Visitor of the Week: Leandro Watanabe

Meet Leandro Watanabe of the University of Utah. The Brazilian national is a PhD student in Myers Research Group within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and is on campus for the Synthetic Biology course. 

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
My research interests consist of applying computer engineering principles to synthetic biology. Currently, I am working on model standards and simulation methods for biological models to facilitate the model-based design of genetic circuits.

Was there something specific about the Synthetic Biology course that drew you to apply?
Absolutely! Since I am developing computational tools for synthetic biology, it is important to understand what goes on in the lab. However, as a computer, I have never had the opportunity to do lab experiments. Therefore, this course is enabling me to better understand the lab part of my work. 

What is your key takeaway from the Course?
The diversity of the synthetic biology field is amazing, and hearing of how people are drawn into the field is always very entertaining.

If someone curious in attending a future iteration of the Synthetic Biology course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
There are so many reasons to attend the course! Regardless of field or level of experience with a particular skill, I strongly encourage people to apply because this course has a nice learning environment with highly-competent instructors and teaching assistants. Also, the students have different expertise and readily share their knowledge with those interested. In addition, throughout the course, we have seminars featuring top-notch scientists with major contributions to the synthetic biology field. Having the chance to learn of their work and to interact with them is phenomenal. As long as you are motivated, you will get a lot from this course.  

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
We have so much food. It is great!

Leandro received a financial support from The Helmsley Charitable Trust. On behalf of Leandro, thank you to The Helmsley Charitable Trust for supporting and enabling young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expend their skills, knowledge, and network. 

Thank you to Leandro for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course – go here.

Visitor of the Week: Britt Adamson

Meet Britt Adamson of the University of California, San Francisco. A postdoc and member of Jonathan Weissman's lab, Britt attended the Genome Engineering: The CRISPR/Cas Revolution meeting where she gave a talk titled "Perturb-seq -- A multiplexed single-cell CRISPR screening platform".
 
What are your research interests? What are you working on? 
My research is focused on understanding how cells respond to stress. I am interested in the mechanisms by which cells manage and respond to environmental challenges and how interconnected stress response networks work together to monitor basic cellular processes. I use a lot of CRISPR-based technologies in my work.

Was there something specific about the Genome Engineering: The CRISPR/Cas Revolution meeting that drew you to attend? 
I’ve worked with (and on) CRISPR technologies throughout my postdoc. It’s incredibly valuable to see how the field is maturing, gain new insights, and reconnect with colleagues -- all three of which I'm able to do at this meeting.
 
What is your key takeaway from the Meeting?
My big takeaway from the meeting is that the CRISPR field is rapidly maturing from a phase of basic technology development towards a real focus on applications.
 
How many CSHL meetings have you attended?
This is my second CSHL meeting. Last year, I attended the Protein Homeostasis in Health & Disease meeting.
 
If someone curious in attending this meeting asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
It’s a great meeting for anyone interested in working on CRISPR biology, technology, or application. 
 
What do you like most about your time at CSHL? 
As an East Coast transplant in California, there is nothing more beautiful than summer in the northeast.

Thank you to Britt for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course – go here.

Visitor of the Week: Anne-Dominique Gindrat

Meet Anne-Dominique Gindrat of Deutsches Primatenzentrum GmbH (Germany). The biologist and postdoc research fellow is a member of the Neurobiology Laboratory of Hansjorg Scherberger. Read on for what she's working on and how the Neural Data Science course will help in her work. 

What are your research interests? What are you working on? 
My current post-doc project focuses on the cortical components of the hand grasping network in macaque monkeys and its first-time investigation with the novel technique of optogenetics. In order to establish causal links between specific neural components of the hand grasping network and grasping behavior, the project will combine optogenetics, intracortical electrophysiological recordings, and hand kinematic tracking in macaque monkeys performing a visually-instructed delayed grasping task.

Was there something specific about the Neural Data Science course that drew you to apply?
I was highly interested in learning the state of the art in single- and multi-electrode extracellular recordings because I will use this technique for my current project. Secondly, learning how to integrate neural data with behavioral data was particularly relevant to me since I am interested in drawing causal effects between optogenetic stimulation, neuronal responses, and effects on hand kinematics. On top of that, I thought I could benefit greatly from the course's strong emphasis on MATLAB programming.  

What is your key takeaway from the Course?
Due to the development in recording techniques and storage capacities, today’s neuroscience is evolving towards dealing with larger and larger datasets. In consequence, it is important to have the skills and know-how to process data and conduct statistical analyses. The program of the Neural Data Science course perfectly answers these needs.

If someone curious in attending this course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
I would strongly recommend him/her to apply! The Neural Data Science is both a theoretical course and a tutorial where you can then practice MATLAB programming on real data. Moreover, the class is very interactive. 

 What do you like most about your time at CSHL? 
The campus itself is a very pleasant and quiet place in the middle of the country. Difficult to imagine that we are near NYC! Moreover, everything has been very well organized for our comfort. And finally, I have met a lot of interesting people!

Anne-Dominique received financial support from The Helmsley Charitable Trust. On behalf of Anne-Dominique, we would like to thank The Helmsley Charitable Trust for supporting and enabling our young scientists where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network. 

Thank you to Anne-Dominique for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course – go here.

Visitor of the Week: Tayfun Tumkaya

Meet Tayfun Tumkaya of the National University of Singapore and Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*Star. The third-year graduate student and member of Adam Claridge-Chang's lab and made his first visit to CSHL for the Drosophila Neurobiology: Genes, Circuits & Behavior course.

What are your research interests? What are you working on? 
Most of our preferences for scents and flavors are shaped by experience, and vary between individuals. Some, on the other hand, are hardwired and shared among all humans. My research aims to understand how flexible and hardwired preferences are different, and how are they processed in the brain.

Was there something specific about the Drosophila Neurobiology course that drew you to apply? 
The course has been organized for around 35 years; and it was inspiring to see that many of the leading figures in the Drosophila neurobiology field were once enrolled in the program. Moreover, I thought learning all the modern neuroscience techniques, such as functional imaging, optogenetics, and electrophysiology from some of the best scientists in the world was a fantastic opportunity; so I applied.

What is your key takeaway from the Course?
My key takeaway from the course as of today is that collaboration helps to make research high standard and enjoyable.

If someone curious in attending your course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her? 
First of all, I strongly recommend everyone in the fly field to attend the course. This is a very comprehensive course where one can learn state-of-the-art techniques and of the latest research from diverse areas. My advice to them is to get as familiar as possible with the instructors' studies beforehand, even the ones outside of their research areas. This makes the lectures much more fun and beneficial, and helps with networking.
 
How many CSHL courses have you attended? How about CSHL meetings?
This is the first course I've attended at CSHL, but I am looking forward to attending more courses and conferences in the future. Also, I'll be attending the future Neurobiology of Drosophila meetings.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
I really enjoyed the morning jogs around the lake on campus, as well as the tasty food.

Tayfun received financial support from The Charitable Helmsley Trust and Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA). On behalf of Tayfun, we want to thank both agencies for continuing to support and enable young scientists to attend a CSHL course to expand their skills, knowledge, and network.  

Thank you to Tayfun for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course – go here.

Visitor of the Week: Kenny Yu

Meet Kenny Yu of the University of Manchester (United Kingdom). Kenny, a NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer (which is the U.S. equivalent to a resident with a research component in his/her training) at his home institution, is currently at St. Michael's Hospital (Canada) to conduct his research at Peter Dirks' lab. The Single Cell Analysis course brought the CSHL first-timer onto our campus where he expanded his research technique repertoire and established lifelong connections.

What are your research interests? What are you working on? 
I am a neurosurgeon-in-training from the UK and did a PhD during my residency. My specific interest is in the tumor infiltrating immune cells in brain tumors. 

Was there something specific about the Single Cell Analysis course that drew you to apply?
Being a novice to the single cell analysis field, I was drawn to the combination of practical modules and the subsequent data analysis that this course offered.

Kenny Yu delivering his student presentation towards the end of the course.

What is your key takeaway from the Course?
Single cell technology is a powerful technique that is able to probe tissues in unprecedented detail, and this course has opened my eyes to a wide range of potential single cell technologies.

If someone curious in attending your course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her? 
The emphasis on taking a single cell experiment from cell isolation to RNA extraction, sequencing and subsequent analysis is a fantastic learning experience, and to interact with world-class faculty and cutting edge technology is invaluable. I would recommend this course without hesitation. 

What do you like most about your time at CSHL? 
I have met a great group of people who, hopefully, will become both lifelong friends and collaborators!

Kenny received a stipend from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to cover a portion of his course tuition. On behalf of Kenny, we want to thank HHMI for continuing to support and enable young scientists to attend a CSHL course to expand their skills, knowledge, and network. 

Thank you to Kenny for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course – go here.