Nothing super awesome in my current position. Previously I'd been working on the isolation and culture of human intestinal crypt (stem) cells. Primarily dealing with portions of the Wnt pathway and others responsible for maintaining cell viability and pluripotent status within its microniche, and then after that triggering proliferation. We had to replicate the (not entirely mapped out) basement membrane (collagen type, etc) and the gradient of various signalling molecules responsible for proliferation and subsequent differentiation of cells as they migrated up the crypt walls toward the intestinal epithelium.
That was all with the intention of providing readily available cells for then differentiating them into specific cell types for transplant. One of several tissue types the group was working on towards the same end.
That was a few years ago. Currently I'm working on characterizing CYP450 enzyme acitivity levels in human and animal hepatocytes, mapping out polymorphisms corresponding to any major variations in activity, and a whole slew of process improvements in isolating and cryopreserving those cell lines. Everything from the surgical isolation through the freeze and the biochemical characterization assays we release to clients in pharma.
Much less interesting (and more process improvement than pure R&D) at the moment than some previous projects at different employers. Not creating an army of cloned supermodels or unleashing IL4 encoding variola to rule the world yet. Yet. *patiently waiting for Echelon to pick up the IL4 comment... joking...*
I am an aquatic ecologist.What's the difference between that and a marine biologist? I know about 4-5 of them, including my brother...
I work in freshwater systems. Ecologists also tend to work on the factors that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms...this could relate to anything, such as parasites, spread of a disease, or why a jaguar inhabits a particular section of jungle but not the foothills of the so and so mountain. Biology is a broader term, ecology is essentially a branch of biology.
Fish ecologists are marine biologists that know how to use R and ecopath. :)
No love for SAS? :)
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Fish ecologists are marine biologists that know how to use R and ecopath. :)No love for SAS? :)
Never really heard of it, but I'm a law student not a fish squeezer. I've just worked as a field monkey for a few years.
Back to the question:
In D&D terms, a biologists might focus on learning more about monsters (like - Classic Monsters Revisited). An ecologist focuses on understanding when, why and how many of those monsters appear on the random encounter table. Or why they disappear from that encounter table :)
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Wayfinder, PaizoCon Founder
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I am an aquatic ecologist.
I'm an aquatic ecologist, too. My focus is on freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates, specifically sampling them to see if the river or stream is healthy (biomonitoring). Right now, I'm doing that for a stream restoration project. I also do quite a bit of scientific support for fisheries and instream flow studies in our company....lots of Pacific salmon work.
Oh, and SAS is waaaay too expensive. Only universities can pay that kind of annual fee! I really like NCSS, but I'm using the statistics in SigmaPlot 11 right now (basically they folded Systat into SigmaPlot).
I am an aquatic ecologist.I'm an aquatic ecologist, too. My focus is on freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates, specifically sampling them to see if the river or stream is healthy (biomonitoring). Right now, I'm doing that for a stream restoration project. I also do quite a bit of scientific support for fisheries and instream flow studies in our company....lots of Pacific salmon work.
Oh, and SAS is waaaay too expensive. Only universities can pay that kind of annual fee! I really like NCSS, but I'm using the statistics in SigmaPlot 11 right now (basically they folded Systat into SigmaPlot).
Yep, you can actually buy a student version of SAS. I bought it for biostats awhile back - it is only $60/year that way.
Benthic macroinverts, eh? My focus is malacology, I do mainly endangered species work although I have published biological indicator guidebooks and do a lot of aquatic art and photography. I work in the midwest and east. Very cool to meet a fellow aquatic enthusiast!
Bump
This sort of work is fascinating to hear about people. Are there any papers you've worked on in the past that you'd be willing to link to? Not outside mainstream reports on the papers but the papers themselves? These would be great to see. Current work would have to wait of course until publication but past work in the same field could prove equally interesting.
One question bears repeating: What do you count as science?
I´m currently working on my master thesis, hoping to get my M.A. in the next few weeks. (The topic of the thesis being architecture of the 1920ies in my hometown - quite specific)
Stefan
One question bears repeating: What do you count as science?
Let me start the discussion by saying I think science is a method, and not a thing. You can't point to something and say that is science. But you can examine the methodology, the way observations are made, and the results to conclude some science has been done. It is process oriented.
Also, doing science creates a 'scientific mindset'. One begins to view the world as a collection of processes each having inputs and outputs.
I often think of the quote (by the guy whose name I don't remember) who said there are two general categories of doing science:
1) To explain what we observe as the interaction of more basic objects.
2) To find the rules by which the system operates, so we can predict future states of the system.
Come on then - if you're going to quote, then say whom you are quoting and what you feel is the justification behind it :)
I think that it is fair to say that most science research starts with a qualitative description that looks compelling and then goes into the qunatitative detail to back up and prove the theory.
Oh, and papers. Here's an early one of mine:
http://arXiv.org/abs/hep-ph/0603095
Cognitive Neuroscience/Psychology (w/linguistics) - I study language disorders primarily, but also "normal" language processing - with a focus on the moment by moment details of how the brain manages to produce and comprehend language so quickly.
Two most rercent papers on chemical bonding :
http://link.aip.org/link/?JCPSA6/130/104102/1
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jp903963h
unfortunately I guess that to see anything beyond the abstract, one must have paid access to the respective journals (probably from a university account). So much for freedom of information :(
Cognitive Neuroscience/Psychology (w/linguistics) - I study language disorders primarily, but also "normal" language processing - with a focus on the moment by moment details of how the brain manages to produce and comprehend language so quickly.
Would this also fall under trying to understand why individuals use certain words when communicating with others and trying to build a psychological profile based on that? I've been told time and time again that sometimes I have a knack for choosing certain words that don't fit well into a regular conversation because they're not in common circulation in them. My response is that they're simply ill-read and unexposed to all the words we have out there in our ever expanding language. But that's my take on it.
Interesting stuff here.
best place to find almost any course you want:
Academic EarthEDIT:Physics
That is freaking cool!
Seriously, thanks!!!
Are you folks doing anything really cool you'd like to share?
I tested out the Coldinator this last week, and it was way, way more successful than I had dreamed!
Cognitive Neuroscience/Psychology (w/linguistics) - I study language disorders primarily, but also "normal" language processing - with a focus on the moment by moment details of how the brain manages to produce and comprehend language so quickly.Would this also fall under trying to understand why individuals use certain words when communicating with others and trying to build a psychological profile based on that? I've been told time and time again that sometimes I have a knack for choosing certain words that don't fit well into a regular conversation because they're not in common circulation in them. My response is that they're simply ill-read and unexposed to all the words we have out there in our ever expanding language. But that's my take on it.
No, I don't do that much - that falls under the rubric of sociolinguistics, I think. And your take may be right for your example - or at least, it doesn't sound implausible to me.
I'm more into the nuts and bolts of how the brain takes an acoustic signal and turns it into a meaning (or vice versa when producing language).
I'm more into the nuts and bolts of how the brain takes an acoustic signal and turns it into a meaning (or vice versa when producing language).
Like with certain African languages where all it sounds like is a bunch of clicking noies coming out of their mouths ... but it actually translates to something meaningful?
I'm more into the nuts and bolts of how the brain takes an acoustic signal and turns it into a meaning (or vice versa when producing language).Like with certain African languages where all it sounds like is a bunch of clicking noies coming out of their mouths ... but it actually translates to something meaningful?
Basically exactly like that - but also for English and more familiar languages - all spoken language is just a bunch of noise when you get right down to it. I tend to focus at a more abstract level - once you've taken the noise and recognized the words, how do you assemble the words as intended to understand who did what to whom - in other words, the grammar of the sentence.
Basically exactly like that - but also for English and more familiar languages - all spoken language is just a bunch of noise when you get right down to it. I tend to focus at a more abstract level - once you've taken the noise and recognized the words, how do you assemble the words as intended to understand who did what to whom - in other words, the grammar of the sentence.
Well, for me I have been hearing impaired pretty much since birth. I hear probably 40% of what the average individual does. When I am in a position where I am unable to lip read, I have to make educated guesses based on what I think the person might have said based on selected words that stand out when spoken in sentences. You know how you come across the situation where someone starts a sentence, you can pick up the rest of it and complete it for them? I do that quite a bit, but sometimes I do make mistakes due to words that sound similar, words I've never heard of, or not fully concentrating what is being said. It has caused some humorous (and not so humorous) scenarios when the person I replied to looks at me and goes 'WTF are you talking about?'
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best place to find almost any course you want:
Academic EarthEDIT:Physics
That is freaking cool!
Seriously, thanks!!!
You are very seriously welcome. Also please note that some of the courses actually allow you to get online credit. and the universities all have links to thier sites some of which have free downloadable course materials.
You are very seriously welcome. Also please note that some of the courses actually allow you to get online credit. and the universities all have links to thier sites some of which have free downloadable course materials.best place to find almost any course you want:
Academic EarthEDIT:Physics
That is freaking cool!
Seriously, thanks!!!
Thanks again, CJ!!! (Yes, you did e-mail me that link, but I appreciate having it again.)
Basically exactly like that - but also for English and more familiar languages - all spoken language is just a bunch of noise when you get right down to it. I tend to focus at a more abstract level - once you've taken the noise and recognized the words, how do you assemble the words as intended to understand who did what to whom - in other words, the grammar of the sentence.Well, for me I have been hearing impaired pretty much since birth. I hear probably 40% of what the average individual does. When I am in a position where I am unable to lip read, I have to make educated guesses based on what I think the person might have said based on selected words that stand out when spoken in sentences. You know how you come across the situation where someone starts a sentence, you can pick up the rest of it and complete it for them? I do that quite a bit, but sometimes I do make mistakes due to words that sound similar, words I've never heard of, or not fully concentrating what is being said. It has caused some humorous (and not so humorous) scenarios when the person I replied to looks at me and goes 'WTF are you talking about?'
Interesting. There are a number of sentence structures that are prone to that sort of unpredictability - garden path sentences for one. The classic example is: "The horse raced past the barn fell" - which even after you understand why it's a perfectly good sentence, it's still hard to follow.
Have you ever tried to learn a sign language? Just curious - they are fascinating languages in their own right, and also pose a number of interesting questions for the kinds of stuff I do.
(think of it as an abbreviated form of "the horse that was raced by the jockey past the barn fell down, and compare it to the much easier: "The fish caught in the river was delicious", which has the same grammatical structure)
Something amusing for all the scientists here
~sad laughter~ Good one.
I love xkcd, and smbc too!
Something amusing for all the scientists here
The problem with this comic, and I love xkcd, is that it implies science is a *thing*, and that it can ask things, and give opinions. No, science is not an independent entity, it is a process.
I'm a computer scientist working on peer sampling in peer-to-peer systems. The goal is to design algorithms that allow developers to improve the post-deployment understanding of their systems by low-cost sampling of appropriate state: route tables, logs, auto-tuned parameters, etc. Or, in simple terms, I'm trying to help others to make your illegal downloads faster and easier to find without a centralized tracker. :-)
I do very little development myself, as the research largely focuses on using the properties of various mathematics to design more efficient and capable algorithms, and then proving that they work. For example, we've recently tackled the problem of distributed spectral estimation (i.e. eigendecomposition) of the top components of a P2P network's associated matrices. It's all quite fun, but is rather far from the more practical stuff I used to do.
I'm an ecologist (plant ecologist?) working on the ecosystem services provided by natural forests, both assessing the current services and predicting changes in ecosystem service provision under future climates. Involves playing with models a bit. Well, okay, a lot.
bump
I am involved in a project concerning selective breeding.
I select everything!
I'm working on my PhD in sociology. Is that scientific enough, or are we just looking at physical sciences? I have done some research on gamer identity, never went as far as I'd hoped.
Elaborate. Curious minds and cats.
Well, here in our epitaxial factory; we have come up with a new way to make solar cells; so are outfitting a new factory; aught to be a lot of fun and put us on the map for solar cells. Is nice; reclaims a factory we had to shut down and not only produce more revenue but put some more people to work on the cutting edge face of science becoming buyable technology.
I´m currently working on my master thesis, hoping to get my M.A. in the next few weeks. (The topic of the thesis being architecture of the 1920ies in my hometown - quite specific)Stefan
Had the final review of my thesis today and got the equivalent to a Grade A for it. I didn´t count on that, rather expecting a B. I´m quite happy now. Only a few formalities and I´m done with it.
Stefan
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@ Urizen
I was working on a project to find out wha the term gamer meant to people who considered themselves gamers, and what they thought made them gamers. It was a microperspective exploration at group formation processes and in/out group identification. Who is a gamer and who is not a gamer and why they are (or aren't). It would have been my master's thesis, but it turned out that my advisor was a douchebag.
I´m currently working on my master thesis, hoping to get my M.A. in the next few weeks. (The topic of the thesis being architecture of the 1920ies in my hometown - quite specific)Stefan
Had the final review of my thesis today and got the equivalent to a Grade A for it. I didn´t count on that, rather expecting a B. I´m quite happy now. Only a few formalities and I´m done with it.
Stefan
Congrats!!
i am a nuclear,bio,chem,and rad guy in the army (74D) if that counts right now i,m doing stuff in places i cant talk about, but you may have seen it on the news
I´m currently working on my master thesis, hoping to get my M.A. in the next few weeks. (The topic of the thesis being architecture of the 1920ies in my hometown - quite specific)Stefan
Had the final review of my thesis today and got the equivalent to a Grade A for it. I didn´t count on that, rather expecting a B. I´m quite happy now. Only a few formalities and I´m done with it.
Stefan
Way to go!
@ Urizen
I was working on a project to find out wha the term gamer meant to people who considered themselves gamers, and what they thought made them gamers. It was a microperspective exploration at group formation processes and in/out group identification. Who is a gamer and who is not a gamer and why they are (or aren't). It would have been my master's thesis, but it turned out that my advisor was a douchebag.
Sorry to hear that. I thought it would have been an interesting introspective on the term. Then again, I may be biased. ;)
I´m currently working on my master thesis, hoping to get my M.A. in the next few weeks. (The topic of the thesis being architecture of the 1920ies in my hometown - quite specific)Stefan
Had the final review of my thesis today and got the equivalent to a Grade A for it. I didn´t count on that, rather expecting a B. I´m quite happy now. Only a few formalities and I´m done with it.
Stefan
Congrats! I envy you your doneness.