Episode CXLI: Rafael and Carol's Wedding in Brazil

My dear old friend Rafael Demarco and his fiancee Carol were married in Brazil this December, and Meg and I attended. Indeed, a good chunk of the Norris attended! Plus, of course, we got there early to tour the country a bit. Meg and I spent one day in São Paulo, but the rest of the time was spent south of there in two of Brazil's three southernmost states. Below is a map of the major cities we visited on our trip (red ovals).

The biggest chunk of our trip was spent traveling west to the border of Brazil/Paraguay/Argentina, where we inspected the world's second-largest dam (in terms of energy production). We then took a precarious Christmas-Eve trip (of dubious legality) across the border into Paraguay:

[The littered streets of Ciudad del Este]

Most of all, the Norris Family spent Christmas at one of the world's great waterfalls, Iguaçu Falls. Often compared to Niagara falls, upon first approach it does seem similar (though it's located in a jungle and not a city). The big difference is that Iguaçu Falls extends horizontally for like a mile! It's nearly impossible to see the whole waterfall at once, because once you've reached the eastern edge, the western border has begun to fade from view on the misty horizon.

[The Norris family, having just completed a hike from one end of the falls to the other]

Another fun thing about Brazil was the diversity and abundance of wildlife of all sorts. Lots of birds, for instance:

[Among Meg's favorites: the (tame) macaw]

 [My favorite was definitely the toucan]

Most surprising to me was the diversity and abundance of fairly large mammals:

 

[Coati- raccon-like. They're here to eat your food.]

 [Capybara- largest rodent in the world. Couldn't care less about you.]

  

 [Cutia (agouti)- like a hybrid squirrel/hamster/rabbit/pig. They're afraid of you.]

Finally we reached the main event: Rafael and Carol's wedding. It was a lovely event: ceremony on the beach at sunset, reception in the (blessedly) air-conditioned hall, delicious food, and a pristine beach to ourselves for exploration. A great way to celebrate the new marriage. Cheers to Rafael and Carol! We're glad we came!

[And we invented a new wedding tradition??]

Episode CXL: Scientific Successes

In the last few months I've had a couple of items of good news at work: I have published a paper (proof that I’ve accomplished something) and secured my own external funding (proof that someone thinks I’ll be able to accomplish something in the future).

First off, the paper I published was a nice surprise because of how quickly the whole process went. The project was about developing a new version of a technique called “CRISPR” for use in my organism of choice, the nematode worm C. elegans. (If you haven’t heard of CRISPR, check it out, or wait for a year or two and there will probably be a Nobel Prize for its discovery and application). Anyhow, we were able to develop a new strategy for using CRISPR to quickly and powerfully edit the genome of C. elegans. The whole project from conception to publication took just under a year, which is remarkably quick, and a testament to how well CRISPR works. If you’re interested in the details, check it out here.

Second, I recently learned that I have been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship by the Charles A King Trust. Financially this award will pay for my salary, meaning that my lab no longer has to pay for me, thus freeing up funds for other experiments. It also means that I will get a tiny raise. But more importantly it is a signal to (hopefully) future employers that I can successfully secure external funding to support my research. 

If you'd like a (dense) synopsis of what I'm up to scientifically, here's the blurb about my work as displayed on the Charles A. King Fellowship website.

So what to do with my tiny raise? It just so happened that my old cell phone was about to die, after six (!) long years of service. And there was a great Cyber Monday deal on Amazon, so I went for it. I have finally jumped on the smartphone train ladies and gentlemen!

 

 [Pic of old phone taken by new phone]

[Pic of new phone taken by old phone]