Absence...

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been busy preparing three articles.

One was relatively easy. Our collaborators are writing the majority of the article. I just had to write-up the results I got along with the methods associated with them. Sent it off and it is in their hands now.

The other two papers though are of my own data. The plan is to have them printed back to back in Journal of Cool Stuff. Paper 1 is on the wet lab work I have done to understand MyFavProtein. It went through multiple revisions beforing going to the Advisor. The Advisor did not like it. Some of his comments made perfect sense and have greatly improved the article. Other comments contradict what I learned in the last couple of papers I wrote with my Advisor. It is maddening.

For example, in previous paper we ended the introduction with a paragraph stating what the paper is about, laying out the basic questions answered. Advisor for that paper thought I did not provide enough details in that paragraph. It ended up being like the abstract but without all the numbers. Given that, I wrote the last paragrpah in the intro of the current paper in a similar manner. The Advisor's response? Cut it- stating that you shouldn't put in any details which is a complete reversal of the Advisor's previous advice. What is a post-doc to do?

The 2nd article is computational work I have done, placing those results into context with the known experimental results. This is the first time I have written such a paper. Needless to say the actual writing of this paper is not easy. I have a draft finished. It currently is sitting on the desk of a fellow post-doc in the lab who is trained in said computional analysis. This other post-doc is extremely laid-back. You have to constantly stay on him/her otherwise things never done. Unfortenately for me, he/she has a backlog of work for others that take priority over mine, so I wait. In the meantime, I work on figures and table, looking at a computer screen all day. No fun!

Once the articles are out it is on to writing a review. It doesn't end!

Give a little and help improve science education...

Many of the fine folks over on Science Blogs are taking part in DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge. The money raised goes to directly helping science education in American schools. Many are for equipment that many districts can not afford to get on their own. It is a shame teachers have to beg for money but that is the system we have in America.

It is only getting worse under Bush but things really weren't that great under Clinton. Neither party really has a plan to deal with the disparity in funding for education in America. As long as we base it on property taxes, students living in poor districts are going to be behind.

The teachers behind these projects want to engage their students to critically think which is vital, many times through hand on learning.

So go DONATE and advocate for CHANGE - Do NOT accept things as they are!