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]