge all of your students. n

—Merri Lynn Casem (EdComm Member), California State University, Fullerton

ASCB Member Benefit: Publicize Your BookAre you publishing a book? If so, let ASCB know! Send the title, publisher, ISBN information, and a thumbnail (300 dpi) of the cover. We’ll include it in the ASCB Newsletter. This publicity is available only to ASCB members. Please send submissions to Thea Clarke at [email protected]. n

Rab GTPasesGuangpu Li Editor

Methods and Protocols

Methods in Molecular Biology 1298


Symposia Symposia topics will cross disciplines, spatial scales, and systems within broad scientific question areas. All speakers will address different spatial scales.

Pushing the Limits: Visualization of Hidden Biological ProcessesEric Betzig, Janelia Farm Research Campus/HHMIW.E. Moerner, Stanford UniversityXiaowei Zhuang, Harvard University/HHMI

Wisdom of Crowds: Collective Decision-Making by Cells and OrganismsDeborah M. Gordon, Stanford UniversityRoberto Mayor, University College London, United

Kingdom

Embraces across the Species Barrier: Complex Cell InteractionsRachel Dutton, University of California, San Diego Forest Rohwer, San Diego State UniversityWilliam Sullivan, University of California, Santa Cruz

Like Oil and Water: New Principles Governing Cell OrganizationTony Hyman, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell

Biology and Genetics, Dresden, GermanyMichael Rosen, University of Texas Southwestern

Medical Center

Bending Nature to Our Purposes: Engineering of Cells and TissuesKristi Anseth, University of Colorado, Boulder/HHMIAngela M. Belcher, Koch Institute for Integrative

Cancer Research, MITJennifer Doudna, University of California, Berkeley/

HHMI

Going the Distance: Determining Size and Spacing of Biological StructuresRebecca Heald, University of California, BerkeleyShigeru Kondo, Osaka University Graduate School

of Frontier Biosciences, Japan

Beyond the Five Senses: Detection of Magnetic and Electric FieldsArash Komeili, University of California, BerkeleyAlex Mogilner, New York University

MinisymposiaApplications of Cell Biology in the Real WorldCell Biology of Genetic InformationCell Cycle, Cell Division, and Cell DeathCytoskeleton, Motility and Cell MechanicsEducation Minisymposium: Teaching How to Teach and

LearnMembrane Organization, Dynamics, Traffic, and

RegulationMulticellular Interactions, Tissues, and DevelopmentOrganelles and Spatial Organization of the CellSignaling and Differentiation

Shirley Tilghman, President Julie Theriot, Program Chair l Karen Oegema, Local Organizer

KeynotesJane Lubchenco, former director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who studies a vast meta-ecosystem along the U.S. Pacific coast, and Sallie W. Chisholm, an MIT biologist who explores oceanic metabolism through a cyanobacterium, will advance the thesis that a better understanding of cell technology, structure, and function are critical to coming to grips with the global impacts of human activity.

The Honorable, Professor Jane Lubchenco

Oregon State University

Sallie W. Chisholm Massachusetts

Institute of Technology

Photo credit: Joy Leighton

Photo credit: Richard H

oward

W W W. A S C B. O R G/2015 M E E T I n G


Postdocs/Students/ Community College Instructors

ASCB Financial Support Available

For more information go to ascb.org/local-meetings or email

[email protected] helps fund and organize your local meeting. Such meetings will typically involve two or more local research institutions or colleges (within or outside of the USA). Topics may range from basic science to career development, with a clear relevance to the broadly defined field of cell biology.

Deadline for Applications: September 31, 2015

OrganizeOne-Day

Locala

Meeting?

Do you want to

Build Community and Collaboration

#ascblocal


AnnUAL MEETInG Update2015 Cell Biology. The affordable meeting you can’t afford to miss!

DEADLINESJune 11 Member-Organized Special

Interest Subgroup Application

August 4 Regular Abstract Submission (Minisymposium Talk, Minisymposium Lightning Talk, Microsymposium Talk, and/or poster consideration)

September 1 Regular Abstract Submission (Poster consideration only)

September 1 Travel Award and WICB Childcare Grant Applications

October 1 Early Meeting Registration

October 1 First-Time Member Application

October 14 Final Abstract Submission (poster consideration cnly)

November 6 Hotel Reservations

November 19 Meeting Registration Cancellation (to be eligible for a refund)

November 19 Room-Share Request

November 28 Hotel Cancellation via onPeak, ASCB’s Official Housing Partner

• Register for the meeting• Join the ASCB• Renew your membership• Submit an abstract and select from four

abstract-based presentation format options. To be considered for a talk, the deadline to submit is August 4!

• Donate to the ASCB• Apply for a Travel/Childcare Award• Submit a Subgroup Application• Reserve your hotel at deeply discounted rates.

(ASCB member students receive even lower rates!)

• Review the preliminary Program• Read about our three new workshops offering

practical skills training to analyze large data sets

• Learn what you can do in the action-packed ASCB Learning Center

• Receive discounts on air travel, ground transportation, and parking

• Save money on your hotel room by submitting a room share application

• Volunteer your time (up to five hours) in exchange for complimentary meeting registration. Available only to ASCB undergraduate and graduate student members or member-applicants

• Learn about San Diego, its Convention Center, and what the city has to offer you, your family, and friends!

The newly updated and user-friendly site is a one-stop shop for all your meeting needs. Visit www.ascb.org/2015meeting to:


HOUSINGWhy Book in the Official Housing Block?• Price: We’ve secured the lowest available hotel rates.• Choice Hotels: Hotels have been hand-picked to meet your needs.• Convenience:A one-stop travel shop is at your service.• Support:We’re your advocate before, during, and after your stay.• Reputation: The Housing Block illustrates the ASCB’s value to the city.

Special Note about Hotel PricesASCB and onPeak, our Official Housing Partner, have negotiated special rates and added-value incentives with hotels that are fully competitive with prices available elsewhere. Moreover, reserving rooms in the ASCB Housing Block offers attendees important benefits.

Book your hotel room through onPeak by November 6. After that date, rooms are not guaranteed at the negotiated rate.

If you see online rates at any of the hotels in our block that are markedly lower than current ASCB offerings, please contact Trina Armstrong, ASCB Director of Meetings ([email protected]; 301-347-9325).

Beware of Unauthorized Hotel SolicitationsonPeak is the only official housing company associated with our event. If someone other than onPeak contacts you on behalf of the ASCB, do not provide your personal information or you may become a victim of fraud. Please get as much information as you can about the organization that contacted you and provide it to Trina Armstrong, ASCB Director of Meetings ([email protected]; 301-347-9325) The Learning Center is the networking hub of the meeting Last year, ASCB moved from the concept of a static exhibit floor for companies selling scientific products and services to an interactive learning center where all scientists and companies can learn from each other, acquire new skills, learn new methods, and explore hands-on science. You can:• View thousands of posters • Learn the latest technology and engage with

exhibitors• Talk to program directors • Interact directly with leaders in the field at Science

Discussion Tables• Attend career development programs• network, network, network


Drug Targets, DNA Day, and Reforming or Deforming NSFVisit ascb.org/ascbpost for more.

TOP STORIES from the ASCB Post

Hitting the Drug Target—Can a 3D Cell Cycle Scoring System Help Understand What’s Really Going on in Tumors? An interdisciplinary group from Harvard Medical School’s Cell Biology and Systems Biology departments and the Massachusetts General Hospital have published what they describe as an integrated workflow system that uses advanced fluorescent markers of cell-cycle status, an implanted gold grid as a spatial reference system, high-resolution intravital microscopy, and an automated 3D image analysis framework to track cell-cycle progress in individual cells.

National DNA Day—Did You Send All Your Cousins a Card? Pi has its own day, Mol has its own day, and now DNA has its day too. “National DNA Day” celebrates the publication on April 25, 1953, of the structure of DNA by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, and colleagues. ASCB Post science writer Christina Szalinski offers suggestions on how to celebrate in your home or lab. A DNAquiri, anyone?

House Science Committee Reforms or Handcuffs the NSF? Your Perception Is Your RealityDid you follow the Internet craze about The Dress that changes color, depending on what you believe you see? A legislative version of The Dress took place recently when the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science, Space, and Technology marked up the “America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015.” Depending on your perception, the committee either reformed or deformed the National Science Foundation and other federal research agencies. Take your pick with ASCB Director of Public Policy Kevin Wilson. n

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As we seek to expand our services to scientists, educators, students, and the general public we are preparing a new grant application. To that end, we need your help. If you have found The Cell to be a useful resource we would welcome all letters of support. Please send these to David Orloff at [email protected]. Support from our community will surely make a big difference in our grant application.

And don't forget, if you are applying for a grant soon and need a Data Management Plan (DMP) be sure to contact us before submitting your grant application so we can help with the DMP for your cellular images.

Don't miss the free mobile app for iPhone and iPad, which is now available in the App Store and can be found by searching for “Cell Library.”

The Cell: An Image Library-CCDB (www.cellimagelibrary.org) is a freely accessible, easy-to-search, public repository of reviewed and annotated images, videos, and animations of cells. The Cell-CCDB was developed by ASCB under a Grand Opportunities grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. It now resides at the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research Cell Centered Database (CCDB), which manages the Library under a perpetual license from ASCB. n

—David Orloff

Zebrafish embryo showing the alignment of cells involved in the formation of the neural tube, which will become the spinal cord and brain (www.cellimagelibrary.org/images/215). This image is by Alexander Schier and is in the public domain.

• PinyourfavoritecellimagesonPinterest: http://pinterest.com/davidnorloff/the-cell-an-image-library-ccdb.

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Local Meetings sponsored by ASCB

Appalachian Regional Cell Conference (ARCC)Huntington, WV. November 8, 2014

Close to 50 students, postdocs, and faculty members came to Marshall University to share research. This was the third annual Appalachian Regional Cell Conference (ARCC), and it proved to be just as successful as those in years past. Five universities in the Appalachian region were represented, and the highlight of the conference was the keynote by Beth A. Weaver from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Four oral presentations and about 30 poster presentations piqued the interest of students and faculty alike, and at the end of the day, four presenters were honored as best in their category.

Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Santa Barbara, CA. February 28, 2015

The organizers hosted a small, national conference on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The goal was to enhance communication and collaboration by bringing together the small and scattered community of researchers in this field. We invited prominent leaders in the field to give seminars, which attracted researchers from across the country. We also offered travel grants to graduate student and postdoctoral scholars to help

Recent Local Meetings

young scientists come and present their data at the poster session. In addition to researchers, we invited oncologists, other clinicians, and industry professionals to participate and add their unique perspectives to the discussion. The conference was a great success and we received many requests to hold another meeting in the near future.

Bay Area Meeting on Organelle Biology (BAMOB)San Francisco, CA. March 18, 2015

Around 150 students, postdocs, and faculty gathered at Genentech Hall at the University of California, San Francisco for the first Bay Area Meeting on Organelle Biology. The meeting aimed to bring together cell biologists in the area working with diverse model systems and techniques, yet sharing a common interest in the structure and function of organelles. Those who attended the meeting were treated to a wonderful keynote address from Peter Walter. The other talks ran the gamut from studies in traditional model organisms like baker’s yeast and algae to research on organelle-like structures in magnetotactic bacteria and strange organelles called apicoplasts in Plasmodium. The poster session and subsequent social hour were a great place to talk science and to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

Attendees hear a presentation at the New York Graduate Student Symposium on Cancer Biology.


New York Graduate Student Symposium on Cancer BiologyCold Spring Harbor, NY. April 7, 2015

At the New York Graduate Student Symposium on Cancer Biology, organized by Anja Hohmann and Georgi Yordanov, 45 PhD students from nine universities in the New York metropolitan area came together to share and discuss their work in 12 oral and 14 poster presentations. Topics ranged from the tumor microenvironment to cancer (epi)genetics, from immunotherapy to drug resistance, and from new techniques to emerging model organisms. The ensuing discussions were lively and plentiful. With an emphasis on advancing science through collaboration, presenters shared their expertise on a variety of procedures and approaches. Attendees learned about a new user-friendly online interface for single-cell sequence analysis, a molecular technique for single molecule investigations, and organoids and zebrafish as emerging model systems for the study of cancer.

Second Puerto Rico Cell Signaling Meeting (PRCSM)San Juan, PR. April 10, 2015

The Second Puerto Rico Cell Signaling Meeting at the Condado Plaza Hilton brought together a group of researchers, graduate students, and postdocs whose talks on cell signaling in aging and development were entertaining and innovative. The presentations also focused on ethics. Some of the speakers shared personal experiences on how they obtained their current positions. The poster

Beth A. Weaver presented the keynote at the Appalachian Regional Cell Conference.

Poster presentations at the Second Puerto Rico Cell Signaling Meeting

session was highly attended and every poster was judged by at least three faculty members, which provided great feedback and networking opportunities. The organizers give special thanks to the ASCB for providing such an amazing platform to help us launch this much anticipated, second local scientific meeting in Puerto Rico.


Buckeye Cell Biology: Around the Cell in One DayColumbus, OH. April 24, 2015

The Ohio State University Mathematical Biosciences Institute hosted the inaugural Buckeye Cell Biology ASCB local meeting. The central theme for the event was “Around the Cell in One Day,” and it included three main topics: trafficking and organelles, cell morphology and cytoskeleton, and cell interactions and intracellular signaling. A major objective of the symposium was to highlight the wealth of cell biology research in Ohio and this goal was met with resounding success. Diverse presentations about telomere maintenance,

An attendee at the New York Graduate Student Symposium on Cancer Biology shows support for ASCB.

Upcoming Local MeetingsASCB is pleased to provide funds for graduate students, postdocs, and community college instructors to organize one-day local meetings. Such meetings usually involve two or more institutions (within the United States or international), and topics can range from basic science to career development as long as there is clear relevance to the broadly defined field of cell biology.

The next deadline to apply for funds is September 30, 2015. Applicants must be or become members of the ASCB. For more information visit www.ascb.org and click on “Meetings.”

Beyond the Bench SymposiumCold Spring Harbor Laboratory (Cold Spring Harbor, NY)July 18, 2015

2nd Midwest Membrane Trafficking and Signaling SymposiumUniversity of Louisville (Louisville, KY)July 24, 2015

2015 Triangle Cytoskeleton MeetingResearch Triangle, NCSeptember 21, 2015 n

ER stress, neurofilament biology, and cancer signaling, to name a few, gave attendees a scientific tour around different types of cells. More than 50 poster presentations covered an even wider variety of cell biology–related topics, including mathematical modeling of cellular processes. Participants from across the entire state, representing 13 institutions plus two institutions in neighboring states, were in attendance to support the study of cell biology and the ASCB. This symposium was truly an incredible and interactive opportunity for established faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students to share ideas, foster new collaborations, and celebrate cell biology research! n


Dynamic actin filaments control the mechanical behavior of the human red blood cell membraneD. S. Gokhin, R. B. Nowak, J. A. Khoory, A. de la Piedra, I. C. Ghiran, and V. M. FowlerThe short actin filaments in the spectrin-actin membrane skeleton of human red blood cells (RBCs) are capable of dynamic subunit exchange and mobility. Actin dynamics in RBCs regulates the biomechanical properties of the RBC membrane.Mol. Biol. Cell 26 (9), 1699–1710

Ultrafast superresolution fluorescence imaging with spinning disk confocal microscope opticsS. Hayashi and Y. OkadaA new superresolution fluorescence microscope is described that is based on the spinning disk confocal microscope. A specially designed pattern of disk doubles the resolving power to 120 nm with 100-Hz temporal resolution, which is fast enough for live imaging.Mol. Biol. Cell 26 (9), 1743–1751

A novel function for the Caenorhabditis elegans torsin OOC-5 in nucleoporin localization and nuclear importM. J. W. VanGompel, K. C. Q. Nguyen, D. H. Hall, W. T. Dauer, and L. S. RoseMutation in the human AAA+ protein torsinA leads to DYT1 dystonia. Loss of a Caenorhabditis elegans torsin, OOC-5, leads to defects in nucleoporin localization and nuclear import, a novel phenotype for a torsin mutant. Nuclear envelope ultrastructural defects similar to those in mouse and fly torsin mutants are also found, showing conservation of function.Mol. Biol. Cell 26 (9), 1752–1763

A short splicing isoform of afadin suppresses the cortical axon branching in a dominant-negative mannerK. Umeda, N. Iwasawa, M. Negishi, and I. OinumaSuppression of surplus axon branching is crucial for formation of proper neuronal networks; however, the molecular mechanisms have been poorly understood. In a novel mechanism, s-afadin, a short splicing isoform of afadin lacking the F-actin–binding domain, acts as a dominant-negative suppressor of cortical axon branching.Mol. Biol. Cell 26 (10), 1957–1970 n

The Editorial Board of Molecular Biology of the Cell has highlighted the following articles from the May 2015 issues. From among the many fine articles in the journal, the Board selects for these Highlights articles that are of broad interest and significantly advance knowledge or provide new concepts or approaches that extend our understanding.

HIGHLIGHTS from MBoC

Dynamic processes in the outer membranes of mitochondria were visualized by overexpressing mEmerald-tagged TOMM20 in a living Vero cell. With a conventional fluorescent microscope, the image is blurred by diffraction to a resolution of ~200 nm, and the lumens of the outer membranes are hardly visible (upper panel). The lower panel shows the same field observed with the newly developed spinning disk superresolution microscope, as described by Hayashi and Okada (Mol. Biol. Cell 26,1743–1751). Note that it took about 20 s to switch the microscope configuration and some mitochondria changed their shapes and/or positions. The image was taken with an exposure time of 30 ms, and rapid processes such as fusion/fission or protrusion of the outer membrane are clearly visualized at significantly improved spatial resolution (~100 nm). (Image: Yasushi Okada, RIKEN)


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In Memoriam: Alan Hall Pioneer in Rho GTPases and Chair of Cell Biology at Sloan Kettering

Alan Hall, a wary biochemist who became an enthusiastic cell biologist and whose discovery1

that Rho, a Ras-related GTP-binding protein, was a molecular switch critical to actin filament activation shook up the field of cell motility, died May 3 in New York City. Hall, who joined the ASCB in 1995 and ran for ASCB President in 2011, became Chair of the Cell Biology Program at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2006. He was 62.

Hall’s lab explored the roles of three Rho GTPases, Rho, Rac, and Cdc42, in signal transduction pathways that controlled the assembly of the cytoskeleton and related integrin adhesion complexes. Rho GTPases have now been linked to everything from cancer cell motility to arterial inflammation.

A native of Yorkshire, Hall studied chemistry at Oxford University, a choice, he said “made easier considering that, during those days, my other potential choice, biology, seemed to involve little more than drawing pictures of dead frogs.”2 At Oxford, Hall added a few courses in biochemistry, if only to broaden his resume. He liked biochemistry well enough to enter graduate school at Oxford under Jeremy Knowles. Two months into the program, Knowles told Hall that he was moving to Harvard. Hall went with him, taking his PhD there in 1977, by which point Hall was calling himself a molecular biologist.

Molecular biology was not about drawing dead frogs and Hall did two postdocs, one in Edinburgh and one in Switzerland, before deciding that he needed a job. He applied for two, one with a pharmaceutical company and one at what was then the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). Having heard nothing from ICR, Hall was about to accept his industry job when he received a peevish letter from London, asking why he hadn’t responded to their letter offering him an appointment.

At ICR, he became a close colleague of Chris Marshall, who believed that cell biology was the way to unravel mechanisms driven by oncogenes. With postdoc Anne Ridley, Hall used cell microinjection and imaging techniques to make the first breakthrough on the Rho GTPases. In 1993, Hall joined a new cell biology program at University College London.

Reached at her Kings College London lab, Ridley said the shocking news of Hall’s death was still rocketing around the world through the network of “Alan Halls,” his former students and mentees. “He was such a fantastic mentor so we are a big family. We might be separated by 10 years or more in the time we were in his lab but it doesn’t matter. The Alan Halls are all connected.” Ridley says the connection was forged through Hall’s caring and fairness in the lab. Years later, Hall was always asking for news of former students and fellows, Ridley remembers, “Even people who didn’t do particularly well in the lab.” Despite his move to New York, Hall’s influence on cell biology in the UK remained strong. “It’s such a small community. We all know each other and we all knew Alan,” she says.

Hall won the Canada Gairdner Prize in 2009 and the Louis Jeantet Prize for Medicine in 2006. He had been editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cell Biology since 2014. n

—John Fleischman

References1Ridley AJ, Hall A (1992). The small GTP-binding protein rho regulates the assembly of focal adhesions and actin stress fibers in response to growth factors. Cell 70, 389–399.

2Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. At Work: Cell Biology Program Chair Alan Hall. http://bit.ly/1H7xtuT (accessed 15 May 2015)

ASCB Members

Alan Hall

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Members in the News

Joseph R. EckerSalk Institute for Biological Studies

ASCB member since 2002

Three longtime ASCB members have been named to The American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Sue BigginsFred Hutchinson Cancer

Research CenterASCB member since 1996

Sandra L. SchmidUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

2011 ASCB PresidentASCB member since 1990

Michael P. SnyderStanford School of MedicineASCB member since 1991

Ten ASCB members were elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)

Marianne E. BronnerCalifornia Institute of

TechnologyASCB member since 1981

Catherine DulacHarvard University/HHMI


In addition, the NAS honored four ASCB members with awards in recognition of their extraordinary scientific achievements in a wide variety of fields

Catherine G. Dulac, of Harvard University, ASCB

member since 2002, won the Pradel Research

Award.

Thomas Dean Pollard, of Yale University, ASCB member since

1970 and 1988 ASCB President, received the NAS Award for

Scientific Reviewing.

Jonathan S. Weissman, of the University of California, San Francisco, ASCB member since

2001, received the NAS Award for Scientific Discovery.

Alfred L. GoldbergHarvard Medical School


Christine Jacobs-WagnerYale University/HHMI


Randall T. MoonUniversity of Washington/

HHMIASCB member since 1983

Eva NogalesUniversity of California,

Berkeley/HHMIASCB member since 1997

Danny ReinbergNew York University School of

Medicine/HHMIASCB member since 1999

Jeremy ThornerUniversity of California,

BerkeleyASCB member since

1990

Foreign Associate: Satyajit Mayor

National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India

Member since 1995

Xiaowei Zhuang, of Harvard University, ASCB member since

2003, received the NAS Award in Molecular Biology.

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MEETINGS CalendarA complete list of upcoming meetings can be found at ascb.org/global-meetings-calendar. The following meeting has been added since the last issue of the Newsletter:

September 17–19, 2015, and September 16–17, 2015. Bologna, Italy Biennial Conference of the Italian Association of Cell Biology and Differentiation (and pre-meeting for investigators under 35).http://abcd2015.azuleon.org/welcome.php n

ASCB Annual MeetingsDecember 12–16, 2015.

December 3–7, 2016.



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The Mentoring Active Learning and Teaching (MALT) program is an ASCB initiative designed to promote the spread of active learning strategies to the entire ASCB membership while providing postdocs and faculty members interested in gaining experience in teaching an opportunity to be exposed to best pedagogical practices. MALT promotes the formation of long-term mentor/mentee relationships to give participants the chance to learn directly from a veteran of the active learning process and see how active learning can best be done in each participant’s specific classroom situation. Mentor/mentee pairs may also apply for financial support for travel integral to their proposed mentoring objectives. If you are interested either in serving as a mentor for this initiative or in receiving mentorship, please visit http://ascb.org/mentoring-in-active-learning-and-teaching-malt and sign up in the appropriate database. n

Call for Teaching Mentors, Mentees

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Life SciencesEducationCBE

Volume 14, Summer 2015Published by

Editorial Partner

www.lifescied.org

Questions and Tests

Life SciencesEducation

www.lifescied.orgVolume 14 Summer 2015

CBE

CBE—Life Sciences Education Volume 14 June 2015

Table of Contents

FEATURE

Approaches to Biology Teaching and LearningA Portal into Biology Education: An Annotated List of Commonly Encountered Terms

Sarah Miller and Kimberly D. Tanner

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Overcoming the Barrier to Implementing Authentic Research Experiences through Faculty MentorshipChristine M. Goedhart and Jacqueline S. McLaughlin

ESSAY

Test-Enhanced Learning: The Potential for Testing to Promote Greater Learning in Undergraduate Science Courses

Cynthia J. Brame and Rachel Biel

ARTICLES

The Grass Isn’t Always Greener: Perceptions of and Performance on Open-Note ExamsBrian K. Sato, Wenliang He, Mark Warschauer, and Pavan Kadandale

Examining the Impact of Question Surface Features on Students’ Answers to Constructed-Response Questions on Photosynthesis

Michele Weston, Kevin C. Haudek, Luanna Prevost, Mark Urban-Lurain, and John Merrill

Differences in Metacognitive Regulation in Introductory Biology Students: When Prompts Are Not EnoughJulie Dangremond Stanton, Xyanthe N. Neider, Isaura J. Gallegos, and Nicole C. Clark

Helping Struggling Students in Introductory Biology: A Peer-Tutoring Approach That Improves Performance, Perception, and Retention

Zachary Batz, Brian J. Olsen, Jonathan Dumont, Farahad Dastoor, and Michelle K. Smith

Increasing Persistence in Undergraduate Science Majors: A Model for Institutional Support of Underrepresented Students

Brit Toven-Lindsey, Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, Paul H. Barber, and Tama Hasson

A High-Enrollment Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Improves Student Conceptions of Scientific Thinking and Ability to Interpret Data

Sara E. Brownell, Daria S. Hekmat-Scafe, Veena Singla, Patricia Chandler Seawell, Jamie F. Conklin Imam, Sarah L. Eddy, Tim Stearns, and Martha S. Cyert

The Synthesis Map Is a Multidimensional Educational Tool That Provides Insight into Students’ Mental Models and Promotes Students’ Synthetic Knowledge Generation

Ryan A. Ortega and Cynthia J. Brame

A Model of How Different Biology Experts Explain Molecular and Cellular MechanismsCaleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, and Nancy J. Pelaez


2 CBE—Life Sciences Education

Beyond the GRE: Using a Composite Score to Predict the Success of Puerto Rican Students in a Biomedical PhD Program

Wendy I. Pacheco, Richard J. Noel, Jr., James T. Porter, and Caroline B. Appleyard

PORTAAL: A Classroom Observation Tool Assessing Evidence-Based Teaching Practices for Active Learning in Large Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Classes

Sarah L. Eddy, Mercedes Converse, and Mary Pat Wenderoth

The Best of Both Worlds: Building on the COPUS and RTOP Observation Protocols to Easily and Reliably Measure Various Levels of Reformed Instructional Practice

Travis J. Lund, Matthew Pilarz, Jonathan B. Velasco, Devasmita Chakraverty, Kaitlyn Rosploch, Molly Undersander, and Marilyne Stains

The Faculty Self-Reported Assessment Survey (FRAS): Differentiating Faculty Knowledge and Experience in Assessment

David I. Hanauer and Cynthia Bauerle

Building National Capacity for Research-Mentor Training: An Evidence-Based Approach to Training the Trainers

Christine Pfund, Kimberly C. Spencer, Pamela Asquith, Stephanie C. House, Sarah Miller, and Christine A. Sorkness

Breaking the Cycle: Future Faculty Members Begin Teaching with Learner-Centered Strategies after Professional Development

Diane Ebert-May, Terry L. Derting, Timothy P. Henkel, Jessica Middlemis Maher, Jennifer L. Momsen, Bryan Arnold, and Heather A. Passmore

On the Cover

During a supplementary part of a molecular biology course taught by Professor Shuping Zhang and Dr. Peng Li at the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University (China), student Cui Gao cultured the “flower” on the cover using bacteria expressing green or red fluorescent proteins. The flower is accompanied by two Chinese characters meaning the month of May.

2 CBE—Life Sciences Education

Beyond the GRE: Using a Composite Score to Predict the Success of Puerto Rican Students in a Biomedical PhD Program

Wendy I. Pacheco, Richard J. Noel, Jr., James T. Porter, and Caroline B. Appleyard

PORTAAL: A Classroom Observation Tool Assessing Evidence-Based Teaching Practices for Active Learning in Large Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Classes

Sarah L. Eddy, Mercedes Converse, and Mary Pat Wenderoth

The Best of Both Worlds: Building on the COPUS and RTOP Observation Protocols to Easily and Reliably Measure Various Levels of Reformed Instructional Practice

Travis J. Lund, Matthew Pilarz, Jonathan B. Velasco, Devasmita Chakraverty, Kaitlyn Rosploch, Molly Undersander, and Marilyne Stains

The Faculty Self-Reported Assessment Survey (FRAS): Differentiating Faculty Knowledge and Experience in Assessment

David I. Hanauer and Cynthia Bauerle

Building National Capacity for Research-Mentor Training: An Evidence-Based Approach to Training the Trainers

Christine Pfund, Kimberly C. Spencer, Pamela Asquith, Stephanie C. House, Sarah Miller, and Christine A. Sorkness

Breaking the Cycle: Future Faculty Members Begin Teaching with Learner-Centered Strategies after Professional Development

Diane Ebert-May, Terry L. Derting, Timothy P. Henkel, Jessica Middlemis Maher, Jennifer L. Momsen, Bryan Arnold, and Heather A. Passmore

On the Cover

During a supplementary part of a molecular biology course taught by Professor Shuping Zhang and Dr. Peng Li at the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University (China), student Cui Gao cultured the “flower” on the cover using bacteria expressing green or red fluorescent proteins. The flower is accompanied by two Chinese characters meaning the month of May.

For names of prior awardees or more information, visit www.ascb.org and click on “Awards” or contact the ASCB at 301-347-9300 or [email protected].

Norton B. Gilula Memorial Award

Who is Eligible: An outstanding graduate or undergraduate student (at the time of nomination) who has excelled in research or first-year postdocs whose work was performed while a PhD or MD/PhD student. How to Apply: The student or advisor should submit a one-page research statement, a CV, a list of publications, if any, the abstract submitted to the current year’s Annual Meeting, and the advisor’s letter of recommendation. Duplicate applications from graduate students may be submitted for the Gilula and Bernfield Memorial Awards. Nominators or self-nominators must be ASCB members. Awards: The winner is presented a plaque and a ribbon for his/her poster board. Expenses to attend the Annual Meeting are paid. Funded by an annual grant from Rockefeller University Press. Deadline: July 15 (electronic submission to Christina Szalinski at [email protected])

Merton Bernfield Memorial Award

Who is Eligible: An outstanding graduate student or postdoctoral fellow (at the time of nomination) who has excelled in research. How to Apply: The student or postdoc or his or her advisor should submit a one-page research statement, a CV, a list of publications, a copy of the abstract submitted to the current year’s Annual Meeting, and the advisor’s letter of recommendation. Postdocs may also submit the recommendation of their graduate student advisor. Duplicate applications from graduate students may be submitted for the Gilula and Bernfield Memorial Awards. Nominators or self-nominators must be ASCB members. Awards: The winner is presented a plaque, is given financial support, and will speak at a Minisymposium at the Annual Meeting. Expenses to attend the Annual Meeting are paid. Deadline: July 15 (electronic submission to Christina Szalinski at [email protected])

ASCB 2015 Call for NominationsNominators can nominate only one person per award

DEAR Labby


Published or Not?Dear Labby,I recently came up for tenure and there was a glitch. My package was sent up from the department to the Tenure and Promotions Committee listing two key manuscripts as “submitted,” whereas I had notified my Chair a few days before that they had both been accepted (one for MBoC, by the way). (Per the institutional tenure review process, accepted papers can be listed right until the time of the Tenure and Promotions Committee meeting and deliberation.) OK. But then, my Chair again “forgot” to send this new info to the committee! It would have been duly received and considered. I thought my Chair was behind my case for tenure but now am not so

sure she is. I admit my case was not a slam-dunk, but those two accepted papers may turn out to be a tipping point. Thankfully, the committee has now accepted this new information. But I am really freaked out over this and wonder what else I should do.

—Published Indeed

Dear Published Indeed,As to process, all is well—the committee knows of these two accepted papers. The possibility that your Chair was just absent minded seems implausible, and Labby shares your concern and angst there. You should lie low for now and await the decision. If you are granted tenure, you should think about confronting your Chair to get a read on her position for your ensuing career in her department. If you are denied tenure, you may not have an actionable case, since the committee did have the new information. In either case, your Chair’s failure to be timely in bringing your new publications forward is very worrisome. n

—Labby

Got Questions?Labby has answers. ASCB’s popular columnist will select career-related questions for publication and thoughtful response in the ASCB Newsletter. Confidentiality guaranteed if requested. Write us at [email protected]. n

ASCB Member Benefit: One-on-One CV ReviewNeed some help with a cover letter, CV, resume, statement of teaching philosophy, or other document for the next step in your career? Members of the ASCB are willing to help. Just fill out a short form (www.ascb.org/cvreview), and we’ll put you in touch with a reviewer. Then the two of you can decide which digital collaboration tool to use (email, Google Docs, Skype, Wikispaces, etc.). You must be a current ASCB member to take advantage of this service. n

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