This morning the Internet here at UC Davis Medical Center was on and off down for a couple hours. You’d think we had suffered a complete electronic catastrophe of the kind on the new sci-fi show on NBC, Revolution by JJ Abrams, where nothing electronic works even if it is battery powered. Here it was …
One of the great things about having my lab here in Shriners Hospital of Northern California on the UC Davis Medical Center Campus is the spirit of the amazing kids here. Facing severe injuries these kids are true heroes and are far braver than any adult I know, but they still need assistance in various …
Yesterday I had part I of my interview with NIGMS former Director, Dr. Jeremy Berg. Today we have part II of the interview, which I found very interesting and helpful in providing a glimpse into NIH. I appreciate Dr. Berg doing the interview and his frankness. Given the budgetary issues facing NIH in terms of …
Jeremy Berg interview part II: the future of NIH funding Read More »
Obtaining research grant funding is a critical part of science, but the process seems to be getting more challenging each year. Funding rates are decreasing. Applicant frustration is increasing and many grant applicants tell me they feel confused about the differences between funded and unfunded proposals. The largest funder of biomedical research in the U.S. …
Interview with NIGMS Director, Jeremy Berg, part 1: grant advice, meritocracy Read More »
I live in Davis, CA. Sometimes it seems like Davis is a bubble full of the most colorful assortment of characters. One day walking my dog Elvis I noticed the sign to the right. I translated it as “Shh”. I’ve seen many signs in my days, but never one like this…it seems a little too …
My collection of funny signs: UFO lemonade & falling coconuts Read More »
I started a poll on what PIs dislike most about the NIH grant process. Why did I even do such a poll? I’ve been a professor for 6 years now and even in just a half a dozen years it’s clear that the grant process has become more and more painful. The poll results suggest …
NIH grant process is painful on many levels according to poll respondents Read More »
In the U.S. Declaration of Independence three “inalienable rights” are said to be endowed on people: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. People also have other rights in the U.S. including freedom of speech and religion. These rights seem clear enough, but wait a minute….what are “people”? What entity qualifies as a “person” to …
Alienable: how personifying corporations & zygotes robs real people of their rights Read More »
I love stem cells, but I have to admit bionics is totally amazing as well. Both hold great promise for fixing up human beings as we injured or age. Today a major advance in vision correction via bionics was announced here at UC Davis that has really caught my attention. I was not involved in …
Bionic eye here at UC Davis holds great promise for restoring vision Read More »
Stem cell cosmetics is an exploding area ranging from facial creams (e.g. from L’Oreal and its Lancome) to face lifts to boob jobs to baldness treatments (see two key posts here and here for background and great stories). The stem cell cosmetics field has not been held back by issues such as the fact that …
L’Oreal Lancome gets hammered by FDA, why kid gloves for clinics? Read More »
I watched Mitt Romney on Meet The Press a bit on Sunday morning. I’ve of course seen him other times interviewed on TV. I keep thinking to myself “Who is the real Mitt Romney?” One thought was that he reminded me of a game show host! Somehow that fits. Then I thought of the game …
Funny Mitt Romney as Game Show Host Poll: which show would be his? Read More »