Jan 29th, Feb 5th, Feb 12th, 2019 @ CUMC (Organizers: Micaela Cunha & Sandra Franco Iborra, Outreach & Communications Committee)
We kicked-off 2019 with a series of Science Communication Seminars focused on presentation skills for postdocs.
How to Prepare a Strong Scientific Presentation (Tatiana Schnieder)
Effectively communicating science is a must-have in today’s hypercompetitive research world, whether in our labs & department seminars, at conferences, or when pitching to potential sponsors. It can also be super useful if you want to get into teaching – or even when you’re trying to explain your work to your in-laws or your grandmother…
The Science of Slide Design (Eugene Douglass Jr)
That’s part of why we created the Outreach and Communications Committee this Jan – to help postdocs develop their SciComm skills through seminars & workshops. We’re also trying to develop some outreach work where postdocs can engage in public speaking & share their work outside the good old ivory tower.
Essential Elements for Effectively Delivering Your Presentation (Kyle Marian Viterbo)
Speakers Info:
How to Prepare a Strong Scientific Presentation, January 29th Tatiana Schnieder – Assist. Prof. of Clinical Neurobiology, Columbia University
The Science of Slide Design, February 5th Eugene Douglass Jr. – Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Systems Biology, Columbia University.
Essential Elements for Effectively Delivering Your Presentation, February 12th Kyle Marian Viterbo – Science Communicator, The Symposium: Academic StandUp
To kick off CUPS’ series on Science Stories, we are delighted to host Dhru Deb, Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Biomedical Engineering here at Columbia University. In addition to his role as a scientist, Dhru is also a visual artist with a passion for combining art & science. Below, you will discover’s Dhru’s first science cartoon inspired by his work as a cancer researcher. Dhru tells us here what inspired him this piece:
In a nutshell, what does your research focus on in the lab?
My goal is to engineer bacteria known to selectively reside inside tumors to secrete therapeutics and molecules that would attract our immune cells and kill the tumors.
What were your sources of inspiration for creating this Science Story?
My inspiration for this piece is three-fold:
A Graphic SciComm workshop delivered by Dr. Matteo Farinella and organized by CUPS added fuel to the fire as I have always been interested in exploring the connection between science & art and being supported by mentors such as Dr. Tal Danino at CU
The work of Julia Wertz (Illustrator for the New Yorker and Harper’s Bazaar) and Paula Scher (Graphic Designer at Pentagram)
My personal, absolute disdain for the dryness and overuse of infographics in the field of Scicomm
Do you already have experience with creating Science Stories, graphical in this case? What would be your advice for people just trying it out for the first time?
I have experience in making graphic novels, sequential art and creative writing. But, this is my first data comic. My advice for others – try to find metaphors that people outside scientific research would be familiar with and never be patronizing.
Dr. Micaela Cunha, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Space Research at Columbia University
Meet Our Postdocs: Micaela Cunha, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Space Research at Columbia University
Which department are you in at Columbia and what is your position?
I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Radiological Research in the Medical Center. I was awarded a fellowship by the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH).
Where are you from and how long have you been in NYC?
I am from Portugal, from a small town near Porto. I have been in NYC since December 2016.
Where did you go to school? Describe your path to your current position.
I did my bachelors degree in Biomedical Engineering and my masters in Radiation and Medical Imaging, both at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. After two years working on projects related to image-guided radiation therapy and dosimetry for space radiation, I pursued my Ph.D degree in Medical Physics at the University Claude Bernard Lyon, France. I worked on developing and validating a new biophysical model to plan tumor treatment by ion beam radiotherapy.
What research question are you trying to figure out right now?
How to protect astronauts from developing cancer later in life after exposure to the space radiation environment.
In a nutshell, what tools or approaches are you using to try and figure this out?
The major limiting factor of long-term space travel is the risk of developing cancer later in life due to continued exposure to space radiation.
A possible way to reduce such risk is to use radioprotectors that work at a biological level. Several chemical compounds such as vitamins, antioxidants, or aspirin, have been shown to provide protection against carcinogenesis. The challenge lies in determining whether this protection would also happen for carcinogenesis induced by space radiation.
I analyze data of carcinogenesis induced by space radiation in combination with radioprotectors. Using mathematical models, the goal is to extract information about the biological mechanisms involved in space-radiation-induced carcinogenesis.
What is the best part of your job?
To know that my work might make a difference in preserving other people’s health, regardless of whether it’s astronauts or radiotherapy patients!
Tell us a bit about yourself or your projects that are not related to science.
I love fried chicken and watching Game of Thrones! Not necessarily at the same time though (laughs). Recently, I started running Spartan Races and really enjoyed the great atmosphere of camaraderie at these events. Moreover, each time you feel compelled to get out of your comfort zone and achieve more! You might be surprised at the things you can achieve when you are motivated and feel confident and encouraged! I try to apply this positive mindset to my daily life too and the result is amazing!
What is your favorite thing about NYC?
I don’t know about other places in the U.S., but what I love about NYC is that you have the chance to be yourself and discover your true self without being afraid of judgement. Coming to NYC gave me the opportunity of breaking free of a lot of preconceived ideas and explore who I really wanted to be.
When did you join CUPS and what is your current role, if any?
August 2018. I heard about it during the new postdoc orientation and started following it on social media. One day I finally decided to attend the General Meeting to check out what they had going on. The group was very welcoming and I felt my voice heard since the very beginning. I then attended all the committee meetings to get to know people in CUPS better. Currently, I am Co-President for the Medical Center, social media manager, and active member of the Outreach & Communications and the Networking & Community Building Committees.
What do you like the most about CUPS?
I love that CUPS is a really nice group of people that will enrich your experience in NYC at both a professional and personal level! It’s not just about building your communication or leadership skills, it’s about making meaningful connections with fellow postdocs! I started friendships within CUPS that I’m convinced will last for life! Highly recommend everyone to join!
Bridge to the Ph.D. Program aims to enhance the participation of students from underrepresented groups in STEM graduate programs. They are looking for volunteers that are willing to help scholars for their upcoming symposium, by providing feedback on their presentations. If you are interested in attending one or more of these sessions, please complete this survey. If you want more information contact Kwame Osei-Sarfo.
Volunteer at March for Science
When: May 4th
Where: Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza, New York.
Organizer of the March for Science are looking for volunteers for different activities related with the March, which will take place next May 4th.
Volunteers needed to engage in kid-friendly teach with interactive science booths and informational booths from all disciplines of STEM. The event will take place after the March ends at Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza. More info here. If you want to participate fill this out.
NYC PostDoc Coalition will have a table and anyone interested in volunteer can help at the table presenting what postdocs are, what our role in science is, how folks can help our work (support the NIH) and how younger folks can become scientists. For any interest, contact Jason Gardiner Dumelie.
Volunteer at Super Saturday STEM Expo
When: 18th May, 11am – 3pm
Where: Harlem Armory, 40 West 143rd Street
If you want to show how fun science can be, mentor young kids willing to know what is like to be a scientist and make science look as inclusive as possible volunteer for the Super Saturday STEM Expo taking place on May 18th. We are looking for people to perform hands-on activities for kids in the District of Harlem or just be there as scientists so kids can come and ask all their questions. If you are interested in participating, please contact Sandra Franco.
We’ll be doing a kite-flying activity, collecting microbes from the air! And also looking at microbes collected from kite-flying done the week before. You do not need to be a microbiology expert to help! We’re looking for volunteers to help set up, starting at 11am and then for the duration of the event. Please contact Beth Tuck from Genspace if you are available and interested. Click here for more information about the activity.
Volunteer at Family Science Night at MS 442 School of Innovation
When: Monday, May 20, 5:00-7:00pm
Where: 500 19th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215)
Volunteers will work with 6th-8th grade students and their parents on small scale, hands-on demos related to the volunteers’ work. The aims are to inspire curiosity and excitement about STEM topics and careers and to connect students and their parents with role models through in-person interactions. If you are interested, please contact Allan Powe.
Comedy training for Science Communication
Are you a minority in STEM? Are you interested in learning how to use comedy to better engage audiences? Or do you just want to become a stronger, more strategic public speaker? Apply to be part of a national cohort of supportive, intersectional science communicators with The Symposium’s free pilot training program, a supported project of Science in Vivo. More info here.
March 2, 2019 @ Lasker Rink (Organizer: Olaya Fernandez Gayol, Networking & Community Building Committee)
Last month, Olaya brought Postdocs ice- skating ! Everyone met up at the Lasker Rink fully geared up for an icy adventure. Thanks to everyone who came and skated with us! It took team work to overcome the initial unexpected change of venue but we rerouted to another rink and ended up having a great time on the ice. The pictures will speak for themselves 🙂
February 19th & 26th, 2019 @ CUMC (Organizer: Marie Labouesse, Outreach & Communications Committee)
CUPS started off the year with a bunch of cool SciComm events. In February we got to hear Matteo Farinella, Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience at Columbia University, graphic designer and scientist.
Thank you to him for an amazing workshop on the power of comics & graphical abstracts to convey complex scientific ideas!
Tips we learned: Carefully design the layout of your story on paper before starting to create your visual on laptop. Feel free to combine genres(real data, figurative, diagrams).
Most importantly: use metaphors & characters, this will catch your reader’s attention and even help them to deal with complex (or boring) scientific ideas that would otherwise frighten them!
After learning about the theory we got to try it out for real ! Pencils, paper & a couple hours to draft our own graphical abstracts. Creative vibes & a nice change from day-to-day lab business and raw data.
Here you will find Outreach, Scientific Communication & Community Engagement opportunities across NYC that we find might be of interest to our Postdocs.
Want to know what about the latest science done at Columbia – check out this section to hear about fascinating Science Stories discussing the research done by your fellow postdocs – Coming up soon !
Submissions from postdocs to send their own Science Stories will open up in Spring 2019. All formats (written, graphical, audio/video) are welcome !
In this section you will get to meet some of our postdocs at Columbia, hear about their journey and about their current scientific and non-scientific interests. First post coming up soon !
– Assist. Prof. of Clinical Neurobiology, Columbia University 
– Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Systems Biology, Columbia University.
To kick off CUPS’ series on Science Stories, we are delighted to host Dhru Deb, Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Biomedical Engineering here at Columbia University. In addition to his role as a scientist, Dhru is also a visual artist with a passion for combining art & science. Below, you will discover’s Dhru’s first science cartoon inspired by his work as a cancer researcher. Dhru tells us here what inspired him this piece:
