PRISE Wet'n Wild: II

If you're looking for THE quintessential all-PRISE social event, then whale watch has to be the one. Though extant for only three years, PRISE has adopted whale watch as its built-in activity. When you hear about PRISE, you must associate it with the sea and humpback whales (after of course making its obvious association with scientific research).

Besides colonizing two thirds of the entire boat, the PRISE delegation gets to visit the aquarium and Boston harbor, both of which are top hot spots for local tourism. The event is so popular that all 50 or so pre-ordered tickets are quickly claimed within a few days. This year, the generous program also subsidized the entrance fee for the aquarium, thus allowing us to kill two birds with one stone at minimal personal expense.

Though the moody Boston weather is known to be spiteful, weather that day was superb. I won't use fancy imagery to portray it - you must be tired of that - but let me just say that I couldn't conceive of a more ideal day to venture into the great open sea.

The whale watch itself started at 2:30PM, but separate groups started out in the morning to explore the New England Aquarium. I was in the 10:00AM group, with the blatantly touristy bunch armed with an arsenal of digital cameras.

Arriving there, we exited Government Center subway station and ambled our way across government plaza towards the harbor. Boston harbor strikingly resembled Baltimore city harbor, with banners and flags unfurling in the salty breeze, clusters of restaurants dotting public squares, and an iconic aquarium perching on the edge of the water.

The most noticeable difference (at least to me) between the two harbors is the ubiquity of jellyfish in Boston harbor's waters. If you lean over the edge of the banks, you can glimpse at what looks like white plastic bags floating haphazardly around. Upon closer inspection however, you can make out the distinctive domic top of the jellyfish, with its four circular gonads and streaming appendages.

Before entering the aquarium, we had to observe our unbreakable ritual of taking a group picture. We should have chosen a better place for the group picture, a spot from which the words "New England Aquarium" were clearly visible, in addition to the inscrutable building itself. Out of context, I think few people can tell we were actually visiting the aquarium. Well, at least no one was headless.

Having frequented many aquariums over the course of my long-lived life, I had grown jaded of the fish-in-a-tank concept. The colorful, interactive, and diverse displays in the aquarium however, did offer me fresh excitement in observing the sea's biological endowments. Some creatures I have never seen in my life. I particularly remember the walnut jellyfish - a small, beige-colored organism (really resembling a walnut) boasting rippling navigational fringes that refracted light into its kaleidoscopic constituents. Also eye-opening was the jellyfish with extremely long tentacles (> 3 feet I presume) that carelessly floated in the water like strands of seaweed.

The aquarium was not a big complex. Basically, it was a tall continuous building with a giant conical tank in the center, around which ascending levels of exhibits spiraled to the top.

At the bottom were the penguin enclosures. We stayed for a brief talk about the three species of penguin that are kept in the aquarium. Instead of focusing on the aquarium worker, most of the audience was fascinated with a little penguin that was particularly fond of the worker, as it kept bumping onto his hips with great affection (as interpreted from its constantly fluttering tail feathers). As other penguins zoomed through the water with liquid grace, we could see the traces of yellow nitrogenous waste they nonchalantly left behind. The poor aquarium workers were, at the very moment, cleaning the pool floor with their own feet.

After marveling at the penguins, we ascended the levels that wrapped around the enormous conical fish tank and witnessed the feeding of sharks and other bigger-than-life fishes. A giant turtle (Murtle) kept following the divers carrying the plankton in want of some of its share. Amusingly, whenever it inched its thick neck into the food basket, the worker thwarted its pilfering attempt by blocking its mouth with the palm of her hand. Poor creature!

Finally, our last stop was the sea lion exhibit outside and the tank where we could put our hands in the water and touch sting rays and mini-sharks.

After our aquarium excursion, we scurried to the Quincy Market for some quick food, but not before frolicking in the water-sprout plaza, where countless children were cooling themselves off. Of course, we couldn't let them hog all the fun.

In retrospect, gulping down food less than an hour before whale watch was rather unwise for my normal digestive function, which could have gone into overdrive on the swaying boat and spilled its fabulous content into the grand exterior. Thankfully, I didn't.

At around 2:00PM we boarded the boat, which had just unloaded the previous flock of whale watchers. While at first snickering at those who brought jackets in 80+ degree weather, I quickly swallowed my own uprighteousness as the incessant wind and briny spray chilled my body to the bones. Standing on the third level was like standing in the mouth of a gigantic blow drier that relentlessly hurled cold, salty air onto our faces. Pretty soon, keeping balance on the boat also became a great challenge.

A naïve adventurer, I went downstairs and joined the group at the prow, the location at which the up-down motions were the most prominent. Breaking the assailing waves in the open sea was indeed like riding on a roller coaster. We even screamed and raised our hands as the tip of the boat rose and dipped accordingly!

The trip to the whale sanctuary took a good hour-and-a-half. By the time we were able to spot hunchback whales, I was already exhausted. I did get good glimpses of the aquatic mammoths however, and could feel their sheer power even many feet away. According to our guide, we were lucky that day to have spotted 5 hunchback whales.

We first followed a mother, her calf, and an escort as they languidly milled around in the frigid waters. Water around them turned aquamarine from all the bubbles and spray. Momentously, one of them dived into the aquatic abyss, and in the process lifted its immense fluke (tail) above water for all the whale watchers to document in their digital cameras.

After taking a satisfactory good picture of the fluke, I plopped down onto a nearby chair and amazingly fell asleep in the midst of all the commotion. I don’t know what happened while I slept, but when I woke up, we were tracking a different set of whales, this time a pair of hunchbacks named Nile and Pepper. Later I learned through a conversation with the guide that hunchbacks are named by the patterns on their flukes. Nile had a pattern that resembled the Nile River. I don’t know about Pepper – maybe a dotted pattern on its fluke resembled pepper sprinkles? There is apparently a naming convention during which all the whale experts from New England gather for an entire day to submit, vote, and officially christen newly spotted whales. Our guide had a whole album of them. Among them were Sushi (with its fluke partly cut off), Wasabi (notice the theme), and Giraffe (I can only imagine the implications).

After both Nile and Pepper dove into the depths and flaunted their flukes, we headed back. The ride back was much faster and smoother, and more pleasant to those dealing with miscreant stomachs. After stepping onto firm ground, a few of us decided to revisit Quincy Market and grab grub for dinner.

After thoroughly enjoying the first whale watching experience in my life, I would definitely do it again.

Next time, I promise to stay awake for the entire duration of the trip :)

PRISE Wet'n Wild: I

I know that this happened weeks ago, but it was just too fantastic to overlook. That afternoon turned out to be one of those golden moments in life that deserve to stay forever emblazoned on an photo album prominently displayed for every one in the (cyber) world to see. What is this Hallmark moment I'm referring to? Well, you can perhaps guess from the title (no, it's not the whale watch - that's the upcoming PRISE Wet'n Wild: II).

On a dazzling summer afternoon, when the right number of clouds and the ideal amount of sunlight mixed to form a perfect outdoor atmosphere, 16 of us PRISE fellows opportunely decided to go kayaking up the slumbering Charles River (thanks to the suggestion by Megan Blewett).

Upon receiving Megan's email, I was thrilled about such opportunity because this would be my first time kayaking (or for that matter maneuvering any kind of motorless water vehicle). As excited as I was when I first tried driving a car, I donned the appropriate attire (flip-flops and shorts) and raced downstairs to meet the others. The trek to the kayak rental place was by no means modest: We had to cross the river towards the football stadium and circumscribe half of the enormous soccer field - a good 30 minutes of walk.

Already warmed up for the exertion that lied ahead, we took a kayaking safety quiz upon our arrival, passed it, put on life jackets, chose our paddles, stored valuables in waterproof bags, and precariously climbed into our double kayaks.

At the beginning, paddling the kayak was easier than I expected, at least in terms of moving the apparatus on the water. Controlling its direction, however, was another whole story. Because I was lighter than my roommate Charles, I sat on the front and was responsible for steering the kayak in the right course. To keep it in going straight, we both had to time our strokes with painful precision, in addition to paddling with the same strength, both of which we failed to accomplish. As a result, instead of easily gliding in a straight line, we awkwardly zigzagged left and right, expending more energy than ever necessary for experienced kayakers.

Aside from burning arm muscles, the ride upstream Charles (the river) was almost ethereal. Water gently gurgled beside us as we broke the placid liquid surface with our paddles. The tree tops were painted orange by the slanted sunrays. Geese and families of ducks crossed our paths (or rather we crossed theirs), and lily pads undulated with the waves. The entire experience was pleasantly pristine until we encountered plastic bottles, tennis balls, and unidentifiable gunk floating in the water. From time to time, a putrid smell would waft up into my nose, especially when we traversed under the bridges dabbled with graffiti.

(Deliberate) splashing was of course inevitable. Whenever we surreptitiously approached another kayak, Charles and I used our paddles to beat water onto the unsuspecting PRISE fellows. By the time we decided to turn around and head back downstream (after a good 40 minutes of paddling), puddles of water accumulated in our kayaks. I could feel the lukewarm water continually lapping my butt.

Anyway, the way back downstream was easier, but not significantly. Charles river at that location did not carry a strong current, so the decreased paddling effort was hardly noticeable, if at all. The return ride did seem quicker, but I presume such impression was partly psychological, since since we were more familiar with the surroundings and kayaking in general.

After roughly one hour on the water, we docked and payed (correct me if I'm wrong) $15 per person, a very affordable price it appears. With our waterlogged clothes, we headed back towards good old Leverett G-tower carrying our stuff and the smell of Charles River, but not before we posed for an irresistible group photo (very FOP-py).

4th of July: Esplanade Extravaganza

What a hiatus since the last post! Well, hiatus is probably not the most accurate word to describe the recent lack of updates. Hiatus usually implies a 'break,' but a break is what I thoroughly lacked all this week. I won't go into detail about what kept me busy, but overgrown cells, recalcitrant E. coli, and pipetting pandemonium should give you a hint.

So many PRISE events have flown by that I've not been able to keep up. Though they've all been fantastic, the most memorable of all so far was spending Independence Day at the Charles River Esplanade with PRISE friends, Boston Pops Orchestra, fireworks, and of course, thousands of other rambunctious revelers.

I was by no means the earliest PRISEr to secure a spot on the river bank. A group of people set out towards the esplanade on Thursday (July 3rd) afternoon to stake out an area overnight. Unfortunately - courtesy of Boston weather - rain soaked the pre-holiday concert. I wonder how (or if) those brave PRISE fellows managed to stay dry and warm in the unwelcome wetness. Just imagining the mud, dampness, and cold makes me cringe.

The morning of was still inimical to the upcoming holiday celebrations. The night's rain lingered on the ground in the form of puddles and wet grass. The sky was stubbornly overcast and an ubiquitous humidity saturated the air. Hesitant to face such depressing weather (and imbued with weekend lethargy), I decided to wait for the day to hopefully brighten up. Still stranded in Cambridge, I decided to go to lunch with another group of PRISE fellows and then head towards the esplanade afterwards. Lunch at the Border Cafe was electrifying! I ordered spicy Shrimp Orleans from the Cajun menu, and man was it hot (hot even for my experienced tongue whose taste buds have been desensitized by years of spicy Hunan cuisine)!

Gradually, weather improved as afternoon approached, and now with a stomach full of fuel, I made the happy decision of riding the T to Charles MGH station and joining the other PRISE campers in their July 4th celebration by the river.

The T was surprisingly uncrowded, especially for a popular holiday like this. I guess people were either already stationed by the river or cozily settled in their homes spending the day with family members. As I walked out of the T-station, the number of police cars and national guard officers patrolling the surroundings indicated the grand scale of the event. Big speakers mounted high on makeshift platforms outlined the river to transmit the concert in the Oval to the farther regions of the 'island.' The esplanade itself consists of a strip of land bordered on one side by Charles river and on the other by a confined stretch of water (which I presume was connected to the river in the past). People dotted the esplanade from end to end, and besides the crowd on land, many (more affluent) individuals enjoyed their time on expensive boats and yachts. Before the concert and the fireworks, a few love-birds and loners even kayaked and rowed down the river.

A small group of PRISE fellows had already successfully conquered an area by speaker nine, right in front of the firework barges and next to RSI students. I arrived at our premises at around 2:30PM, when the crowd had not yet reached critical density. To whittle away our time, we played card games, including Texas Hold'em, Egyptian Rhapsody, and Spades. There was a curious stand nearby called Coco Bongo (or something of the like) that sold refreshments - in coconut monkey heads. Understandably, I couldn't resist and acquired myself a simian souvenir (for a reasonable $12).

At 8:30PM I headed out towards the Oval - the concert arena - to watch Boston Pops. Due to the high number of people, to enter the area I had to acquire a red wristband beforehand, which ran out at 4:00PM. In the dark, the stage was an island of brightness in the midst of a sea of heads. In the center of the stage, conductor Keith Lockhart donned a Boston Socks jersey. Flanking him, the imposing orchestra was dressed in white with complementing dabs of red ties and accessories. Enormous and garishly decorative stars of patriotism hung over the stage, which brimmed with patriotism, both in sentiment and appearance. During its performance, Boston Pops played among other pieces the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Shipping Up to Boston, a tribute to Martin Scorcese who was part of the audience. I mention these two pieces especially because us Harvard Pops played them last year. Obviously, Boston Pops copied our amazingness.

Getting to the concert area was already a challenge in the multiplying crowd, and getting back from the concert to our camping area was near impossible. People and baby strollers packed like sardines on the pathways. On my way back, one of the footbridges was temporarily blocked because of a medical emergency. Someone collapsed/had some sort of attack and had to be taken out on a stretcher. During our wait, a woman was trying to guilt-trip a Norwegian young tourist to give his American flag to her child, who was supposedly frolicking by the river somewhere. I felt so bad for the foreigner and couldn't resist helping him retain his U.S. memento.

Anyway, once I reached the PRISE camp by weaving through the crowd, fireworks finally started. The fireworks were of many shapes and sizes: there were cubes, balls surrounded by rings, "crawlers," and even floating lanterns with fiery tails. One of the burning fire debris fell strikingly close to us on the river. In fact, some fireworks exploded before reaching the appropriate altitude, thus blasting us with resounding shockwaves. Though I have seen fireworks up close, this time it was different. Watching the sky glisten with showers, splashes, streams, sprays and explosions of incandescent color on the edge of the water, I incumbent on the grass, and with all my dear friends was indescribably inspiring and uplifting.

The spectacle started at 10:30PM and lasted half-an-hour. Afterwards, a small group of us rode the T (which was free at the time) back to Cambridge and cooled off our excitement and fatigue with ice cream at Herrell's. Wow, what a day, what a night, what an experience!

I hope this post (and the accompanying pictures) makes up for my dilatory updates :)

Harvard, "The Empire of Ice Cream"

On Tuesday, July 1st, President Faust treated the entire Harvard community to an ice cream extravaganza in Harvard Yard. This was certainly a pleasant way to combat the sultriness of a summer afternoon. By the time I entered Harvard yard at 4:30PM (the event started at 4:00), a sea of people had already flooded into the serving area, which was set up as a large rectangle of tables on which a delicious variety of ice cream flavors was poised for consumption.

Fortunately, I arrived just in time to hear President Faust declare Harvard "the empire of ice cream." She graciously invited all the Harvard community to this gathering in order to thank us for all our hard work and to wish for another fruitful year working together towards greatness. Her short but powerful speech memorably ended with "Ice cream today, the world tomorrow!" What a great leader she is!

A couple of PRISE friends and I could not miss the opportunity to introduce ourselves to President Faust and take pictures with her. Extended conversations were not possible, because she was overwhelmed with other people who wanted to meet her. Regardless of the briefness of our encounter, we all appreciate her generosity of taking time off her insanely busy schedule to mingle with the Harvard community.

Priceless PRISE moment

During the activities scheduling meeting in which authors of the accepted proposals met with Greg to finalize dates, we got our share of Greg-ness, his stories, and his inveterate tendency to make hilarious insinuations. This time however, the source of laughter was not "yours truly," but inadvertently, one of our own - PRISE fellow Anna Wagner.

As we were discussing the logistics of a PRISE-hosted party (proposed by fellow Leslie Jimenez), the talk eventually focused on the venue ideas, of which Dudley House was a suggestion, with its spacious dining hall serving as a dance floor and the upper rooms as places to hang out. Greg promptly balked at the idea, saying that he does not trust college students alone in a room - with sofas lying around (you know...).

Anyway, in an attempt to dispel his worries, Anna, in all seriousness, suggested that Greg could "help serve drinks upstairs and watch us...", but immediately realized the voyeuristic implications of such proposal. Understandably, the whole room shook with laugher.

Oh, college.

My usual workdays: Sonic Hedgehogs and Chinese Food Truck

Every day in lab I play outdated video games while relentlessly stuffing myself with cheap Chinese food. I wish. Well, maybe the latter is true, or partially at least.

The Sonic Hedgehogs I work with are actually a very serious subject matter. Far from being animated blue characters coasting across a computer game screen in search for golden rings, the Sonic Hedgehogs in my lab are proteins crucial to skeletal, muscle, brain, and gastrointestinal development during the formation of embryos. Defects in the Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway can lead to severe deformations, most strikingly cyclopia, the fusion of the two eyes. In animals such as mice and flies (the scientifically ubiquitous Drosophila melanogaster), impaired, absent, or abnormally expressed Sonic Hedgehog proteins can lead to missing or misplaced limbs and neurological damage.

The protein's playful name clashes with the grave consequences of its malfunction. From what I gather, a science ethics and nomenclature committee has been established to review facetious names such as this one in order to re-instill seriousness into such serious science topics in. Imagine a doctor telling you that your birth defects result from a faulty Sonic Hedgehog!

Anyway, back to what I am actually researching in the lab. This summer, my broad goal is to expand our knowledge of the molecular biology of the Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway. Why do we want to know more about the mechanism through which the protein operates? Well, insight into how the protein normally affects cell activity can elucidate how defects in the signaling pathway originate and how do they disrupt cell metabolism. Such knowledge help scientists combat the Sonic Hedgehog related disorders. Furthermore, Sonic Hedgehog activity has been linked to certain forms of cancer and stem cell differentiation, two closely and mysteriously intertwined fields in biomedical science that only recently have gained attention as two sides of the same coin. This protein is so important to embryogenesis that to understand early development, we must understand its behavior and the molecular dynamics of its associated signaling pathways.

Enough of this fluffy talk and down to the nitty-gritty: During the ten weeks of PRISE, I will be tracking down three of the cell membrane receptors of the hedgehog protein, namely Cdo, Boc, and Gas1. Among other cell surface receptors, these three receptors are important for the protein outside the cell to relay information into the cell. Right now, I've been transfecting cells (NIH 3T3 cell line of mice fibroblasts) with DNA constructs to knockdown and overexpress Cdo, and then treating cells with a hedgehog agonist to analyze the amount of cell signaling in the hedgehog transcriptional pathway (with a luciferase assay - practically speaking measuring luminescence levels).

Further along the project I will used receptor DNA constructs fused with green fluorescence protein (GFP) and examine the localization of my three receptors on the cell surface (the differences in receptor distribution on the cell membrane and reveal a lot about signaling activity between the extracellular hedgehog protein and molecules inside the cell). Eventually, I will also be able to "pull down" the receptors from the membrane and characterize them through mass spectroscopy to identify other protein complexes that are associated with these receptors (and are consequently pulled down with them).

This is a very exciting work, and I can't wait to get to the live imaging step. How amazing is it to watch microscopic receptors move around on the cell membrane?!

So, besides doing transfections, cell culture, and unhealthy amounts of pipetting, I enjoy talking to other lab members about their research, and their life histories (which I must say are quite interesting). And who can forget the infamous Chinese Food Truck, enticingly parked on Oxford Street.

The funny thing is that they person who interacts with the customers is Hspanic (the cooks are Chinese though). While the food is delicious and cheap, I'm sure it's not contributing to my longevity. Right now, gastronomic delight trumps my concern for clogged arteries. Bad modus vivendi, perhaps?

The Fenway Park Tour

There's one thing that has completely puzzled me during my summer stay here -and I'm not referring to my research. Boston weather is as capricious as weather can get. It's an unruly infant, throwing tantrums here and there when you least expect them. It is usual to have cloudless skies in the mornings and T-storms and hail in the early afternoons. Rain just comes and goes like irregular and unpredictable mood swings. This is why I always have an umbrella at hand, even if it's blazingly sunny outside.

Anyway, the reason I mention weather is that today, during our Fenway Park tour in Boston, the temperature dropped dramatically from the previous hot day, to the point where the skyline was enshrouded in fog by late afternoon. Wind, at first pleasant, blew constantly on the top of the stadium and left some of us squirming from cold.

Scott Kominers, one of our program assistants (PAs), and Justin, a PRISE PA from the past year, led a group of 20 or so of us from the Harvard Square T-station to the Kenmore T-stop and out to the Yawkey Street (a strange phonetic resemblance to the inimical "Yankee"), where Fenway Park is nestled inside a barricade of souvenir shops and eateries. In fact, the stadium is almost hidden from view by the bordering buildings, and only the towering stadium lights hinted at the presence of a stadium beyond the row of stores.

Our tour guide Jessica, a very animated and amusing communicator, took us up, down, and around the stadium for a one-hour-and-a-half tour, which was surprisingly good! I learned a lot of history today about the Fenway Park and the Boston Red Socks. Apparently, the street is named after the Yawkey's, the past owners of Fenway Park who restored the place and saved it from demise. The park was opened in 1912, but its debut was eclipsed by the Titanic disaster that occurred days before. Though it's the third smallest stadium of the Major League Baseball stadium, it is the oldest and the only stadium that has two christened foul poles, the Pesky's Pole and the Fisk Pole.

Jessica took us to the elite cushioned seats in the upper levels that are only reserved to veteran patrons who have payed hundreds of thousands (and even millions) to see Fenway games each year. We also explored the seats above the "Green Monster" (the green wall which also holds the scoreboard) that are prized for their prime location to catch stray baseballs. There is also a single red seat in the midst of all the green seats in the outfield which marks the longest measurable home run hit in Fenway Park.

I'm not going to reveal all the interesting bits the tour guide revealed (such as a fire, an urban legend about the previous owners, and an interesting bar atop the stadium). You just have to visit the park yourself ;)

After our tour, most of us stayed around to have dinner at the Game On! sports bar. For many of those who stayed, this was our first experience in a real sports bar. The inside was extremely nice, with leather sofas, countless plasma TVs, a shrine of shiny drinks, and friendly waitresses. Because he was overage, Scott ordered a nice Harpoon drink, while the rest of us ordered water and sodas, which nicely complemented our sandwiches, fries, hot dogs, etc. The food was great and the price not too overwhelming, though we did end up tipping close to 30% due to the large size of our group. The selection of music was excellent, and as the night progressed, the bar was gradually crowded with a rowdy group of tourists wearing Red Socks 08 shirts.

Before the atmosphere became too crazy and before the 21-limit kicked in, we finished our dinner and headed out back towards the T, with bloated bellies and a headful of new knowledge about the historical Fenway Park.

BBB: The Beauty and the Brains in Biolabs

So far I've written extensively about PRISE events and not about what occupies 75% of my time during my summer here in Cambridge - my research.

I'll start by introducing you to the Harvard BioLabs, the place where I work and where many renowned scientists work and have worked. Compared to the newer research buildings in the vicinity, such as Fairchild, Bower/Naito, Mallinckrodt, and the brand new Northwest Building, BioLabs has probably the longest history.


Situated in the Cabot Science Complex just outside Harvard Yard (and ~15 minute walk from the Leverett Towers), the BioLabs is the home to the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and some of the Organismic and Evolutionary Biology research.

The place derives its magnificence not from its architecture and layout (which is somewhat mundane - its main entrance is not even visible to the street outside), but from great research that continuously churns in its inner bowels. For instance, it boasts the room in which James Watson made his contribution to the historic discovery of DNA's double-helix structure. The concentrated intellectual atmosphere here is both stimulating and intimidating. It's hard still for me to grasp that beyond the doors I walk by each day and in the rooms in which I perform my experiments, world-changing science is taking place 24/7. Research here ranges from developmental biology (the field in which I work), to immunology, to stem cell research, to pheromones, to neuroscience, and all the way to evolutionary analysis. The faculty in BioLabs (and in other research buildings as well) is certainly a gathering of the world's leaders in research.


Though I've deemed BioLab's physicality "mundane," it does have some unique, interesting features. Basically an U-shaped building with five stories and two levels in the basement, the BioLabs is adorned with zoological themes. Along the top rim of the building runs a series of animal carvings with their respective animal names. There are a cluster elephants, a bear, a lion, a deer, a turtle, and many other animals (with more descriptive names, of course). Also, two rhino statues (the BioLabs' mascots) guard the main entrance of the building. I've been told that they are both female and that each has a name, but I'm still trying to find out what their names are.

The building surrounds a big courtyard, in which the centerpiece is a sandy stretch of beach volleyball court.

Every afternoon some hard-working researchers relax by means of a friendly game of volleyball. There is actually a volleyball tournament taking place among the labs in the area, in which lab teams play against each other, so there is a game taking place almost every afternoon.


On Friday, June 27th, the Biolabs hosted its annual picnic in the courtyard, with barbecue, hot dogs, salads, and loads of food and drinks. Some faculty and researchers brought their kids to the picnic, and there was a kids area with many games, such as a potato sack race and a water balloon fight. As usual, the weather was not on our side , and near the last third of the picnic, a monsoon-like storm cut the picnic short. It was a great event though, because it brought together all the scientists in the huge building and revealed to me how close and tight-knit the scientific community is here at Harvard.


This is it about my work location. As to the kind of research I'm doing, I'll leave it to a future post :)

Thursday, June 26th: First Seminar: Fellowships and Proposal Writing for Research Funding

In a foreword at the O'Shea lecture, Greg hinted (or rather, explicitly said) that after reviewing some of our PRISE applications, he thought that a seminar on writing research proposals, given by "yours truly," would do us much good. Yikes! I wonder how bad our application essays actually were, or if he was just exaggerating to attract our interest in the seminar.

Regardless of the answer, Thursday's seminar on proposal writing was a helpful and useful first installment of the seminar series that are planned to help us succeed in our future scientific and research related endeavors. During the seminar, we analyzed a range of samples of proposals from previous students, from the bad and ugly to the effective and exemplary. Greg emphasized in his talk the importance of conveying explicitly - practically - what we plan to do in our proposed projects. It's not enough to just ramble about the theory and background part of the research; we must show how we are going to conduct the research and its larger importance to science and understanding as a whole.

The seminar was a nice instructive lesson amidst all the PRISE social activities and lectures in which prominent scientists display their own research. I guess the seminar series is PRISE's effort of giving us practical advice to encourage our scientific maturation. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Tuesday, June 24th: Distinguished Speaker Series: Erin O'Shea

Photo from the National Academy of Sciences InterViews

Professor Erin O'Shea is indescribably amazing. Just to give you an idea of how valuable she is to our research community, Harvard had to snatch her from the University of California - San Francisco. Every introduction of her I've heard so far mentions the fact that she obtained her Chemistry PhD from MIT in only two years, which is almost unimaginable.

Her talk to PRISE fellows gave us a whirlwind tour of her recent work on the circadian oscillator - the biochemical clock - in cyanobacteria. In a nutshell, based on the newly discovered Kai family of proteins, she uncovered a new paradigm by which organisms such as cyanobacteria keep time and tailor their metabolism according to environmental changes (such as light and darkness). This new paradigm challenges the long-established transcription translation oscillator (TTO) model and suggests that the internal molecular clock involves post-translational pathways. For more detailed information about her work, check out her lab page at http://golgi.harvard.edu/O'Shea/.

I do have to admit though, that I was pretty tired from the day's lab chores, and my eyelids felt helplessly heavy. However, the moment Prof. O'Shea embarked on explaining her quest of discovery, I was galvanized into alertness and could not help being fully engrossed in her talk. She is a very clear, controlled speaker, and one of her best qualities I think is her ability to convey complex science in simple, meaningful, and concise terms to the general audience. Passionate about her research, she definitely knows how to make others excited about her projects as well!

Check out pictures of the event at the PRISE 2008 photoblog by Stephanie Lo (one of our program assistants): prise2008.blogspot.com

Monday, June 23rd: The Activities Proposal Meeting

During the proposal meeting we really got to know Greg - and his multifarious anecdotes, of course. Word goes around the dinner tables that after each conversation with Greg you also take home one of his stories. A stern devil's advocate at times and a full-hearted jokester other times, he embodies both the the noble mission and the fun in PRISE (not to suck up to him or anything :P).

As each presenter proudly proposed his or her visions for student-initiated activities, Greg, comfortably situated in a desk in front of the room, acted as the supreme judge, and the other fellows surrounding him the jury. Instead of a gavel, he had two stamps - an excellent stamp and a great (?) stamp, with which he imprinted his seal of approval, endorsement, or careful consideration. I tried to decipher the correlation between the stamps and his opinion about the proposals, but to my own confusion and eventual dismay, found none. The stamping was rather haphazard. Weird.

Though the meeting lasted an eternity of two and a half hours, it was fun to hear about all the creative social and science activity people had concocted. Thankfully, no one made a Powerpoint presentation, or dressed up (yes, we PRISE nerds do know when not to go overboard), and everyone was respectful to the presenters, some of whom worked very hard to plan the proposals aimed to enrich the social lives of their fellow PRISE cohorts.

Three days later, Greg divulged his list of approved and PRISE-funded activities via mass email. The authors of the approved activities will meet with Greg next Monday to finalize the schedule. The following were Greg-sanctioned:

Science activities

Liquid nitrogen ice cream bash
Flavor-tripping
Science movie nights
PRISE Abstract book
New England Aquarium trip
Walking with the Dinosaurs
White Mountain day hike
Murder mystery cruise

Social activities

Boston art gallery photo exhibition (the organizer with which was the old man who was dancing w/ his wife in front of me at the Baobob concert - read previous post about the concert)
PRISE and other Harvard programs party
PRISE talent show
PRISE chamber music
Small-group cultural food tours
PRISE Ball
Berry picking outing
Tanglewood trip
PRISE Box o' fun
Water balloon fight
Six Flags trip

Don't ask me why the "Murder mystery cruise" was categorized under science activities - maybe it fosters an inquisitive mind and builds a connection between a murder investigation and a science research investigation?

Only Greg knows.

A PRISE Birthday!

Have I mentioned that PRISE fellows are simply the most awesome bunch of people I've ever met?!

By a strike of good fortune my birthday fell on a Sunday, a week after the start of the program. Though I was away from home and couldn't celebrate the day with my family, my PRISE buddies went out of their way to make by birthday a special, unforgettable occasion.

To start off the wonderful day, a group of us trekked to China Pearl Restaurant in Boston's Chinatown late morning to have its renowned dim sum.

Though the reservation I made the previous night was not observed by the restaurant workers, we were fairly quickly seated in the crowded, Cantonese-filled restaurant. The chatty and tumultuous atmosphere transported me back to China, where meals are one of the most interactive and vivacious activities of the day. We unabashedly ordered a broad variety of dishes, especially for those among us who were having dim sum for the first time in their lives. Every one seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, if not specifically the food, which made me even happier. I was planning to play for the bill at the end (which at ~$80 was relatively cheap for a group of nine), but the obstinate others refused to give me this honor, and even disallowed me to pay for my own share! Image how bad and freeloader-ish I felt! I deeply appreciate their gesture and thank them for being such phenomenal friends.


After dim sum, which lasted a good hour or more, some split off to take care of lab work and chores, while four of us remained to ride the T back to campus. Once we arrived, we headed to the newly opened JP Licks ice cream store (to which President Faust was recently seen to frequent). While we ate our not-so-cheap but fairly big scoops of ice cream, we lounged outside the store and talked about almost everything ranging from work to relationships :)

After another hour of interesting conversations, I headed back to Lev G, as it was starting to rain. Exhausted from happiness, I took a nap, and woke up an hour later to behold a liquid blue sky outside striated by dashes of afternoon sunlight. I then checked my email, and was pleasantly surprised by seeing Happy Birthday wishes splashed over the prise-list, though I also felt guilty for those who had to deal with the extra spam.

Later that evening a sizable group of us (15 or so) invaded Bertucci's and took over half of the restaurant, literally. Unbeknownst to me, there was a secret plot filtering around, which was to buy me a cake and have a group birthday sing-along, with waiters included! I couldn't contain my smile when that happened - my friends' thoughtfulness certainly moved me, and I definitely wanted to embrace all of them at once!

Thanks everyone for that special day! Wow...you guys make my life worth living!

Saturday, June 21: The Baobob Dakar Concert

Unlike the cavernous Symphony Hall in which Boston Pops regularly performs, the Somerville Theater is a cozier and more intimate performance venue, although by no means less striking. Its architecture and design harks back to the Renaissance period, as emphasized by the scene of an angel's music-making displayed as a painting on the ceiling. The unusual array of colors though, uncannily reminded me of Native-American art, especially the turquoise, red, and pale yellow borders that laced the walls and the ceiling.


The performance itself was even more culturally unique. The band, which calls itself the Orchestra Baobob, consists of all Senegalese males (most over the age of 40 or 50) whose music is a lively mix of African drums, electric guitars, saxophones, and other percussion instruments such as tambourines. The kernel, the gravitational center of the music, however, lay in the dynamic vocals that brimmed with an African style of singing, which sometimes sounded like a conversation and other times like a shout-out to the audience.


The energy and jollity of the performers quickly diffused through the room, and in a short time, after some prodding by the lead saxophonist, most people in the audience (including me) stood up, approached the stage, and started dancing to their music. It would have been nice to know what they were singing (apparently most - or all - of it was in French), but the melodies and beats themselves kept us dancing nonstop. The entire concert was sweatily fun! I particularly remember an old couple dancing carefreely in front of me. I could see in their expression, movements, and gestures how much they loved each other, and how much they savored life. They certainly made old age seem more endearing to me.


Anyway, one strange practice during the concert was the act of throwing money bills to the performers. At first, I feared that they would be offended (I certainly would: What am I? A street performer?), but later we found out (from the old couple actually) that it is commonplace in African performances like this for people to express their appreciation towards the music by giving money to the singers and performers, usually by pressing money bills on their sweat-studded skins and letting the money stick to the performers. Because in our case the performers were on the stage and therefore less accessible, money was handed (or less reverently, chucked) to them.

Regardless of how they received such laudatory tips, the singers and instrumentalists seemed pretty satisfied - the sum would definitely afford them many celebratory drinks after their successful concert.

Activities Recap (cont'd)

First PRISE subsidized concert: The Boston Pops EdgeFest with Amanda Palmer from the Desden Dolls

The Pops concert was our first lotteried weekend event, so understandably many people signed up. Unfortunately, my name did not appear on the to-go list, but fortunately, a few lottery winners decided not to go in the last minute and spared some tickets to the eager wait-listed bunch, including me.

I'm so glad I did go, because the concert was fantastic and eye-opening (in more ways than one), not to mention the majestic Symphony Hall itself.

It was raining slightly by the time we started our T-trek into Boston, but it was hardly noticed because we were all deeply engaged in conversations among ourselves on our way there.

Upon arriving to Symphony Hall we were directed to the upper balcony, and the panoramic view from there was breathtaking. I have never been in a concert hall as nice as this (in my opinion, it's much prettier and more elegant that the concert hall at Kennedy Center in D.C.)!

The detail of the architecture was simply awe-inspiring. Modeled after the second Genwandhaus concert hall in Leipzig, the Symphony Hall is adorned with many Greek and Roman statues along the upper side walls. Shining in marble-white, they preside over the concerts and add stateliness to the environment. I thought I could make out Sophocles, Demosthenes, and Aeschines among them. The orchestra was framed by an elaborate proscenium arch, and the three huge chandeliers just made the scene just picture-perfect.

The first third of the concert was a selection of excerpts from The Planets, by Holst, a crowd favorite. Pops played Mars, Venus, Uranus, and Jupiter, complemented by footage and images of the planets projected on a gigantic screen.

This format made me miss Harvard Pops so much - we had so much fun making our own movies and writing our own plots for the concerts last year! Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity, is by far my favorite of all. I feel an aching desire to get up and dance every time I listen to it.


After Holst and a brief intermission, punk phenom Amanda Palmer worked her way onto the stage from the audience. She had a very solid, resounding voice and a playful, naughty, and bodacious personality. Not all of the pieces she sang were upbeat though. I thought the most striking songs was the one describing the mental turmoil of the shooter at Virginia Tech before his killing rampage, with the uneasy, eerie melody and dissonant chords intercalated by a recitation of the names of the victims and their injuries. The song ended with Amanda vocalizing the tic-tic-tic-tic-tic of a clock before the outbreak of violence.


After many more playful pieces, the entire concert ended in a bold, defiant note, with a song whose refrain was, "Sing, you mother*&%&$#^&, sing!" A few eyebrows were raised and some giggles were coaxed from among us. Figures.

Anyway, I think this is a good place to finish this post.

Catching Up: updates from the past two weeks

Tuesday and Thursday, June 17 and 19: PRISE social and science activities group meeting

Interesting evenings...to say the least. At last the ingenious craziness and wackiness of PRISE fellows are revealed in their unabashed splendor! During the social activities meeting, Greg prepped us with some information about proposing our own activities (funding limitations, safety, and other bureaucratic necessities). After the schpeel from the director, we were left alone (with our program assistants, of course) in a room conveniently called G-spot to brainstorm about activities that give our own spin on the PRISE social experience. Some interesting suggestions for social activities were a Six Flags trip, a visit to Tanglewood, a mystery cruise, a trip to see a Coldplay concert, cultural restaurant explorations (my brainchild :)), a talent show, a water balloon fight, and breaking the world record of the most hugs (1,000) by a person in one hour.

Due to our helplessly science-inclined nature however, I'd say it was during the science activities meeting that we showed our true colors. Swimming around in the room were suggestions for "flavor tripping" (with the miracle fruit that makes your taste buds go wacko), an egg-dropping contest, a liquid nitrogen ice cream bash, and a Tetris game simulation on Leverett Tower windows (check attempt by students from Brown University). But I must say, the most alluring suggestion of all was setting up the world's largest thermite reaction! This goal is infinitely superior than last year's goal of making the world's largest science volcano. Please, if we're to become immortalized into the Guinness World Records, we might as well do it with a blast!

Updates will follow, that is, if we're not blown to pieces first :)

A PRISE Bonanza
PRISE has definitely kept us enjoyably busy! These past few days we have attended two concerts, finalized the list of the student-initiated social and science activities, attended a lecture by Prof. Erin O'Shea, and learned about fellowships and proposal writing during a seminar given by our own and only Greg Llacer. And this is only an initiation into the whirlwind of activities that PRISE has scheduled for us. Imagine including all the student suggested activities on top of these! No more will we wander aimlessly during the weekends wondering how in the world we're going to spend so much free time that seems almost nonexistent during the academic year. Instead, we'll have a hard time deciding how to best spend our free evenings and weekends with all the PRISE activities.

Anyway, this long blogging vacuum demands urgent updates. But before I delve into the great PRISE experiences I've had so far, I just wanted to kowtow to the PRISE organizers for giving me - actually all of us - such great (and spacious) singles to ensconce in during the summer. I have an amazing view of the courtyard of the Leverett Towers, and can glimpse glistening patches of the Charles River beyond the trees lining Memorial Drive. It's heavenly to wake up and see the refreshing morning sky right through the gargantuan window, which occupies almost the entire west side of my bedroom wall!

Besides the generous living arrangements, food at Dudley House has also been satisfying, though hot breakfasts would add to the gastronomic bliss. Speaking of food (and Dudley House), the opening dinner Monday (June 16th) night revealed how much faculty support PRISE enjoys, and more immediately relevant for some us, how pampered we are going to be in the coming weeks. The dinner was superbly catered, with a variety of breads to start with, followed by salad, then by a carefully seasoned chicken as an entree, and finally capped off by a dreamy chocolate/coffee cake of sorts that melted in our mouths.

During the dinner, we were graced with the presence of prominent Harvard faculty members, such as Howard Georgi and Ann Georgi, the Leverett Housemasters, Dean Evelynn Hammonds, and Professor Robert Leu.

Needless to say, we walked out of Dudley that day with high expectations of our upcoming PRISE experience!

About PRISE

The Harvard College Program for Research in Science and Engineering was recently established upon the recommendation of the 2005 Harvard University Task Force on Women in Science and Engineering to provide Harvard undergraduates a 10-week on-campus stay in a diverse and dynamic research community as they conduct research at Harvard and in the surrounding institutions around Boston. The program, replete with distinguished lecture series, social activities, and student-initiated programming, emphasizes student-student interaction as much as productive scientific explorations.

This year, Harvard PRISE consists of 118 students (rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors) selected through a rigorous application process. A few PRISE participants from years past are also back as proctors and program assistants. With its packed schedule and amazing people, PRISE 2008 promises to be tons of fun!

Below is the preliminary schedule for PRISE events during the ten amazing weeks:

PRISE 2008 Preliminary Calendar

Thursday, June 12: Proctor and Program Assistant move-in

Friday, June 13: Fellows check-in, 1-5pm (Storage retrieval 3-5pm)

Saturday, June 14: Fellows check-in, 10-5pm (Storage retrieval (3-5pm)

Sunday, June 15: Fellows check-in, 10-5pm (Storage retrieval 3-5pm)

Monday, June 16: Inaugural dinner, Dudley House 6:30pm (Distinguished Speaker Series: Dean Evelynn Hammonds)

Tuesday, June 17: Meeting of PRISE social activities group, 8:00pm, G-spot

Wednesday, June 18: Orientation and dinner for PRISE fellows in Longwood, 3:00pm

Thursday, June 19: Meeting of PRISE science activities group, 8:00pm, G-spot

Friday, June 20: Boston Pops on the Edge with Dresden Dolls, 8:00pm, Boston Symphony Hall

Saturday, June 21: Baobob Dakar Concert, 8:00pm, Somerville Theatre

Monday, June 23: Activities proposals meeting, 8:00pm, G-spot

Tuesday, June 24: Distinguished Speaker Series: Professor Erin O'Shea, 7:30pm, Sever Hall 113

Thursday, June 26: Seminar Series, Fellowships and Proposal Writing for Research Funding, 7:30pm, Dudley House

Saturday, June 28: Fenway Park Tour, 5:00pm

Monday, June 30: Activities proposals final scheduling, 7:30pm, Dudley House

Wednesday, July 2: Distinguished Speaker Series: Professor Jenny Hoffman, 7:30pm, Sever Hall 113

Friday, July 4: Holiday

Monday, July 7: Seminar Series: Managing Expectations in the Lab, Craig Rodgers, BSC, 7:30pm, Dudley House

Wednesday, July 9: All-campus Science Social and BBQ, 4:00pm, Queens Head Pub
Thursday, July 10: Distinguished Speaker Series: Professor Richard Losick, 7:30pm, Sever Hall 113
Sunday, July 13: Whale watcing trip, 1:30pm, New England Aquarium

Monday, July 14: Seminar Series: Presenting Research and Public Speaking, Rebekah Maggor, Bok Center, 7:30pm, Dudley House

Thursday, July 17: Distinguished Speaker Series: Dean Stephen Kosslyn, 7:30pm, Sever Hall 113

Wednesday, July 23: Seminar Series: Careers off the bench, 7:30pm, Dudley House

Thursday, July 24: Distinguished Speaker Series: Professor Thomas Michel, 7:30pm, Sever Hall 113

Monday, July 28: Presentation practicum, 7:30, Dudley House

Thursday, July 31: Distinguished Speaker Series: Professor Noam Elkies, 7:30pm, Location TBA

Monday, August 4: Seminar Series: PRISE Fellow alum talk about getting into graduate school, 7:30pm Dudley House

Thursday, August 7: Distinguished Speaker Series: Professor Sarah Stewart-Mukhopadhyay, 7:30pm, Sever Hall 113

Monday, August 11: Presentation Preview, 3:00-5:00pm, Science Center

Thursday, August 14: Distinguished Speaker Series: Professor Margo Seltzer, 7:30pm, Location TBA

Monday, August 18: Presentations, 3:00-5:00pm

Tuesday, August 19: Presentations, 3:00-5:00pm

Wednesday, August 20: Presentations, 3:00-5:00pm

Thursday, August 21: Closing Dinner, 6:30pm, Museum of Science

Friday, August 22: Check-out, 10:00am-5:00pm

Saturday, August 23: Check-out, 10:00am-5:00pm