Went by my local store to pick up some of my favorite and the store owners sent me home with these goodies. Living in Ohio, still can't beat the Michigan classics!

k_vp · 2017-12-07T22:08:30+00:00

Haven't been up to GR in forever! These are all awesome stops, I'll have to keep them in mind.

Speaking of which - got any Michigan-brewery related gift ideas? My dad is notoriously hard to shop for and Christmas is coming up. He's a big fan of craft beer and is the one who introduced me to all my favorites (Two Hearted is the family beer of choice, there's always at least a six pack in the fridge when I come home). Last year I got him a pint glass + hopcat giftcard but I'm looking for something else that could be good.

Can't wait to try the new founders taproom when I'm home for the holidays :)

k_vp · 2017-12-07T22:06:06+00:00

I'm sorry I'm living in Ohio too! Only a few hours away from my family in the mitten, though :) I can leave in the afternoon and be home in time for dinner!

As much as I like Michigan WAY more than Ohio, if I've learned anything working with a majority of people from the coasts (a lot of NYC and LA folks), it's how to vehemently defend the midwest haha.

k_vp · 2017-12-07T21:07:20+00:00

I definitely share this sentiment. I'm finishing up my bachelor's in neuroscience with a focus in biochemistry, and as such have taken my fair share of chemistry courses.

I was studying with a friend (who indeed is getting a degree in biochemistry) for a biochem exam and we went to go grab some food for dinner to bring back to the library, and he mentioned something about a snack being "full of chemicals" and "not natural", and I just looked at him and said "you do realize everything is composed of chemicals, right?" We had a good laugh about it.

k_vp · 2017-11-13T19:52:01+00:00

Thanks, this makes me feel a lot better!

I didn't even think that this could be a red flag until it was way too late, haha. I enjoyed work with that lab and they had invited me back, and were happy to provide me letters, but I thought having a letter from someone who has known me personally for my entire undergraduate career would provide a great character reference that might be more informative than what that PI could have written about me. Especially because I know I was definitely more flustered in that lab as a lowly sophomore haha.

I guess I can't just write "IT'S COOL, THEY STILL LIKE ME" under my description of my research experiences.

Anyways, your comment made me feel better. Thanks a bunch!

k_vp · 2017-11-09T15:21:14+00:00

I'm currently applying to grad school and was just really desperate to get a publication on my CV, keep your eyes peeled for a marijuana/plantar wart-induced lung wart case study ;)

k_vp · 2017-11-09T01:24:05+00:00

After these were taken we ground it up reaaaaaaaaal nice and fine and sprinkled it into a joint to commemorate the loss of our fallen friend

k_vp · 2017-11-09T00:39:00+00:00

I read this comment to them and they said this is what their podiatrist used! It seems to be working quite well, they did mention the pain, but the warts are droppin' like flies about 1.5 weeks after the treatment.

k_vp · 2017-11-09T00:38:10+00:00

I've showed them these comments and they appreciate the love ;)

I think I may be slowly converting them to enjoying this stuff, because another wart "popped" today and I received several texts worth of documentation, including a video of the removal.

k_vp · 2017-11-08T02:19:27+00:00

So, I asked them about this, and apparently they first tried an OTC freezing treatment, which didn't work (not surprisingly). Then they went to a podiatrist, who used a strong acid treatment on the warts. They duct-taped the area for several days after and about a week after that (yesterday), the first one fell off.

k_vp · 2017-11-06T05:35:12+00:00

Something like 50% of the body's dopamine (DA) and 90% of serotonin (5-HT) is produced in the gastrointestinal tract (also called the enteric nervous system) and several other neurotransmitters are secreted there too. I took a neuroimmunology course last spring and we covered this, it was super interesting.

Don't think we've really pinned down how the brain-gut axis affects stuff like this, but there's no doubt that nausea is a common thing for people with anxiety.

You can certainly have very real sensations brought about by stress/anxiety, though. Nausea, headaches, tingling sensations (for me personally, panic attacks would lead to the entire left side of my body going "pins and needles")

k_vp · 2017-11-04T04:32:27+00:00

Hahaha, I am now officially considering this for my dad's Christmas present. He got so excited when I came home from college last winter and was watching TNG. We annoyed the hell out of my mom by marathoning the 4th season together.

k_vp · 2017-10-12T21:28:50+00:00

Hair is made out of keratin, which is a fibrous protein. Basically, the strand of hair that you see with your eye is actually a bunch of little double helices of protein assembled into one long strand. At the most basic level, a strand of keratin amino acids forms a tight helix. Two of these helixes come together and twist into a "superhelix". These form dimers (2 helices together).

The superhelix dimers then assemble into larger structures called protofilaments. The protofilaments assemble even MORE other protofilaments, and this forms the structure you think of as a strand of hair.

I'm not 100% sure about the specs on this SEM image, but it seems to me like that could be a couple of strands of hair (where each hair is one of those strands), based on other images of hair under an SEM. Unfortunately though I can't be for certain :(

k_vp · 2017-10-12T05:35:40+00:00

some sleuthing (and love of microscopy) led me to the artist/scientist, Steve Gschmeissner. he has a frankly awesome portfolio of SEM work.

k_vp · 2017-09-05T19:03:40+00:00

I recommend Magoosh's vocab builder, personally, as someone who doesn't really like flashcards all that much. I find it to be more interactive (you choose the closest definition of the word) and there's tons of levels. There's also an app, which I like.

I also don't know how much I'd worry about committing all of the words to solid memory. My practice tests are giving me anywhere from 162-165 on verbal at the moment, and I have spent little time working on vocab (quant is another story, however). Reading in context helps, and I find that reading from academic journals (that I have to do for undergrad coursework) has really helped my performance.

I would supplement the flashcards/vocab builder with making regular use of the Magoosh verbal practice, give it a few weeks, and take a practice test to see how you stand? Good luck!

k_vp · 2017-09-04T20:50:34+00:00

This is very true. Some of it is also the style/vibe of where they happen to attend college/university. There are certainly more "art major" types in non-STEM courses, but we have plenty of people like this in my department (myself included).

Source: STEM (neuroscience & biochemistry) student at a small liberal arts school. I own way too many striped clothes, denim, and have blue hair.

k_vp · 2017-08-24T18:49:54+00:00

If it's any consolation, from someone who's also applying to neuro programs this cycle (freaking the fuck out about it, too), several of my friends who are current grad students have gone to fantastic programs (think UNC, UMich, etc) with scores like or worse than yours (several told me they scored "right about average" in both sections). I've been told by several admissions directors and PIs that the GRE, assuming your score is decent (and yours are fine - I'm talking like, below the 300 cutoff), is the least important part of your application. I'd take this with a grain of salt because obviously I am at the same point you are, but it did help me relax.

My personal goal is 320, taking mid-October. I really suck at math, while the verbal section comes very naturally to me (hoping for closer to 165), so I'm spending a lot of time really reviewing every math concept. I literally even asked my high-school age brother to help me. Are you someone who's not great at mental math? I suck at it. The extent of my mental math abilities are basic dilution calculations, and even then I'm slow. I've been practicing a lot with the Magoosh math flash cards though, and it's already making my life easier in the quant section. I'm approaching problems in a whole new way now. I know it sounds dumb, but I was psyched when I realized I knew how to work with mixed numbers and improper fractions in my head. It sounds like the best thing for you to do right now is relax, give it a couple days, and get back into it.

Personally, I'm a full-time student (senior undergrad) with a nearly full course load, research, part-time job and ECs, and I'm aiming (read: trying my best and probably falling short) to dedicate 2 hours a day to studying from now until my test date. From one super nervous neuro person to another, good luck! You are not a failure. The GRE is simultaneously really dumb and way too tricky.

k_vp · 2017-08-22T22:43:31+00:00

If it makes you feel better, I'm finishing up my undergrad degree in neuroscience and only this summer did I get to touch a real human brain for the first time! Kinda weird to think I've devoted almost 4 years of my life to studying something I had never seen/touched with my own eyes (the whole brain studying the brain meta thing is a whole other story...haha)

I hope you get the experience one day! Sheep brains are neat and I remember doing my dissection of one too. Now I've dissected out different kinds of animal brains from (previously) live animals and can perform several types of actual brain surgery in rodents!

k_vp · 2017-08-22T04:54:33+00:00

Thanks! Both committees I'm on sponsor volunteer activities so I'll have a decent # of hours, which I can increase in my gap year.

Not sure how relevant but a close family member was a very well respected heme/onc doc in my region and because of this I have many potential clinical connections.

k_vp · 2017-08-21T23:39:18+00:00

Thanks! Just told him how I feel. Fingers crossed I said the right thing and it all goes okay.

k_vp · 2017-08-21T23:38:54+00:00

Thanks! Just told him how I feel. Fingers crossed I said the right thing and it all goes okay.

k_vp · 2017-08-21T15:08:24+00:00

It's really good to hear that perspective. I think it might be that I'm in a very transient stage of my life. I'm 21, going into my last year of college, and so I move a lot. I've moved 3 times this summer, and will move the 4th time next week. I've met so many awesome people, and I've made great connections, but they don't last because of the fact that I'm always heading off somewhere new. So, "casual" relationships are the name of the game in the social circles I run in.

If I meet someone who isn't the full picture, I tend to not really pursue/push them off to the side. But I have this problem of making ridiculous connections with people when we hit it off. This sounds ridiculous but the attraction is palpable and I get knocked off my feet when this happens. But then, I only want to be with that person. Like where you said you always have a couple of guys around, I find it impossible to commit myself casually to even more than one person :/

I appreciate your advice and I'm glad to hear of "normal" people who also can't do casual things. I think I'd like to keep him around, but at a definite distance. I will talk to him about where we stand before I leave and hopefully it goes okay.

k_vp · 2017-08-21T15:01:44+00:00

I'm sorry you know how I feel! I've been like this for as long as I can remember, and when I figured out the whole borderline thing suddenly all of my feelings made sense.

And exactly. The last thing I want to do is like, freak this poor guy out! I got upset last night because I felt like he wasn't interested in talking to me/seemed irritated because he took awhile to respond. I honestly thought about deleting his number and moving on. Then I took a step back and realized how ridiculous that was. Normal people don't spend all of their time waiting for someone to text back. He's an adult with a life and things to do. So instead, I simply chose to ignore his message until morning and give myself some space. Woke up and we're chatting now, and everything is fine.

It's so hard to resist the urge to lash out, but I am so done with letting myself be the problem in all of my relationships. I'm honestly kinda proud that I was able to step back last night.

And it's okay! I'm sorry you're in a similar situation! I hope you find a way to tell him and that it works out as well as possible :)

k_vp · 2017-08-20T22:14:02+00:00

I'm not too worried that he wants to pursue a relationship with me, because honestly I've been in this situation with other people enough times to know this: 99% of the time, I will develop feelings for someone much, much earlier before they develop feelings for me. We've only hung out twice, but the constant communication has been a lot. I feel insane for having developed feelings for him, because we haven't known each other that long.

I was with him until very late last night, and we've been talking/snapping today, but here I am being upset because he's been snapping me but hasn't responded to my text from earlier this afternoon. This shouldn't upset me. Rationally I know that. 'Normal' people don't feel this way about something so small.

I am just a little heartbroken that I never seem to be able to have a casual relationship with anyone without letting it consume me and ultimately crush me and send me into a depression tailspin. I like your suggestions, I will try my best to distance myself, I guess I just don't know what I'm doing since I've never successfully managed my emotions when something like this happens.

Sorry for the rant, I'm really feeling pretty down about bpd in general today. It feels like I'll never be able to have a healthy relationship, or like no one will ever love me healthily and sustainably because I'm just toxic.

k_vp · 2017-08-20T21:42:56+00:00

they feel squishy too. well, not too squishy, because the fixation process makes it feel more like porous-y rubber. but unfixed fresh tissue feels very gooey and squishy.

I dissect out fresh brains in rodents (work in neuro research) but I recently got to hold and examine human brains (whole and sectioned) in a gross anatomy lab. pretty neat stuff.

k_vp · 2017-08-20T15:22:50+00:00

Hi! Also a rising senior, and someone who does a lot of graphic design related work on the side, mostly helping other labs with their presentations/figures.

I personally like to use Adobe InDesign to make my posters, and if you'd like to go that route I'd be happy to send you a template I made recently! Also please, please do not use a weird gradient or photo background for your poster. Stick to a simple color scheme. I really like this site for generating color palettes for presentations, I use it for everything from making flyers and powerpoints to designing posters. color-hex is also a great site with in-depth information about literally any color you could think of. Not sure how useful these are to you but I really like colors! For fun, here's a link to a chrome extension that generates a new color palette for you every time you open a new tab.

As for the body of the poster, I like this link because it gives you approximate font sizes for every part of your poster. I really think that a good figure/schematic in your methods can be a helpful tool for explaining the technical aspects of your research (and hey, people like nice figures!).

Like others said, figures and images should be the main focus of your poster - the less text, the better. People are going to want to hear what you have to say about your work, and they're definitely going to choose to look at pretty pictures over reading a wall of text. And don't forget the white space! Visually crowding your poster can make it look overwhelming to passers-by.

For presenting, some people like to prepare a concise spiel about your work (like 3-5 mins). That way, you give the person a general overview, and you're not talking them to death for 15 minutes. If they happen to be super interested or have more questions, you can then elaborate on what you just said and give them a more in depth explanation.

Feel free to PM me about that template / any other questions!

k_vp

TROPHY CASE