@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

MCDuncanLab

@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social

Associate Professor at the University of Michigan. I frequently post photos of my cat and helpful tips for running a lab.

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MCDuncanLab, to science
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

My lab routinely changes core steps in protocols that most labs teach as gospel.

Here's one. Plate your transformations unevenly.

Most labs teach people to spread transformations out evenly across the entire plate.

This is important for knowing transformation efficiency.

But who cares? My goal is single colonies. I often get a lawn. Plating unevenly gives me a high chance of singles!

What's your favorite lab 'heresy'?

MCDuncanLab, to random
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Continuing a useful conversation from another platform.

It's important to learn how to receive feedback about your work.

My natural inclination is to get defensive--even when someone is trying to help.

It took me a lot of practice to be able to listen to criticism in real time and not start an internal rebuttal.

It's even worse if you voice that internal rebuttal because the person trying to help will feel unappreciated.

🧵 /1

prachisrivas, to academicchatter
@prachisrivas@masto.ai avatar

Argh. Why have university websites become so opaque that you have to be a ninja just to find a list of departments, schools, and faculties? When you finally do, faculty are hidden away behind opaque tabs.

University websites now seem a shell to attract research partners, donors, and (ostensibly) students, forgetting their main function is still to produce knowledge and teach and learn.

It shouldn't take long to find basic info - who's doing what and in which fields.

@academicchatter

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@prachisrivas @academicchatter

Our medical school administration has decided that they know how to run websites and are redoing all of ours. Their focus groups told them that people like to scroll so you can't get to any links about our department without scrolling. 🤦

MCDuncanLab, to animals
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Molly is enjoying extra time with her favorite person in the world this holiday weekend.

MCDuncanLab, to gardening
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

The office pepper plants are really taking off. I think this one is a shishito. It has tons of flowers. I think I'll clip most of them so it can invest more in leaves than fruit for a couple of weeks. But I'm wondering if I might have fresh peppers for Christmas.

MCDuncanLab, to Cats
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Happy . It's a chilly day here in Michigan.

ct_bergstrom, to random

I am delighted to announce that the Department of Biology at the University of Washington is advertising for a tenure-track assistant professor position on the quantitative understanding of collective behavior.

I will be chairing the search. Details are here: apply.interfolio.com/130336

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@ct_bergstrom

Great to see that you are only requesting contact information for letter writers.

I know it can be more work for the search committee to track down errant letters, but this is a net good for the field with letter writers needing to reformat or upload letters for someone poorly matched to the search.

mattblaze, to random
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Just got asked (politely) to tag my "technical" posts about photography because they make the person's eyes glaze over.

I definitely don't want to harm anyone's vision, but I really can't granularly predict what topics will bother people this way. I talk about nerdy stuff. I'm a nerd. That's not for everyone, I get it.

I suggest using the unfollow button if your eyes are strained by technical discussions. But also, see a qualified ophthalmologist. It may be a sign of something more serious.

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@mattblaze

Maybe the person is using the standard interface and seeing every post of your thread as a different post. If you are so inclined, you could suggest that this person switch to something like Elk that groups replies into threads so they don't have to scroll through a long thread.

enobacon, to ebikes
@enobacon@urbanists.social avatar

You know, if those trips were going to be taken on bikes without motors, they already would. are the bikes that don't gather dust in the back of the garage, that actually replace car trips. Some people don't need them, but the people still in cars clearly aren't those ones.

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@SRLevine @enobacon

Personal vignette, before I got my e-bike I would ride in on weekends, occasional weekday, and very occasionally pick up groceries.

With the e-bike, I biked almost every day since May and did maybe 50% of my shopping by bike.

For me, the main reason I biked more is speed, on the e-bike if I push I can get to work in 30 min without being completely wiped out. On a regular bike, pushing only made me tired and didn't make me faster.

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@SRLevine @enobacon

Once I'm on the e-bike it's easier for me to convince myself to turn off the assist and get my heart-rate up than it would be for me to convince myself to commit to a whole round trip on the acoustic (?) bike.

MCDuncanLab, to Mushrooms
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Cold raing weather?

Cold Rainy weather? Time for oyster blooms!!

#Mushrooms #HomeGrown

MCDuncanLab, to animals
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Posing like a queen for caturday

MCDuncanLab, to random
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Wow. If you have the capacity to help, Washtenaw County food banks seek support as food insecurity rises above its pandemic peak.

The requests are twofold, private donations to support food banks now, and increased advocacy for policy changes.

https://www.secondwavemedia.com/concentrate/innovationnews/foodgatherers0698.aspx

rjay, to random

I never realized till now…. From another source…

So, I spoke to people getting food at a food bank and here are some things I learned from those in need:

  1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks.
  2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of.
  3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.
  4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.
  5. Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice a-Roni which they also get a lot of.
  6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Christmas gift.
  7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care.
  8. Sugar and flour are treats.
  9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores.
  10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some.
  11. They rarely get fresh meat.
  12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.
  13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.
  14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread.
  15. Butter or margarine is nice too.
  16. Eggs are a real commodity.
  17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake.
  18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated.
  19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that.
  20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.

In all the years I have donated food at the Holidays, I bought what I thought they wanted, but have never asked. I am glad I did. If you are helping a Family this Christmas, maybe this can help you tailor it more. It does for me!

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@rjay

As others have said, food banks can make a cash donation have a bigger impact than the same value of food that you donate

However, I also donate from my pantry rotation. I keep a record of 'best by' dates for my pantry items like flour, rice, beans, oil etc when something is within 1/4 of its lifespan. I donate it and replace it with fresh stock.

It allows me to keep well stocked without worrying I'm going to waste something.

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@rjay

If anyone is in the Ann Arbor area, Food Gatherers is a fantastic charity that will make the most of your cash or food donation.

They also have many opportunities to volunteer like in the warehouse or kitchen, so if you want to feel more connected to your charitable donation that's an option.

https://www.foodgatherers.org/

MCDuncanLab, to random
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Data fail!!

I am thinking about assigning a new exciting paper for a class assignment. The blots are not quite up to my expectations. I've got one particular question that a full-length blot would answer. Cool "Primary data have been deposited in FigShare".

errrmmm--its only the excel files.

I'm not sure that's what FigShare is for.

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

A lot of the data in the paper is really strong. And that data is on topic for the module.

Whereas the weak data is off-topic.

So the question, is do I still assign the paper as an excellent example of how some papers have strengths and weaknesses, or do I pick a new one?

This is for a grad-level intro to cell bio course.

MCDuncanLab, to random
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Does anyone else think we need hashtags for when you need help with your science?

How about



Andy_Scollick, to mastodon
@Andy_Scollick@mastodon.green avatar

Is there any chance of introducing a hovering Follow/Unfollow button? Would save a lot of time and make life easier.

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@Andy_Scollick

Hover follow is an option in Elk, I don't think elk would be a stretch even for an old computer.

sundogplanets, to random
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social avatar

I decided to try to join the university orchestra this semester, which starts rehearsals tonight. I have been in community orchestras and LOVED it, but I haven't played regularly pretty much since having kids. So...this'll be a bit painful, but hopefully fun. (Also, very glad I'm a viola player - low pressure and also I can wear a mask while playing)

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@sundogplanets

Good luck!!! I tried to start playing the violin again specifically to join the university orchestra in ~2019, then covid happened and I let it drop.

My dad wants me to hand down my violin to my niece--it's my great grandfathers.

It's the right thing to do since I don't play it, but it's kinda breaking my heart.

MCDuncanLab, to Cats
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Cat nap.

MCDuncanLab, to random
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

Fall cleaning. Going through the medicine cabinet. All of the cold and flu medicines are expired. With the exception of catching Covid last spring, we have not needed them since 2019.

Whoda thunk masking and social distancing would prevent illness?

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@albertcardona

I think that the number of diseases this would work for is actually quite small.

If I'm not mistaken, many of our crowd diseases can be transmitted by other animals, and we can't stop wild birds and domestic animals etc from passing diseases to one another and then on to us.

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@albertcardona

Wow I had no idea about oral rabies vaccine for wildlife. Looks like it’s pretty effective!!

https://veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13567-017-0459-9

NicoleCRust, to Neuroscience
@NicoleCRust@neuromatch.social avatar

Material for how to study for STEM/biology university courses?

I'm looking for any and all references and tips on this topic.

I teach Intro to Neuroscience; typically to freshman/sophomores. Their experience in this class can be important for their next steps. But some students show up better prepared than others and we want to find better ways to rectify that. It's a really hard problem.

As an experiment this year, we are tacking on an optional weekly "bonus session" for any students who feel they could benefit from a bit more instruction/practice wrapping their head around what we are expecting of them (and how to achieve it). Things like: we don't just want students to memorize facts but also generalize knowledge and solve problems - but what does that look like and how do you prepare for it? I'm looking for material to develop that type of 'how to study' curriculum, including material that targets a diversity of learning styles and approaches.

Any leads?

MCDuncanLab,
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social avatar

@elduvelle @NicoleCRust

There's a whole community of STEM educators working on this topic.

https://teachcreate.org/

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