ASCB J U L Y 2 0 1 2 NEWSLETTER VOLUME 35, NUMBER 6 Student/Postdoc- Led Local Meetings NIH Working Group Proposes Page 3 Training Changes More ASCB Award The recommendations of a U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Working Group on the Announcements biomedical research workforce include changes in the programs offered by academic institutions, Page 8 limits on NIH support for graduate students, and changes in the way graduate students and postdocs are supported. The Working Group, a subcommittee of the Advisory Committee to An Innovative the NIH Director, was formed in January 2011 by NIH Director Francis Collins to examine Approach to Dual- the state of the biomedical research workforce and make recommendations to ensure the future Career Support competitiveness of the U.S. biomedical research enterprise. Page 11 The Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group was co-chaired by Shirley Tilghman and Sally Rockey, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, and included ASCB members Leemor Joshua-Tor and Keith Yamamoto. In June 2012, the Working Group sent its report, with a series of recommendations, to Collins for his review and consideration. Inside Despite low unemployment for biomedical PhDs, the percentage of PhDs who move into President’s Column 3 tenured or tenure-track positions has declined by 8% since 1993. In contrast, science-related Did You Know? 6 occupations that do not involve the conduct of research or do not require graduate training WICB Junior, Senior Awards 8 are seeing increases in employment. According to the Working Group’s report, “Despite these Public Service Award 8 changes, graduate training continues to be aimed almost exclusively at preparing people for Early Career Awards 9 academic research positions.” MBoC Paper of the Year 9 NIH Working Group, continued on page 15 WICB Column 11 CV Review 13 Public Policy Briefing 14 Annual Meeting Travel ASCB Profile 17 PIC Needs Associates 20 and Childcare Awards Celldance 2012 21 Celldance Winner Donates Prize 21 Join the Data Stream 21 Available Annual Meeting Program 22 Highlights from MBoC 24 An MBoC Favorite 26 The 2012 ASCB ANNUAL MEETING • DECEMBER 15-19 Call for Nominations 27 Need help with travel or childcare costs associated with the Annual Meeting? The ASCB Interesting Uses of The Cell 27 offers an array of awards for students, postdocs, and junior faculty. Information and online Grants and Opportunities 28 applications are now available at www.ascb.org/meetings; click on “Travel/Childcare Awards.” Members in the News 28 Meetings Calendar 29 Cell Biology Postdoctoral Travel Awards—Up to $300 to cover transportation expenses for Member Gifts 29 cell biology postdocs (ASCB members or member applicants only) at any stage of training and In Memoriam 29 from any country Half-Century Fund Donors 29 Biotech Postdoctoral Travel Awards—Up to $300 to cover transportation expenses for Books by Members 29 postdocs in biotechnology Dear Labby 30 Physical Sciences Postdoctoral Travel Awards—Up to $300 to cover transportation expenses Join the Conversation: for postdocs in the physical sciences Predoctoral Travel Awards—Up to $400 to cover transportation expenses for doctoral students (ASCB members or member applicants only) at any stage of study and from any country Awards, continued on page 6 AmerSocCellBio

The American Society PRESIDENT’S Column for Cell Biology 8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 750 Bethesda, MD 20814-2762, USA Tel: 301-347-9300 Not Just Your PI’s Society Anymore: Fax: 301-347-9310 ASCB Supports Student/Postdoc-Led [email protected], www.ascb.org

Local Meetings Officers

Two of ASCB’s most that student/postdoc-organized local Ronald Vale President important missions are meetings are great activities and that Don W. Cleveland President-Elect Sandra L. Schmid Past President to promote scientific ASCB will continue to support and further promote them. This President’s Thoru Pederson Treasurer communication and mentor Kathleen J. Green Secretary young scientists. This year, Column is intended to make our the Society has launched membership aware of this new direction Council and to encourage young scientists to two new initiatives that will Sue Biggins further both goals and provide think of ideas for meetings that you David Botstein more leadership opportunities would like to see happen in your local A. Malcolm Campbell Raymond J. Deshaies for students and postdocs: a communities. ASCB is not just your PI’s Society anymore! Benjamin S. Glick graduate student/postdoc– Ron Vale Akihiro Kusumi initiated Minisymposium Inke Näthke at the Annual Meeting and graduate student/ Student/Postdoc-Led Meetings: Mark Peifer postdoc–led local meetings. Sending the Right Message James H. Sabry David L. Spector The ASCB Annual Meeting has long served ASCB views our student and postdoc members Jo Ann Trejo as a centerpiece for both communication and as being central to the future of our Society; we Yixian Zheng mentoring. Continuing this tradition, this need to encourage their initiative and harness year’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco will their energy. Having students and postdocs The ASCB Newsletter feature a fabulous smorgasbord of scientific talks take the lead in planning meetings helps them is published 11 times per year and posters as well as opportunities for young to learn leadership and organization, skills that by The American Society for Cell Biology. scientists to obtain career and scientific advice are critical for their future careers in science through panel discussions and career discussion or related occupations. They are ready to do W. Mark Leader Editor and mentoring roundtables with leading more work than pipetting and to make more Johnny Chang Production Coordinator contributions than producing papers. Kevin Wilson Public Policy Director scientists. And for the first time this year, we John Fleischman Science Writer also solicited ideas for a Minisymposium to be Senior scientists often do not provide Thea Clarke Director, Communications chaired and organized by students/postdocs. enough leadership opportunities for the young and Education Rachel Roberts-Galbraith from the University of scientists working in their labs. Sadly, some PIs Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Curtis Thorne even discourage activities within the scientific Advertising from the University of Texas Southwestern community, believing that they take too much The deadline for advertising is the Medical Center, Dallas, were chosen to lead time away from the bench. In reality, however, first day of the month preceding the a Minisymposium on the Cell Biology of running a local meeting is a very manageable cover date. For information contact Regeneration. We received many applications time commitment, and the time spent is more Advertising Manager Ed Newman, for this opportunity, so ASCB plans to have than compensated for by the great learning [email protected]. more student/postdoc-chaired Minisymposia at experience of starting with an idea and bringing ASCB Newsletter the 2013 Annual Meeting. it to fruition. There are other tangible benefits ISSN 1060-8982 The second new initiative by ASCB is for the organizers. Organizing a meeting Volume 35, Number 6 July 2012 to fund one-day local meetings organized brings peer recognition, is a nice addition to a by students and postdocs. In May ASCB resume, and, perhaps most important, offers the © 2012 The American Society for Cell announced a competition for such meetings. tremendous personal satisfaction of knowing Biology. Copyright to the articles is held by the author or, for staff-written articles, We received excellent applications and decided that one has made an important contribution to by the ASCB. The content of the ASCB to support eight of them. These upcoming local one’s local scientific community. Newsletter is available to the public under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike meetings encompass considerable diversity with Unported Creative Commons License regard to both topic and geography (topics, Why Local Meetings? Why ASCB? (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ locations, and organizers are listed at the end Local one-day meetings certainly are not a new by-nc-sa/3.0). Postmaster: Send change of address to: of this column). And at its recent meeting and invention, and many of them are organized ASCB Newsletter leadership retreat, the ASCB Council decided by students and postdocs. Local meetings The American Society for Cell Biology 8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 750 Bethesda, MD 20814-2762, USA

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 3 have a great track record of promoting a local meetings are a low-cost model for scientific sense of local scientific community, fostering communication, since air travel and hotel costs camaraderie, providing students and postdocs are minimal. As a result, ASCB can sponsor additional opportunities to present their work, many student/postdoc-organized meetings for getting people from different local institutions less than the cost of one Society-sponsored Having students together, and stimulating new contacts and regional meeting. collaborations. and postdocs So what can ASCB offer beyond what is More Local Meetings Coming take the lead in already taking place? First, we hope to stimulate We intend to have two submission deadlines more such meetings. By providing funds and each year for local meetings—one in the spring planning meetings announcing application deadlines, we hope (in May this year) and another in the fall (the helps them to learn to plant seeds for students and postdocs to next will be announced in late summer 2012). think about ideas for meetings and reduce the leadership and Meetings proposed in the spring would typically activation barrier for getting started. The magic take place in the fall, while fall submissions organization, skills sauce of these local meeting is the energy of the would be for meetings to be held in the fall or that are critical for organizers. following winter/spring (although this is not a Second, ASCB can offer funds to assist the strict criterion). their future careers execution of the event (the recently selected We welcome proposals on a wide range in science or meetings were funded at $1,200–$1,500 each). of topics pertaining to basic science and Funding allows the organizers to invite and pay career development, as long as there is clear related occupations. the travel costs of an outside “keynote speaker” relevance to the broadly defined field of cell and buy food/refreshments, which are always biology. Meetings must involve two or more a magnet for students and postdocs. However, local research institutions or colleges. We also the organizers are free to write a budget plan welcome applications from outside of the that will best serve the goals of their meeting. United States; in this last round, we funded For most local meetings, these funds suffice to applications from Jamaica, England, and pull off a successful event. Beyond the grant, Canada. The application should come from the ASCB office in Bethesda, MD, will work two to four graduate student or postdoc co- with local organizers to make posters for the organizers, all of whom must be (or become) event that can be distributed locally. ASCB members of the ASCB. staff will also email ASCB members in the The proposal should be short and should area near the meeting to make them aware of include, in up to one page: 1) the topic The new student/ the event. If the organizers need more funds, and goals of the meeting, 2) a proposed or postdoc-led local ASCB sponsorship and initial funding provides approximate date, 3) the intended audience important validation upon which to seek further meetings differ and institutions to be invited, and 4) a institutional or company support. statement of how the meeting will benefit the from what ASCB ASCB as well as other scientific societies local community. A tentative outline (up to and other societies have sponsored short (a few days' duration) one page) of the sessions is also required and regional meetings or workshops. While we should include, for example, the number of have offered in may sponsor such meetings in the future student/postdoc talks, faculty talks, poster the past in that as well, these meetings are costly and many sessions, and breakout discussion groups. The other organizations (Gordon Research meeting outline does not need to be submitted they are “bottom Conferences, Federation of American Societies in final form, but should provide enough up,” conceived for Experimental Biology, Keystone Symposia, information to allow us to understand the etc.) are organizing such meetings. The new by students and proposed event. Our goal is to stimulate new student/postdoc-led local meetings differ from meeting ideas and not co-fund already planned postdocs rather what ASCB and other societies have offered in or regularly occurring meetings. Sue Biggins than organized the past in that they are “bottom up,” conceived (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) by students and postdocs rather than organized and Ben Glick (University of Chicago), who “top down” by a “top down” by a society or PIs. These bottom-up are members of the ASCB Council, will review society or PIs. meetings tend to offer more opportunities for submitted applications. This spring we funded students and postdocs to speak. Furthermore, eight proposals, but we will likely increase this in an era of tightening grant support, one-day number in the fall and in 2013.

4 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 Ideas for the Future together with the ASCB in other ways to A core strength of the ASCB local meetings is benefit our broader membership. For example, that students and postdocs have the freedom news or short reports on the meeting (with to think of topics that interest them and their the consent of the speakers) might appear communities. However, in addition to accepting in the ASCB Newsletter or in social media. “open” proposals, we might occasionally More ambitious but potentially interesting announce a timely call for a student/postdoc- would be for Molecular Biology of the Cell to led meeting on a particular topic that represents invite commentaries, perspectives, or meeting We welcome an important forward-looking direction for cell reviews from student/postdoc co-organizers biology and our Society. The student/postdoc and attendees that are based upon the meeting proposals on a wide organizers would still have great freedom to (although the scope could be broader than the range of topics plan and organize within that broad topic area. content of the meeting itself). And no, PIs With such initiatives, ASCB can stimulate would not need to be co-authors, unless they are pertaining to basic its membership to think about new scientific invited by the organizers and contribute. science and career directions through the local meetings as well It is open territory at this point, so we as the Annual Meeting. By interacting with welcome ideas from the membership on how to development, as and getting feedback from student/postdoc develop local student/postdoc-led meetings! n long as there is clear organizers, we can learn from the scientific and relevance to the organizational outcomes of such meetings. Comments are welcome and should be sent to Student/postdoc organizers might also work [email protected]. broadly defined field Upcoming Local Meetings, Fall 2012 of cell biology…. We Need to Talk: Communicating About the Life Sciences in the 21st Century We also welcome University of West Virginia, Morgantown, WV applications from Organized by Cheston Saunders, Gina Childers, and Beatriz Vienna (all graduate students) outside of the Oxford Fly Retreat United States…. Maison Française, Oxford, UK Organized by Caroline Fabre (postdoc) and Catarina Vicente (graduate student)

The 2012 METRAPOLIS: Membrane Trafficking andPo larity Interest Symposium Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY Organized by Dawn Fernandez (graduate student), Aleksandr Treyer (graduate student), and Ryan Schreiner (postdoc)

Cellular Studies Towards the Development of Translational Research in the Caribbean University of the West Indies, Jamaica Organized by Kameka Johnson and Keriayn Smith (both postdocs)

Cell Biology at the Frontier of Collaborative Efforts: A Retreat for Postdoctoral Fellows Focusing on Career Development and Scientific Example University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM Organized by Olivia George and Gloriana Trujillo (both postdocs)

Montréal Cell Cycle and Cytoskeleton Meeting Concordia University, Montreal, Canada Organized by Jonas Dorn (postdoc), Benjamin Lacroix (postdoc), Chloe van Oostende (postdoc), and Amel Kechad (graduate student)

Appalachian Regional Cell Conference (Marshall University, Ohio University, University of Kentucky, University of Virginia) Charleston Area Medical Center, Charleston, WV Organized by Danielle Shepherd, Alena Smith, Yanrong Qian, and Mary Allison Wolf (all graduate students)

Southern Science Symposium: Cell Biology and Careers Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Puerto Rico Organized by Elinette Albino-Rodriguez, Abigail Ruiz-Rivera, Maricelly Santiago Ortiz, and Viviana Vázquez Rivera (all graduate students) n

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 5 Did You Know…? July 30 is the regular abstract submission deadline (for Minisymposium or poster presentation) for this year’s ASCB Annual Meeting, to be held December 15–19, 2012, in San Francisco, CA.

n Sponsorship of abstracts is required. n Any current regular, postdoctoral, or emeritus ASCB member or member applicant may sponsor TWO abstracts. These abstracts can be his or her own or can be abstracts submitted by other people. n Any current student member or student member applicant may sponsor only ONE abstract, and this abstract can be his or her own abstract only.

Are there nonmembers in your lab who want to submit abstracts? Now is the time to encourage them to join ASCB. Not only will they be able to sponsor their own abstract, but they will be eligible for the discounted member-only registration rate. For more information on how to apply, go to www.ascb.org and click on “Membership.” n

Awards, continued from page 1 Undergraduate Travel Awards—Up to $300 to conducting research in topics related to cell cover transportation expenses for undergraduate biology and related fields are eligible to apply and master’s degree students from any country for a MAC Travel Award. Current and past (ASCB members or member applicants only) MAC awardees (Linkage Fellows and Visiting Faculty Travel Awards—Up to $500 to cover Professors) as well as those who are not able to expenses for primarily undergraduate faculty submit an abstract are also encouraged to apply. members, with preference to those who are beginning their careers and/or those who Application deadline: September 4, 2012. demonstrate financial need (ASCB members or If funding is still available, MAC travel award member applicants only) applications may be accepted after the deadline.

Application deadline: September 4, 2012. Childcare Awards The ASCB Women in Cell Biology (WICB) Awards for Underrepresented Committee, with funding from the Nature Minorities Publishing Group, is accepting applications Minorities Affairs Committee (MAC) Travel for support to help offset the cost of childcare, Awards—Up to $1,800 to cover meeting enabling scientists with dependent children to expenses (transportation, housing, meals, poster attend the ASCB Annual Meeting. Applicants expenses, and meeting registration), supported must be an ASCB member (or member by a Minority Access to Research Careers grant applicant) and must be presenting a talk or from the National Institute for General Medical poster at the meeting. Awards will be in the Sciences and by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund form of reimbursement of qualified expenses Undergraduate students, predoctoral up to the designated limit, to be remitted at (graduate) students, postdoctoral fellows, and the ASCB Annual Meeting. Only one parent of junior faculty (assistant professor or equivalent) a child or children may apply. Priority will be who meet the ethnicity and residence given to students and early-stage scientists. requirements, are presenting an abstract at the ASCB Annual Meeting, and who are currently Application deadline: September 4, 2012. n

Information and online applications are now available at www.ascb.org/meetings; click on “Travel/Childcare Awards.”

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Laboratory Accredited by CLIA, CAP, AABB, NYSDOH, ASCLD/Lab-International, ISO/IEC 17025 WICB Junior, Senior Award Recipients Announced Marianne Bronner, Albert Billings Ruddock Chair in Biology, Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, was named by the ASCB’s Women in Cell Biology (WICB) Committee to receive the 2012 WICB Senior Award. Sophie G. Martin, Associate Professor, Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, will receive the WICB Junior Award. The WICB Senior Award is presented to a woman or man in a later career stage (generally full professor or equivalent) and recognizes outstanding scientific achievements coupled with a long-standing record of support for women in science and of mentorship of both men and women in scientific careers. Bronner exemplifies these accomplishments. She is being honored Marianne Bronner Sophie G. Martin for her many discoveries in the areas of early neural development, neural crest biology, craniofacial development, gene regulatory networks, and evolutionary biology. Using her deep understanding of cell and developmental biology, she sees the big picture and is able to translate the relevance of her work to drive the field in new directions. Bronner is esteemed in the international scientific community for her scholarly science, high-impact research discoveries, exceptional commitment to education and training, and truly inspiring mentoring of women and men. She is extensively involved in women’s and minority issues and has served on the Women’s Center Advisory Committee at the California Institute of Technology and the Committee on Affirmative Action at the University of California, Irvine. In addition, she has taught courses at all levels from undergraduate to graduate to postgraduate and has received awards for her educational excellence. The WICB Junior Award recognizes a woman in an early stage of her career (generally less than five years in an independent position) who is making exceptional scientific contributions to cell biology, who is developing a strong independent research program, and who exhibits the potential for continuing a high level of scientific endeavor and leadership. Martin is already an established international leader in the study of cell polarity and cell cycle regulation and was identified as one of the best yeast geneticists of her generation. She received a four-year career development award from the Swiss National Science Foundation at the Centre for Integrative Genomics and funding for her lab from Roche, the Human Frontier Science Program, and the European Research Council. Martin’s group has published a series of ground-breaking papers in Molecular Biology of the Cell, Nature, Current Biology, and Cell in a remarkably short time, during which she also gave birth to two children. She was given a European Molecular Biology Organization Young Investigator Award in 2010 and was then promoted to associate professor (with tenure) at the University of Lausanne. Her research makes use of fission yeast to address how a cell acquires and maintains cell polarity and how this process is linked with cell proliferation. The awards will be presented at the WICB Awards and Mentoring Theater event on Sunday, December 16, at 2:30 pm, at the 2012 ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco. n —Cheryl Lehr, Executive Assistant/Office Manager and Sandra Masur, Chair, Women in Cell Biology Committee

Yamamoto Selected to Receive Public Service Award

The ASCB Public Policy Committee (PPC) has selected long-time ASCB member Keith Yamamoto, University of California, San Francisco, to receive its 2012 ASCB Public Service Award. The award will be presented at the ASCB Annual Meeting in December. If there is an issue in the life science community that needs to be addressed and a committee has been formed to tackle it, Keith Yamamoto is probably on the committee and may chair it. In his message of invitation, PPC chair Doug Koshland referred to Yamamoto’s “omnipresence of … effort, vision, and goodwill in science policy both in the past and today.” n —Kevin M. Wilson

Keith Yamamoto

8 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 Cheeseman and Voeltz to Receive Early Career Awards Iain Cheeseman and Gia Voeltz have been named the 2012 ASCB Early Career Life Scientist Awardees. Cheeseman is at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and is an assistant professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Voeltz is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Cheeseman was selected because of his exceptional work in the fields of kinetochore assembly, chromosome segregation, and the mechanism of mitosis. Prior to completing his PhD, he defined substrates of the Aurora B kinase whose phosphorylation dissolves incorrect kinetochore–microtubule attachments. As a Iain Cheeseman Gia Voeltz postdoc, he utilized proteomic methods to identify a widely conserved network of 10 interacting kinetochore proteins. The proteomic tags that Cheeseman developed as a postdoc have been distributed worldwide and used in many different research areas in cell biology. Currently, his lab is attempting to define the mechanisms by which these kinetechore proteins act to generate an integrated microtubule binding interface. He also uses combined cell biological and biochemical approaches to analyze the contributions of this binding interface to the proper assembly and function of the kinetochore. He is investigating the behavior and DNA-binding properties of the microtubule binding interface and the way that it is targeted to kinetochores in human cells. Cheeseman’s students appreciate his skill at conveying concepts, his genuine interest in them and desire for them to master the material, and his humor. Voeltz was selected because of her path-breaking work in reticulons. As a graduate student, she studied the regulation of mRNA deadenylation and decay. During her postdoc, she identified the first class of integral membrane proteins (the Reticulons and Dp1/Yop1) that regulate the structure of the tubular endoplasmic reticulum (ER), both in vitro and in vivo, in yeast and mammalian cells. This research made a major impact in the field. Currently, her lab is exploring how integral membrane-shaping proteins, the cytoskeleton, and interorganelle contacts together regulate the structure of the peripheral ER. Voeltz has also shown unusual skill and commitment in teaching cell biology and mentoring the students in her lab. The ASCB Early Career Awards will be presented in Minisymposia at the 2012 ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The ASCB congratulates Cheeseman and Voeltz, and thanks the Selection Committee. n —Cheryl Lehr, Executive Assistant/Office Manager

Marshall to Receive MBoC Paper of the Year Award for Work on APC’s Role in Cell Extrusion

Thomas W. Marshall, of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, was named by the Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC) Editorial Board as recipient of the 21st annual MBoC Paper of the Year Award. As a postdoc in Jody Rosenblatt’s lab, Marshall was first author of the article “The tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli controls the direction in which a cell extrudes from an epithelium” (Mol. Biol. Cell 22, 3962–3970). “This is an important and surprising paper,” said Alpha Yap, the MBoC Associate Editor who served as monitoring editor for the manuscript. “Epithelial cells are able to extrude abnormal neighboring cells, and whether those abnormal cells are extruded apically or basally is potentially important. The authors have identified APC [adenomatous polyposis coli] as controlling apical extrusion by determining the Thomas W. Marshall site for cortical recruitment of microtubules. So that’s a new role for this well-studied tumor suppressor. But what’s really surprising is that the impact of APC occurs in the presumptive extruded cell, which then influences the recruitment of microtubules and actomyosin in the surrounding cells that will drive extrusion. I think this work has immediate implications for understanding both the cell biology of cell extrusion and how APC dysfunction promotes tumorigenesis.” Marshall will present his research at a Minisymposium at the ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco this December. The MBoC Paper of the Year is selected by the Editorial Board from among papers published in the journal each year between June and May that have a postdoc or student as the first author. n —W. Mark Leader

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This is the second of two articles dealing with dual-career recruiting. Last month's article, "The Give and Take between Two Careers and a Family," described one highly visible couple's experience and the reactions of their colleagues.

The so-called “trailing spouse” (or Helping a Spouse accompanying partner) issue is a or Partner to Find major worry both for professionals Employment who are considering relocating A professional who is recruited and for employers who are from outside the region is concerned with retention after the often concerned about finding expense of recruitment. Spousal appropriate employment for his employment challenges and the or her spouse or partner. TVC’s inability of families to assimilate spouse/partner employment into their new surroundings are program takes a unique approach among the major reasons why to the problem: Its coordinators recruited employees leave their Angela McNerney set up informational networking new positions. interviews for the spouse or An innovative approach to address these partner with decision makers from within the issues was designed by Tech Valley Connect consortium who are in the spouse/partner’s (TVC) to provide multiple services to newly discipline. relocated professionals and their families in These informational interviews are not job the New York Capital Region near Albany. interviews—they are opportunities to have Piloted in July of 2009 at Rensselaer Polytechnic access to management and begin the process of Institute as an innovative way to address building a substantive professional network. The retention, TVC is a not-for-profit consortium conversation is more specific and the dynamic of area employers (academic, healthcare, high- of the meeting is different than they would be [Tech Valley tech, corporate, nonprofit, and more) and has in a formal interview. And these face-to-face Connect’s] become a strong part of the Capital Region meetings have a more powerful impact than infrastructure. The initiative has helped to emailing CVs and responding to job postings. A coordinators set bolster local economies while increasing spouse or partner meets professionals who may up informational retention rates for area employers. have inside knowledge about local colleagues The TVC program provides relocated who are looking for quality candidates or may networking professionals, including many academic be able to introduce them to others in their interviews for the scientists, with dual-career support as well as field, broadening the spouse’s or partner’s spouse or partner helping them with family assimilation and web of contacts. Based on data from the cultural transitions. Participation in the program National Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 70% with decision begins when an employer who is a member of of employed people got their jobs through makers from within the consortium (e.g., Rensselaer Polytechnic some form of networking.1 We believe this Institute, State University of New York at rate is higher among professionals, which may the consortium who Albany) refers a new hire and his or her family be related to that population being the most are in the spouse/ to TVC. Once the family has made contact, difficult to retain. an in-depth evaluation session is scheduled in partner’s discipline. which the family speaks confidentially with a Helping Families to Assimilate coordinator, who will be assigned to the family To help with family assimilation, a coordinator for one year. conducts a thorough evaluation of the family

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 11 to determine the members’ specific needs and Cultural Competence at the Interchange what resources they require. A customized Institute in Boston, MA. TVC workshops portfolio is prepared for each family connecting will cover a comprehensive agenda to include them to qualified, vetted resources within the topics such as education, healthcare, banking, Capital Region. TVC coordinators are equipped government, and households. The program is set to offer newcomers suggestions for resources to start in July in a pilot phase and will launch such as trusted mechanics, electricians, and in earnest in September house painters as well as physicians, dentists, We project that our Cultural Transition veterinarians, and specialty and ethnic grocery Program will become central to our region’s stores. infrastructure as we increase efforts to The coordinator attempts to engage the accommodate a more sophisticated international family in social events, local venues, and population. Being able to offer understanding volunteer opportunities to help assimilate them and a means to learn about U.S. culture that The TVC into their new surroundings. Local school includes focused guidance to local resources can coordinator districts have identified student leaders who give families the tools they need to transition can help incoming students integrate into the successfully. Giving employees a good quality of becomes a school’s population and culture. Entertainment life is essential when striving for retention. confidential venues such as theaters and concert halls have sponsored free tickets to productions with a Making Connections by sounding board, “meet and greet” beforehand for families to Volunteering steering family engage with one another. The attendees include Another TVC program to help professionals newcomers to the area as well as established members toward who have recently moved integrate into the professionals. Capital Region is the Strategic Volunteer resources that The TVC coordinator becomes a confidential Initiative. This effort consists of a structured will ultimately sounding board, steering family members community service program connecting toward resources that will ultimately enhance newly relocated professionals with volunteer enhance their their quality of life. Integrating new people opportunities in the region. quality of life. into a local economy is Volunteering in a critical in terms of economic community can lead to development. TVC is a trusted Foreign nationals professional and personal conduit for people who arrive in networking, building the Capital Region not knowing face even harder relationships needed to where to start. challenges when strengthen ties to the area. About 20% of the families Helping Foreign relocating to the assisted by TVC are families of Nationals Understand United States. For foreign nationals whose spouse/ U.S. Culture example, one of partner may not have a work Foreign nationals face even visa. We are able to link them harder challenges when our foreign national to not-for-profit organizations relocating to the United States. clients had no closely connected to their For example, one of our foreign professional backgrounds, where national clients had no idea idea how to use an they can volunteer their services, how to use an American oven. American oven. keeping them professionally Another had limited language relevant as well as offsetting skills and could not figure out resume gaps. The commitment how to put gas in her car. And of time for volunteering serves a third didn’t think she could have children over as a means to meet people who share common to her house because she had heard “Americans interests and is a way to integrate both socially all sue one another.” and professionally into the region. In response to such problems, TVC is launching a Cultural Transition Program to help Measuring Success assimilate people to U.S. culture, customs, and Professionals and top executives typically are traditions. We have sought partnerships with the most expensive hires for employers and area groups associated with the international at the most risk for voluntary turnover. The sector to create well-rounded and educational cost to an employer is astronomical when workshops. Staff has been certified in Cross it does not retain its new hire: between two

12 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 and five times the salary of the original hire, corporate and government) and found highly depending on the factors involved with the effective. Even after 10 years, if we are reducing recruitment. In contrast, TVC charges less than employee turnover by roughly 60% we will 4% of what it would cost have kept significant dollars not to lose an employee. There only within the region, but within are discounted packages the businesses themselves. In for volume referrals. Thus The cost to an addition, because TVC is the only employers are willing to organization in the country right broaden their scope beyond employer is now with a regional commitment focusing resources on the astronomical from employers to spousal recruitment end and are employment, it is helping to when it does not now looking to invest in distinguish the Capital region from retention. retain its new hire: competing regions in attracting TVC’s metric for success between two and new businesses and talent. The is retention of the original membership has grown from 12 hire for at least three years. five times the salary institutions in the pilot phase to According to the National of the original 45 members to date. Bureau of Labor Statistics, If TVC’s noteworthy success the average national hire, depending in reducing voluntary turnover voluntary turnover rate in on the factors continues, it will have made 2011 was 9.1%.2 (At that significant strides in addressing involved with the rate, the cost of turnover the dual-career issue. And when can exceed $20,000,000 recruitment. a heavily recruited professional annually for a company with considers whether his or her 1,000 employees and an spouse/partner will have average salary of $75,000.) meaningful opportunities for TVC has been operating for three years (as employment, employers in the Capital Region of July 2012) and as an independent not-for- will have the advantage of being able to offer profit organization for two years. In that period, a structured organization that attends to these 75 families have been referred to the program specific needs over the course of one year.n and none of the original hires has left his or —Angela McNerney, Tech Valley Connect, Inc. her position. Although this number is not a representative sample size yet, we say we are References currently operating under our target of 3% 1Beatty K (2010). The math behind the networking voluntary turnover per year. Statistically, we claim. http://blog.jobfully.com/2010/07/the-math- know we will lose people eventually, but after behind-the-networking-claim. Accessed 13 June 2012. three years our record is certainly a phenomenal 2Bares A (2011). 2011 turnover rates by industry. www. testament to TVC’s approach. compensationforce.com/2011/10/2011-turnover-rates- The TVC model has been tested in a by-industry.html. Accessed 13 June 2012. community with large employers from varying sectors (higher education, healthcare, high tech;

New ASCB Member Benefit: One-on-One CV Review Need some help with a cover letter, CV, resume, statement of teaching philosophy, or other document for the next step in your career? Members of the ASCB Education Committee are willing to help. Just fill out a short form, and we’ll put you in touch with the right reviewer. Then the two of you can decide which digital collaboration tool to use (email, Google Docs, Skype, Wikispaces, etc.). You must be an ASCB member to take advantage of this new service. n —Thea Clarke

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 13 PUBLIC POLICY Briefing One Small Step…

With the support of Senate increase for the NIH to $32 billion Democrats, the FY13 budget in FY13. for the U.S. National Institutes The Moran amendment would of Health (NIH) emerged from have increased the funding for the an appropriations subcommittee NIH by reducing funding for all with a slight increase, but in other programs in the bill. In his the full committee Democrats remarks, Senator Moran said that defeated a Republican proposal the NIH was “such an important for a larger increase. priority” that it warranted the cuts On June 12, the Senate to other vital programs within the Labor, Health & Human bill. In particular, Moran said that Services, and Education “flat funding discourages the next Appropriations Subcommittee generation” of scientists from even U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) approved its version of the FY13 entering the field of research. budget for the departments it oversees. That During committee debate on the Moran budget includes funding for the NIH. amendment, long-time NIH supporter The bill includes $30.723 billion for the Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) said the 0.32% NIH, an increase of $100 million, or 0.32%, increase included in the FY13 appropriations above the FY12 NIH budget. While this bill is “enough” for NIH basic research. In increase is slight, it is, at least, an increase. opposing the amendment, Harkin reminded The bill was approved by a vote of 10 to his Appropriations Committee colleagues that 7, with all Democrats on the panel voting for the name of the NIH is the National Institutes the bill and all Republicans opposing the bill. of Health, not the National Institutes of Basic Republican opposition centered on the portions Research. of the bill that fund the Affordable Care Act, In arguing for his amendment, Senator sometimes referred to as ObamaCare. Moran made the point that the cuts to other individual programs in the bill, including Senate Democrats Vote Against education, job training, and health programs, NIH Funding Increase would be minor. Those opposing the Later that week, the full Senate Appropriations amendment also opposed setting a precedent of Committee met and approved the work of the funding one program through across-the-board subcommittee. Before approving the funding cuts to other programs. bill, however, the committee rejected, on an As of press time, the House of essentially party line vote, an amendment Representatives’ Appropriations Committee had by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) that would yet to approve its version of the Departments have increased the NIH FY13 budget by $1.2 of Labor, Health & Human Services, and billion to $32 billion. All 16 Democrats on the Education funding bill. Once the Senate committee voted against the funding increase and House each passes its own version of the for the NIH. The ASCB strongly supports an funding bill, expect everything to stop until after the election. n —Kevin M. Wilson

Got Questions? Labby has answers. ASCB’s popular columnist will select career-related questions for publication and thoughtful response in the ASCB Newsletter. Confidentiality guaranteed if requested. Write us at [email protected]

14 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 ASCB Council Meets with Congress

Eight members of the ASCB Representative Tim Murphy (R- Council and three ASCB PA). ASCB members were joined by postdoc members spent ASCB Accounting Assistant Stella June 7, 2012, on Capitol Bermejo, ASCB Senior Director of Hill meeting with Senators, Finance & Administration Cynthia members of Congress, and Godes, Coalition for the Life their staffs. ASCB Council Sciences Director Lynn Marquis, members Sue Biggins, Don and ASCB Director of Public Policy Cleveland, Ray Deshaies, Kevin Wilson. Kathy Green, Mark Peifer, As they have done in the past, JoAnn Trejo, Ron Vale, and the ASCB members told Congress Yixian Zheng were joined about the important role basic by postdocs Charles Easley, research plays in the development Sue Biggins, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Yixian Zheng. Audrey Howell, and Jason of treatments and cures for MacGurn. disease. At the same time, research funded by the U.S. National The ASCB members had 19 meetings throughout the day with Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation has congressional offices representing California, Illinois, Maryland, a considerable economic impact on the United States. In their New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington. meetings, Council members heard strong support for increasing Along with meeting with congressional staff, ASCB members funding for the NIH within the confines of a shrinking federal also met with Representative Brian Bilbray (R-CA), Senator budget. n Ben Cardin (D-MD), Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and —Kevin M. Wilson

NIH Working Group, continued from page 1 With these facts in mind, the Working Group made several n NRSA stipend levels should increase with each year of the recommendations for changes to graduate training programs. postdoctoral experience by 4% for the second and third years These recommendations include: and 6% for years four through seven. n Institutions should develop training programs for n The NIH should adjust its policies and require that nonacademic positions. institutional policies be adjusted to require that postdocs n Institutions should be encouraged to develop other degree receive employment-related benefits that are comparable to programs for those who are interested in science but not in life other institution employees. at the bench. n NIH should double the number of Pathways to Independence n The NIH should cap the number of years a graduate student awards, which provide up to five years of support for postdocs. can be supported by NIH funds. The report recommends an institutional average of five years and an individual limit of six The Working Group Report also addresses other areas, years of NIH support. including possible use of staff scientists and a reduction in “soft n The number of graduate students supported by training grants money” positions. In the report, the Working Group said, “The should be increased relative to the number supported by growth in ‘soft money’ positions in academic medical schools, in Research Project Grants (RPGs). which investigators are required to raise 100% of their salaries and research funds, has contributed to the negative views of Despite a lack of data on the number and length of training a career in biomedical science, and has had the additional of postdoctoral researchers in the United States, the Working consequence of encouraging institutions to expand their physical Group felt that the postdoc experience should be considered an space without making additional long term commitments to extension of the training period. For that and other reasons the faculty.” Working Group’s proposals for postdoctoral researchers include: To read the complete Biomedical Research Workforce n The NIH should increase the proportion of postdocs Working Group report or review additional data go to http://acd. supported by training grants and fellowships and reduce the od.nih.gov/bwf.htm. n number supported by RPGs. —Kevin M. Wilson n Stipends for the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) should start at $42,000 and then be indexed for inflation. JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 15 MC4SynStereoASCBad2012_ASCB CSHL 5/29/12 1:26 PM Page 1

By Michael R. Green, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School and Joseph Sambrook, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Melbourne, Australia olecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual has always been the one indispensable molecular biology laboratory M manual for protocols and techniques. The fourth edition of this classic manual preserves the detail and clarity of previous editions as well as the theoretical and historical underpinnings of the techniques presented. Ten original core chapters reflect developments and innovation in standard techniques and introduce new cutting-edge protocols. Twelve entirely new chapters are devoted to the most exciting current research strategies, including epigenetic analysis, RNA interference, genome sequencing, and bioinformatics. This manual is essential for both the inexperienced and the advanced user. 2012, 2,028 pp. , illus., appendices, index Cloth (three-volume set) $475 ISBN 978-1-936113-41-5 Paperback (three-volume set) $365 ISBN 978-1-936113-42-2

Contents VOLUME 2 VOLUME 3 VOLUME 1 PART 2: ANALYSIS AND MANIPULATION PART 4: GENE EXPRESSION OF DNA/RNA PART 1: ESSENTIALS 17. Analysis of Gene Regulation Using Reporter 9. Quantification of DNA and RNA by Real-Time Systems 1. Isolation and Quantification Polymerase Chain Reaction 18. RNA Interference and Small RNA Analysis of DNA 10. Nucleic Acid Platform Technologies 19. Expressing Cloned Genes for Protein 2. Analysis of DNA 11. DNA Sequencing Production, Purification, and Analysis 3. Cloning and Transformation 12. Analysis of DNA Methylation in Mammalian PART 5: INTERACTION ANALYSIS with Plasmid Vectors Cells 4. Gateway Recombinational Cloning 13. Preparation of Labeled DNA, RNA, and 20. Cross-Linking Technologies for Analysis of 5. Working with Bacterial Artificial Oligonucleotide Probes Chromatin Structure and Function Chromosomes and Other 14. Methods for In Vitro 21. Mapping of In Vivo RNA-Binding Sites by UV- High-Capacity Vectors Mutagenesis Cross-Linking Immunoprecipitation (CLIP) 6. Extraction, Purification, and Analysis of RNA 22. Gateway-Compatible Yeast One-Hybrid and from Eukaryotic Cells PART 3: INTRODUCING GENES INTO CELLS Two-Hybrid Assays 15. Introducing Genes into 7. Polymerase Chain Reaction APPENDICES 8. Bioinformatics Cultured Mammalian Cells 16. Introducing Genes into Mammalian Cells: 1. Reagents and Buffers Viral Vectors 2. Commonly Used Techniques 3. Detection Systems 4. General Safety and Hazardous Material Index

The Synapse, written and edited by experts in the field, examines the highly complex structures of the pre- and post-synaptic regions, as well as the trafficking mechanisms that transport vesicles containing neurotransmitters. This volume also includes discussions of synaptic dysfunction in disorders such as autism and Alzheimer disease. It is an indispensable reference for neurobiologists, cell and developmental biologists, and anyone wishing to understand how the basic building blocks of the brain are put together and communicate. Due July 2012, 397 pp., illus., index Hardcover $135 ISBN 978-1-936113-02-6

Basic Stereology for Biologists and Neuroscientists explains how to design and evaluate stereological studies, covering the basic theoretical principles as well as practical issues such as how to get started, pilot studies, and tissue preparation. Due August 2012, 220 pp. (approx.), illus., index Hardcover $69 ISBN 978-1-936113-60-6

16 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 ASCB Profile Tracie M. Gibson It’s a big name, but the University of Texas of In the Right Place the Permian Basin (UTPB) is named for a vast That’s the beauty of a small campus, says geological feature, the sprawling 300 million- Aguilera, especially for minority students with year-old sedimentary formation, rich in oil some interest in science. “Having the right and natural gas, that undergirds west Texas. person there for them is incredibly important,” Yet UTPB in Odessa is the smallest branch he says. And Gibson is that person at UTPB, of the University of Texas system, with 4,000 well versed in research, an energetic teacher, and Credit: Rafael Aguilera/UTPB undergraduate and graduate students. Forty- a one-of-a-kind role model, says Aguilera, for eight percent are Latino, making UTPB minority and nonminority students. “I felt like officially a “Hispanic-serving institution.” saying to her, ‘I am so glad that you are here for Small, minority-serving, and in Texas, UTPB these kids.’” was exactly what Tracie Gibson was looking for “I can’t tell you enough about Tracie,” says in the fall of 2007. She went to Odessa to teach Juan E. González, a microbiologist at the molecular biology, research retroviral infection University of Texas, Dallas, who knows Gibson mechanisms, and mentor a new generation through the UT’s system-wide Louis Stokes Tracie M. Gibson of minority students. They would be bright, Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) ambitious, and as clueless about the profession mentoring program for undergraduates. “She’s of science as Gibson had been 20 years before. a fantastic human being, a first-class researcher, As an African-American woman teaching and someone who is always being nominated for biology on a campus that is only 5% black, Teacher of the Year awards. She makes me feel Gibson stands out in Odessa, says Renato bad because I don’t do enough.” Aguilera, who is at the University of Texas, El For minority scientists, mentoring can be Paso, a campus five times larger than UTPB. both invigorating and a burden, according “Tracie is a beacon in the middle of that to González. “I run a research lab but like university because it’s so little and because she’s a all minority members, I have additional big personality. It’s a perfect match.” requirements and responsibilities,” he explains. Aguilera chairs ASCB’s Minorities Affairs “We were all mentored by other people. We Committee (MAC), which selected Gibson feel it’s our obligation to pay back in one way in 2010 as a Linkage Fellow in this National or another. Many of us juggle a full research lab Science Foundation–funded program to with these other responsibilities. Tracie had told promote undergraduate interest in cell biology. me that she was mentored by people who gave This spring Gibson was also named a MAC her the opportunity to get in.” Visiting Professor through the Minority Access Talk to successful minority scientists, says to Research Careers (MARC) program of the González, and they all have similar stories of National Institutes of Health/National Institute struggling to catch up or to stay afloat. “But of General Medical Sciences, which will fund there was always somebody out there who gave Gibson's summer research collaboration with them the chance to prove themselves,” says Steven R. Goodman at the Upstate Medical González. University, State University of New York in Tracie Gibson is from Detroit, the city itself, Syracuse. she insists, not the suburbs. She grew up in a Last September, Gibson used her Linkage no-nonsense, two-parent household with two grant to organize UTPB’s first-ever “STEM older siblings. Her father, Rudolph Gibson, Day,” a celebration of the science, technology, was a high school dropout from Georgia, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and her mother, Betty Gibson, a high school complete with a keynote address, contingents graduate from Houston. They were both big from nearby community colleges, and a student on education and expected results. The Gibson poster session. Aguilera was the keynote speaker. kids, who were not Catholic, went to Catholic He came away dazzled by the enthusiasm of schools. Her father worked on the assembly line Gibson’s own students. “It was a blast to meet at Ford. “You know that old movie Coalminer’s them,” says Aguilera. “They were just so eager, Daughter? Well, I’m the autoworker’s daughter,” so genuine. As an educator, you live to see that Gibson says. sparkle in students.” JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 17 A Death in the Family person she was. “And I’ll pay for lunch,” Black When she was 15, her father died of leukemia. said. Over seven lunches, the PhDs swept the “I just couldn’t understand why the doctors field of dreams, Gibson recalls. “Dr. Black was couldn’t save my father. They had all this the ideal professor and the more I talked to his knowledge. Why couldn’t they save him?” friends, the more I thought a PhD was closer to Gibson vowed to become a doctor and cure what I wanted to be. By then I wanted to be like cancer. Her father’s death also left the family Dr. Black.” reeling financially, eventually losing their house Her mentor was not naïve, Gibson recalls. and the ability to pay school tuition. But Gibson “He was the first person to introduce me to kept her grades up in the concept that there are not a lot of public high school, did people of color in the sciences. He told well on tests, and went Talk to successful me, ‘Going into biology, you may not off to the University see a lot of people like you.’ But he was of Michigan, intent minority scientists, with me, every step of the way.” He on pursuing a pre- says González, prepped her for interviews, pushed her med curriculum. Ann to improve her poster talk, and made and they all have Arbor was a shock. sure she had the right courses on her The fall she enrolled, similar stories of transcript. As Gibson narrowed her list of schools, Black worked the academic a white student read struggling to catch out of a racist joke grapevine, trying to gauge how book over the campus up or to stay afloat. programs handled women, minorities, radio station. Angry “But there was and outgoing personalities like Gibson. protests by black “We decided that Purdue was the best students set off a sullen always somebody school for me,” Gibson recalls. white backlash at out there who gave their “oversensitivity.” Death of a Mentor them the chance to Gibson wanted out. Only after becoming a mentor herself “In my mind, I decided prove themselves,” did Gibson fully grasp the blend of that I would go to the says González. tact, pressure, and skill that Black school that was the had employed in the making of “her” nicest to me.” choice. It came to her again last She found it by January with the sudden news that mistake. Gibson looked up “Cornell,” found Bob Black had died, aged 61, in Mt. Vernon. two, the large university in upstate New York “I’m sure he impacted the lives of many other and the small liberal arts college in Mt. Vernon, students, but Dr. Black was everything to me,” IA, wherever that might be. Near Cedar Rapids she adds quietly. came the answer, along with a friendly invitation Purdue turned out to be a very good school to visit. Small, isolated, and nearly all white, for her, especially after David Asai took her into Cornell College was home to Robert Black, his Tetrahymena- and Paramecium-based lab a field ecologist who studied zooplankton that studied dynein and microtubules. There Her father worked predation rates. Black taught a laundry list of she did molecular biology research for the on the assembly biology courses as well as serving as the assistant first time, analyzing the heavy chains of ciliary men’s basketball coach. With 1,100 students, outer arm dynein. “His people in the lab were line at Ford. “You Cornell was that kind of place. Black listened incredibly helpful,” she remembers. “It was just know that old quietly to Gibson’s teen dreams of medicine and a great nurturing atmosphere.” But above all her equal horror of blood and needles before else, she found in Asai another quiet mentor movie, ‘Coalminer’s suggesting that she join his zooplankton lab. “It who listened but pushed, sometimes at the Daughter?’ Well, I’m was not so much the research project itself but same time. “Dr. Asai made me believe in me by the autoworker’s the whole mentor–mentee relationship,” says challenging me,” she recalls. “He believed in me Gibson. when I did not believe in myself as a graduate daughter,” “In my last year, Dr. Black started student.” Gibson says. challenging me. ‘What are you going to do Asai kept careful watch over her postdoc next? You don’t sound like you want to go to search as she finished up her PhD in 2000. medical school. I’ll cut a deal with you.’” He After she interviewed with John A.T. Young proposed a series of lunches with friends who at Harvard Medical School (HMS), Gibson had MDs and friends who had PhDs. Over recalls, “Dr. Asai actually pulled ‘a Dr. Black’ lunch, Gibson could decide which kind of moment. He spoke with JY on the phone after

18 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 I’d interviewed and then Dr. Asai came into the Gibson has made a home for herself and her lab and told me I was doing a postdoc with JY. cat, CJ, in Odessa. Gibson is very active in her I have no clue what they discussed. I just know local church, especially in organizing women’s what happened on my end. I knew that JY’s lab programs. She has a circle of buddies, who drag would be best for me.” her into new things, most recently, to a local The position took her on a cross-country movie theater to see grand opera. Gibson says lab odyssey. When she interviewed, Young was she was knocked out by the HD transmissions at HMS in Boston. By the time Gibson joined from the Metropolitan Opera and sees nothing the lab, Young had moved to the University of unusual about moving to Odessa to discover Wisconsin, Madison. By the time she finished opera in New York. her postdoc in 2005, Young was at the Salk But her greatest interests and efforts are Institute in La Jolla. The way retroviruses centered around the UTPB campus, where subvert the host’s cytoskeleton fascinated Gibson is widely known for her colorful Gibson even if she grew tired of the high-stakes classroom style and her retrovirus research lab, competitiveness surrounding HIV research. In plus the high-volume music she plays in both California, she was also thinking more and more locations to elevate the mood. “Most other labs about Dr. Black. “It came to me as a revelation. I’d seen were really quiet,” reports Chidinma I needed to be him. I needed to be at a smaller “Dima” Nwankwo, a senior of Nigerian origin institution. I needed to teach. And so I had to who grew up in Dallas. “It didn’t look like they tell JY my revelation.” were having fun. Dr. Gibson makes it fun while you learn and while you get your work done.” Avoiding ‘‘PowerPoint Coma’’ Gibson also made a lab seem safe enough If Gibson was going to teach, she needed to enter, says Nwankwo. “Growing up, I never classroom practice. An instructor’s post opened pictured myself working in a lab. I knew that in her old department at Purdue and Gibson it’s not the way it looks on TV like in CSI, but jumped at the chance. “My first year, oh my I was nervous.” She was especially fearful about god, it was crazy. It was the hardest thing I ever the human retrovirus, HTLV-1, that Gibson did. I was trained to be a research scientist. I was uses to probe the role of cytoplasmic dynein in not trained to be a teacher.” Smarting from bad viral transport. “When people aren’t informed reviews, Gibson sought out Purdue’s professional about what a lab is working on, they assume it’s development program for faculty. “That’s where dangerous and fear getting too close.” I learned to be an effective educator. They recorded us teaching and that’s how I learned Learn As You Lab “Most other labs to avoid the ‘PowerPoint coma,’ how to deliver “Dr. Gibson has been the biggest single a message, and how to bring it down to the influence in my whole academic life,” reports I’d seen were students’ level.” Sara Ontiveroz, a senior from Odessa. “I always really quiet,” In 2007, Gibson followed up on an ad in the thought that you had to have some kind of Chronicle of Higher Education. She knew and previous knowledge before you could come into reports Chidinma loved Texas through frequent childhood visits a research lab. But I found out that it’s more Nwankwo, a senior to her mother’s extended family in the Houston of a learning process. Along the way, you will area. But Odessa is not Houston. When Gibson eventually gain the background you need to do of Nigerian origin arrived, she was shocked to learn that the local your work.” who grew up in Ector County Independent School District Both seniors are applying to grad school in Dallas. “It didn’t (ECISD) system was under a federal court biology. Both are following Gibson’s directions desegregation order, the result of a lawsuit that on taking the GREs, buffing their transcripts, look like they were had dragged on since 1970. “A desegregation and compiling research resumes. Thanks to having fun. Dr. order? In 2008? What was this? I saw a problem Gibson, both gained experience on poster and my immediate reaction is always, how can presentation, starting with the on-campus Gibson makes it I be part of the solution?” Gibson promptly STEM event in Odessa and the statewide fun while you learn volunteered and was appointed by the ECISD LSAMP student research seminar in Arlington, School Board to serve on the court’s advisory TX. It all culminated at what Nwankwo calls and while you get Tri-Ethnic Commission. The Ector County “the big adult science fair,” the 2011 ASCB your work done.” desegregation case was finally settled in 2010, Annual Meeting. Without their small meeting but Gibson remains on the advisory board. The experience, they would have been hopelessly high school dropout rate for minority students intimidated in Denver, says Ontiveroz. is still alarmingly high, she says. “That’s just not As it was, Gibson warned them that national acceptable.” experts on dynein would be scrutinizing their

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 19 posters at ASCB. They had to know their stuff Institute. “I think that would be something cold. “There was this one man in particular she’d always aspired to—to be a good mentor to who Dr. Gibson warned me might come students.” by,” Ontiveroz remembers. “He wasn’t as But Asai also serves on ASCB’s MAC, which intimidating as Dr. Gibson said before, but I has struggled for years to increase diversity in guess it was better to be prepared. He was just the scientific workforce through programs like real interested in what I did, thank goodness.” the MAC Linkage Fellows, the MAC Visiting Cell biology opened other vistas for Professorships, and the undergrad MAC travel Ontiveroz. Denver was her first trip from west awards for the Annual Meeting. “It’s a long Texas into snow country. “We hardly ever get road,” says Asai, “as we work on developing all any snow in this area. But whenever we went the talent that we have in our country.” out, it was snowing. Just to see snow, it was The MAC programs are good for individuals, awesome.” both scientists and would-be scientists, but A successful poster presentation, a first also vital for American science, Asai believes. time snowstorm in a new city, a complex lab “Good for her. Good for us, I say. It’s a long procedure, these are milestones of a successful road because we don’t have a million Linkage mentoring process. “Tracie’s always been so Fellows, just a handful.” But one of them is positively influenced by a few mentors in her Tracie Gibson, adds Asai. “That’s something the life,” says Asai, her Purdue thesis advisor who is Society should be proud of.” n now director of precollege and undergraduate —John Fleischman education for the Howard Hughes Medical

New Media and Old, PIC Needs Outreach Help ASCB’s Public Information Committee (PIC) needs volunteers for a working group of Associates to screen abstracts for its annual press book and to “CellTweet” about breaking discoveries. “PIC’s original mandate was to spread the word about our science through the traditional news media,” says PIC Chair Simon Atkinson. “We still do that with our press book for journalists at the Annual Meeting. But PIC is expanding into social media like Twitter to take cell biology directly to the public. That’s why we need more PIC Associates.” The press book features PIC’s “Novel & Newsworthy” stories based on abstracts selected from among the hundreds submitted for the Annual Meeting, Atkinson explains. To plow through the abstracts and winnow them down to those important or intriguing enough to appeal to journalists requires panels of screeners. “We couldn’t do it so thoroughly without our PIC Associates,” says Atkinson. PIC has also started “CellTweets,” a Twitter feed linked to an ASCB website page that features stories about recently published data and discoveries. PIC Associates frequently tweet about stories from ASCB’s journal Molecular Biology of the Cell. “It’s sort of journal club on Twitter,” says Atkinson, “with ASCB members using their background to translate intriguing papers into ordinary language for those outside cell biology. Twitter is giving biologists a radically different way to reach ordinary people.” Writing a CellTweet is also great for sharpening communication skills, says Atkinson. “Making ASCB members better science communicators is another part of the PIC mandate.” Members interested in becoming PIC Associates should contact Atkinson or John Fleischman, ASCB’s Science Writer, at [email protected] — John Fleischman

20 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 Starving Cell Biologists Shoot for Glory in Celldance 2012 Researchers hungry for fame and fortune have their best shot at both in San MAY APOPTOSIS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR Francisco at Celldance 2012, ASCB’s Cell Biology Film Contest. This year, Celldance offers $1,000 in cash prizes and immortality (albeit fleeting) to winners when their videos hit the big screen at the 52nd Annual Meeting (plus lots of little screens thereafter on the Web). In its eighth year, the target of Celldance remains the same: to open the eyes of the world to the best video and animated images showcasing the wonders of IN A CEll-EAT-CEll wORld, IT wAS EAT-YOURSElF OR dIE cell biology. Celldance 2012 judges look for the best videos, “remixes” of classic cell biology sequences, animations, or products of any other dynamic imaging process that combine striking visuals with effective elucidation. In addition, the Society’s Public Information Committee (PIC), which organizes Celldance, makes a Public Outreach Award to a film of strong artistic and creative merit that communicates the excitement of cell biology to the general public or students. Being funny, entertaining, or breathtakingly beautiful counts for Public Outreach. Celldance is open to all ASCB members or member applicants. The deadline for entries is Thursday, September 27, by 5:00 pm EDT. Winners will be notified by October 19. The Celldance Awards will be unveiled in SEE THE WINNERS AT THE ASCB Members… American Society WIN $1000 for Cell Biology in Cash! San Francisco on Tuesday, December 18. Winners do not have to be present, 52nd Annual Meeting December 15–19, 2012 San Francisco, California although they will miss the chance to feast on public acclaim if they’re not. News media, contact [email protected] An educational parody The complete rules and entry portal for Celldance 2012 are now available at www.ascb.org/2012Celldance.html. n — John Fleischman Celldance 2011 Winner Donates Prize to Japanese Earthquake Relief The first-place winner of Celldance 2011 has donated his $500 cash prize to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Fund through the Japanese Red Cross. ASCB member Tsutomu Tomita of Time Lapse Vision, Inc., in Asaka, Saitama, came in first in Celldance 2011 with his video Cancer Dance. Tomita reports that he converted his $500 prize into ¥39,000 and added another ¥11,000 to bring the contribution to an even ¥50,000. “The amount is small,” says Tomita, “but surely it can help.” Tomita’s video and the other Celldance 2011 winners are at: http://bit.ly/MNLTbc. n

Join the Data Stream

What happens when you expand the ASCB Directory so that members can add information on their research interests, experimental approach, model system, funding sources, and teaching activity? You get a data stream. You also get a useful tool for finding other members who share your interests. Plus, collectively, members are filling out an intriguing group portrait of ASCB. Response levels continue to grow, but we can already confirm that a) not everyone in ASCB does cytoskeleton, b) some of us study plants, c) some of us are bioengineers, and d) the ASCB group picture will gain scope and detail if you expand your own member profile today. Please update your profile in the online Member Directory at www.ascb.org. You’ll need your username (first initial and last name) and password (ASCB ID number). n —John Fleischman

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 21 2012 Annual Meeting The american society THE AMERICAN SOCIETY for cell biology San Francisco, CA, USA FOR CELL BIOLOGY www.ascb.org/meetings The science of life, the life of science

December 15–19, 2012 l Ron Vale, President l Tony Hyman, Program Chair MiniSYMPOSIA SYMPOSIA Actin Organization and Dynamics Intracellular Sorting and Trafficking Enrique M. De La Cruz, Yale University Wanjin Hong, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Cell Fate Decisions Ann Miller, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Singapore Hans Clevers, Hubrecht Institute, The Netherlands Anne Spang, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Tariq Enver, The Weatherall Institute of Molecular Autophagy, Self Renewal, and Cell Switzerland Medicine, MRC, University of Oxford, UK Death Membrane Organization and Lipid Shinya Yamanaka, Center for iPS Cell Research and Ana Maria Cuervo, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Japan Feroz Papa, University of California, San Francisco Dynamics Vytas A. Bankaitis, University of North Carolina School New Model Systems for Cell Biology Cancer Cell Biology of Medicine Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, University of California, San Cristina Lo Celso, Imperial College London, UK Margarida Barroso, Albany Medical College Diego, School of Medicine Jeffrey Settleman, Genentech, Inc. Nicole King, University of California, Berkeley Micro- and Coding RNA Cliff Brangwynne, Princeton University Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Stowers Institute/HHMI Cell Biology of Neurodegeneration Don Cleveland, University of California, San Diego Tracy Johnson, University of California, San Diego Prokaryotic Communities Morgan Sheng, Genentech, Inc. Microtubule Organization and Bonnie Bassler, Princeton University/HHMI Lora Hooper, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Cell Biology of Regeneration Dynamics Center at Dallas/HHMI Rachel Robert-Galbraith, University of Illinois, Urbana- Elizabeth C. Engle, Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Champaign Dianne K. Newman, California Institute of Technology/ Medical School/HHMI Curtis Thome, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Luke Rice, University of Texas Southwestern Medical HHMI Center Dallas Center Chromatin Dynamics Cell Biology of the Neuron Molecular Basis of Infectious Disease Barbara Meyer, University of California, Berkeley/HHMI Wieland B. Huttner, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Norma Andrews, University of Maryland, College Park Kim Nasmyth, University of Oxford, UK Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany Pascale Cossart, Institut Pasteur, France Fumio Matsuzaki, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan Molecular Motors Vladimir Gelfand, Northwestern University Feinberg Frontier Symposia Cell Division School of Medicine Daniel Gerlich, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of Kathleen Trybus, University of Vermont, Burlington Cell Biology and Medicine the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria Susan Lindquist, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Gohta Goshima, Nagoya University, Japan Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology/ Nuclear Structure and Function HHMI Kerry Bloom, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Cell Growth and Cell Cycle Control Anne Villeneuve, Stanford University School of Anne O’Garra, MRC National Institute for Medical Sue Jaspersen, Stowers Institute for Medical Research Research, Mill Hill, London, UK Medicine Jan Skotheim, Stanford University Joseph Schlessinger, Yale University School of Medicine Organelle Structure and Vesicle Cell Mechanics and Intermediate Applying Physics, Engineering, Formation Filaments Elizabeth Conibear, University of British Columbia, Computation to Cell Biology Harald Herrmann, German Cancer Research Center, Canada William Bialek, Princeton University Heidelberg, Germany Richard A. Kahn, Emory University School of Medicine Margaret Gardel, University of Chicago Sarah Köster, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany Rob Phillips, California Institute of Technology Physical and Computational Tools for Cell Biology Synthetic Biology Cell Migration and Motility Marianne Bronner, California Institute of Technology Adam Cohen, Harvard University Jay D. Keasling, University of California, Berkeley, and John Condeelis, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Jan Liphardt, University of California, Berkeley Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Wendall Lim, University of California, San Francisco/HHMI Cell Polarity Prokaryotic Cell Biology Laurie Zoloth, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Yves Barral, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Martin Thanbichler, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Medicine and Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Microbiology Stephan Grill, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany Ethan Garner, Harvard Medical School Cell-Cell and Cell-Matrix Interactions Regulation/Organization of the Travel Awards Joan Brugge, Harvard Medical School Genome Viola Vogel, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Daniela Rhodes, Nanyang Technological University, Childcare Singapore, and MRC Laboratory of Molecular Cellular Stress, Protein Folding, and Biology Cambridge, UK Minorities Disease David Sherratt, University of Oxford, UK Postdocs in Cell Biology, Physical Nancy M. Bonini, University of Pennsylvania/HHMI Signal Transduction/Signaling Networks Sciences, or Biotech Andy Dillin, Salk Institute for Biological Studies/HHMI Fumiyo Ikeda, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Development and Morphogenesis Austria Undergraduate Faculty Galit Lahav, Harvard Medical School Carl-Philipp Heisenberg, Institute of Science and Undergraduate Students, Technology Austria, Austria Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotency Ichiro Nishii, Temasek Life Sciences Lab, Singapore Graduate Students Margaret Fuller, Stanford University School of Medicine Integrated Research and Teaching and Marius Wernig, Stanford University School of Medicine Application Deadline: September 4 Its Benefits to Faculty and Students David Botstein, Princeton University Karen Kalumuck, Exploratorium Continued on next page. 22 Complete details at www.ascb.org/meetings Working groups New! Meeting Threads New Technologies in Imaging Catherine Galbraith, National Institute of Child Health Cell Biology and Medicine and Human Development/NIH * Eva Nogales, University of California, Berkeley/HHMI Saturday n Keynote Speaker: Arthur D. Levinson, Chair of Genentech and Apple, Inc. New Technologies in Molecular (the public may sign up to attend) Biology/Genetics L. Stirling Churchman, Harvard Medical School Sunday-Wednesday A. Francis Stewart, BioInnovationsZentrum, TU Dresden, n frontier Symposium: Cell Biology and Medicine Germany n Panel Discussion: Sense and Reproducibility: The Problem of Translating New Technologies in Proteomics Academic Discovery to Drug Discovery, chaired by Ira Mellman Pieter Dorrestein, University of California, San Diego n Panel Discussion: Is There a New Paradigm for Drug Discovery?, chaired by Steve Gygi, Harvard Medical School James Sabry Visualizing Biological Models and n career Presentation: Careers Outside Academia, with biotech Information representation Janet Iwasa, Harvard Medical School n minisymposia: Cell Biology of Neurodegeneration, Cellular Stress, Protein Graham Johnson, University of California, San Folding, and Disease; Molecular Basis of Infectious Disease; Stem Cells and Francisco Induced Pluripotency n Working Groups: New Technologies in Molecular Biology/Genetics; New Meeting Opens Saturday Technologies in Proteomics Morning! n science Discussion Tables: Meet Bay Area biotech scientists n Minorities Affairs Committee Programs career Discussion and Mentoring Roundtables, with biotech representation n Travel awards available for postdocs in biotech Postdoc/Student Town Hall with Council The Intersection of International Roundtable for Postdocs/ Cell Biology and the Physical Sciences Students (by invitation) Saturday* Subgroups: 12:30 pm-5:00 pm n Workshop: Open Problems in Biology Requiring the Physical Sciences, organized by Julie Theriot, Rob Phillips, and Dan Fletcher Keynote Symposium: 6:00 pm n interdisciplinary Gathering: Cell Biologists, Physical Scientists, Engineers, and Computational Scientists n Keynote Speaker: Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy (the public may Steven Chu sign up to attend) U.S. Secretary of Energy Sunday-Wednesday n frontier Symposium: Applying Physics, Engineering, Computation to Cell Biology, with Bill Bialek, Rob Phillips, and Margaret Gardel n symposium: Synthetic Biology, with Jay Kiesling, Wendell Lim, and Laurie Zoloth Arthur D. Levinson n minisymposia: Cell Mechanics and Intermediate Filaments; Molecular Chairman of Genentech, Inc. Motors; Physical and Computational Tools for Cell Biology and Apple, Inc. n Working Groups: New Technologies in Imaging; Visualizing Biological Models and Information n science Discussion Tables: Informal discussions with leading scientists doing interdisciplinary research DEADLINES n career Discussion and Mentoring Roundtables, with physical sciences representation July 23 Sept 4 n Member-Organized Regular Abstract specialized Poster Topics Special Interest Subgroup Submission n Travel awards available for postdocs in the physical sciences Application (poster consideration *Programs are subject to change. only) July 30 Regular Abstract October 10 Submission Early Meeting New in 2012 (Minisymposium talk or Registration Each ASCB member (regular, postdoctoral, poster consideration) and emeritus) may sponsor two abstracts. October 17 Undergraduate and graduate student members Late Abstract may sponsor only their own abstract. Submission Continued on next page. 23 HIGHLIGHTS from MBoC

The Editorial Board of Molecular Biology of the Cell has highlighted the following articles from the June 2012 issues. From among the many fine articles in the journal, the Board selects for these Highlights articles that are of broad interest and significantly advance knowledge or provide new concepts or approaches that extend our understanding.

Regulation of Wnt signaling by the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli does not require the ability to enter the nucleus or a particular cytoplasmic localization D. M. Roberts, M. I. Pronobis, J. S. Poulton, E. G. Kane, and M. Peifer

In this study, we test two current models for the function of the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). We find that APC can regulate Wnt signaling from diverse cytoplasmic locations, suggesting that its roles in the nucleus or in localizing the β-catenin destruction complex are not essential. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (11), 2041–2056

Regulation of myosin activation during cell–cell contact formation by Par3-Lgl antagonism: entosis without matrix detachment Q. Wan, J. Liu, Z. Zheng, H. Zhu, X. Chu, Z. Dong, S. Huang, and Q. Du

Two polarity proteins, partitioning defective 3 homologue (Par3) and mammalian homologues of Drosophila lethal(2)giant larvae (Lgl1/2), antagonize each other in modulating myosin II activation during cell–cell contact formation in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. Altering the counteraction between Par3 and Lgl1/2 leads to entosis without matrix detachment. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (11), 2076–2091

Phosphatidylserine dynamics in cellular membranes J. G. Kay, M. Koivusalo, X. Ma, T. Wohland, and S. Grinstein

The distribution and dynamics of phosphatidylserine are studied in the plasma membrane and in organellar membranes of live cells using two novel fluorescent probes in combination with various biophysical techniques, including fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single-particle tracking. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (11), 2198–2212

Cell survival, DNA damage, and oncogenic transformation after a transient and reversible apoptotic response H. L. Tang, H. M. Tang, K. H. Mak, S. Hu, S. S. Wang, K. M. Wong, C. S. T. Wong, H. Y. Wu, H. T. Law, K. Liu, C. C. Talbot Jr., W. K. Lau, D. J. Montell, and M. C. Fung

Dying primary liver, NIH 3T3, and HeLa cells can reverse the advanced stage of apoptosis and survive even after incurring DNA damage. Some surviving cells harbor genetic alterations that result in phenotypic diversity, including oncogenic transformation. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (12), 2240–2252

The PDZ-adaptor protein syntenin-1 regulates HIV-1 entry M. Gordón-Alonso, V. Rocha-Perugini, S. Álvarez, O. Moreno-Gonzalo, Á. Ursa, S. López-Martín, A 3D surface representation from a structured illumination microscopy image of a HeLa cell N. Izquierdo-Useros, J. Martínez-Picado, M. Á.

co-expressing the HIV-1 Nef mutant NefE4AW113A-eYFP (cyan), which fails to bind the PACS- Muñoz-Fernández, M. Yáñez-Mó, and F. Sánchez- 1 or PACS-2 membrane traffic proteins, and the early endosome marker mCherry-Rab5 Madrid

(magenta). NefE4AW113A-eYFP localized to mCherry-Rab5–positive tubulated endosomes and to donut-shaped structures surrounding the late endosome marker mCherry-Rab7. Syntenin-1 is recruited to the human See Mol. Biol. Cell 23, 2184–2197. (Image: Laurel Thomas, Oregon Health & Science immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced capping area University, Portland, OR) but vanishes once the viral particles have entered

24 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 the cell. Syntenin-1 limits HIV-1 infection. Moreover, syntenin-1 depletion specifically increases the HIV-1 entry step without affecting viral attachment to the cell surface. Silencing of syntenin-1 expression blocks actin polymerization triggered by HIV-1 contact and enhances phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate production. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (12), 2253–2263

Spindle checkpoint–independent inhibition of mitotic chromosome segregation by Drosophila Mps1 F. Althoff, R. E. Karess, and C. F. Lehner

The conserved protein kinase Mps1 is required for the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). It is also involved in correction of erroneous attachments of kinetochores to the mitotic spindle before anaphase onset. Characterization of Drosophila Mps1 reveals yet another function: SAC-independent inhibition of sister chromatid separation. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (12), 2275–2291

Phosphorylation of Rab11-FIP2 regulates The Rab11 effector Rab11-FIP2 is phosphorylated on Ser-227. Mutation of this serine to a polarity in MDCK cells glutamic acid results in a pseudophosphorylated GFP-Rab11-FIP2(S227E). A stable cell line L. A. Lapierre, K. M. Avant, C. M. Caldwell, created from tet-off responsive MDCK cells was observed either without expression (off) or with A. Oztan, G. Apodaca, B. C. Knowles, J. T. expression (on) of the mutant construct. When grown in Matrigel to allow cyst formation, the Roland, N. A. Ducharme, and J. R. Goldenring GFP-Rab11-FIP2(S227E)-off cells (left) form typical smooth, round cysts consisting of a single layer of cells around a hollow lumen with the apical side of the cells facing into the lumen, as Ser-227 phosphorylation of Rab11-FIP2 by indicated by apical gp135/podocalyxin staining (red). In contrast, MDCK cells expressing GFP- Par1b/MARK2 regulates the establishment Rab11-FIP2(S227E)-on (right) form cysts with multiple lumens. Nuclei are stained blue with of polarized epithelial monolayers in three- DAPI; F-actin is stained green. See Mol. Biol. Cell 23, 2302–2318. (Image: Lynne A. Lapierre, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN) dimensional MDCK cell cultures and has an ongoing influence on the composition of both adherens and tight junctions in polarized epithelial cells. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (12), 2302–2318

Adaptor protein 2–mediated endocytosis of the β-secretase BACE1 is dispensable for amyloid precursor protein processing Y. Prabhu, P. V. Burgos, C. Schindler, G. G. Farías, J. G. Magadár, and J. S. Bonifacino

An adaptor protein complex, AP-2, is involved in the endocytosis of β-secretase (BACE1) via the clathrin- dependent machinery. Endosomal targeting of either the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and/or BACE1 is expendable for the amyloidogenic processing of APP. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (12), 2339–2351

Orm protein phosphoregulation mediates transient sphingolipid biosynthesis response to heat stress via the Pkh-Ypk and Cdc55-PP2A pathways Y. Sun, Y. Miao, Y. Yamane, C. Zhang, K. M. Shokat, H. Takematsu, Y. Kozutsumi, and D. G. Drubin

This study reveals the basis for how temporal phosphoregulation of Orm protein controls sphingolipid production in response to stress. Orm protein phosphorylation is highly responsive to sphingoid bases, and Ypk1 protein kinase transmits heat stress signals to the sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway via Orm phosphorylation. Mol. Biol. Cell 23 (12), 2388–2398 n

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 25 An MBoC 20th Anniversary Favorite In celebration of the first 20 years of Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC), members of the Editorial Board, members of the ASCB Council, and others comment on their favorite MBoC papers from the past two decades. Here William P. Tansey, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, comments on:

Verma R, Chen S, Feldman R, Schieltz D, Yates J, Dohmen J, Deshaies RJ (2000). Proteasomal proteomics: identification of nucleotide-sensitive proteasome-interacting proteins by mass spectrometric analysis of affinity-purified proteasomes. Mol .Biol. Cell 11:3425–3439

The proteasome is a complex multifunctional machine that destroys proteins marked for ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. In this 2000 paper by Verma et al., the authors employ an elegant approach to isolate and define yeast proteasomes and their suite of interacting proteins. This paper has something for everyone. The method the authors developed has now become the standard in the field for rapid proteasome purification. They identified and validated a new subunit of the proteasome. And their work gave a powerful glimpse into the role of the proteasome as a node of intracellular protein interactions, with dozens of proteasome-interacting proteins (PIPs) associating with core proteasome subunits in a nucleotide-dependent manner. The technological achievement and unique biological insight provided by this study justify its place as one of MBoC’s most-cited articles.

This and other MBoC 20th Anniversary Favorites will appear in the journal throughout 2012. n

Introducing... • New science • New knowledge The ASBMR Discovery Hall • New tools • New products and services What’s New. What’s Next. • New colleagues Travel beyond the traditional exhibit hall and enter the and contacts ASBMR Discovery Hall. ASBMR is creating a truly immersive experience, all in one central location. For a preview visit us at www.asbmr.org

October 12–15, 2012 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Register by August 16 and Save! Explore it all in the Follow Us: ASBMR Discovery Hall.

ASBMR_0270612_DiscvryHall_HfPgASCB_B&W.indd 1 6/8/12 11:58 AM

26 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 ASCB 2012 Call for Nominations LAST CALL! Merton Bernfield Memorial Award Norton B. Gilula Memorial Award Who is Eligible: An outstanding graduate student or postdoctoral fellow (at the time of Who is Eligible: An outstanding graduate or undergraduate student (at the time of nomination) who has excelled in research. nomination) who has excelled in research or first-year postdocs whose work was performed while a PhD or MD/PhD student. How to Apply: The student or postdoc or his or her advisor should submit a one-page research statement, a CV, a list of publications, a copy of the abstract submitted to the How to Apply: The student or advisor should submit a one-page research statement, current year’s Annual Meeting, and the advisor’s letter of recommendation. Postdocs may a CV, a list of publications, if any, the abstract submitted to the current year’s Annual also submit the recommendation of their graduate student advisor. Duplicate applications Meeting, and the advisor’s letter of recommendation. Duplicate applications from graduate from graduate students may be submitted for the Gilula and Bernfield Memorial Awards. students may be submitted for the Gilula and Bernfield Memorial Awards. Nominators Nominators must be ASCB members. must be ASCB members. Awards: The winner is presented a plaque and a ribbon for his/her poster board. Travel Awards: The winner is presented a plaque, is given financial support, and will speak at a expenses and per diem to attend the Annual Meeting are paid. Funded by an annual grant Minisymposium at the Annual Meeting. Expenses to attend the Annual Meeting are paid. from Rockefeller University Press.

Deadline: July 16 (electronic submission preferred to Cheryl Lehr at [email protected]) Deadline: July 16 (electronic submission preferred to Cheryl Lehr at [email protected])

Send mail to: The American Society for Cell Biology 8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 750 Bethesda, MD 20814-2762, USA

For names of prior awardees or more information, visit www.ascb.org and click on “Awards,” or contact the ASCB at 301-347-9300 or [email protected].

Are You Getting ASCB Pathways?

You should now be regularly receiving our monthly email update, ASCB Pathways—alerting you to the latest ASCB happenings and Annual Meeting updates. If you aren’t seeing the e-newsletter in your inbox, please check your spam filter, and/or contact your system administrator to whitelist *ascb.org. n

Interesting Uses of The Cell: An Image Library-CCDB The Cell: An Image Library-CCDB (www.cellimagelibrary.org) continues to evolve. Some interesting new or anticipated uses for images in The Cell include: n A Canadian textbook company has shown interest in using some images they found in The Cell-CCDB for an upcoming biology textbook. n ATCC Cell Biology ran an image contest on its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/atcc.cell.biology). Participants were asked to identify certain structures in each image, and many of the images used were from The Cell-CCDB. n Braininfo (http://braininfo.rprc.washington.edu/Default.aspx) has expressed interest in programmatically incorporating links from their detailed structure pages to The Cell-CCDB’s image search results for those structures. This would allow a seamless connection between the kinds of data Braininfo presents and the images representing those structures at The Cell-CCDB. n The Cell-CCDB received an inquiry from researchers in the UK asking whether they could use The Cell-CCDB to archive the images and metadata from their study for subsequent use and reuse by the research community. The intended study is an image-based screen of bacterial proteins expressed in mammalian cells and will look at protein localization and fluorescent reporter readouts. This is a high-throughput study and will result in 23,000 images. (The Cell-CCDB of course replied that the images would be welcome and that this is one of the intended uses of the library, to save researchers the effort of creating their own websites while still meeting the need to make their data public.)

Join us on LinkedIn for more conversation on everything microscopy related at www.linkedin.com/ groups?about=&gid=3733425. Please help us spread the word and share with your colleagues what a great resource The Cell: An Image Library-CCDB is. Have you used The Cell in interesting ways? Please let us know by sending an email to David Orloff at [email protected]. All documented usage helps support our efforts to obtain continued funding. n —David Orloff, Director, Image Library

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 27 GRANTS & OPPORTUNITIES

A list of current grant and other opportunities can be found at www.ascb.org/GandO.html. The following item was added since the last issue of the Newsletter:

NIGMS National Centers for Systems Biology. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) invites grant applications from institutions/organizations proposing to establish Centers of Excellence in Systems Biology. The goal of this initiative is to promote pioneering research, research training, education, and outreach programs focused on systems-level inquiries of biomedical phenomena within the NIGMS mission. Letters of intent due September 23, 2012; September 23, 2013; and September 23, 2014. Applications due October 23, 2012; October 23, 2013; and October 23, 2014. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-187.html. n

“ASCB,” “The American Society for Cell Biology,” “iBioSeminars,” and “Molecular Biology of the Cell” are registered trademarks of The American Society for Cell Biology. “The Cell: An Image Library” is a common law trademark of The American Society for Cell Biology. Members in the News

Five members of the ASCB were among the 84 scientists elected as members of the National Academy of Sciences. Credit: Paul Fetters Credit: Matthew Kilroy

Nancy Bonini Gideon Dreyfuss Natasha V. Raikhel Liqun Luo Xiaowei Zhuang University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania University of California, Stanford University Harvard University School of Medicine Member since 2001 First joined in 1987 Member since 1991 Riverside First joined in 2003 Member since 1983

Mina Bissell, of Lawrence Peter Cresswell, of Pietro De Camilli, of Berkeley National Laboratory, Yale University School Yale University School an ASCB member since of Medicine, an of Medicine, an ASCB 1973 and 1996–1997 ASCB ASCB member since member since 1980, President, received the 2012 1998, was presented was awarded the Distinguished Lectureship in the 2012 AAI–Life Biophysical Society’s Sir Breast Cancer Research from Technologies Meritorious Bernard Katz Award for the American Association for Career Award by the Excellence in Research Cancer Research. American Association of on Exocytosis and Immunologists. Endocytosis.

Arthur Weiss, of the Peter Walter, of the University of Tom Misteli, of the National Cancer F. Ulrich Hartl, of the Max University of California, San California, San Francisco, an ASCB Institute, National Institutes of Health, Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Francisco, an ASCB member member since 1984, received an ASCB member since 1995, will an ASCB member since 2004, since 1995, received the the 2012 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig receive a 2012 Arthur S. Flemming and Arthur L. Horwich, of Yale American Association of Darmstaedter Prize. He was also one Award, as one of 12 outstanding University School of Medicine, an Immunologists’ AAI Lifetime of the recipients of the 2012 Ernst federal employees honored for career ASCB member since 1991, were Achievement Award. Jung Prize for Medicine. achievements in science, mathematics, awarded the 2011 Massry Prize. engineering, management, and law.

28 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 MEETINGS Calendar 2012 Half-Century Fund

A complete list of upcoming meetings can be found at http:// ascb.org/othermeetings.php. The following meetings were added Donors since the last issue of the Newsletter: The ASCB is grateful to the September 13–14, 2012. London, UK following donors* whose A Biochemical Society Focused Meeting: Microvesiculation and Disease. www.biochemistry.org/MeetingNo/SA133/view/Conference. contributions support Society activities: October 11–15, 2012. Gleneden Beach, OR The 2012 Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin—Keeping It All Gold Together: Adhesion, the Cytoskeleton, and Signaling in Morphogenesis and Tissue Function. http://montagnasymposium.org. Anne Cress Susan Gerbi McIlwain November 7–10, 2012. Leipzig, Germany Helen Piwnica-Worms International Meeting of the German Society for Cell Biology: Molecular Concepts in Epithelial Differentiation, Pathogenesis, and Repair. Bill Saxton www.molcedpare.de. Huntington Sheldon Kenneth Yamada February 3–9, 2013. Ponce, Puerto Rico Frontiers in Stem Cells in Cancer. www.pdc.magee.edu/scCancer_ Silver descript.html. Kathleen Green and Rex Chisholm ASCB Annual Meetings Daniel Lew

December 15–19, 2012. San Francisco Bronze Virginia Zakian December 14–18, 2013. New Orleans Sustainer December 6–10, 2014. Philadelphia Jean Sanger

December 12–16, 2015. San Diego Joseph Sanger Barbara Vartel December 3–7, 2016. San Francisco *As of June 18, 2012 MEMBER Gifts BOOKS by Members

The ASCB is grateful to the following members who have The Cell: A Very Short recently given a gift* to support Society activities: Introduction, Terence Allen and Graham Cowling, published by Farzad Ghamsari Oxford University Press, USA. Rosine Haguenauer-Tsapis ISBN13: 9780199578757; Alexander Kirov ISBN10: 0199578753. Part of Oxford University Press’s “Very *As of June 20, 2012 Short Introduction” series, The Cell is not a textbook but an accessible survey of modern cell biology for general readers. In MEMORIAM Are you planning to publish a book in 2012? If so, We note the recent passing of ASCB member Phoebe let ASCB know! Send the title, publisher, and ISBN Starfield Leboy and express our condolences to her family, information, and, if you wish, a thumbnail (300 dpi) of friends, and colleagues. n the cover. We’ll include it in the ASCB Newsletter. This publicity is available only to ASCB members. Please send submissions to Thea Clarke at [email protected]. n

JULY 2012 ASCB NEWSLETTER 29 DEAR Labby

Childcare Support for ASCB Annual Meeting Attendees Dear Labby, I have obtained some great data in my postdoctoral work and am on the job market for my first independent position. ASCB's Annual Meeting is the best place to present the data and also to network for a job. My PI has offered to pay for my travel and hotel, for which I am very grateful, of course.

But there is a major problem: I am nursing my six-month-old baby and my spouse’s work schedule is designed to be reciprocal to mine so that we can share in baby coverage. But traveling will disrupt my time with the baby, and we can’t afford to pay for extra daycare while I’m away. My mother-in-law is willing to come with me to the ASCB meeting to help, but we can’t afford to pay her airfare to San Francisco.

Where can I find funding to cover my parental responsibilities while I attend ASCB’s Annual Meeting?

—Depressed Postdoc in New York City

Dear Depressed Postdoc in New York City, Be not depressed! ASCB’s Women in Cell Biology (WICB) Committee has been on top of childcare issues for several years. In 2008 ASCB received a grant from Elsevier to launch a program of childcare awards to attendees at the Annual Meeting. The WICB Committee administers these awards and over the past four meetings has funded 92 applications, totaling approximately $17,000. Approximately 85% of applicants have received funding. Now ASCB has secured funding from the Nature Publishing Group to ensure the continuation of these awards.

The expenses that can be covered by the ASCB WICB childcare awards are various and include your particular need. The award can cover the Annual Meeting–related expenses for a child caretaker at home, a relative or caretaker to travel to one’s home, a child or children to travel to a relative, childcare at a location near the meeting, extended daycare hours, a caretaker (related or not) to accompany the parent (especially a nursing mother) to the meeting, or other creative solutions to the problem of childcare coverage during the meeting. All the details and the application form are on the ASCB website at https://www.ascb.org/Meetings/Forms/WICB/wicbgrant.cfm. The deadline for receipt of applications is September 4, 2012. You must be an ASCB member to receive a childcare award, and you must be giving a talk or presenting a poster at the meeting. Labby hopes that you will apply and wishes you success in obtaining an ASCB WICB childcare award, in your presentation at the meeting, and in your networking and job search. n —Labby Direct your questions to [email protected]. Authors of questions chosen for publication may indicate whether or not they wish to be identified. Submissions may be edited for space and style.

30 ASCB NEWSLETTER JULY 2012 ENDNOTE X5. AN INTELLIGENT ADDITION TO YOUR RESEARCH TEAM. ENDNOTE® has consistently provided an intelligent way to manage bibliographies. With EndNote X5, smart just became brilliant. As always, EndNote connects you to the brightest resources available and simplifies collaboration between colleagues. But EndNote X5 does a great deal more. It allows you to attach files to an EndNote Web record and transfer file attachments between the desktop and Web. It searches online for updated reference information while allowing you to view and annotate PDF files within an EndNote library. And it adds some incredibly ingenious options to the Cite While You Write™ function.

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2012 Annual Meeting December 15–19, 2012 San Francisco, CA, USA

Join us in San Francisco! Submit an abstract and register early to save. Now open at www.ascb.org/meetings n Abstract submission n hotel reservations n Travel/childcare award applications n room-share/ride-share n meeting registration n subgroup application

See scientific program and new meeting threads on p. 22.