The importance of writing in Science

Nobody ever told me that writing skill is so important for a researcher. But now I know. Writing has become a big part of my work. Yesterday, I was struck in front of the computer for hours just composing emails, editing my CV and re-drafting travel grant essay. This weekend I have to review my proposal for NSF application which starts next week

It’s natural to expect most of us are not gifted in writing (Otherwise, we would have become writers!). Poor writing skills can be a barrier limiting the entry of students into independent research paths or limiting their ability to complete their thesis, said a group of UCSC researchers.

The graduate students generally are responsible for their own development in writing ability. Luc Van Dyck, executive coordinator of the European Life Sciences Forum thinks that grant writing training remains mostly a business between supervisor and the students. Another researcher, Olof Akre said that students should involve in grant applications early and often. The graduate students have to take their own initiatives to attend workshop besides seeking guidance from experienced researchers and peers.

The internet is undoubtedly the most reliable source of information. There are many websites that can show you good tips in writing grant proposal. It’s easy to find examples of winning proposal or travel grant essays.

Here’s a piece of advice I wrote:

Start early in your writing,
Plan ahead before submitting,
At the end of this wanting,
Money could be waiting!

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Cell-centered modeling of leaf in Arabidopsis

Inbiosis seminar on 20 Feb 2009 presented by Dr. Roeland Merks from Netherlands Institute for System Biology.

Dr. Merks started the talk by showing us an example of a simple plant cell model. A basic cell model is based on various factors (Permeability, turgid pressure, viscosity, elasity etc). The modeling is done based on trial and error. Various forces are applied to the cell and the cell structure is predicted. The best model is one with stabilized energy after movement (Zero free energy ΔH= 0 is more stabilized than ΔH= 1). This explains why cell rarely retain any peculiar shape.

Cell-centered modeling is not just about predicting the best shape/patterns of cells. Modeling generates hypothesis how the cells work. Molecular expression studies of certain genes provide new evidences for the model. Therefore, this leads to different hypothesis from different researchers that might contradict each other. Modeling is useful in predicting how genes regulate cell behaviour, how cells behaviour affects multicellular pattern and how cells respond to the multicellular environment.

One of Dr. Merks works involves understanding the molecular mechanisms of auxin transport based on observations of Arabidopsis leaf growth and venation patterning. They started with the hypothesis that PIN1 (an auxin transporter) localizes near the neighboring cells with the highest auxin concentration. By using expression studies on the leaf, the localization of PIN1 was tracked over a period of time. Florescent assay has allowed visualization of PIN1 activities in the cells. Dr. Merks has definitely done a great job at guiding the audience through his slides.

Second part of the talk is about modeling of blood vessel which I’m not gonna elaborate. There was also a workshop on “Virtual leaf”, a plant tissue modeling tools developed by Dr. Merks. Click here for all the previous Inbiosis seminars and workshops informations.

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Seminar Persatuan Genetik Malaysia

Date: 19 Mac 09 (Thursday)
Time: 8.30am-12.30pm
Venue:Dewan Pertanian, Fakulti Pertanian, UPM
Organizer: Genetic Society of Malaysia
Topics:

• Using molecular markers to explore rice genetic diversity
• Genetics in Malaysia: Bridging the past and the future in medicine
• Determinants of bacterial diversity in soil
• Induced breeding, triploidy induction and sperm cyropreservation in catfish

The seminar is held in conjunction with 14th PGM Annual General Meeting. Free registration, limited to 60 persons. To register, email armilan@mardi.gov.my or mbopar2004@yahoo.com before 10 March 2009.

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ESTexplorer: EST analysis for Parasitic Nematodes

Inbiosis seminar on 13 Feb 2009 presented by Prof. Dr. Shoba Ranganathan from Macquaie University, Australia.

After a brief introduction on parasitic nematodes, Prof. Shoba described the problem she and her team encountered during EST analysis. None of the softwares available such as ESTannotator, ESTAP, PartiGene, and EGassembler provides the workflow they need. This is how they started developing a semi-automated pipeline called ESTexplorer to handle larget EST datasets. This pipeline has embedded EST pre-processing, clustering, assembly, database similarity searches and most importantly functional annotation. Click here to view this paper.

Furthermore, ESTexplorer can perform GO and pathway mapping, which can predict how the gene is involved in a biochemical/biological pathway. Her team has successfully identified several genes in parasitic nematodes that can be potentially used as new drug target. I have some EST data for GenBank submission that could really use a pipeline like this. Too bad I missed the workshop.

Besides showing interest in a wide variety of subjects, Prof. Shoba is the current editor of BMC bioinformatics. She can be easily described as a very busy person spending 80 working hours per week. Don’t be shocked because she considers “thinking of work” as working. But how many of us actually work 55 hours a week? Count me out.

Lastly, she did not forget to invite our participation in The International Conference on Bioinformatics (InCoB) which will be held in Singapore in later this year. Check out my previous post for more details.

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The International Conference on Bioinformatics (InCoB) 2009

InCoB is the official conference of the Asia-Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet). Since 2002, it has become one of the largest bioinformatics conference in the Asia-Pacific region.

Date: 9-11 September 2009
Venue: Matrix, Biopolis, Singapore
Registration fees: S$400 (student); S$700 (Academic)
Submission deathline: Full paper (4 Apr); others (15 May)

Click here for more information.

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Always keeping you posted

Being a researcher, we always seek knowledge and equip ourselves with the latest information. What better ways than to attend conference, seminar and workshop?!

Unfortunately, most of us are not informed of the details…When…where? Most of the time, we did not know where to search information. We might be too busy to browse through all the available websites, missed some of the announcements on the notice board or away from the faculty for a period of time.

By the time we read the announcement, the event is over. Then, we wish to be there the next time but it never happen again. So we waited in vain and mourned for the rest of our life. Sounds familiar?! Almostforestbiotech will keep you posted on the recent happenings on campus. Stay tuned!

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Inbiosis seminar 20 Feb 09

Title: Cell-centered modeling of plant tissues
Presenter: Dr. Roeland Merks from Netherlands Institute for System Biology
Date: 20 Feb 2009
Time: 9 am-11.30 am
Venue: Bilik Seminar, Inbiosis, UKM.

Open seminar. For registration and more information, please email inbiosis.seminar.series@gmail.com

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Timber and pulp industry in Malaysia

”Crown Shyness” phenomena at FRIM, Kepong

I have just completed a brief review on the timber and pulp industry in Malaysia. It’s a waste not to share it. Being one of the Megadiversity countries, 59.5% of Malaysia is protected forest area. Our country is one of the top exporters of timber products. However, half of the country's pulp consumption is imported (Roda & Rathi, 2006). The paper industry is relying heavily on the imports of raw material. Malaysia is still struggling to achieve self-sufficiency in pulp and paper.

Why does a country with vast amount of timber failed to support its own pulp supply? There is obviously a competitive advantage in the timber industry in terms of world market prices, job employment and economic contribution to the country. The government has plans to encourage the involvement of private forest plantation to supply pulp material. The focus is mainly on Sabah and Sarawak as these two states can allocate lands for these projects. The projects will be accompanied by new mill projects that will be located within the plantations. The two main species given attention are Rubber wood and Acacia hybrid.

Oil palm plantation is often favoured over forest plantation while timber production is often prioritized over pulp production. These problems will still exist even by introduction of fast-growing species like Acacia hybrid. Perhaps encouraging farmers to plant pulp-producing trees as side income is an attractive option especially in Peninsular Malaysia. This method is practiced in neighbouring Thailand using Eucalyptus sp.

The National Timber Policy (NATIP) has been officially launched today. And I look forward to the changes it can bring to our country.

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Welcome!

Selamat datang!

The idea of blogging about biotechnology prompts me not long ago. I was inspired by the rewarding satisfaction from another blogger. I realized that it’s not too late to create my own blog. Instead of just another personal blog, I want it to be different (Who doesn’t?!). Then, I google “blog biotechnology Malaysia” and Oh My! I only found one or two blog. At that moment I have decided, my blog is about biotechnology in Malaysia. It’s about creating awareness in Forest industry. It’s about reaching out to biotechnology community particularly in UKM and updating on the latest happenings on campus. In the meantime, I want to keep this blog fun and enjoyable.

If you think you are too small to have an impact, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito!

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