Joseph Smith Jr., Ph.D. 🇨🇲🔬🌪
@DrHazmatic
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Incoming Asst Prof at @Jacobs_Med_UB 🦬 • 🇨🇲 Parasitologist 🔬🧬 • Former 🌪️ chaser • Slytherin 🐍 • I post about trypanosomes 🐉, wine 🍷 , and coffee ☕️
University at Buffalo, JSMBS
Joined August 2020
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WELP! I am excited to share that I will officially join as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at
@Jacobs_Med_UB
starting in Fall 2024! We will study the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics, metabolism, and differentiation in trypanosomes! (1/8) 🧵
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Story time: I had a few professors in undergrad that became cherished mentors. One was particularly influential. I somehow missed that he said he used lecture time to administer exams and not the university-scheduled exam time. I thought I would skip the lecture that day to study
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Sometimes I’m still like.... wow I’m not playing scientist anymore, I’m actually doing this.... nice...
Joseph Terrell Smith Jr., PhD, postdoctoral fellow in microbiology and immunology, has been awarded a three-year, $202,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study the regulation of RNA in Trypanosoma brucei.
#UBuffalo
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So when I do eventually become a "big fish", I will continue to tell myself, "Ok little fish, don't get lost."
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He messages "I see you didn't get lost, little fish. You're almost a big fish now." Yall..... I just cried reading it.... Like gentle sobbing style.... Im just now understanding what he kept repeating every time I was at a major transition point.
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Little fish is the one with the boundless energy. Little fish is the one who sees the possibility. The one that finds joy in the difficult work. Big fish worries about money. Big fish worries about data. Big fish worries about meetings and deadlines... Big fish gets run down.
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In science, there is often so much pressure to become a "bigger fish". That constant pressure to grow. To eat. It's exhausting. But to him, he still remembers the lost little fish whonhad potential. All he wanted was for me not to lose myself or my goal. He let me be little fish.
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My office has officially been christened 🍾by the university with my name placard 🥹. It is feeling more and more real by the day.
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So Im applying to grad school and he offers to write me a recommendation letter. I get into my programs of choice and right before I leave he says "good luck in the big pond, little fish. Dont get lost." It made me laugh because of the first semester mistake I made.
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And said to meet him at his office right after class. I did. He let me take the exam. He made me wait while he graded it. I got a 94%. He looked and said "hm i guess you're not hopeless after all. Ok go on and pay better attention, little fish".
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Then Im defending my dissertation and going to a postdoc and I reach out to him and again he says "good luck in the big pond, little fish. Dont get lost." So recently he reaches out to me because he saw the announcement of the NIH fellowship I received.
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From that moment on, he always called me "little fish". Never understood it, but he did work in marine biology so I thought it was just a thing he called freshmen. Nope. Even as a senior, he always called me little fish lol.
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@AskthisDesigner
@rolandsmartin
I don’t understand why some people think I’m omniscient and know everything that is happening from hundreds of miles away. Meanwhile I sent her the tweet and she isn’t upset. The tweet was about my frustration with this economy and wanting to be able to do more.
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I show up to the exam time and nobody is there... i waited for about 15 minutes and I was confused. The next lecture he is handing back exams and I am CORN-FUSED!!! I own up to my mishap and he LET ME HAVE IT LOL. Then he stared... Took a deep breath...
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@phdgprotein86
Thanks. I wish I could’ve sent more. I don’t want my mom to struggle anymore 😞
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I've seen a lot of posts of grant critiques marking staying at your PhD institution for your postdoc as a weakness. I don't get this. What about people who have no desire to move? Children in school. Spouse has stable job. Support network in place. OR THEY DON'T WANNA MOVE! Wth?
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As for everyone else who clearly understood where I was coming from (because many of you articulated the EXACT sentiment that drove me to tweet in the first place, thank you. My mom thanks you too! I showed her the tweets and the GoFundMe and she kept saying thank you! ♥️♥️♥️
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@carlylogan26
Hi thanks for your kindness. I set up a GoFundMe to avoid scams that I see the tweet has attracted. And that way, people also have a record of their donation. ♥️
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My K99 wasn’t discussed. On to the next one! With ice cream!
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I finally got my office and got to decorate the space that will be my work nest for the next 30 years (claiming it!). I’m a nester, so I hate for my dedicated spaces feeling empty. I get anxious if I don’t decorate it immediately lol. See second tweet in the thread for more pics
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Win a copy of Parasitic Diseases!
Written by some of the top parasitologists & ID doctors in the field & educational resource covering all aspects of parasitic diseases. Follow
@PWB_Global
&
@BSPparasitology
like this post & Retweet to enter Giveaway ends 4/15/22 @ 12pm EST.
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#BiMRollCall
Sup family! Im Joseph. I am a postdoc at the University at Buffalo. I have been in parasitology for 10 years now. I have always studied mitochondrial processes in parasites. I currently study mitochondrial mRNA editing in T. brucei.
#BlackInParasitology
#BlackInMicro
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Ok, question for the professors: What do you miss most about being a postdoc? And what don’t you miss AT ALL lol?
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Can I also say that while my summary statement for my K99 was a bit confusing and chaotic, I was happy with the consistent assessment of me as a Candidate 🥹. Even the weaknesses listed for one reviewer was minor. I can do this. I belong here. Imma stay as long as I can.
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Well my father is in the hospital with COVID and pneumonia. Please send good vibes.
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I uploaded all of the documents that I’m responsible for… triple-checked that there isn’t a single hyperlink, made sure nothing shifted after uploading, obsessively stared at the workspace for hours… here’s hoping the reviewers agree that I should be a MOSAIC K99/R00 scholar.
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It’s that time again! EARLY MORNING K22 GRANT WRITING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOOO!!! I got my latte and my noise-cancelling headphones! I made good progress yesterday… let’s see if I can make some more today! I keep telling myself Im gonna be a PI one day.
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Decided to draw my future lab background on my iPad. It’s not perfect, but it was fun and encouraging.
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End reimbursement culture. Everyone doesn’t have a credit card to fall back on. Not everyone’s family can loan them the money. Everyone doesn’t have $1000+ just sitting in their bank accounts while stipends are low and rents are high. Change these policies!
I was quoted in this article on the costs of conference travel for trainees… no one should have the costs of 1-3 conferences on their credit card while waiting months to be reimbursed by their institution. Reimbursement culture must end
#ISaidWhatISaid
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Hey family, my name is Joseph. I am a senior postdoc at
@Jacobs_Med_UB
studying developmental regulation of mRNA editing in Trypanosoma brucei (causes African sleeping sickness). Interested in all things “life cycle regulation”.
#BlackInMicroRollCall
#BlackinMicro
@BlackInMicro
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Do sales reps intentionally NOT tell you the price of expensive equipment? I am on email
#4
with this rep after essentially saying in three different ways that I just need to know how much it costs. TELL ME!!
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@tia_martineau
"It shouldn't be that hard to write a paper. Just write it and graduate." The looks of disgust on the grad students' faces.... That guy had no clue what he said.
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The fact that I may have my own lab in a few years is still a wild idea to me, but it’s also more exciting and thrilling and hopeful than it is terrifying… for now. When my first student trusts me to guide them through their career, it will be probably be scary as hell. 1/2
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When applying for my F32, I remember seeing they wanted my undergraduate grades and I thought, “But I’m a POSTDOC now! Are my grades from when I was 18 years old really that important or a predictor of my trainability?!” And boy did those reviewers talk about my Cs in OChem! 😑
My undergraduate GPA was 2.82.
My graduate GPA is 3.8 & I spearheaded 2 lab projects, applied to 8 grant/fellowship apps, am exploring patent options for a 3D printed brain matrix, created a mentorship website for URM, did outreach & presented at conferences in my 1st semester.
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I just need to survive 3 more weeks at work and then my vacation starts. I am struggling.
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I was in the lab tonight and went to take my time point and discovered that someone in my lab can not be trusted. WHAT CHAOS IS THIS?!?!
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New PIs: What are the top 3 non-science equipment office purchases that you have made that makes your life better?
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Why is
@YvonneOrji
talking so loud and direct at me on the very first page of her book. The audacity……. I love it. Lemme keep reading.
#BamboozledbyJesus
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This country really just keeps showing out in the worst way. I don’t know how long this is sustainable.
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Good update: Dad is talking. Blood clots are dissolving. Oxygen levels rising and he is breathing well.
The steroids they are giving him is making his blood sugars spike, but they are monitoring him. They brought him out of the danger zone quickly. Bless the healthcare workers.
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It’s that time again! EARLY MORNING MANUSCRIPT WRITING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOO!!! The goal today is to draft the results section up to Figure 4 and send to my PI. My iced cayenne cinnamon latte shall fuel the first hour… they didn’t have cardamom knots today 🥺
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Ahem… It’s that time again! EARLY MORNING JOB TALK PREPARATION TIME!! 🗣️WHOOOOO!!! Practiced with the lab yesterday and going to incorporate their suggestions. Practicing my chalk talk this coming week. So…. i require cardamom knot and brown sugar cardamom latte. ☺️☺️
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So… the study section my K99/R00 application is in will be in 2 weeks. Score hopefully fundable. 🤞🏾
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One thing that I saw recently that gave me pause because I never thought about it… how do new PI assistant professors handle a postdoc who has academic aspirations? You just got your lab. How do you part with ideas that early when you are still going for tenure? Grants? Etc…
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@CanastaNova
Thankfully I think it has been removed now. When I saw what they wrote, I was confused because I never provided anyone my cashtag and when it said I was blocked, I realized the change in username
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I slept in today, but it’s still before noon here in Buffalo soooo it’s that time again! (Late) MORNING MANUSCRIPT WRITING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOOO!!! YEEEAAAAA!!! I got an iced cayenne cinnamon latte and a cardamom knot. Cinnamon, cardamom, and cayenne. It is a good day.
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@Steve95466033
@AskthisDesigner
@rolandsmartin
Again… yall missed the context of the situation. I dont make a lot of money. Postdocs arent rich. Im barely supporting MYSELF. I was just happy that I had something to give to her something. Why do so many of yall think im some rich person braggin… anyway..
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Ahem… It’s that time again! EARLY MORNING K22 GRANT WRITING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOOOO!!! Talked with my PI about a feasible restructure, so today my energy will be split for grant brainstorming this morning and manuscript writing in the afternoon.
#JustKeepSwimming
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It’s that time again! AFTERNOON DP2 GRANT WRITING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOO!!! I needed to sleep in today, but now this cayenne cinnamon latte and cardamom knot will power me through revising the Project Description and expand it a bit.
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I submitted my first faculty application. In celebration of my faculty position search, I got an orange-raspberry espresso tonic. It’s still summer in Buffalo, right? Ignore the chilly 55F nights… we don’t talk about those!
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@jonepstein1
Have offices for grad students and postdocs. I had an office that I shared with 2 other grad students (and it had a couch for naps)… having a closed space to hide when you need a mental break and having a spot to do a 20-minute nap really helped on those long nights
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Wow... my second total solar eclipse. Still magical even with cloud cover. Life is wondrous.
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This is my celebratory/consolatory ice cream choice for when I look at my K99 score LOL. It is amazing 🤤
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So Im learning how to do immunofluorescence assays… Gotta say… I have not been a fan of doing this technique lol. BUT TODAY… I took a look in the microscope and these two beauties were just smack center. T. brucei researchers, yall know why Im excited about the left cell! 🥲
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Ahem… It’s that time again! MORNING MANUSCRIPT WRITING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOOO!!! I am currently being powered by 9 hours of sleep and an iced cappuccino. I am out of the pre-writing/zero drafting phase (essential must for me), and it is time to write the first draft! 😎
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I am looking at my specifics aim page with 2 aims and I have never felt prouder of an unfinished document. It is a single page, but it feels like my future distilled into a representation of my scientific curiosity being refined over time. Comparing it older versions, I smile.
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@CouragePhD
Theatre and opera helped kill any fear of being judged on stage (poster presentations, research talks, teaching)… there is honestly nothing that a scientist could do to strike fear in my heart like my vocal coach’s intense stare in the crowd LOL.
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No grant writing this weekend, just a decompression day. Just trying to be a person instead of a scientist for a change lol. But, of course, the coffee shop on a Saturday is just calming. So… the cardamom knot loyalty continues with an iced Provence rose herbal tea. ☺️
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The sun has not risen yet, but I have already started EARLY MORNING GRANT WRITING TIME!!! 🗣️WHOOOO!!! Let’s see if this R0.1 can resemble a R01 in 6 months LOL.
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Lots of feelings today. My mom sent me a voice memo of her singing Happy Birthday to me and sounded like my grandmother, so it felt like my grandma was also singing to me… that made me cry at my desk. But after cake time with the lab, I also submitted my manuscript! Phew… 🥳
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It’s that time again!! EARLY MORNING JOB APPLICATION ZERO DRAFTING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOO!!!! Today, the goal is to work on the research statement to tidy it up and to begin assembling the skeleton of the chalk talk.
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Snow isn’t going to stop me! It’s the weekend though, so I slept in once again… BUT! ☝🏾… IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN! (Late) MORNING INDEPENDENT LAB BRAINSTORMING AND PRE-R01 WRITING TIME!!! 🗣️WHOOOO!!! I recently had an idea for a third smaller project that I want to flesh out today.
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Welcoming autumn with an apple cinnamon latte and a cardamom knot. Not ready for hot lattes yet though… I will wait for the leaves to go full phoenix mode!
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My first day as a postdoc was 5 years ago today. My desk has gotten a little more cluttered since then… but I’m happy to say (while being able to point out academia’s pros and cons) that the postdoc really was the best decision for me.
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Thanks to everyone reaching out. If I haven’t responded, it’s likely because I just have my phone on Do Not Disturb and only family and my closest friends can break through that. I am just emotionally drained. The more I find out, the more helpless and unsupported I feel.
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I think I also like this iteration. This might be the one… for now.
#MakingALabLogo
#iDontHaveALabYet
LOL
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I always love that my mother always calls me on the exact time of my birth for my birthday. So I could never go to sleep because I know my mom is going to call me. And right on time… down to the minute… she calls. 33 years on this planet. Phew… I made it.
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Quick question: are K99 applications with 2 aims looked down upon compared to applications with 3 aims?
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I received my summary statement for my K99 application. Not as bad as I thought. The reviewers were split on what they liked and disliked. One liked the research plan, one hated it. One that the environmental was stellar, one not so much. Soooooo… lol
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Am I the only one who does small random experiments out of curiosity? Nothing expensive. I would have a random thought and next moment Im setting it up and telling my PI the results randomly during our 1-on-1 meetings LOL
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Im at this parasite conference and there is a random (or maybe resident) cat just walking around greeting everyone who walks by… i have an urge to name this cat Toxo. I shall name him Toxo. His name is Toxo now. Previous names have been negated.
#MPM2023
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IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN! EARLY MORNING DP2 GRANT WRITING TIME!! 🗣🗣WHOOOO!!! Experiments worked this week. That was nice. But I had little time to write, so this honey cinnamon latte and cardamom knot will power me through this morning!
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My voice is gone. I’ve cried and yelled too much. It literally cracks out in a whisper mid-sentence. So yea tomorrow I will quite literally keep my head down with my headphones on, do what I have to, and I’m going home.
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Ahem… IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN!!! MORNING GRANT WRITING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOOO!! Black tea and the long-trusted cardamom knot to get me through the first part of this morning… the goal for today… progress… of any kind. I have been mentally exhausted lately, so the bar is low today LOL.
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Pineberries, huh? I’ve never seen these before, but I assume they just taste like strawberries. Well… about to find out.
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Not that I am quitting my job or anything, but I just know my mind will not be fully present tomorrow in the lab. I have things to do because I always have to remain in a quasi-functional state… but please understand if I don’t want to talk. I’ve yelled too much last night…
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But one thing I do know is that my trainees will have someone willing to go to bat for them EVERY TIME! I will support their goals and try my hardest to help them achieve them even if I don’t understand why they want it lol. It’s an honor to be trusted as their mentor 🥹. 2/2
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Grant officially submitted from our grants office. It’s gone into the abyss… they grow up so fast 🥹
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In the coffee shop. Making schematics for my chalk talk that I hope will get me job offers during the next job cycle. Just in case some places want Powerpoint… I hear some places go only whiteboard or chalkboard… not sure how to deal with that. I can draw well enough but… 😬
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Awww it's been 5 years since my graduation ceremony. This was my favorite selfie of that day... and there were a LOT of selfies lol. Sigh... reminds me that I want to buy my own custom regalia with Meharry's colors.
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Having a gin and tonic to celebrate a good day of grant writing and tweeting a little in French. These days are the best.
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Me: Why do I buy two packages of butter? Why did I buy eggs? I don’t cook eggs… heavy cream? What did I buy this fo—oh right! I was supposed to bake myself a grant submission cake. Whoops… ok let me bake it tonight! Can’t forget to celebrate small victories.
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Im stunned. I had all intentions on going grocery shopping at the Tops on Jefferson today only for a friend to text me that a mile from my apartment, a white supremacist was gunning down black people in that very Tops. Im so upset that stuff like this is STILL happening!
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This Monday has been a Monday. Not in a bad way, but news after news after news. Imposter syndrome tried to square up with me. I beat it, but still… wasn’t expecting it to try to surprise me lol. I definitely am going to enjoy this gin and tonic now.
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My first
#MPM2020
meeting and my first MPM talk. I felt like a bundle of nerves. I hope it didnt show too much lol 😅
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🥹🥹🥹… Thank you for featuring me!
This month's
#BMA
Rising Star in
#Microbiology
is the gifted Dr. Joseph T. Smith Jr. We are so happy for his success so far and are eager to see how his path in
#Micro
unfolds!
#Amplify
#BIM
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It’s that time again! EARLY MORNING K22 GRANT WRITING TIME! Migrated into a new bullet journal too. It is a full letter-sized notebook and it has so much page real estate. I love it 😍! …Now let’s see if this latte can power me through Aim 1 this morning.
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This memory popped up for me a month ago. Two PhD students and an MD/PhD student… 3 friends… we had a goal and made a pact. That we would get the degrees we came to
@MeharryMedical
to get. And as of this week, the pact is complete! Congrats to
@Lonz_Marie
on Phinishing!!! 🎓
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It’s that time again! Early morning manuscript writing and revising time!! 🗣️WHOOOOO!!! Got comments from my PI and we discussed some adjustments, so today they will be incorporated and working on writing Figures 5-8. With a latte and a blueberry lemon scone, of course.
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So I visited my grandmother's burial site today and I realized that so much of what I loved about the Christmas season was tied to memories of her. With her gone, I haven't really connected back. But next year, I'm changing that. I will celebrate it like she did.
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@chienlab
My P200 wouldn’t even allow me to do that. I tried 210ul once and it yelled at me at 209 lol
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It’s that time again! EARLY MORNING MANUSCRIPT WRITING TIME!!! 🗣️🗣️WHOOOO!!! The sun is rising, and it is time to get some more words on a page. My goal is 4 pages today.
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Here it comes…. The storm rolling off the lake
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It’s that time again! EARLY MORNING K22 GRANT WRITING TIME! 🗣️WHOOOO!!! That sleeping pill did help a little. I am alert. I woke up a few times in the night, but I was able to go back to sleep. I don’t feel like a zombie. I will see how I feel at 3/4pm.
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