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More Biology IAP classes will
be added as they are scheduled. Please check MIT's main IAP page for
more information.
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IAP
2011 |
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Taking
the Next Step in Academic Science |
Finding
a Postdoc
Thu, Jan 6, 1-2:30pm, 68-181
Alan Grossman, Ph.D., Praecis Professor of Biology
Bart Hendriks, Principal Scientist, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals,
Post-doctoral Fellow, AstraZeneca (2003-2004)
Caterina Schweidenback, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Michael
Blower Laboratory at MGH (2008 - present)
Are you interested in doing a postdoc? Want to learn about an
industry postdoc? Come hear about the details of interview/application from
a professor, princple scientist and an MIT graduate who is currently
a postdoc. Find out what makes a good postdoc candidate from
a faculty perspective and what makes a good postdoc experience
in industry or academia.
Time Management
Fri, Jan 7th, 1:30-3pm, 68-181
Joanne Kamens, Senior Director Research Collaborations, Board
of Directors, WEST and HBA
Shoumita Dasgupta, Associate Professor Department of Medicine,
Genetics Section, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Director of Graduate
Studies, Genetics and Genomics, BU School of Medicine
Iain Cheeseman, Whitehead Member and Assistant Professor of Biology
at MIT
Dennis Kim, Associate Professor of Biology, MIT
Being successful in careers in the life sciences largely depends
on the ability to efficiently manage several tasks both at work
and at home. Come learn from professionals and scientists
in academia and industry their tactics to get the job done while
maintaining a good work-life balance.
Finding a Faculty Position
Thur, Jan 13, 1-2:30pm, 68-181
Jonathan King, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Amy Keating, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
Mary Gehring, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, Member,
Whitehead Institute
Looking for that professorship is a daunting process. What do
search committees look for? Where do you find information? What should
you do at an interview? What are the pitfalls? Come find out
from faculty at different career stages who have experienced
all aspects of the process. |
A
Sampling of Careers in Biology |
Biotechnology
Mon, Jan 10, 1:30-3pm, 68-181
Lamine Mbow, Unit Head, Immunology, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics
Jennifer Leeds, Ph.D., Director-Antibacterial Discovery, Novartis
Institutes for BioMedical Research
Sarah Calvo, Senior Computational Biologist, Broad Institute
Jason Kelly, Founder, Gingko Bioworks
Are you considering a job in industry, or perhaps starting your
own company? What are the main differences between academic and
industry labs? Are there labs that are “in between”?
Join us for an exciting Q&A session with a panel of scientists
who belong to different areas of industry, and decide whether
industry is the right choice for you.
Law Careers Panel
Wed, Jan 26, 1:30-3:00pm, 68-181
John Van Amsterdam, Shareholder, Wolf Greenfield
Megan Gustafson, Science Advisor, Goodwin Procter
Aaron Schwartz, Technology Licensing Officer, MIT Technology
Licensing Office
Ryan McQuade, Associate, Fish & Richardson
What kinds of opportunities exist in law-related professions?
What are these careers like and are they right for you?
Science Education and Outreach
Wed, Jan 19, 3-4:30pm , 32-155
Dr. Melissa Kosinski-Collins, Asst. Professor of Biology, Protein
Biochemistry and Biology Education, Brandeis University
Dr. Emily Miller, Science Teacher, Westwood High School
Dr. Megan Rokop, Director of the Broad Institute Educational
Outreach Program, Broad Institute
Dr. Susan Heilman, Educator, Boston Museum of Science
Dr. Tamara Brenner, Associate Director of Life Sciences Education,
Lecturer on Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University
Really enjoy TAing? Love sharing your passion for science with
others? Come hear about careers in teaching science and sharing
science education with the public.
Consulting/Venture Capital
Fri, January 21, 1-2:00pm , 68-181
Vineet Prabhu, Associate Consultant, Clarion Healthcare
Greg Hersch, Principal, Health Care Practice Area, The Boston
Consulting Group
Jennifer Hou, Senior Life Science Specialist, L.E.K. Consulting
Kevin Forrest, Ph.D., Principal 5AM Ventures
Bruce Booth, Ph.D., Partner in the Life Sciences group Atlas
Venture
The business of Biology is booming! This seminar features capitalists,
who finance biological enterprises,
and consultants, who suggest the best way to merge Biology with
business or non-profit. Come listen and speak with Ph.D.s who
have made the transition from bench work to the business world.
Science Policy & Govt Jobs
Fri, Jan 28, 1-2:30pm, 32-141
Mark Fleury, Ph.D. AAAS Science & Technology Fellow (2009-2010),
Legislative Assistant for Senator Claire McCaskill (2010-2011)
Jennifer Goodrich, Ph.D., Manager, Batelle National Biodefense
Institute, Frederick, MD
Carrie McMahon, Ph.D.,Consumer Safety Officer, U.S. Food and
Drug Administration
Maria Lebedeva, Ph.D.,Presidential Management Fellow, Veterans
Health Administration, Bedford MA (2010-2012)
Jessica Palmer, Ph.D., AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
at the National Institutes of Health (2007-2009 )
Harvard Law School, J.D. 2012 (expected)
Major decisions are made in Washington, D.C. that affect our
research budgets, health care, and foods and drugs. As scientists
we
can get involved in the federal policymaking process and provide
valuable scientific expertise and analysis to some of the biggest
questions of our day. Come meet PhDs who make science policy.
Find out what steps to take and what programs are available for
soon to be Ph.D.s that want to participate in policy decisions.
Reception to follow.
Science Writing & Communication
Mon, Jan 31, 1-2:30pm , 68-181
Dr. Sonal Jhaveri, Senior Research Scientist in the Department
of Brain and Cognitive Science, Lecturer for the Program in Writing
and Humanistic Studies, Science Program Director in the Postdoctoral
and Graduate Student Affairs Office at the Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, MIT
Amanda Yarnell, Assistant Managing Editor for science, technology
and education, Chemical & Engineering News
Dr. Karen Carniol, Scientific Editor, Cell, Cell Press
Are you a good communicator? Are you interested in a career
in science publishing? Come hear about a variety of careers in
science writing and communication. |
Seminar
Series on Molecular Approaches to Evolution — Prof. Michael Laub |
"The
puzzling coexistence of antibiotic resistant and sensitive
microbes in the natural environment"
Roy Kishony, Associate
Professor, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School
Thur, Jan 6, 11:00am-12:00pm, Broad Institute Auditorium
(NE30-1154)
"I might like you better if we
stuck together: the social biology of sucrose utilization in
budding yeast"
Andrew Murray, Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular
Biology, Harvard University
Tue, Jan 11, 11:00am-12:00pm, Whitehead Auditorium
"Chromatin dynamics in fungi: from 15 minutes to 1
billion years"
Ollie Rando, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry
and Molecular Pharmacology, UMass Medical School
Seminar is being rescheduled due to weather
"Our sex chromosomes: 300 million years in the making"
David Page, Professor, Department of Biology, MIT, Whitehead
Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Fri, Jan 21, 11:00am-12:00pm, Whitehead Auditorium
"Origins of quantitative spatiotemporal gene expression
variation in Drosophila blastoderm embryos"
Angela DePace, Assistant Professor, Department of Systems Biology,
Harvard University
Mon, Jan 31, 11:00am-12:00pm, Whitehead Auditorium |
Electron
Microscopy |
Single-Particle Electron Microscopy
Dr. James Chen
Tue Jan 18, Thu Jan 20, Tue Jan 25 2:00–3:00pm
in 68-181, and
Thu Jan 27 2:00–3:00pm in 68-474
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Recent advances in single-particle electron microscopy (EM),
and cryo-EM in particular, have enabled structural analysis
of macromolecular complexes at sub-nanometer and even near-atomic
resolution. Complementary to X-ray crystallography and NMR
spectroscopy, single-particle EM is unique in its capability
to elucidate the structures of large molecular assemblies in
their native states. In this seminar series, I will introduce
the theoretical foundation as well as the basic experimental
techniques of single-particle EM. The topics will include:
the electron microscope instrument, sample preparation, data
acquisition, image analysis, model reconstruction, and software
hands-on practice. This course will emphasize on basic principles
and concept (rather than on math and algorithms), and is open
to the entire MIT biology research community (undergraduates,
graduates, postdocs and faculty members).
Contact: Dr. James Chen, 68-480, x3-8688, jzchen@mit.edu |
Laboratory
Equipment Repair |
Repair
of Basic Laboratory Equipment
Charles Moses
Wed Jan 26, 7-8:30pm, 68-089
Sponsored by Graduate Women in Science. Engineer
Charles Moses will conduct a course on repair of laboratory equipment,
geared toward but not limited to beginners. Equipment will include:
electrophoresis units, spectrophotometers, motors on shakers
and centrifuges, etc. General topics will also include: assessing
the tools required to disassemeble, fix and reassemble a piece
of equipment; tool quality; and rational disassembly of equipment
when the function of some component is not known. Bring broken
equipment on which to practice. Session starts at 7:00 p.m. in
Project Lab, Bldg 68.
Contact: Brenda Minesinger, 68-641, x3-4721, bminesin@mit.edu
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For Credit |
7.391: Introduction to Molecular Biology Techniques
Dr. Mandana Sassanfar & Dr. Brenda Minesinger
Topics of current or special interest. This
intensive "boot-camp" style course will provide hands-on
instruction in basic molecular biological techniques including
isolation and quantification of nucleic acid and protein, agarose
and SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis, PCR, microbiology, and bioinformatics.
In addition students will learn more elaborate techniques such
as ultracentrifugation and electron microscopy to purify and
view virus particles. Emphasis will be on real-world application
and experimentation in preparation for a more successful UROP
experience. Priority will be given to freshmen with no
prior research experience. Interested students must
fill out an application
form (linked file) and email it to Dr.
Minesinger (bminesin [at] mit.edu). Deadline 12/13/11. You will
be notified by 12/18/11 whether you are enrolled in the class.
Comments on the 2009 (anonymous) course evaluations :
" 7.391 is a crash course in what it means to be in a biology lab-the multi-tasking, the late nights, the repeated experiments, the inside jokes, the fellow lab-rats, and of course, the beauty of the results."
"7.391, while rigorous and challenging, rewarded me with a sense of security in the lab, and helped me better understand the mechanisms behind the theories we learn about in biology lectures."
"7.391 is a great interactive class that will challenge you and prepare you with lots of knowledge and experience in biolabs! You will enjoy the teamwork, the lab procedures, and most of all, seeing your experiments go successfully.

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-
Jan 10-13, 17-20, 23-24, 12:30-5:00pm, 68-089
Enter departmental lottery by: December 13, 2011
Do not Preregister on Websis.
Limited to 12 participants.
No listeners.
Prereq: 7.01x or AP Biology-This course is
not a substitute for 7.02
Level: U 6 units Graded P/D/F Can be repeated
for credit
Fee: $60.00
Download
Application (linked file)
- Contact: Dr. Mandana Sassanfar, 68-270A,
x2-4371, mandana [at] mit.edu
-
-
- Contact: Dr.
Brenda Minesinger, 68-647 x3-4721, bminesin [at] mit.edu
- For credit: Level: 6
units
Sponsor: Biology

"For me, the course was integral
in finding a UROP. Before the course, I interviewed with
many labs who were discouraged by my lack of experience.
However, after the course, researchers that I met were impressed
by many of the techniques I had learned (for example, CsCl
ultracentrifugation) and confident that I could work independently
in their labs. When I started UROPing, I felt comfortable
with a wide base of skills to use and improve. After the
course I started working in Alexander Rich Lab. I currently
study the effect of genotoxins on Z-DNA-forming promoter
regions within the human genome. I am planning on majoring
in 10B." — Zachary Waxman '11
“I worked at a Pediatric Epilepsy Lab at MGH over the summer and am currently UROPing at the Constantine-Paton Lab at MIT. I definitely think that 7.391 was helpful for me to feel more comfortable in a lab setting for both these experiences. In 7.391 I learned how to work with other people in a lab and the proper conduct in a lab setting. I have even been complimented on my pipetting skills.” Camilla Caballero ‘13
“7.391 is one of the most worthwhile classes I've taken at MIT. I wanted to learn how to perform fundamental laboratory techniques, and the course taught exactly what I was looking for. Simultaneously I was able to use some really awesome laboratory equipment. I highly recommend this class to anyone without much laboratory experience who wants to learn basic technique before plunging head-first into a full-fledged regular-term laboratory class or UROP.”
Daniel Grazian, ‘13 |
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A
sampling of IAP 2010.

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