Every year, the Pasteur Institute of Paris organizes a course on Advances in Stem Cell Biology (ASCB). Directed by Professors Laure Bally-Cuif and Shahragim Tajbakhsh, this course brings together over twenty experts from around the world.

Over the course of two weeks, practical sessions and conferences follow one another, providing a comprehensive overview of various technologies and advancements in the field of stem cell biology.

Participants and instructors (S.Tajbakhsh, M.van de Wetering, B.Gayraud-Morel, L.Bideau, E.Gazave, G.Nigro, A.Martinez-Arias, M.Cohen-Tannoudji, L.Bally-Cuif, M.Huch) of the ASCB course in front of the historic building of the Institut Pasteur (Paris, France, 2023)

This year, 14 students were selected to participate in the course (master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral students). This exceptional experience allowed them to deepen their knowledge in the field of stem cells. They learned numerous techniques such as the culture of iPSCs, organoids, and gastruloids. They also became acquainted with different animal model systems, such as chicken embryos for studying early development stages or platynereis worms for regeneration studies. Grouped in pairs, participants have time to assimilate concepts and techniques, but more importantly, they share privileged moments with the rest of the group and the numerous speakers.

In addition to the concepts and techniques associated with stem cells, this course also addresses the importance of critical analysis, the limitations of using different models, and the significance of scientific integrity, communication, sharing, and exchanging current ideas.

Thanks to all the participants of this 2023 session!

The next session will take place from June 24th to July 5th, 2024, at the Pasteur Institute of Paris (France).

This two-week course combines lectures and practical sessions on leading edge technologies and questions in Stem Cell Biology.

Practical sessions:

• Stem cell strategies for organogenesis and regeneration
• Making iPS cells, organoids and gastruloids
• Leading-edge approaches in identification and analysis of stem cells
• Stem cells in distinct model organisms (Mouse, Chick, Zebrafish and Platynereis)
• Networking and discussion opportunities

Co-directors: Laure Bally-Cuif and Shahragim Tajbakhsh

Practicals: Barbara Gayraud-Morel

Application deadline: April 12th, 2024.

Information and online registration at https://vu.fr/vDHq

For any additional information, please contact marina.caillet@pasteur.fr.

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

Five takeaways from #SciPEP2023

Do you think it is important to distinguish basic from applied science in science communication? How necessary is it to develop communications training approaches that are unique for basic scientists?

These were the questions the participants were asked in the poll at the beginning of an online conference I attended back in July. The conference, ‘SciPEP 2023: New Insights for Communicating Basic Science’, brought together science communication practitioners, researchers and scientists to discuss insights and generate ideas to advance communication of basic scientific research.

Thinking about science communication with my developmental biologist hat on, here are five things I learned from this conference.

(1) Process-minded vs payoff-minded approaches to science

Many of us know that science communication works best when the message reflects the interests of the audience. That’s why it’s important to understand what the different ‘publics’ think and feel about science; equally relevant are the needs and motivations of the scientists who are doing the communication.

On the first day of the conference, we heard about a series of studies conducted to look into the perception of science, motivations for people to engage with science, and how the public’s interest might vary among cultural, political, economic, and other demographics.

Chris Volpe from Science Counts presented data from surveys conducted in 2018: in America, the public doesn’t care about the difference between basic and applied science, and they mostly associate science with hope. As for scientists, their attitudes towards science seems to be more divided — basic scientists associate science with joy and excitement; applied scientists associate science with hope [report]. The report termed the people associating science with joy and excitement as process-minded, and those associating science with hope as payoff-minded. While process-minded people focus on the ‘how’, pay-off minded people focus on the ‘what’ and often the ‘why’.

According to this report, applied scientists’ attitudes towards science are more in line with the majority of the public, i.e. payoff-minded, whereas basic scientists are more process-minded and have to overcome an extra hurdle to connect with the public. These findings suggest that perhaps when we talk about basic science topics, we should move towards a more pay-off minded approach. But different ‘publics’ might have different feelings towards science — that’s why it’s important to always understand our specific audiences when engaging with them about our research.

(2) Relevance of science should go beyond utility

Many of us are trained to, and easily default to, talking about the utility of our research. In moving towards a more pay-off minded approach and making our communications relevant to non-scientific audiences, does that mean we have to always talk about our research with some eventual utility?    

To open the session ‘Relevance or Connection?’, we listened to a thought-provoking talk from Mónica Feliú Mójer on ‘What does relevance mean for basic science?’. Monica posed the following questions, “What makes you feel connected to science? What makes science relevant to you?”

Monica argued that the ‘relevance equals utility’ framework is limiting and can be counter-productive — making basic science relevant has to go beyond talking about its utility. Instead, Monica suggested that we should center on connection, find common ground with our audiences, and communicate with them in their own language. We have to connect our research to people’s everyday lives, who they are, and what they care about. Relevance is about connecting with audiences in ways that are meaningful and pertinent to their culture. Thinking about relevance in terms of connection can help us engage a more diverse audiences across differences and be more effective in our communications.

Thinking back to communicating about developmental biology, how do we connect with our audiences beyond talking about the utility of our research? Is curiosity and awe enough to make development biology relevant to people?

(3) Is it helpful to distinguish between basic and applied science?

What do the public think about the term ‘basic science’? What do scientists themselves think about the term? Is it counter-productive to distinguish between basic and applied science communications? In a recent report on why and how to engage in effective and meaningful science communication on basic science topics, many interviewees (consisting of basic scientists, scicomm practitioners and researchers) were unsure about whether and when ‘basic science’ is a helpful focal point. There are many factors that motivate scientists to communicate, not just the nature of their research. The discussions throughout the conference kept circling back to the process versus payoff-minded approaches. Perhaps the distinction between pay-off/ process-mindedness can be more useful that basic/ applied when it comes to science communication? Are ‘discovery’ or ‘fundamental’ science better terms than basic science?

(4) It’s not easy to articulate goals and set concrete actions

In the final session of the conference, the organizers created a collaborative Miro board for conference participants to get together and discuss opportunities and priorities for basic scicomm training, research, and practice. The board was very lively with all the ‘Visiting inventors’ ‘Visiting builders’ and ‘Visiting pioneers’ (you’ll understand if you’ve ever used a Miro board!).

Many ideas put down on the Miro board were more conceptual ideas than concrete actions. The few concrete ideas on the Miro board were actual examples that people have tried to do. Instead of starting from scratch, we should probably do a better job at sharing and showcasing brilliant scicomm examples, so that others can learn from and build on them. Check out the existing long-term science communication and public engagement initiatives in fundamental biomedical research in this special issue.

(5) Listening is the first step to effective communication

Communication works best when we listen. Listening is a skill that can be developed, and it’s vital that as scientists, we bring humility and empathy when trying to connect with people about our research. It is also important that scientists, scicomm researchers and practitioners listen and talk to each other to come up with creative ideas and approaches to science communication.

So now, let’s listen to your views and experiences — what are your motivations for talking about your research to non-scientists? Do you have any examples of effective communications about developmental and stem cell biology?

(1 votes)

Loading...

I would like to draw your attention on a future research topic that
my colleague Anupama Prakash (University of Sheffield) and myself
are organizing with Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. This
is a research topic on “Biological and Physical Basis of
the Development of Integumentary Nanostructures”. You
can find more details on the following website:
https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/54743/biological-and-physical-basis-of-the-development-of-integumentary-nanostructures

We welcome research studies, reviews, but also preliminary data and/or
unpublished data that accompany a recent published article. The call
for contributors is now open, and authors can submit an abstract and/or
directly a manuscript for consideration. Please feel free to forward
this email to colleagues who might also be interested in contributing
to this special issue.

Best wishes,

Cédric & Anupama

————-

Cédric Finet, PhD
National University of Singapore

Anupama Prakash, PhD
University of Sheffield

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

Dates: October 11-13, 2023

Location: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO

Website URL: https://www.stowers.org/events/stem-and-regenerative-biology

Contact information: conferences@stowers.org

Registration Deadline: October 6, 2023

Abstract Submission Deadline: September 1, 2023

Organizers: Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., Tatjana Piotrowski, Ph.D., Linheng Li, Ph.D.

Meeting Description: Stowers Research Conferences are biennial meetings that employ an innovative trainee-centered approach to inspire creative thought and collaboration in the biological sciences. Drawing on a diversity of experimental systems, the 2023 Stem and Regenerative Biology meeting will feature a broad range of perspectives on stem cell dynamics in development, homeostasis, and regeneration. We are excited to bring together thought leaders in this fascinating area of research to share new ideas, discover common themes, and forge new relationships.

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

When are you stepping down from the Harvard Medical Postdoc Association (HMPA) Chair position to focus on your science? This recurring question posed by a few colleagues over the last two years of my term has led me to introspect what I consider to be science. For some, it may be a fair question, as postdoc is crunch time to make or break in competitive academia, so engaging in academic community activities can be considered a futile distraction, no matter the purpose. While solely focusing on the research and getting published might be the pragmatic and effective strategy to secure a faculty position and reinforce what it means to be a successful postdoc, I see a larger disconnect with the purpose and practice of science–the dichotomy of academic culture. 

Engaging in community service during my postdoc is neither my first involvement nor the first time when doctrinaire questions are posed to me. I am passionate about social justice and have been an active community member in leadership roles since high school. However, at every academic stage–B.S., M.S., PhD, and Postdoc–I have been made to feel I am not doing enough scientifically. I have been told community engagement is an extracurricular, a hobby, and an interference. I have been told to focus on my science because it is a rare opportunity that I have gotten to better my life. I have been told I am just a social butterfly. I have been told I could do ‘all this stuff’ once I have a faculty position. No wonder I feel trained to experience guilt and remorse for engaging in the community. I have constantly struggled with the expectation to fit in the academic binary–choosing academic scholarship for career progression over social justice in the academic community. I have felt the quality of my scientific work is in question because of my involvement in the scientific community. I must work harder to prove my scientific interests or let community work go. Some of my friends and colleagues feel similarly. A Black friend who is also a postdoc and actively involved in the community was recently told by their postdoc mentor that their academic excellence is not enough, meaning they are not good scientifically. It makes me think, what do we value in science? What does success mean in science? While some may argue about the extent of engagement or time management during postdoc or any other academic stage, I posit what it means to be a postdoc or rather a scientist today. 

The practice of science is not just the human pursuit of knowledge and truth with rational analysis in isolation. It is a social enterprise–with diverse ideas, identities, and experiences–embedded in larger social and historical contexts, thus providing direction, substance, and meaning to our discoveries. The leaps and quests to understanding the natural world, such as cancer or water on Mars, are immersed into humanity. Therefore, the purpose of science is dynamically linked to society and its people. But what exactly is the role of scientists, then? Is it only conducting objective research and sharing the findings with the scientific community? Is it also engaging with the scientific community, policy, decision-makers, and the public? It reminds me of popular debates such as ‘Should scientists be activists?’ and ‘Should scientists be value-driven and opinionated?’. To me and many other people, science has inherent political dimensions. Indeed, science and technology studies argue that such epistemological boundaries of science and activism are problematic. Like any other social organisation, we are embedded in orderly structures of power and inequities irrespective of our rationale and logic. For example, the decisions of who gets to be an author on a research paper or which lab member goes to a conference may have influences of relative hierarchies or wealth like any social organisation. We have decades of data to support that hierarchies and biases exist in the academic system. We understand that systemic discriminatory policies and practices exist that perpetuate imperial legacies and need change. However, we let Western epistemological boundaries and frameworks shape practices, policies, and behaviours discouraging scientists from engaging in community activism. Such systemic dissociation between scientists and community members inhibits effective accountability, transparency, and responsibility in our academic system. In my understanding, cultivating, and propagating a system where we systemically continue to set the narrative for students and early career researchers (ECRs) that scholarship matters and not the community is flawed. Unuttered narratives of research priority over shared responsibilities to decolonise academic structures are flawed. The definition of scientific success is flawed.

Recently, Holden Thorp, in his remarkable editor’s blog on ‘It Matters Who Does Science’ brought up an important fact which resonated so much–scientists are conspicuously humans and we, as scientists, should embrace our humanity. Thus, instead of waiting for community engagement and conversations of bettering academia when we reach tenure, shouldn’t we set the narratives that research and scholarship are important at any academic stage, but so is community engagement–who and how do we do science? Shouldn’t we create conditions for more conducive work in meeting the needs of our people who drive science and limiting disparities that hinder the inclusion of marginalised scholars?

One of my colleagues, friends, and mentor, Akankshi Munjal, a faculty member now, supported me once during a guilt trip. She said, you should not see your postdoc as just biological research. Addressing important issues of equity and inclusion in our academic spaces is difficult work that is long ignored. You should see it as a part of your holistic postdoc experience. With shifts in academia, we are starting to see the light, where we have started to consider community work, for example, during faculty recruitment. This conversation helped me redefine my postdoc and restructure my expectations as I was constantly feeling guilty before and was considering myself a failure for not working hard during my postdoc while I was. Although I have always thought, support from Akankshi and my introspection helped me register that being a scientist is more than science itself. 

Finding a mentor and community who identifies you as human and then kindly supplements you with scientific direction, community engagement, professional space, and other unique needs to be the best version of yourself can be life changing. I am fortunate to have Sean Megason as my mentor and, among others in other departments, a champion of my community work. I now take pride in doing community work in academia along with research–what I call science–and resist obstinate notions of science. I am vocal about compensation and incentives to normalise such work, so it is not disproportionately carried out, especially by marginalised identities. I do not know if I will pursue a tenure-track faculty job, but I am happy with where I am now and what I perceive of science. To be honest, I would love to teach, mentor, and conduct research. But I am finding it hard to navigate a faculty position that values my skills, expertise, and experiences, not just my academic scholarship.

(11 votes)

Loading...

Perspectives of a Transgender Scientist

Imposter syndrome is something I think all graduate students can relate to. While I’ve had my fair share of struggles with imposter syndrome in my academic career, I want to talk about a different kind of imposter syndrome, the one I felt for 25 years of my life.

Being born a woman, something always felt off. I never felt comfortable in my own skin and any attempt to appear feminine felt like wearing a mask or putting on an act. I was blessed with loving, adoring parents who always told me they just wanted me to be happy in life. I excelled in school and enjoyed learning. I played softball throughout childhood and high school and I loved the friends I made through it who became like family to me. Despite all the reasons to be happy in my life, I always felt like true happiness was just out of my grasp.

Since I was young, I had wanted to be a boy, but it was never something I thought was really possible. I was born a girl. It was the role I was cast into, so it was the role I had to play for everyone. I didn’t have the resources or the representation to understand that I was transgender or that I could live life as the man I wanted to be. By the time I had the knowledge and life experience to accept I was trans, I still wasn’t ready to make this giant change and come out to everyone as such. I had played the role of woman for so long that I was afraid there was no way to stop now. Even if I did, would the people I love accept my truth? I had so much fear, so I just held it in. I let the truth sit and eat at me, secretly knowing I’d be much happier if everyone just saw me as a man.

It wasn’t until I was 25, halfway through my second year pursuing a PhD in Genetics and Epigenetics, that I was finally ready to live for my own happiness. There isn’t one defining moment or experience that I can point to that made me finally ready to come out, I just wanted to be happy. After my now-fiancée, my PhD mentor, Dr. Swathi Arur, was actually the first person I came out to as a man. It felt far less daunting than the task of coming out to my parents, and I wanted my lab, who I saw and worked with every day, to know my truth. Swathi was supportive from the start, which if I’m being honest, I knew she would be. My lab was the same. I was absolutely terrified to tell them, but they were so happy for me. They accepted my truth and felt honored that I felt safe to share it with them. And lucky for me, I’ve received immense support from my immediate community and in graduate school since coming out. It’s not lost on me how many transgender people do not receive this same support, so I want my friends and family to know how much their love and acceptance means to me.

Since coming out, I feel like I’ve been able to thrive, despite the obvious challenges of being in graduate school and pursuing a PhD. For one, I no longer feel like I am wearing a mask around people, trying to be someone I’m not. I held so much anxiety inside me from trying to pretend to be a woman, that I didn’t even realize it was possible to live without that constant anxiety until coming out. Simply put, I feel so much more at ease with myself and in my body. That’s not to say there haven’t been stressful or awkward moments during my transition. There’s been the occasional accidental misgendering from colleagues. There was navigating doctor’s appointments and learning how to inject myself with testosterone. And there were bureaucratic piles of paperwork to get my name legally changed. So. Much. Paperwork. But it really was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. Transitioning has brought so much joy to my everyday life, and at the risk of sounding corny, it’s helped me to see that life truly is a blessing.

(3 votes)

Loading...

“It is clearly obvious that had they worked together, had that magic gone okay, then we would not talk about Watson and Crick at all. We would talk about the Franklin-Wilkins or Wilkins-Franklin structure.”
Professor Matthew Cobb, University of Manchester

In the latest episode of the Genetics Unzipped podcast, Kat Arney chats with Professor Matthew Cobb about what really happened between James Watson, Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin during the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

Genetics Unzipped is the podcast from The Genetics Society. Full transcript, links and references available online at GeneticsUnzipped.com.

Subscribe from Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Head over to GeneticsUnzipped.com to catch up on our extensive back catalogue.If you enjoy the show, please do rate and review on Apple podcasts and help to spread the word on social media. And you can always send feedback and suggestions for future episodes and guests to podcast@geneticsunzipped.com Follow us on Twitter – @geneticsunzip

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

Anyone who has spent time doing research knows that being a scientist is not always sunshine and rainbows. It is great to see people announcing on Twitter that they published a new paper, or that they received a new grant, but what is less talked about are those darker days of frustrations that many researchers encounter, or the various barriers that many have to overcome.

That is why the Node has created a new blog series called ‘Honest conversations’. The aim is for people to write about the ups and downs in their academic journey and create frank conversations around less-discussed topics on the Node, such as unconventional career paths, mental health, and equity, diversity and inclusion in science.

Some of you may wonder, why does the Node think it’s important to create such a blog series? That’s because scientific research doesn’t just happen on its own; it is made possible by scientists, who are “conspicuously and magnificently human—with all the assets and flaws that humans possess”, as Holden Thorp has eloquently expressed in his Editorial ‘It matters who does science’, “…and that means that who those individuals are, and the backgrounds they bring to their work, have a profound influence on the quality of the end result.” We hope by talking more about these less-discussed topics, upcoming and established scientists alike can find reassurance and flourish in this profoundly rewarding career.  

There is no strict format or word limit for these posts, but we particularly encourage posts about:

• Navigating an academic career: were there moments of self-doubt of whether you’re cut out for academia? Do you have an unconventional ‘squiggly’ career path?
• Mental health issues in the scientific community
• Equality, diversity and inclusion in science
• Troubleshooting: you can write about a tricky problem that you or your lab have been trying to troubleshoot for ages. Maybe someone from the other side of the world can help

To kick off this blog series, we have commissioned a few posts from the community.

Do you have an idea for a ‘Honest conversation’ post? Get in touch by emailing us!

(1 votes)

Loading...

Our August webinar was chaired by Development Editor Cassandra Extavour (Harvard University) and featured talks from three early-career researchers studying evo-devo. Below are the recordings of the talks.

Hannah Gruner (Swarthmore College)

Seth Donoughe (University of Chicago)

Allan Carrillo-Baltodano (Queen Mary University)

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

We are pleased to announce a workshop on cell-based computational modelling within Chaste, an open-source multi-scale framework for the computational modelling of biological systems. This software library consists of object-oriented C++ code. The library enables general simulations to be undertaken and includes tools to visualise, analyse and automatically curate and store simulation results, thus expediting model development.

The workshop will introduce Chaste’s functionality, and showcase recent additions to the codebase, including varied cell-based modelling approaches and a Python interface. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, and hands-on practicals, participants will learn how to implement and run simulations of several model biological systems, focusing on applications in cell and developmental biology. Time is also reserved for participants to receive help and tuition in how to apply Chaste to novel biological problems, including their own research.

This workshop is aimed at anyone with an interest in developing, or learning more about multi-scale computational cell based models. In order to get the most out of the workshop participants should have some knowledge of C++ and some experience of mathematical modelling in the life sciences.

For more details, please visit https://chaste.github.io/workshops/2023-09-11 or contact the lead organiser, Fergus Cooper (fergus.cooper@cs.ox.ac.uk).

To apply, please complete the online application form found here: https://forms.office.com/e/Ax4Rx2LbC6.

We have some funding to cover accommodation and travel within the UK for PhD students and early career researchers attending this workshop. Further details for how to apply for funding may be found on the online application form.

We look forward to your participation!

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...