Hannah

Preprint alert 🚨Happy to share my first Posdoc manuscript from the Vos lab @voslab.org. We introduce GATO-seq, a high-throughput, fully in vitro technique that maps RNA polymerases at base pair resolution over time. Using it, we found a new pause state of Pol II: sidetracking tinyurl.com/superpause

A graphic accompanying an article about science funding. It shows a pie chart representing the 2024 Federal Budget with a tiny sliver taken up by science grants. It also shows a flow diagram demonstrating how scientists get grants. Scientists iteratively work on experiments that inform grant proposals and vice versa. These grant proposals are submitted to a review panel which can ultimately lead to scientific funding if you are lucky.

It's long overdue, but I'm back to writing about science, starting with how science gets funded (aka grants). "Fun" fact: even before current cuts to science funding, less than 1% of the federal budget went to science grants. elkodaily.com/news/local/a...

We wrapped up our most successful year to date at Symbiotic STEM! Check out what we accomplished at symbioticstem.org 🌱🌱

^ Quote from thee amazing teacher, Ben Wallek, who helps me run these events with his classroom in Elko, NV

“It has to do with students growing into their own identity…Having mentors or role models who look or sound or have grown up in a similar culture to one of the students, that makes a much larger impact on the student’s efficacy and the belief that they can move forward in this.”

So thankful for the amazing mentors who are speaking with students from my former high school at our first mentoring event entirely in Spanish!!

How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic - National | Globalnews.ca In 1984, Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist from the University of Toronto, discovered a hormone that helped pave the way for popular diabetes drugs such as Ozempic.

This is the most relevant article to NIH and research cuts I’ve seen.

Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”

globalnews.ca/news/9793403...

It doesn’t take as many messages as you think to make an impact. If everyone who reads this takes two minutes to make a call, we can put research back on track.

GovTrack.us Tracking legislation and votes in the United States Congress.

If you are reading this, no what political party you support, I need you to call your government officials and tell them we need funding for medical research. You can find your rep at govtrack.us. If you don’t know what to say, message me. I can help you.

Do you know anyone who has been treated for cancer? Taken a medication for something like diabetes or heart disease? Had surgery? Not had TB, diphtheria, tentanus, or dozens of other diseases that used to kill many people before they could reach adulthood? The NIH played a role in that.

Found out that TWENTY emails is considered a lot to politicians on an issue.

TWENTY.

As in, they call that getting slammed.

So next time you see a request to email your rep, or call, keep that in mind.

TWENTY is a lot.

HHMI kills program aimed at boosting inclusivity in STEM education “Inclusive excellence” program had committed $60 million to 104 institutions

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the nation’s largest private funder of biomedical research, yesterday killed a $60 million program aimed at making universities’ STEM education more inclusive. scim.ag/3EtS0US

THIS.

Zero guidance or leadership given from MIT (at least to graduate students or post docs).

Every time I get to speak with aspiring scientists from my former high school in rural Nevada my heart feels so full. It's a hard place to start out, but I know that their passion, drive, and curiosity will take them far (literally and figuratively!) If you want to mentor, go to symbioticstem.org