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Monday, September 14, 2009

Richard Dawkins Speaks About Evolution

 
During last week's class I asked my students if they had heard of Richard Dawkins. Very few hands were raised.

Here's a recent video of Dawkins speaking about evolution and his latest book, The Greatest Show on Earth—Evidence for Evolution. I leave it as an exercise to identify those ideas of Dawkins where there is legitimate scientific controversy. (The course is about controversies and misconceptions.)




[Hat Tip: RichardDawkins.net

Monday's Molecule #136

 
Today's "molecule" is an easy one in celebration of the start of a new academic year for many university students. Name this structure and provide a very brief description of it's function.

The Nobel Laureate should be obvious.

The first person to describe the "molecule" and name the Nobel Laureate wins a free lunch. Previous winners are ineligible for six weeks from the time they first won the prize.

There are only three ineligible candidates for this week's reward: Markus-Frederik Bohn of the Lehrstuhl für Biotechnik in Erlangen, Germany, Maria Altshuler of the University of Toronto, and Philip Johnson of the University of Toronto.

I have an extra free lunch for a deserving undergraduate so I'm going to continue to award an additional prize to the first undergraduate student who can accept it. Please indicate in your email message whether you are an undergraduate and whether you can make it for lunch.

THEME:

Nobel Laureates
Send your guess to Sandwalk (sandwalk (at) bioinfo.med.utoronto.ca) and I'll pick the first email message that correctly identifies the molecule(s) and names the Nobel Laureate(s). Note that I'm not going to repeat Nobel Prizes so you might want to check the list of previous Sandwalk postings by clicking on the link in the theme box.

Correct responses will be posted tomorrow.

Comments will be blocked for 24 hours. Comments are now open.


Sunday, September 13, 2009

No Creation in America

 
According to the Telegraph: Charles Darwin film 'too controversial for religious America'.
Creation, starring Paul Bettany, details Darwin's "struggle between faith and reason" as he wrote On The Origin of Species. It depicts him as a man who loses faith in God following the death of his beloved 10-year-old daughter, Annie.

The film was chosen to open the Toronto Film Festival and has its British premiere on Sunday. It has been sold in almost every territory around the world, from Australia to Scandinavia.

However, US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution.

Movieguide.org, an influential site which reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as "a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder". His "half-baked theory" directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated.
I didn't see the film on Thursday evening when the Toronto film festival opened but it got favorable reviews and lots of press in the local newspapers. Creation looks like a very good movie. It's a shame that it won't be seen in America.

UPDATE: It may have been a tempest in a teapot or (gasp!) a publicity ploy. Latest word is that there's a bidding war going on for distribution rights in the USA. It will soon be coming to a theater near you ... or maybe not so near.


Friday, September 11, 2009

The Good People of Halifax

 
The second part of this posting is a re-post from two years ago to commemorate September 11, 2001. Before getting to it, let's remember another connection between September 11, 2001 and Stephen Jay Gould. His last essay in This View of Life—his regular column in Natural History—was published in January 2001. The title of the essay was "I Have Landed." Those are the words his grandfather wrote on September 11, 1901 when he arrived at Ellis Island, exactly one hundred years before September 11th became one of the most famous dates in American history.

Mike Dunford posted excerpts from a Stephen Jay Gould essay Apple Brown Betty [9-11]. This is another connection. It brings us to the third, and more direct, influence of 9/11 on Gould.



I hope you'll forgive my Canadian chauvinism on this occasion as I post parts of another Stephen Jay Gould essay [The Good People of Halifax].

My latest visit among you, however, was entirely involuntary and maximally stressful. I live in lower Manhattan, just one mile from the burial ground of the Twin Towers. As they fell victim to evil and insanity on Tuesday, September 11, during the morning after my 60th birthday, my wife and I, en route from Milan to New York, flew over the Titanic’s resting place and then followed the route of her recovered dead to Halifax. We sat on the tarmac for 8 hours, and eventually proceeded to the cots of Dartmouth’s sports complex, then upgraded to the adjacent Holiday Inn. On Friday, at 3 o’clock in the morning, Alitalia brought us back to the airport, only to inform us that their plane would return to Milan. We rented one of the last two cars available and drove, with an intense mixture of grief and relief, back home.

.......

I know that the people of Halifax have, by long tradition and practice, shown heroism and self-sacrifice at moments of disaster -- occasional situations that all people of seafaring ancestry must face. I know that you received and buried the drowned victims of the Titanic in 1912, lost one in ten of your own people in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, and gathered in the remains of the recent Swissair disaster.

But, in a sense that may seem paradoxical at first, you outdid yourselves this time because you responded immediately, unanimously, unstintingly, and with all conceivable goodness, when no real danger, but merely fear and substantial inconvenience, dogged your refugees for a few days. Our lives did not depend upon you, but you gave us everything nonetheless. We, 9000 strong, are forever in your debt, and all humanity glows in the light of your unselfish goodness.

And so my wife and I drove back home, past the Magnetic Hill of Moncton (now a theme park in this different age), past the reversing rapids of Saint John, visible from the highway, through the border crossing at Calais (yes, I know, as in Alice, not as in ballet), and down to a cloud of dust and smoke enveloping a mountain of rubble, once a building and now a tomb for 5000 people. But you have given me hope that the ties of our common humanity will bind even these wounds. And so Canada, although you are not my home or native land, we will always share this bond of your unstinting hospitality to people who descended upon you as frightened strangers from the skies, and received nothing but solace and solidarity in your embrace of goodness. So Canada, because we beat as one heart, from Evangeline in Louisiana to the intrepid Mr. Sukanen of Moose Jaw, I will stand on guard for thee.
Some of us can watch the movie Diverted on television this evening. It's about the response of the people of Gander, Newfoundland when 38 planeloads of people landed at their airport on September 11, 2001 following the closure of American airspace.


CFI CANADA CONFERENCE: LEADERSHIP (DAY 1) + THE INTERSECTION OF ART & SCIENCE (DAY 2 & 3)

 
The Centre for Inquiry Canada is excited to announce our first national conference. It will take place in Toronto from October 29 to November 1 at the University of Toronto and at the Centre for Inquiry in downtown Toronto.

Starts
Thursday, October 29th 2009 at 5:00 pm

Ends
Sunday, November 1st 2009 at 12:00 pm

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO REGISTRATION

There are two parts to this conference. On Friday, October 30, there will be a one day Leadership & Organizational conference for representatives and leaders of all CFI affiliated student groups, Communities for Inquiry and city organizations.

On Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, there will be an educational conference, featuring the theme "Art and Science: Freethought at the Intersection of Two Worlds." Leading thinkers will explore a wide range of topics. Art exhibits, special entertainment and musical presentations, as well as catered meals, will be included.

TAREK FATAH TO GIVE KEYNOTE PUBLIC ADDRESS
Friday, October 30, 2009, 7:00pm

Tarek Fatah is a secular Muslim Canadian political activist, writer and TV host. He is the author of "Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State," which suggests that the idea of an Islamic state is merely a mirage that Muslims have been made to chase for over a millennium. The book was short listed for the prestigious Donner Book Prize. Tarek Fatah has joined CFRB 1010 as a co-host of the radio station's 3PM daily show. Fatah is the founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress.

Fatah's advocacy for a separation of religion and state, opposition to Sharia law, and advocacy for a liberal, progressive form of Islam have been met with considerable criticism from various Canadian Muslim groups. The Muslim Canadian Congress has been a longtime supporter and ally of the Centre for Inquiry.

Our Art & Science Conference will feature discussion panels and talks on subjects including:

Science & Art Panel
We will explore the awe and wonder of science. Can art be turned into a science? Can science be turned into an art? Where does art and science come together, where do they depart

Art, Prehistory & Evolution
Why was there a sudden explosion in late stone age art? How is art appreciated by the human mind/aesthetics of art? Why is art appreciated, from an evolutionary, aesthetics and neuroscience perspective

Atheism, Skepticism & Philosophy
We will explore the philosophical school o fscientific naturalism, the impact of atheism on 20th century philosophy, the origins of postmodernist philosophy in skepticism/atheism and its effects on art today.

Science & Ethics Panel
We will explore ethical decision making in science research and the ethics of choosing among competing lifestyles

PLUS: AN ART EXHIBIT "ART INSPIRED BY SCIENCE" WITH PRESENTATIONS BY SELECT EXHIBITORS

Confirmed speakers include:

Christopher DiCarlo, who will Chair the Panel "Art, Prehistory & Evolution"

Ontario's Best Lecturer 2008 and Canada's Humanist of the Year 2008, Christopher diCarlo is a Philosopher of Science and Ethics whose interests in cognitive evolution have taken him into the natural and social sciences. His personal research focuses on how and why humans reason, think, and act the way they do. He is interested in how and why the human brain has evolved to its current state and what cross-cultural and cross-species behaviour can provide insight into universally common modes of reasoning. He is also interested in the application of neuroscience (specifically fMRI work), in an effort to better understand psychoneuroendocrine feedback looping in problem solving. Dr. diCarlo is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology where he teaches Critical Thinking, Bioethics, and other courses. His most recent book (just released by McGraw-Hill Ryerson) is entitled: How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Practical Guide to Thinking Critically. He is also a past Visiting Research Scholar at Harvard University in the Department of Anthropology and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology where he conducted research for two books he is currently writing called: The Comparative Brain: The Evolution of Human Reasoning and The Evolution of Religion: Why Many Need to Believe in Deities, Demons, and the Unseen.

James Robert Brown, who will speak on the panel "Atheism, Skepticism & Philosophy Panel"

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and experienced debater in defense of scientific realism, Professor Brown appeared on TVO's The Agenda on their programs on Science and Religion, and Assault on Science. He is a Professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto.

Guillaume Loignon, who will speak on the topic "Is Art an Evolutionary Adaptation"

Spokesperson from the Ontario Science Centre on the important topic of "Selling Science to the Public"

LEADERSHIP & ORGANIZATIONAL CONFERENCE

Designed for representatives of CFI affiliated group and projects across Canada, and other special guests, this conference will run from the evening of Thursday, October 29 to the end of Friday, October 30.

The conference will feature an exciting panel on Canadian political issues to be run by various representatives from the new Canadian Secular Alliance. After hearing reports on well researched and analyzed policy positions, delegates will be invited to contribute to a discussion on building a coordinated national lobbying effort to approach critical issues:
  • Secularism and Science Education, with Mike Evans
  • Tax exemptions for religious charities, with Greg Oliver
  • Public Financing of Religious Schools, with Mike Evans
Mike Evans is an M.A. student in philosophy at York University and an aspiring teacher. He joined the CSA in June 2009 and is currently a spokesperson and Policy Advisor with the organization. In his work at York, he puts a particular emphasis on science and its importance in society. As a teacher, he is commited to promoting a widespread culture of science and reason. Outside of his studies and his work with the CSA, Mike is a piano teacher, science educator, and musician.
  • Religious Accommodation, with Michael DeDourek
  • Free Expression, with Justin Trottier
  • Heritage Issues (God in the national anthem, God in the Charter), with Leslie Rosenblood
Leslie Rosenblood has a Bachelor of Mathematics degree in Computer Science with a minor in Drama and Speech Communication from the University of Waterloo, and a Masters of Business Administration for Science and Technology from Queen's University. He has held diverse roles in his career, including programmer, technology researcher, market analyst, journalist, and national sales manager. Born and raised in Canada, Leslie has lived in several countries, including Japan, England, the United States, Albania, and Kazakhstan. He is currently an IT project manager at a major Canadian retailer. Leslie lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Plus, student leaders will address issues affecting science, secularism and skepticism on campus:
  • Violations of church-state separation at university (eg. Campus graduation prayers)
  • Student unions and censorship
  • Student newspaper and the treatment (or lack thereof) of science
  • Alternative medicine endorsing campus programs
  • Working with faith groups on campus - multifaith dialogues, multifaith centres, chaplaincies
We will also host sessions on a variety of topics, to be presented by CFI leaders in cities like Vancouver, Saskatoon, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Calgary and elsewhere! If you are interested in addressing any of the issues below, or any we may have missed, please contact jtrottier@centerforinquiry.net
  • The road to a CFI branch in your city, featuring Kendra Getty, who leads the high successful new CFI Saskatoon/Saskatoon Freethinkers. Listening to Point of Inquiry podcasts motivated Kendra to start community and campus groups in Saskatoon when she moved back in 2008 after several years living in Sweden, Taiwan, and Vancouver. Kendra is particularly interested in issues related to the public understanding of science and to religion in different cultures. Kendra holds degrees in Chemistry and Sociology and currently works in private industry. Kendra started the Saskatoon Freethinkers along with George Williamson in November of 2008.
  • Launching your own Multimedia projects, featuring presentations from leaders of freethought themed radio shows, podcasts and even Canada's first freethought TV show.
  • Press & Activism: Tips from Toronto, CFI's most media covered branch
  • Public Relations & Outreach
  • How to give a kick-ass interview
  • How to raise money
  • How to promote your groups and its activities
  • General group organizing
  • How to attract members
  • Forging campus/community partnerships
To open both conferences, on Thursday and Friday evenings, introductory remarks will be made and a toast led by representatives of CFI Canada's Board of Directors & Advisory Fellows, including:

Carol Parow, President of the Board of CFI Canada

Dr. Carol M. Parlow is a clinical psychiatrist, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, a psychiatric consultant on occupational health and disability to businesses and a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Inquiry Canada.

Jeffrey Rosenthal, Advisory Fellow

Jeffrey Rosenthal is a professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Toronto.For his research, he was awarded the 2006 CRM-SSC Prize, and also the 2007 COPSS Presidents' Award, the most prestigious honour bestowed by the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies. For his lecturing, he received a Harvard University Teaching Award in 1991, and an Arts and Science Outstanding Teaching Award at the University of Toronto in 1998. Rosenthal's book for the general public, Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities, was a bestseller in Canada, and is being published in a total of fifteen countries. He has also worked as a computer game programmer, musician, and improvisational comedy performer. He maintains the web site probability.ca. Despite being born on Friday the thirteenth, Rosenthal has been a very fortunate person.

Gordon Precious, Advisory Fellow

Preliminary Schedule:

Thursday, October 29: LEADERSHIP & ORGANIZATIONAL CONFERENCE
Registration and check in (starting at 2pm)
Opening round table

Friday, October 30: LEADERSHIP & ORGANIZATIONAL CONFERENCE
Sessions
Evening: Public Keynote Lecture (TBA)

Saturday, October 31: ARTS & SCIENCE CONFERENCE
Sessions
Art Inspired by Science exhibit
Halloween Party & Awards Banquet

Sunday, November 1: ARTS & SCIENCE CONFERENCE
Final sessions (ends at 12 noon)

Lodgings:The following is a small sample of accommodations available in downtown Toronto, with some diversity for cost and quality

* Holiday Inn: 111 Lombard Street - (416) 367-5555‎
* Delta Chelsea Hotel: 33 Gerrard Street West‎ - (416) 595-1975‎
* Days Inn: 30 Carlton Street - (416) 977-6655‎
* Metropolitan Hotel: 108 Chestnut Street - (416) 977-5000‎
* Sutton Place Grande Hotel: 955 Bay Street‎ - (416) 924-9221‎
* Bond Place Hotel: 65 Dundas Street East‎ - (416) 362-6061‎

Transportation:The conference is held in the University of Toronto and at the Centre for Inquiry Ontario. CFI is located at 216 Beverley St., just south of College St. at St. George St.

Registration: Students $99.00, Non-students $115.00, CFI Members $79.00
 



Get Two Jobs in Toronto

 
DEPARTMENT OF IMMUNOLOGY TWO TENURE STREAM POSITIONS


The Department of Immunology, University of Toronto invites applications for two tenure‐stream positions. The appointments will be at the rank of Assistant Professor and will begin on September 1st 2010, or a mutually agreed date.

As part of a continuing program to build on strength in Immunology, the University of Toronto is recruiting for two tenure track positions, one of which will be in the field of Human Immunology. The successful candidates will be expected to mount an original, competitive and independently funded research program and to have a commitment to undergraduate, medical and graduate education in Immunology.

Outstanding applicants working in any area of Immunology complementary to our existing faculty will be considered, with the expectation that one of the positions will be in Human Immunology. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, postdoctoral experience, and an established record of research excellence. The appointments are expected to be at the Assistant Professor level with a salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. The positions will be located in newly renovated space in the Medical Sciences Building on the downtown campus of the University of Toronto.

For details about the Department of Immunology see www.immunology.utoronto.ca and to apply online, please visit http://www.jobs.utoronto.ca/faculty.htm (see Ad # 0900694 under Faculty positions). Applications should be submitted by November 6th, 2009 and include a curriculum vitae, bibliography, an outline of current and future research objectives and the names and addresses of three referees.

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups and others who may further contribute to the diversification of ideas.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.


Get a Job in Toronto

 
DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR GENETICS
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Applications are invited for a Tenure-Stream Position in Developmental Biology

The Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto invites applications for a tenure-stream appointment in developmental biology. The appointment at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, will commence on or after July 1, 2010, and will be located in the Medical Sciences Building on the downtown campus of the University of Toronto.

We seek candidates whose research addresses a fundamental problem in animal developmental biology using either established (mouse, frog, fish, fly, nematode worm, sea urchin, tunicate, etc.) or up-and-coming (stickleback, cnidarian, planarian, arthropod, choanoflagellate, etc.) models. The successful candidate will complement and enhance the Department’s existing strengths in developmental biology, model organism genetics, and other areas.

The Department is one of the premier academic life sciences departments in Canada, with 90 full-time faculty members and 300 graduate students (Molecular Genetics). The candidate will benefit from the interdepartmental Collaborative Graduate Program in Developmental Biology as well as from recent efforts at the University of Toronto and affiliated teaching hospitals to expand research in stem cell biology; cell, tissue and whole-animal imaging; proteomics, genomics and bioinformatics through new infrastructure and academic programs. Candidates must have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent, postdoctoral experience, and an established record of research accomplishment. The successful candidate will be expected to mount an original, competitive, and independently funded research program, and to have a commitment to undergraduate and graduate education.

We encourage you to submit your application online (Jobs: faculty). Please ensure that you include a Curriculum vitae that includes current and long-term research objectives. If you are unable to apply online (or alternatively have large document to send), please submit your application and other materials to: Dr. Howard Lipshitz, Chair, Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 1 King’s College Circle, Rm. 4286, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8 Canada. Applicants should also arrange that three letters of reference be sent directly to Dr. Lipshitz, or have them emailed to mogen.chair@utoronto.ca Applications and referee letters will be accepted until November 15, 2009 or until the position is filled.

The University of Toronto offers the opportunity to teach conduct research and live in one of the most diverse cities in the world. The University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to further diversification of ideas.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.


Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Last Universal Common Ancestor

 
Jeffrey Wong is a former member of our Department1 and the author of the best theory on the origin of the genetic code [see: Amino Acids and the Racemization "Problem"]

LUCA, LECA and LBACA--Root of Life and Roots of the Biological Domains

Dr. Jeffrey Wong
Department of Biochemistry
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

4:30 pm, September 10
Medical Sciences Building room 4171


His mother's photograph is on the wall of graduates on the first floor of our building. She graduated from medical school in 1929.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

The Most Expensive Health Care System in the World


 
The USA has the most expensive health care system in the world. They're number 1 by a long shot.

But does the USA have the "best" health care system in the world? Is it going to change?

Change doesn't look promising. Apparently it's a lot easier to make up campaign slogans about change than it is to actually deliver.




[Hat Tip: Genomicron]

Monday's Molecule #135: Winner!

 
Yesterday's molecule was the type II reaction center from the photosynthetic purple bacterium Rhodobacter spaeroides.

When light shines on the special pair of chlorophyll molecules known as P870, a single electron is boosted to a high energy level by absorbing a photon. This electron is transferred to an adjacent bacteriochlorophyll a heme group in a typical oxidation reaction. The single electron then travels down the electron transport pathway to a bacteriopheophytin heme and then to a quinone molecule that's part of the pathway.

In the final step, the electron reduces another quinone bound to the "mobile" site. This reduction is mediated by an iron atom (red ball). Quinol (QH2) is released after two electrons have been transferred sequentially. The quinol molecule carrying two electrons then diffuses to a cytochrome bc complex that pumps protons across the membrane. The creation of a proton gradient drives the synthesis of ATP.

The electron deficient P870 chlorophylls are re-supplied with electrons from cytochrome c, which gets them from the chytorchrome bc complex in a cyclic reaction [see A Simple Version of Photosynthesis].

Purple bacteria are strict anaerobes—oxygen is poisonous to them so their The purple bacteria version of photosynthesis does not involve the splitting of water and generation of O2. This is an important point since many students think that water (H2O) is the only possible electron donor in photosynthesis. In fact, the ability to oxidize water evolved much later.

It's much better to think of photosynthesis as a light-activated oxidation-reduction system where there are several possible electron donors and acceptors.

The type II reaction center molecules are embedded in a membrane-spanning protein complex whose structure has been solved [see Nobel Laureates: Deisenhofer, Huber, and Michel]. In the version shown here, the electron donor is cytochrome c, which binds to the top part of the molecule on the exterior surface of the membrane.

Photosynthesis is a complex example of an electron transfer reaction. Rudolph A. Marcus was awarded a Nobel Prize for his work on understanding this type of chemical reaction.

This week's winner is Philip Johnson of the University of Toronto. He blogs at Biocurious. While Philip was the first to get the right answer, an honorable mention has to go to Wibowo Arindrarto from Jakata, Indonesia for the best answer.



Your task for today is to identify the molecules with the question marks and explain (briefly) what's going on.

There's a Nobel Prize associated with the type of reaction that you're seeing here. Focus on the red arrows. The prize wasn't for this particular reaction although it is depicted in the Nobel Lecture as an example of the type of reaction that was being described. Name the Nobel Laureate.

The first person to describe the reaction and name the Nobel Laureate wins a free lunch. Previous winners are ineligible for six weeks from the time they first won the prize.

There are only three ineligible candidates for this week's reward: Alex Ling of the University of Toronto, and Markus-Frederik Bohn of the Lehrstuhl für Biotechnik in Erlangen, Germany, and Maria Altshuler of the University of Toronto

I have an extra free lunch for a deserving undergraduate so I'm going to continue to award an additional prize to the first undergraduate student who can accept it. Please indicate in your email message whether you are an undergraduate and whether you can make it for lunch.

THEME:

Nobel Laureates
Send your guess to Sandwalk (sandwalk (at) bioinfo.med.utoronto.ca) and I'll pick the first email message that correctly identifies the molecule(s) and names the Nobel Laureate(s). Note that I'm not going to repeat Nobel Prizes so you might want to check the list of previous Sandwalk postings by clicking on the link in the theme box.

Correct responses will be posted tomorrow.

Comments will be blocked for 24 hours. Comments are now open.





Monday, September 07, 2009

Monday's Molecle #135

 
Your task for today is to identify the molecules with the question marks and explain (briefly) what's going on.

There's a Nobel Prize associated with the type of reaction that you're seeing here. Focus on the red arrows. The prize wasn't for this particular reaction although it is depicted in the Nobel Lecture as an example of the type of reaction that was being described. Name the Nobel Laureate.

The first person to describe the reaction and name the Nobel Laureate wins a free lunch. Previous winners are ineligible for six weeks from the time they first won the prize.

There are only three ineligible candidates for this week's reward: Alex Ling of the University of Toronto, and Markus-Frederik Bohn of the Lehrstuhl für Biotechnik in Erlangen, Germany, and Maria Altshuler of the University of Toronto

I have an extra free lunch for a deserving undergraduate so I'm going to continue to award an additional prize to the first undergraduate student who can accept it. Please indicate in your email message whether you are an undergraduate and whether you can make it for lunch.

THEME:

Nobel Laureates
Send your guess to Sandwalk (sandwalk (at) bioinfo.med.utoronto.ca) and I'll pick the first email message that correctly identifies the molecule(s) and names the Nobel Laureate(s). Note that I'm not going to repeat Nobel Prizes so you might want to check the list of previous Sandwalk postings by clicking on the link in the theme box.

Correct responses will be posted tomorrow.

Comments will be blocked for 24 hours. Comments are now open.


Friday, September 04, 2009

Kiefer Sutherland Comments on Universal Health Care

 
You may be asking yourself why you should pay attention to an actor when it comes to health care. Watch and learn why.




[Hat Tip: Jennifer Smith who found the original video, made for a Tommy Douglas tribute at the 2006 NDP Convention. Does this mean that Jack Bauer is a commie?

Thank God for Etsy Wednesday

 
Ms. Sandwalk's birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to get her.1 Along comes Eva and Etsy Wednesday with a great idea [Etsy Wednesday - Periodic Table Necklaces].


I'm thinking that one of these necklaces would be even better than diamonds or gold, right?

She'll be so happy.


1. On the other hand, after 40-odd years I've accumulated a long list of things NOT to get her.

The advantages of being close to Canada

 
Razib Khan of Gene Expression has a list [States which do well educationally, blame Canada!].

Living in a state that's close to Canada confers a number of advantages on American citizens. They are smarter, wealthier, healthier, and more likely to have voted Democrat.

Oh yeah, one other thing, being close to Canada helps prevent murder.

Alaska is an exception.


Education vs Job Training

There's always been a healthy debate about the role of an undergraduate education. Some view it as primarily a way of preparing for a job after graduation. At most universities we have undergraduate programs that do just that—engineering, and management studies are prime examples.

Some of us think this is misguided. We think that the primary goal of a university education should be to teach students how to think. This is especially true in the arts and science programs; like a biology major, for example.

According to one view, a proper education in biology would focus on basic concepts with a view to teaching students how life works and how it evolved. Along the way, they would be exposed to critical thinking and scientific conflicts in order to learn how to think like a scientist. This approach emphasizes learning and thinking in the context of biology but it doesn't exclude lab exercises and other practical applications of biology. Those are secondary goals, not primary ones.

A good biology education should prepare students for graduate school, if that's what they want to do, but it should also produce scientifically literate citizens who may choose many other careers.

The other view would focus more attention on preparing students for a job in biology. In this case, a lot of the courses would emphasize practical aspects of biology such as how to prepare buffers and how to use computers. Graduates of such a program should be well-equipped to take a job as a lab technician as soon as they graduate.

Some of these issues were discussed at a recent conference sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (see, Conference Mobilizes Educators to Transform Undergraduate Biology Education).

The CEO of AAAS, Alan I. Leshner, made the following statement.
Leshner said the goal of undergraduate education should be to give students a "fundamental knowledge of what science is, and what it is not, along with some key concepts." He also cautioned the conference participants not to fall into the trap of shifting the goal toward developing a scientific workforce, but, rather, remaining concerned with science for all undergraduates.
I agree with Leshner. We should not fall into the trap of turning a university education into a job training program.

Sandra Porter of Discovering Biology in a Digital World attended the conference. She takes issue with the statement by Leshner as quoted on the website. Read her blog at: How NOT to encourage diversity in the scientific community.

Sandra is especially upset with the idea that, "participants not to fall into the trap of shifting the goal toward developing a scientific workforce, but, rather, remaining concerned with science for all undergraduates." Here's how she puts in on her blog.
I know it's unfair to jump on one sentence, but after that point, all I could think about, is that the man must be completely clueless and out of touch with the reality of both the needs of students and the life science industry. Statements that imply that workforce doesn't matter and that biology educators should avoid "falling into the trap" also imply that biology is only for those wealthy students that won't need to find jobs after college.

I have heard this from other college faculty before. Apparently you shouldn't consider a college education, and certainly, not an education in life science to be some kind of ticket to employment. SCIENCE (all of you fall down on your hands and knees, okay?) is only for those with independent means or those who plan to go to medical school.

I mean, it must be nice to just go to school and not be concerned about learning any sort of marketable skill. Unfortunately, while Leshner compliments college biology teachers for ignoring notions about job preparation, students are the ones who will pay the price. Even those who go on to graduate school, eventually have to learn bench skills.
This seems way over the top to me. Of course a good biology education will expose students to lab skills and practical aspects of biology. That's not being questioned.

It's a question of emphasis. The primary goal is to graduate scientifically literate students who understand critical thinking. At the very least, if they graduate from a biology program they should understand evolution and why nothing in biology makes sense except in its light. If they can prepare buffers and do a BLAST search then that's a bonus.

It's Sandra, not Leshner, who's promoting the idea of two kinds of student—those who can learn how to think and those who are only interested in going to university to get a job. Perhaps she's thinking mostly of education at a community college while Leshner and I are thinking about education at university?