Dusting the cobwebs..

Figured it's been a while since I came here and dusted the cobwebs.. Caught up with a friend after almost 7 years and the very fact that she remembered my blog and told me she was reading it made me want to come back here and post something just to keep this space active.
I don't have much to say - except that life's going on well.
*Life is science is life.
*I drive, therefore I am.

*Looking forward to my fifth consecutive year at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions - the annual convention for cardiovascular researchers and cardiologists. I can't believe that I've been making it through for the last half a decade. The acceptance rate for the conference, I believe is 17% or so. Many thanks to my mentors and God for that.
*Happened to watch English-Vinglish yesterday. I liked the movie. The climatic speech had a couple of take home messages, at least for me, one of which was you got to help yourself first so others can help you.
*My prediction about the next nobel laureate seems to have come true - Dr. Shinya Yamanaka it is! Congrats Doc. I think your (postdoc's) work really did deserve the nobel.
* Proud of my sis who just completed her first half marathon on Sunday. I enjoy walking and hateee running and so I hope that some day I can complete the Susan G Komen 3 day - 60 mile walk for the cure of breast cancer. Ya my sis and I are diametrically opposite. It makes life more spicy!
* And while we are at it, I think the women in my life- my mom and my sister have played quite a huge role in what I am, the way I think and also what I do. It's not family day or anything, but just want to acknowledge their presence in my life.
* Got invited to be a speaker at a conference on experimental and clinical cardiology. I haven't accepted it, but I felt good because the disclaimer said.  - "You are receiving this email because of your eminence in the field of Cardiology." I know what I am in reality, but sentences like this do make you smile even though you know the truth of how good/bad you are.

And so with that, I'm gonna get back to reviewing the papers, grad students papers and thesis proposals that are piled up on my table. I need to dust the cobwebs out there...

Wooohooooooooo!

Am having an extremely good week. Thank you God for everything you're giving me!
Got the American Heart Association 2012 Western States Affiliate Postdoctoral fellowship Award/grant. It's my first ever grant to get funded.
I'm extremely excited and superrrrrrrrrr grateful for everything He's giving me. Mentors, projects, referents, Strength of mind, patience and of course results. This is the second time this is happening.. 2 awards in 2 days.. the last time this happened was Nov.
Jab Uparwala Deta Hai, Chappar Phadke Deta Hai!  
True that!! Thank you!

Finally the BCVS Travel Award! :)

Control Number:  183

Presentation Number: 51

Abstract Title:  Nucleostemin Induced by Pim-1 Kinase is Critical to Maintain Pluripotency and Enhance Regenerative Potential of Cardiac Progenitor Cells

Dear Dr. Hariharan,

On behalf of the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences, we are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive a BCVS 2012 Travel Award for Young Investigators for your abstract presentation during BCVS 2012.  As you know, the conference is scheduled for July 23-26, 2012, at the New Orleans Riverside Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.  ....

...This award, which is meant to help defray travel costs to the conference, will consist of a check in the amount of $500 and will be presented to you at the conference.  We also will waive the conference registration fee. ....

...Because you will be recognized at the BCVS Council Dinner, you will also be provided with a complimentary ticket to this event. We ask that you make every effort to attend. ....

This Travel award has taken 5 years to win (of course all along I was targeting the Scientific sessions travel award). But still an award is an award. Thank you God for everything.. especially for such exceptionally good mentors and projects.

The art of writing..

When I start reviewing a manuscript, it's almost like I'm in trouble. Bad "scientific" english bothers me. Extreme typos bother me. Papers which talk about Fig 3B before talking about Fig 1A bother me. Papers written by grad students where they submit a  draft of their thesis with words like "as shown in Section 3.2" totally bothers me. Seriously what or where is section 3.2 in a manuscript?
I'm reviewing one such paper right now. I'm quite frustrated with the paper (not that it's bad, but its just that I don't understand it since it's all about atherosclerosis and stuff...). So I turn to The Hindu, my favourite Indian newspaper to take a break. I read an article about Sowmya's kutcheri in Chennai and I must say the critic has totally bugged me. Here's what he writes .. http://www.thehindu.com/arts/article3331869.ece

Now, please read it and tell me, who writes like that? I'm really curious, WHY do people write like that? They take words out of GRE books /dictionaries and paste it together irrespective of whether it makes sense or not. Why can't people write proper, crisp sentences which are grammatically correct and simple to read and understand? Why this compulsive need to show off your vocabulary when it ultimately sounds like gibberish?

When you send something to be published, don't you read what you've written? Is it too much to ask for a simple article devoid of such blatant, annoying errors? I'm not asking for a perfect article/paper, but when I am able to pick up errors as they glare out loudly and blatantly at me, why can't the authors/editors/proof readers?? blah.

The Demi-Gods

What happens when 2 of your colleagues think they are Demi-Gods?? Not only do they think so, they are also treated so by some. They talk like they own the scientific world. I agree there is scientific rationale behind the questions they ask.. but somehow, some where the manner in which the questions are asked transcend from being just out of scientific curiosity to getting personal. When you're asked to critique a paper, is it okay for you to doubt and assume that the scientific credibility of the researcher is a whole load of crap?? And how does it fit if it's your own peer? Even as a neutral person watching this kinda treatment meted out from one 1 peer to the other, I'm getting weirdly uncomfortable. It's okay to give critical feedback, but it needs to be done in a professional manner. Yes, you're asking out of professional/scientific curiosity but it DOES get personal, if not to you, definitely to the researcher whose work you're beating the crap out of...
Professionalism.. that's what this whole thing lacks... my 2 cents..