OPINION
ARTS&CULTURE
Pumping away at UCSF » PAGE 6
Halloween dance therapy for one pharmacy student. » PAGE 10
Science Mom
Above & Beyond
IN THIS ISSUE
News Briefs » PAGE 3 Journal Club » PAGE 5 Puzzles » PAGE 11
Synapse The UCSF Student Newspaper
Thursday, November 7, 2013
MIND&BODY
Biking the Bridge to the Headlands By T. Booth Haley Staff Writer
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synapse.ucsf.edu
Volume 58, Number 9
NEWS
UCSF Student Volunteers Inspire Budding Scientists in SF Schools By Rosa Chan Staff Writer
s with many local tourist attractions, making the pilgrimage across one of the greatest bridges of America’s golden age is something that most residents of our fair city never get around to. So, put Dolores Park on the back burner this weekend, and make the trek. It is a journey through fog and time that delivers you in glorious fashion to the near-wilderness of the Marin Headlands. The bridge and the headlands individually would warrant a weekend jaunt, and together they make an urban outing beyond compare. In a display of renewed confidence as the nation emerged from the Great Depression, the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. With a pricetag of $35 million, the project was completed under budget and ahead of schedule — something unimaginable today. Its Art Deco style celebrates the ascendancy of industrialism in the interwar period. A proud span indeed. At the time of its construction, the Golden Gate was the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world. Although it has historically been associated with the private automobile, in recent years, bicycles have become the most romantic mode of transport for making the crossing.
Photo courtesy of Julia Seaman/PSPG
BIKING THE BRIDGE » PAGE 7
Julia Seaman, a graduate student in the PSPG (Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics) program, has volunteered with SEP for several years.
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NEWS
Life of a Grad Student: the View from the Seventh Year By Angela Castanieto Staff Writer
Student 1 Female/Parnassus
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ynapse: Tell me about your experience at UCSF so far.
It’s been a really good experience overall. I came straight from undergrad to grad school, and I’d done research in the lab before, but not fulltime. I remember when I came here, I was superimpressed by all the grad students — especially the ones in the classes above. I’d see them present in seminars, and I thought, “What did I get myself into?” But as I’ve gone through the program, and as I look back at what I’ve learned and
GRAD STUDENT 1 » PAGE 4
Student 2 Female/UCSF-affiliated institution
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ynapse: Tell me `about your experience at UCSF so far.
I remember that when I was visiting UCSF, I was blown away by how smart and normal everyone was, and also how professional — even the youngest grad students. It seemed like everyone was at the top of his or her game. And then you actually start being in a lab, and it’s not that easy — not everything works all of the time, and there are rough points for everyone. However, the school has been very supportive with everyone I know who has had bumps along
GRAD STUDENT 2 » PAGE 4
o you want to gain teaching experience, inspire young students in science and contribute to the community by working with K-12 students? Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP) may be your answer. SEP is a collaboration between UCSF scientists and San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) teachers to support highquality science education for K-12 students. SEP has been working with UCSF since 1987. SEP was also the main organizer for the Bay Area Science Festival (BASF), a 10day celebration of the unique mix of science and technology in the Bay Area that ran from October 24 to November 2. The festival provided a wide range of science and technology activities — lectures, debates, exhibitions, concerts, plays and workshops — at a variety of locations throughout the Bay Area. To find out more about volunteering for SEP, we talked with Julia Seaman, a graduate student in the PSPG (Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics) program. She has participated in SEP for a number of years and shares some of her experiences here. Synapse: Can you tell me about your experience with SEP? When did you start working? How did you get involved? Seaman: I have volunteered with SEP every year I have been at UCSF (in my fourth year now). I found out about them from a flyer emailed from my program administrator advertising their info session. I attended the session and signed up for the STAT (Science-Teacher Action Teams) program. They are incredibly organized and had meetings set up to help everyone get started with teaching and to meet our science and teacher partners. I enjoyed it so much the first year that I signed up again when the applications came out each year. Last year, I was able to do a bigger program, called City Science, where I was in a fifth-grade classroom for a whole unit and then helped teach other SFUSD teachers the unit based on the in-classroom experience. While it was much more intense, it was a lot more rewarding to be able to do extended lessons and concepts and (get) more teaching experience.
STUDENT VOLUNTEERS » PAGE 3
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EVENTS MISSION BAY EVENTS
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION MONTH: FREE SCREENING OF UP
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6-9 p.m., Genentech Hall Auditorium, Mission Bay As part of the International Education Month series, come to enjoy a free screening of the Pixar film UP. This event is open to all UCSF students, postdocs and their families. Light movie snacks will be provided. Please arrive around 6 p.m. The movie will start promptly at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to http://goo.gl/edIH9H.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR POSTDOC PANEL
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114, Mission Bay Former and current postdocs will describe their experiences and give advice to those considering postdoctoral study or looking for the next step after completing a postdoc. Sponsor: Women in Life Sciences.
SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Friday, Nov. 8, noon-1 p.m., Graduate Division, CC-310, Mission Bay Synapse is looking for Mission Bay and Parnassus writers, bloggers, photographers and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch. RSVP to synapse@ucsf.edu.
MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES
Friday, Nov. 8, 1-2 p.m., Helen Diller, 160, Mission Bay The Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for the UCSF Muslim community every week. Join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are welcome.
MISSION BAY RIPS
Friday, Nov. 8, 4-5 p.m., Genentech Hall Auditorium, Mission Bay RIPS is a seminar series in which one student and one postdoc present their current research. Talks are 15 minutes in length and are preceded by a 20-minute social. Snacks and beverages are provided.
MISSION BAY FARMERS’ MARKET
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Gene Friend Way Plaza, Mission Bay Shop healthy, shop fresh, shop Californiagrown at the UCSF Farmers’ Market every Wednesday (rain or shine). Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.
GSA GAME NIGHT
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6-7 p.m., Genentech Hall, Atrium, Mission Bay Bring your favorite board games to share. Enjoy free beverages, pizza and raffle prizes provided by the Graduate Student Association and Student Life.
CREATING A TEACHING STATEMENT
Thursday, Nov. 14, noon-1:30 p.m., Rock Hall, 102, Mission Bay Demystify the teaching statement through discussion and real samples. Strategize how to effectively represent your experiences in both the formal and informal teaching settings. Whether you’re about to enter the job market or just beginning graduate school, it is never too early to start assembling materials in support of a compelling statement. Open to all graduate students and postdocs. Preregistration required. Sponsor: OCPD. http:// bit.ly/16dV9w8.
SFAWIS AND WILS PRESENT SCIENCE ... AND WRITING
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Helen Diller, 160, Mission Bay Interested in science writing as a potential career? The San Francisco chapter of the Association for Women in Science (sfAWIS) and Women in Life Sciences (WILS) have invited three panelists to discuss their path to their career as a science writer.
PANEL DISCUSSION: TRANSITIONING TO UCSF AND THE UNITED STATES
Thursday, Nov. 14, noon-1:30 p.m., Hellen Diller 160, Mission Bay Two UCSF international scholars and one spouse intimately discuss their transition to UCSF and the United States. Free pizza provided with RSVP to http://goo.gl/ G9k1HE. International spouses and parents especially welcome.
PARNASSUS EVENTS TECH TOOLS FOR YOU: AN INTERACTIVE INTRO TO HEALTH TECH AND INNOVATION
Thursday, Nov. 7, noon-1 p.m., Library, CL 215, Parnassus Organized by the student-led Health Technology Interest Group, this lunchtime elective will introduce students to healthrelated tech tools available to them now and in the future; teach students how to use these tools; and provide opportunities for students to connect with mentors. Students can register via the Student Portal.
SFHP LUNCH TALK
Thursday, Nov. 7, noon-1 p.m., Toland Hall, Parnassus Please join the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy for an information session to learn about roles for pharmacists and residents under the San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP). SFHP is a licensed community health plan that provides affordable health care coverage to over 70,000 low and moderate-income families. Members have access to a full spectrum of medical services, including preventive care, specialty care, hospitalization, prescription drugs and family planning services.
DENTAL COSMETICS CLUB LUNCH ’N’ LEARN
Thursday, Nov. 7, noon-1 p.m., Nursing Building, 517, Parnassus This is the first of the Lunch ’n’ Learn series for the Dental Cosmetics Club. The meeting will be led by Dr. Sam Huang, who will outline what cosmetic dentistry is, what it means to be a cosmetic dentist, how a cosmetic dentist’s practice differs from a general dentist’s, how to become a cosmetic dentist and dental cosmetic techniques. A question and answer session will follow Dr. Huang’s presentation.
CHANCELLOR’S CONCERT SERIES FALL 2013
Thursday, Nov. 7, 12:15-12:45 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus Looking for a place to study or relax between classes? CLS Arts & Events has got just what you need. The Chancellor’s Concert Series on Thursdays is a great place to set up your laptop and study or just take a break from classes, while listening to classical music. Seating begins at noon. If you are unable to come, you can now listen to the music through the live stream. http://bit.ly/1aNGsCR
DIGITAL HEALTH BROWN BAG
Thursday, Nov. 7, noon-1 p.m., Library, CL 220, Parnassus The Health Technology Interest Group and Digital Health Brown Bag welcome Josh Nesbit, CEO of MedicMobile. MedicMobile is an organization that works to improve health in under-served communities, using mobile technology.
ASUC & GSA GAME NIGHT
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m., Nursing Mezzanine, Parnassus Think you can compete? Here’s your chance to show off your Settlers strategy skills, learn a new game and meet new friends. Bring your favorite games to share. Door prizes will be given out at the end of the night.
PARNASSUS FARMERS’ MARKET
The guest speaker will discuss the importance of design and user interface in digital health developments. Presentation co-organized by the Health Tech Interest Group and Digital Health Brown Bag series.
TECH TOOLS FOR YOU: AN INTERACTIVE INTRO TO HEALTH TECH & INNOVATION
Thursday, Nov. 14, noon-1 p.m., Library 215, Parnassus Organized by the student-led Health Technology Interest Group, this lunchtime elective will introduce students to healthrelated tech tools available to them now and in the future; teach students how to use these tools; and provide opportunities for students to connect with mentors. Students can register via the Student Portal.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., ACC, 400 Parnassus Ave. Shop the Farmers’ Markets on Wednesdays to pick up locally grown produce and more. Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.
OFF-CAMPUS
SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6-10 p.m., Cal Academy, Golden Gate Park Explore over a dozen industrial, interaction, illustration, fashion, furniture and graphic designers from California College of the Arts, as they showcase a transformative array of work, highlighting new technologies and innovative ideas that explore the concept of metamorphosis. From giant interactive puzzles and short performance pieces documenting bizarre animal behaviors, to movement-based music and large-scale projections. http://bit.ly/NightLifeTickets, http://bit.ly/CLSDiscounts.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, noon-1 p.m., Millberry Union 123W, Parnassus Synapse is looking for Mission Bay and Parnassus writers, bloggers, photographers and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch. Email for more information and to RSVP: synapse@ucsf.edu.
VETERAN & ACTIVE DUTY INFORMATION TABLING
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Medical Sciences Lobby, Parnassus Stop by the information table to learn about the various resources on campus for veterans and active duty students, sign up for Student Veterans of American organization and join the veterans’ listserv. Free cookies!
COUNTRY JOE MCDONALD’S TRIBUTE TO FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AND NURSING: IN HONOR OF UCSF VETERAN AND ACTIVE DUTY STUDENTS
Wednesday, Nov. 13, noon-1 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus Country Joe McDonald pays tribute to Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, and the nursing profession, through the spoken word and song. During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale and a team of nurses improved the unsanitary conditions at Scutari, a British base hospital in Constantinople, reducing the death count by two-thirds. Her writings led to health care reform worldwide.
UNWIND: STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR WOMEN
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2-3 p.m., Medical Science, 171, Parnassus Take a breather and learn helpful techniques to relax and manage your stress from Felicia De La Garza Mercer, Ph.D. This workshop will focus on Overcoming Perfectionism. Free lunch for students who RSVP. felicia. mercer@ucsf.edu.
VOCAL CHORDS A CAPPELLA CALL FOR MALE VOICES
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Health Sciences West, 300, Parnassus Do you enjoy singing? Vocal Chords a Cappella is seeking tenors, baritones and basses to join. Rehearsals every Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 p.m. Contact Jamie Wong if interested, at Jamie.Wong@ucsf.edu. facebook.com/VocalChordsUCSF.
DIGITAL HEALTH BROWN BAG
Thursday, Nov. 14, noon-1 p.m., Nursing Building, 729, Parnassus
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: METAMORPHOSIS NIGHTLIFE
BAY AREA REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE MIXER
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m., UC Hastings, Off Campus Join Students for Choice at UCSF & Law Students for Reproductive Justice at UC Hastings for an evening of celebration and connection. Meet students, advocates and activists from all disciplines who are passionate about reproductive justice. The event will include speakers from Provider and Legal Perspectives on AB 154, legislation that will allow advanced practice clinicians to perform first-trimester aspiration abortions. Cost: $5. eventbrite.com/event/7642696511.
OFF THE GRID: UPPER HAIGHT
Thursday, Nov. 7, 5-9 p.m., Stanyan and Waller Streets, SF Off the Grid is a roaming mobile food extravaganza that travels to different locations daily to serve delicious food, with a free side of amazing music, craft and soul.
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT THE DE YOUNG
Friday, Nov. 8, 5-8:45 p.m., de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park Friday Nights at the de Young offer a variety of interdisciplinary arts programs, including live music, dance performances, film screenings, panel discussions, lectures, artist demonstrations, special performances, hands-on art activities and more. Programs are free and open to the public, but do not include admission to the museum’s galleries.
ANNOUNCEMENTS LIVING WELL PHOTO CONTEST
UCSF staff, faculty and students may submit up to three photos to be selected for installation at UCSF to encourage people to take the stairs to improve their health. The theme is travel: your favorite place, at home or abroad. Deadline is Dec. 2. For contest details and to download an entry form, visit livingwell.ucsf.edu/events/call_for_ photography_submit_your_photos_today.
synapse.ucsf.edu | November 7, 2013 | 3
NEW PROGRAM COORDINATOR OF THE MRC AND LGBT RESOURCE CENTER
Starting Nov. 7, Sarah Steer will join the Office of Diversity and Outreach (ODO) as Program Coordinator of the MRC and LGBT Resource Center. Sarah will help execute the programs and events of the MRC and LGBT Resource Center, while Tina Novero is away on a Fulbright Scholarship. She comes to us from the UCSF School of Dentistry Admissions Office, where she served as Admissions Assistant. Steer has served on the planning committees for Inside UCSF, National Coming Out Day, the Chancellor’s Action Committee for LGBT Issues and provided staff support for the Gay/Straight Dental Alliance.
WHERE DO I FIT IN? BEING FIRST GENERATION AT UCSF: RSVP BY NOV. 15
Wednesday, Nov. 20, noon-1 p.m., RSVP for location, Parnassus Are you of the first generation in your family to graduate from college? Is it difficult for your family to understand what you do here?
Do you sometimes feel like an outsider at UCSF? If you answered “yes” to the above, please join the First Generation Support Services for lunch, share your experiences with fellow first-gen college students, and learn to survive and thrive while you’re here. RSVP: http://bit.ly/TQcR79
UC BERKELEY-UCSF MASTER OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE PROGRAM: APPLY FOR FALL 2014
The Master of Translational Medicine (MTM) program is a professional master's program run jointly by the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley and the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy at UCSF. More information is available at bioeng.berkeley. edu/mtm. Interested applicants may contact the MTM Executive Director, Kyle Kurpinski, PhD, kkurpins@berkeley.edu. Applications are due Feb. 3, 2014.
UCSF DENTAL CLASS OF 2015 T-SHIRT FUND-RAISER
Due to popular demand, the D3 class is having a school-wide T-shirt fund-raiser and
will be accepting orders until Monday, Nov. 18. The design, known as the “Light of the City” T-shirt, was created by the Department of Dentistry’s very own EJ Abasolo (D3) and highlights the city’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge and skyline. The shirts will be arriving just in time for the holiday season and make a great gift for friends and loved ones. Orders here: ejabasolo.wix.com/sod2015shirt
FREE SYNAPSE CLASSIFIEDS
UCSF students and staff can now post online classified ads for free on the Synapse website. All you need is an @ucsf.edu email account. Try it out! synapse.ucsf.edu/classifieds.
CLASSIFIEDS RETAIL STORES FOR RENT
Sunset SF retail stores for rent: $2,800/ month each, 2132 and 2134 Taraval St., easy transportation, 1 bedroom, kitchen, full bath in the back of store. (415) 665-4567.
Student Volunteers » FROM HOME PAGE
Synapse: What is your favorite part of working for SEP? Seaman: My favorite aspect is working with the students. I have been in third- to fifth-grade classrooms, and it is awesome to see how excited they get when presented with new information. They will ask questions about everything and anything, and try testing crazy predictions in order to understand the new info. My favorite was during learning about evaporation and salt solutions. One student decided to see how microwaving changes the crystal structures remaining. Ultimately, it is great to watch when they suddenly grasp a new concept. Synapse: Where do most of the SEP volunteers come from? Seaman: I think most people are grad students and postdocs. I know that professional students are involved, but they generally have
a more defined schedule, with classes and other duties that make volunteering during school hours more difficult. Synapse: How do you think graduate students benefit from this partnership? Seaman: I think grad students benefit in a lot of ways. Being up in front of a classroom to teach other people is actually pretty difficult, and requires a lot of planning, composure, speaking skills and the ability to react and improvise. All of these skills are useful in other realms of life, like presentations. I think having to teach some more basic science concepts for elementary school (What is density? What is color? What is a cell?) is really helpful as an advanced scientist to remember the broader aspects of sciences. It also helps the grad students remember how exciting science can be, when the kids finally understand something and can connect it to a bigger picture. Of course, it is nice to
Synapse
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Yi Lu | EDITOR Jenny Qi | EXECUTIVE EDITOR Alexandra Greer | SCIENCE EDITOR Angela Castanieto | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Akshay Govind | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Steven Chin | MANAGING EDITOR Victoria Elliott | COPY EDITOR
About
Synapse is the UCSF student-run weekly newspaper, which runs on Thursdays during the academic year and monthly during the summer. Synapse seeks to serve as a forum for the campus community. Articles and columns represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Board of Publications or the University of California.
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Announcements and letters should be submitted six days before publication. All submissions can be either emailed or mailed. All material is subject to editing. Letters to the Editor must be signed by the author.
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Paid advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of Synapse. Synapse and its editorial board reserve the right to decline advertisements promoting false or misleading claims, known health risks, or content deemed by the editors to be antithetical to the interests of UCSF students or the UCSF community. Synapse does not accept advertisements from tobacco or alcohol manufacturers, or sexually oriented personal ads. Synapse reserves the right to run any ad with a disclaimer.
have a reason to get out of lab during the day. Synapse: How do you think SFUSD students benefit from this partnership? Seaman: For the SFUSD students, having SEP volunteers in class really helps expose them to different types of scientists, especially younger and less official-looking than they see during field trips. The biggest lesson we try teach when we are there is a way of thinking about how to approach scientific questions and experiments. A big part that we emphasize is that experiments can fail or have unexpected results, and we, as the scientists and teachers, may not always be correct in our own predictions, which is OK. This, of course, is a lesson many grad students and postdocs know well. Synapse: What is it like working with SFUSD students? Seaman: Working with the students is awesome. It can be tough, and you need to be prepared for the age group you are working with. For example, Kindergarten students cannot read much, or at all, and may not be able to sit still for any extended time. Fifth-graders, on the other hand, are much more independent and will be able to do a lot more in the same time period. Also, each classroom has its own dynamic, dictated by the teachers, for how to get students’ attention (clapping, singing, bells, etc.) and how to give out merits or demerits. Every classroom I have been to has been excited to see me whenever I arrive — and always wondering what we would be doing that day. Synapse: What is it like working with UCSF scientists? Seaman: Working with the other scientists is fun. SEP has allowed me to meet a whole group of people from across UCSF campuses that I would have never run into. It is great to hear about the science and labs across campus that I don’t normally interact with. Everyone I’ve met has also been enthusiastic about the SEP program, so working together and planning has always been easy. SEP is recruiting now. Check out its website: biochemistry.ucsf.edu/programs/sep/ school-programs.html.
Rosa Chan is a second-year Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics graduate student.
NEWS BRIEFS Creative Educational Program Gets $100K Gift from Breakthrough Prize Winner A UCSF graduate program in complex biology led by Joseph DeRisi, PhD, is being lauded for its creativity with a $100,000 gift. David Botstein, PhD, a genetics pioneer at Princeton University, is using some of his award money from the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences to help advance DeRisi’s program. The UCSF integrated program in Complex Biological Sciences teaches first-year graduate students — only some of whom have studied biology, while others may have studied physics or computer science — how to cross disciplinary boundaries to answer biological questions. To succeed, they must pool their expertise and range across disciplines many of them do not yet know. Botstein, who developed methods that led to the discovery of disease genes such as Huntington’s and BRCA1, is the director of Princeton’s Lewis-Siegler Institute. He was a recipient of the $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences awarded earlier this year.
Study Reveals Biological Basis for Sensory Processing Disorders in Children Sensory processing disorders (SPD) are more prevalent in children than autism, and as common as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), yet the condition receives far less attention, partly because it has never been recognized as a distinct disease. In a groundbreaking study from UCSF, researchers have found that children affected with SPD have quantifiable differences in brain structure, for the first time showing a biological basis for the disease that sets it apart from other neurodevelopmental disorders. One of the reasons SPD has been overlooked until now is that it often occurs in children who also have ADHD or autism, and the SPD disorders have not been listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used by psychiatrists and psychologists. The new study is published in the open access online journal NeuroImage: Clinical. “Until now, SPD hasn’t had a known biological underpinning,” said senior author Pratik Mukherjee, MD, PhD, a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging and bioengineering at UCSF. “Our findings point the way to establishing a biological basis for the disease that can be easily measured and used as a diagnostic tool.”
Traumatic Brain Injury Research Advances with $18.8M NIH Award The National Institutes of Health is awarding $18.8 million over five years to support worldwide research on concussion and traumatic brain injury. The NIH award, part of one of the largest international research collaborations ever coordinated by funding agencies, will be administered through UCSF. The award supports a team of U.S. researchers at more than 20 institutions throughout the country who are participating in the International Traumatic Brain Injury Research (InTBIR) Initiative, a collaborative effort of the European Commission, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The potential long-term harm of concussions and blows to the head has gained more attention recently — due in part to media coverage of the experience of athletes and of soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Grad Student 1
Grad Student 2
» FROM HOME PAGE
how I’ve grown as a scientist, I’m really happy.
» FROM HOME PAGE
Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham
the road — whether people have to transition to different labs or are just Synapse: How is your getting extra help when current lab experience difthings aren’t working ferent from what you exout as they thought they pected going into grad would. school? At least in my program, they’re very helpful I came to UCSF with and supportive in incha few different PIs on my ing you towards graduaradar, just from reading tion. The UCSF-affiliated about them online, and I institution I was working thought that I might want at actually closed down, to join those labs. Then I so it was a depressing sitcame to UCSF and I talkuation at the end there, ed to different PIs, learnbut it was interesting to ing more about them. see how people landed The PI of the lab I on their feet. Some peotitle: "Time" - originally published 10/21/2013 ended up joining was a ple ended up moving to a new PI, so I hadn’t known about her research before. But I got interested in it after meeting UCSF campus, while others moved to different institutions, like my boss. her and hearing her talk. I did my rotation there, and it ended up being a really good fit. When you move a lab, you lose about a year of time, because of winding down animal coloIt’s been a really good experience, and I enjoyed being in a smaller lab just starting out. The nies and moving equipment and starting experiments over. project I ended up on was the one that my PI had worked on as a postdoc. I was carrying the It was stressful as a grad student, but now, if I ever need to start a lab, I know how to set up project forward, so I’ve enjoyed being able to be in the heart of things like that and shape how every single piece of equipment, and I know what to expect. It’s been a slow process, but I think the lab evolved. we’re finally up and running now. The Grad Program’s been very supportive with the grad students going through this, but it also makes me realize how tenuous it can be when you’re a PI. Synapse: What were some obstacles that you have had to overcome? Synapse: How has your lab experience differed from what you expected entering grad school? A big thing I’ve struggled with on and off has been finding the balance between work and life. I guess everyone struggles with that. I started with a brandAt UCSF, there are always going to be people who seem to be working harder than you, new PI — I was her first or who seem to be having more success than you, so it’s always tempting to compare yourself grad student, so the lab has to them. I’ve had to remind myself all the time to not do that. evolved a lot since I started There are a lot of brilliant people around here, so if you’re always comparing yourself to evhere. Also, with transitioneryone around you, those are the people who are going to come to mind. So of course, you’re ing to this other institugoing to feel inadequate. tion, we have acquired this You can always spend more time in lab, but spending more time in lab doesn’t always mean whole other layer of trainyou’re being more productive. For me, if I don’t spend some time out of lab and do something ing, working with underfun, I’m just not going to be happy and I’m not going to work well. You have to maintain a grads and even more grad balance. students and postdocs, almost to the point where you don’t know what everyone’s project is One thing that some- anymore. It grew, but then it shrank back down again. one told me once was that I prefer the kind of scrappy start-up version of the lab. It was nice having the sense of if you’re considering wheth- “We’re all in this together” and we all knew each other’s work. er or not to take a day, or a But there are benefits of having more people, too — you bring in people with expertise in week, off, just consider different areas and who know new techniques. I also like having more young people in the lab that if you take a day off now, whether it’s research assistants, rotation students or undergrads. now, that’s one day, or one It really changes the whole tenor of the lab to have that continual teaching aspect. It also week, longer that you’re do- makes you realize you actually know something when you have to teach it to somebody. ing your PhD. You can therefore conSynapse: What were some obstacles that you have had to overcome? sider whether that extra day, or week, is worth it or The biggest thing I had to overcome was in the middle of grad school, when I developed not, and a lot of times, it is. an autoimmune disorder that severely impacted my health and suddenly made it difficult to My PI luckily is very un- do anything. With treatment it got better, but there were still things that were difficult. For derstanding about that, and example, I couldn’t stand for long periods of time, and I became terrified of being cornered she wants people to be hap- in the hallway by a PI who wanted to talk to me while I was standing there in pain. Also, of py inside and outside of lab. As long as you’re getting your work done and progressing, going things like giving a poster presentation, where if I asked for a stool and it couldn’t be provided. off and having some fun is just fine. There was this whole host of things that I hadn’t considered before. I really look differently now at accessibility and the way we treat people with either short- or long-term disabilities, Synapse: Do you have any advice for other grad students? given that many times when I needed accommodations, it was a struggle. But it worked out — my health did improve. Also, being at UCSF, we have an amazing My advice would be that during rotations, talk to as many people as you can in the labs Medical Center, and students have access to everything here, so I was able to see some of the you’re considering, including students and, of course, the PI. best specialists in the area for free. First-year students think they have to get stuff accomplished during their rotation, but that’s not really what it’s about — it’s about seeing if the lab’s a good fit for you and if you’re a good fit Synapse: Do you have any advice for other grad students? for the lab. You already have all your coursework to juggle, so you shouldn’t worry too much about getting a lot of data for your rotation project. Form your committee early and actually use them as much as possible. They are on your And for students later on, I feel like nobody ever told me that I needed to plan my exit strat- side and want to help you, whether it’s scientifically, helping you work on your ideas, or whethegy. I knew I was going to graduate eventually — my thesis committee and my mentor said I er it’s personal, if you have issues with your PI or with things happening with you. would graduate “soon” — but it wasn’t until I said that we need to come up with a specific timeAlso, some of my best ideas have come from my friendships with people who don’t do anyline that they realized that we needed to come up with an endpoint. thing close to what I do, so I would advise people to go hang out in other labs, and go hang out You definitely should enjoy the journey of grad school, and it isn’t all about getting to that with people in other programs — just broaden your scientific background. endpoint, but eventually you do want to get there. I realized that I should have been more proThe other thing that made me enjoy grad school more was doing more teaching and trainactive about that, instead of assuming that one day they’d just tell me to graduate. ing of other people in lab. Mentoring research assistants and other grad students really helped improve my outlook of the whole arc of my scientific career. To see that jolt of enthusiasm reAngela Castanieto is a fifth-year Tetrad student. minds you of why you’re doing what you’re doing.
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synapse.ucsf.edu | November 7, 2013 | 5
OPINION
A Short History of the Current Approach to Ethical Health Care By Akshay Govind Associate Editor
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hird-year medical students at UCSF recently spent a week discussing challenging cases they had encountered during their first six months in clinical training. The focus for the week was health care ethics, and students practiced reasoning through ethical dilemmas, using the four principles framework of non-maleficence, beneficence, autonomy and justice. During one group discussion, my colleague John Best asked about the background of this method, and I thought this was a good opportunity to explore the history of the current approach to medical ethics. Origins Since the fifth century B.C., ethical reasoning in Western medicine has made reference to the Hippocratic Oath, including the tenets to do no harm, to maintain privacy and to strive to act for the benefit of the sick. In addition, religious and cultural norms have been inserted into the general understanding of good will. By the late 18th century, Thomas Percival had started a series of publications that ascribed moral authority and independence in ethical reasoning to physicians, to weigh good and harm and act accordingly. In 1847, the American Medical Association adopted its first code of ethics, largely based on Percival’s work. During the 20th century, it became increasingly appreciated that determining the right thing to do could not and should not be figured out without substantial input from the patient. In the mid-1970s, philosophers Tom Beauchamp and James Childress began work on a set of principles that would shift the direction of ethical considerations to a model of patient autonomy, while also incorporating a wider set of social concerns for a healthy and sustainable society. In short, principles distill morality to their foundational goals. Principles are intentionally non-specific, while rules are precise guides to action. Individuals can formulate specific rules by reference to the principles, but rules cannot be deduced algorithmically from the principles. The Four Principles of Health Care Ethics Non-maleficence: I won’t belabor the principle of doing no harm. Obviously, we know that medical interventions may involve risks, and it’s naïve to think we’d never harm anyone in the process of trying to help, but we nearly all agree that it would be bad to intentionally or negligently cause harm, and that we should strive to avoid such action. Beneficence: Beyond simply not causing harm, the principle of beneficence places value on acts of mercy, kindness, charity, love and humanity. This principle suggests we should strive for a favorable balance of good over harm. If one were to blindly apply this principle, one might conclude that killing one patient to use his organs to save two others was an appropriate action. This brings up the reality that the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence often come into conflict, and that no mechanical rule can universally give more weight to one principle more than another. Instead, the specific content must be addressed, as I will discuss below. Autonomy: Prior to the 1970s, ethical goals were invoked largely by physicians, to maximize medical benefits and to minimize
the risks of harm and disease. Hippocratic tradition had neglected truthfulness, privacy, communal responsibility and the vulnerability of certain populations. In 1847, Percival wrote specifically that if a physician thought a patient could be harmed by full knowledge of his illness or treatment , “It would be a gross and unfeeling wrong to reveal the truth.” We definitely disagree with Percival’s view today, because our cultural beliefs today affirm the importance of individual freedom and choice. Our obligation to patient autonomy includes the notions of truthfulness and confidentiality, as these are required to respectfully allow patients to take part in decision-making. It is crucial to lay out how competing values might influence a patient’s path through a given set of decisions, and it would be an incorrect interpretation of this principle to merely say, “Here are Options A and B; which one would you like?” Instead, an appropriate presentation might be “Here is Option A, which people who give most weight to Value A would most likely select, while people who give more weight to Value B might be more likely to select Option B.” Justice: Justice is considered to be a group of principles rather than a single principle; in its most applicable and simple form, it is the principle that like cases should be treated alike. Ethicists largely believe that there is merit in exploring the benefits and shortcomings of egalitarian, libertarian and utilitarian theories of justice, and that the theory that best informs the course of action is often different from case to case.
UCSF JOURNAL CLUB
By Jenny Qi Executive Editor
Jenny Qi is a third-year BMS student who blogs at bmscartoons.tumblr.com.
How do we reason to the right action? Beauchamp and Childress suggest we use our basic moral norms (don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t lie, nurture the dependent, etc.) and apply these principles to the specific content we are considering. In some cases, this may lead to rules about categories of actions (for example, whether age should be a factor in rationing transplanted kidneys) or specific recommended actions in a given case (whether we should remove ventilatory support from Jimmy). The right action may not always be obvious, and in fact, reasonable and fair-minded parties may differ greatly in their judgments of what should be done. While there is no algorithm specifying how to behave, there should be a specific method of coherently defending one’s choice of action. This could include providing explicit support for a position with evidential data, maintaining consistency with one’s stated ethical beliefs, and discussing which ethical principles take precedence when faced with the alltoo-common situation of competing values. Conclusions At its heart, the concept of “principlism” described above lays out a framework for thinking through ethical dilemmas. Over time, I believe we may come to favor another set of core principles, either adding to or subtracting from our current list. The process of deciding why one principle might hold more weight than another in a particular setting should be carried out using an active process of collecting evidence, reasoning and describing how these general principles apply to the ethical consideration at hand.
Akshay Govind is a second-year resident in the Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery.
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6 | November 7, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu
SCIENCE MOM
Pumping Away at UCSF By Debbie Ruelas Staff Writer
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here are many reasons to breastfeed, and it’s likely that most pregnant women have heard them all … over and over again. Breastfeeding can be a contentious topic, but most people agree that it benefits the health of both mother and baby, saves quite a bit of money (formula is expensive) and allows you to bond with your baby in a very special way. Yet, I still have mixed emotions when I think of my own breastfeeding experience. For me, it was stressful from the outset, and involved trips to a lactation consultant, low milk production and bleeding nipples. At one point, I even started taking fenugreek, an herbal supplement that promotes milk production and makes you smell like maple syrup. These were things I really hadn’t planned on, or expected to deal with. I figured that since it was so “natural,” it would be easy. I got through this early period by seeking the advice of lactation consultants at UCSF. After I came back to work, new challenges arose. I felt guilty for being away from my baby, and guilty for not being able to put in the same number of hours at lab that I used to. My guilt about work was compounded by having to schedule two or three half-hour breaks during the day to pump breast milk. Fortunately, there was a breastfeeding station located in my building on the Mission Bay campus. I would arrive at the room with my bulky pumping equipment and two breasts full of milk, often to discover that the room was already “In Use.” I would then have to haul my pump — and my breasts — to another building, where there was another station that had three pumping stalls, separated by curtains. Eventually, my milk production began to decrease, and the milk supply that I had built up in my freezer began to dwindle. When my son was four months old, I came to the realization that I would have to supplement with formula. Again, I felt guilty. There’s a popular mantra that I had heard so many times by that point — “Breast is best.” Mothers are made to feel that if they give their baby formula, it’ll turn them into dumb, fat and unproductive adults. We gave him formula, though, because I wasn’t about to let him starve. I quickly realized that it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. Sometimes we gave him formula and sometimes I breastfed him. This comfortable routine continued for several months. Since I was no longer the sole source of my child’s nutrition, the intense pressure I felt to produce a ton of milk had faded. I also knew that he was happy and healthy, and gaining weight, as a baby should. Soon, pumping at work became a once-a-day deal, and I looked forward to my quiet time in the breastfeeding station. It was the one time during the day where I could close my eyes and just relax. In hindsight, even though it was difficult at times, I’m so glad that I did it for as long as I did, about nine months. Over time, I visited many of the lactation rooms at different UCSF campuses. There are a surprising number, yet I had never noticed them before I had a child. You can find a list of the rooms by going to the UCSF Women’s Health Resource Center website and clicking on the Breastpumping Stations List: whrc.ucsf.edu/whrc/lactservices/lactation_stations.html.
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NEWS
Angel Investor to Speak at Sharecase Conference Staff Report
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he upcoming Sharecase conference’s featured afternoon keynote speaker will be Ron Conway, of the venture capital firm SV Angel. Conway is well-known for having been an early investor in companies such as Google, PayPal, Square, Dropbox, foursquare, Twitter and Facebook, as well as a stalwart advocate and friend of UCSF. He will speak on the role of technology in innovation, especially in regards to health care, at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 8, at Sharecase 2013, a free, one-day event showcasing the best of information technology (IT) at UCSF. Conway is a member of the UCSF Medical Center Chancellor’s Advisory Board and is active in fund-raising for the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. In January 2012, he helped establish a new tech initiative with Mayor Ed Lee and the City of San Francisco, called sf.citi, to promote tech jobs in the community.
The Sharecase 2013 agenda also includes a morning keynote speech from School of Medicine Dean and Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs Sam Hawgood, who will discuss the new clinical enterprise strategy under development by the School of Medicine and Medical Center and the role of information technology in that strategy. Sharecase will feature 50 booths and 30 sessions, including: • collaborating with Chatter, Box, Jabber and more, • using Drupal to build your UCSF website, • innovating business processes with Qualtrics Research and Survey Suite, • answering the tough questions, IT Leadership in the Hot Seat, • troubleshooting with an IT Guru.
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The IT Innovation Contest winners will also demonstrate their projects. *Certain requirements and eligibility criteria apply. ©2013. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved. Information subject to change.
synapse.ucsf.edu | November 7, 2013 | 7
Biking the Bridge » FROM HOME PAGE
wikipedia.com/something original
A view of the Golden Gate Bridge with the Marin Headlands in the background.
There are a number of bike routes that will deliver you safely to the southern terminus of the bridge. I recommend two for their beauty and navigational simplicity. Either route assumes starting from the Richmond District (the bike routes north-south across Golden Gate Park are surprisingly complex and would require an article of their own to be given proper treatment). From the Richmond, the first route to the bridge heads north on 25th Avenue. This turns into Lincoln Boulevard as it skirts Baker Beach. Rising up bluffs drenched in sun, fog and sea spray, with the noise of cars rushing past, it delivers you to the majestic span. The second route is more inland, shaded and quieter. Take Arguello Boulevard north until it enters the Presidio with a single block of precipitous grade (many bikers will dismount and walk here) before flattening out in the eucalyptus and cypress forest above. You’ll pass a mysterious 90-plus foot conical tower made of logs, which, it turns out, is a sculpture called Spire, by the famous nature-meets-civilization artist Andy Goldsworthy, installed in 2008. Promptly thereafter, turn left onto Washington Boulevard, which meanders past stately apartments of a bygone war-machine and a few delectable views towards Land’s End. A final right turn onto Lincoln Boulevard (watch out for cars!) will lead promptly to the bridge.
The bridge itself, while fantastic in many ways, is not exactly pleasant as far as the actual biking goes. Often bikes are routed onto the west side path, but sometimes that side is closed and bikes must share the east side path with the gawking gaggles of pedestrians. Either way, traffic can be tight, especially at the two grand columns, around which the paths are forced to skirt at awkward 90-degree angles. Proceed slowly, and take advantage of
Photo by T. Booth Haley/DS4 A bobcat strolls along Conzelman Road on the author’s recent ride across the Golden Gate Bridge through the Marin Headlands.
the halting pace to enjoy the views framed by cables of International Orange, the hue of the structure chosen for its visibility and aesthetics. Once across, you will have entered a road-biker’s paradise, the Marin Headlands to the west. Take your first possible left turn after the crossing on Alexander Avenue, which turns into Conzelman Road once it is west of the highway. The headlands, fortunately, are undeveloped, save for the incredible rolling road hovering above the sea and the odd abandoned World War II-era gun bunker. A clockwise loop (on Conzelman Road to Field Road to Bunker Road to McCullough Road) will take you past Rodeo Lagoon and the Headlands Center for the Arts and back again to the hilltop. The day I went, this road was closed to automobile traffic due to the federal government shutdown, which made it especially lovely. If you’re lucky, the government will shut down again soon, and cars will once again be blissfully banned from our beautiful national parklands. Such a day would be the perfect time to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, contrasting the ineptitude of the presentday government with the proud statement of a past government’s architectural masterpiece.
T. Booth Haley is a fourth-year dental student.
ACTION POTENTIAL
Thanksgiving and the Home-Town Sweetheart Editor's note: Using personal experiences as a guide, this column seeks to advise and entertain its readers on the evercomplicated topics of love and sex. The anonymity of the column provides our contributing writers the freedom to recount completely and honestly even the most sordid tales. If you have any topics you would like to see covered, email synapse@ucsf. edu. We’ll find someone who’s done the "dirty" work so you don’t have to!
W
ith November suddenly upon us, students are beginning to buy their tickets to fly home for the Thanksgiving holiday. When one thinks of Thanksgiving, a few things come to mind — pounds of moist turkey drowning in gravy, binging on coffee for eight hours outside of a Best Buy on Black Friday, and of course, navigating through all the awkward (read: precious) dinner conversation on Thanksgiving Day. But here at UCSF, I’ve recently become aware of a Thanksgiving tradition exclusive to first-years. Aptly termed, the “turkey drop” is that special time of year when one goes home to dump one’s significant other.
That’s right, it has become apparent to me that rather than do it over the phone, first-year students opt to break it off when they return home for the first time since school started. Now, depending on how you see it, this could either make for a very sad or a very happy Thanksgiving break. Personally, I’m in a long-distance relationship and definitely don’t plan to “turkey drop,” but I must admit that it sucks pretty bad seeing my girlfriend only once a month. I’m one
of the lucky ones, too — many students don’t even get to see their other halves until the holidays come; and for those from other countries, Godspeed, you brave souls. I am and have been in a committed relationship for several years. I must admit though, without the solid foundation built from years of mutual understanding, I could see a relationship going south after just a few months of being apart. No, it’s not from the distance, or even from the loneliness. For me, it would purely be physical frustration. After all, this column is called Action Potential, right? OK, fine — I’ll say it — the sex! Granted, I am a male in my mid-twenties, and the only other thing on my mind besides the pharmacology test next week is women. Perhaps the most excruciating part about the lack of physical intimacy is not having an outlet (this is especially true for guys with a low-speed Internet). But a three-month-long case of the “blue balls” is worth it, though, right? Right?! I’m just kidding. In the end, it all depends on the value you place on your relationship and what you want for the both of you. I personally abhor clichés, but in this case it really does seem that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I’ve noticed that my girlfriend and I appreciate our conversations a lot more now and are starting to grow stronger as individuals. So, whether you choose to “turkey drop” or not is all up to you. These are formative years, and despite how your holiday turns out because of it, you have to do what’s best for you. After all, you could always stuff yourself with turkey to numb the pain (read: OD on L-Tryptophan).
8 | November 7, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu
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FOOD
synapse.ucsf.edu | November 7, 2013 | 9
THE SCOOP: Ici? More Like Icy By Theresa Poulos Staff Writer
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n a recent delightful fall evening after clinic, The Scoop crew found itself across the Bay looking for a way to pass the time before heading back to The City. Not surprisingly, the first thing to pop into our collective mind was ice cream. And so we headed to Ici (pronounced “Eee-see”), an ice cream shop on College Avenue in Berkeley and one of the East Bay’s famed ice cream destinations. Run by a former Chez Panisse pastry chef, Ici makes all of its sweet treats entirely in house, from scratch, using only organic dairy, eggs and local sustainable ingredients. Each day it offers up 11 flavors of ice cream, sorbets and sherbets, which range from favorite standbys to more creative batches such as Darjeeling-Sour Cherry and Cardamom-Orange. The flavors change daily and are often based on seasonal availability, but they promise that you can always find a classic chocolate and vanilla on the menu. Ici also offers bombes (ice cream cakes) available in different sizes, ice cream bonbons and sandwiches and affogato (espresso and ice cream). When we arrived at Ici, we were greeted by a long line that neatly extended out the door and down the block. The line was miraculously well behaved: No one blocked the sidewalk, Ici Ice Cream even though there was no sign policing it to 2948 College Ave., Berkeley be so polite. ici-icecream.com Since it was October, I was thrilled to find Pumpkin ice cream on the menu. In fact, all Open Monday thru Thursday three of us on the Scoop crew (Ian Buchanan, Noon–9:30 p.m., Friday noon–10 p.m. Dawn Maxey and myself) sampled the PumpSaturday and Sunday 11 a.m.–10 p.m. kin. My little spoonful was reminiscent of Moderate prices. pumpkin pie, and I decided on it for my order. However, when faced with an entire scoop to devour ($3 for one scoop in a cup), I found myself horrified by the texture, which was more akin to shaved ice than the creamy goodness I expected atop my cone. In fact, the texture was so intolerable that after a few licks, I went to the trash and — for the first time in my Scoop-writing career — scraped the ice cream into the garbage. Gasps filled the air from all of the yuppie onlookers.
flickr.com/dchung
Was this ice cream sacrilege? No. It was simply The Right Thing to Do. Similarly unpleasant was my taste of the Ginger-Candied Pecan. I’m a huge fan of ginger, but even I found the flavor overpowering; the strange, crunchy texture could not be explained by the pecans alone. I did find myself tempted by the Cranberry-Raspberry sorbet, which had a smooth texture and a pleasant mix of tang and sweetness, but unfortunately, I did not decide on it for my final order. Luckily, Dawn and Ian each made a fine selection of simple Chocolate. Although the scoop was quite small for the price, I managed to steal a lick and found it to be creamy, smooth and boasting a rich, chocolate flavor. Ian also opted for a scoop of Vanilla Crème Brûlée, another favorite in terms of taste and texture. The caramelized sugar swirls blended perfectly with the rich vanilla base. All three of us got our ice cream in handmade cones for an additional 90 cents each. Although we were pleasantly surprised to find a ribbon of chocolate melding together the sides of the cone, the chocolate glue was not enough to make up for the tasteless wafer of a cone. In fact, a fortune cookie I recently had from Panda Express was more flavorful than my Ici cone. We all found ourselves wishing for boxed sugar cones instead. Much to the horror of the surrounding patrons, my handmade Ici cone found its way to the same destination as my scoop of ice cream — straight into the garbage. Although it seems that Ici does standard flavors well, their creative flavors are hit or miss, and much more miss than hit. Given the hefty price tag, long line and paltry portion size, it would take some real tough convincing to get me back across the Bay for another visit.
Theresa Poulos is a third-year medical student.
Gathering Wild Edibles: Start with Nasturtium By T. Booth Haley Staff Writer
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hat would you do if the food supply chain failed you tomorrow? In modern society, only a small minority of people know how to grow, hunt or gather their own sustenance. If you haven’t noticed the harbingers of decline, let me be the first to tell you: The empire is crumbling! If the grocery stores were scoured clean by hungry mobs, would you be able to find food, right here in the urban jungle of San Francisco? I’ve recently begun researching and experimenting with local edible wild plants. The best way to learn about a plant is to taste it. Sure, you start with a plant identification book or some botany website, but once you’re pretty certain that what you’ve found is edible, you then must apprehend it with our great under-utilized survival skill: the sense of taste. Somehow the memory of the plant that has been chewed, swallowed and incorporated into our physical selves is indelible. I will remember forever the first time I ate a nasturtium. If you tell a long-time San Francisco plantlover that you’re interested in wild edibles, the first thing everyone will say is, “Nasturtium!” With round green leaves and matching round orange flowers, it can be found in great abundance on nearly every street in the Sunset. It blankets great shady sections of Golden Gate Park and tumbles down the steep west-
ern slopes of Mount Sutro, which is where I first put its delicate leaves to my foraging lips. All parts of the plant — leaves, flowers, seeds and stems — are edible and even delicious, with a spiciness not unlike arugula.
Raw, the flowers make a colorful, if calorically insignificant, contribution to a salad. The seeds are often pickled and used as a caper substitute. Gathered in bulk, the leaves can function like spinach in any recipe. I sau-
tée mine in chilaquiles, with eggs, salsa and day-old corn tortillas. The name nasturtium is a bit of a misnomer, as that term, strictly speaking, refers to the watercress genus, some members of which are similar to our local so-called nasturtium in both appearance and edibility. The true Latin name of our local leafy green is Tropaeolum majus. It is native to the Andes, from Bolivia to Colombia, but has been introduced around the world for its beauty and taste. For the budding botanists out there, here is the detailed Wikipedia description: “It is a herbaceous annual plant with trailing stems growing to 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) long or more. The leaves are large, nearly circular, 3 to 15 centimeters (1.2 to 5.9 inches) in diameter, green to glaucous green above, paler below; they are peltate, with the 5 to 30 centimeter-long petiole near the middle of the leaf, with several veins radiating to the smoothly rounded or slightly lobed margin. The flowers are 2.5 to 6 centimeters in diameter, with five petals, eight stamens, and a 2.5 to 3 centimeter-long nectar spur at the rear; they vary from yellow to orange to red, frilled and often darker at the base of the petals.” Gathering wild foods will forever change the way you look at plants. What was once just a bunch of green things will unfold into a beautifully complex and beneficently bountiful world. Knowledge of the edible morsels therein used to be universal and fundamental for all humans; now nearly all of us, even the farmers, are oblivious to it. There are hundreds of wild plants in this city alone, which might someday sustain you. Start with nasturtium, and happy foraging!
T. Booth Haley is a fourth-year dental student.
10 | November 7, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu
ARTS&CULTURE
Above & Beyond: Halloween Dance Therapy
MAMA M.
I Can’t Retain Everything
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aboveandbeyond.nu Paavo Siljamäki, Tony McGuinness and Jono Grant of Above & Beyond.
By Chris Foo Staff Writer
F
or many San Franciscans, Halloween is that special time of year when inhibitions are tossed out the window and good times are allowed to roll. Out of the countless Halloween events around The City, I opted to attend a very special, sold-out show at the Civic Center featuring one of the world’s biggest DJ acts, Above & Beyond. Their special “Halloween Group Therapy” concert follows in the wake of their recently successful Group Therapy album. Above & Beyond has been a heavyweight in the world of dance music for over a decade now, consistently placing in the Top 10 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll. The Group Therapy concert served not only as a testament to Above & Beyond’s status as a successful DJ group, but also demonstrated just why dance music has gained so much momentum here in the United States in recent years. I arrived at the Bill Graham Civic Center, costume and all, prepared to dance the night away. A palpable energy permeated the air. College students, young professionals and even some older folk were dressed in an eclectic mix of costumes, which ranged from Walter White of “Breaking Bad” to a bottle of spicy Sriracha sauce. Even before the headliners went on, people were grooving away to the beats of the opening act, Myon & Shane 54. Already dance music giants in their own right, Myon & Shane rocked the crowd with hard-hitting bass lines from singles such as “Hurricane” to atmospheric anthems like “Outshine.” When Above & Beyond took the reins, people went nuts. Their show utilized an impressive collection of lasers, LED backlights and even a laptop, which they literally used to talk to the crowd. In between songs, they would type messages like, “Happy Halloween” and “You are OUR therapy.” Part of Above & Beyond’s success lies in their ability to establish a brilliant rapport with their audience, all the while dropping massive tunes to dazzling effect. They played old crowd-pleasers like, “On a Good Day” and “Can’t Sleep,” as well as their more recent singles, “Mariana Trench” and “Sun & Moon.” Each song seemed more penetrating than the last. Waves of serenity would wash over the floor during heartfelt chords, only to be brought down in a spectacular jolt of energy as lines of hard-hitting electro house blasted from the speakers. A particularly memorable moment for me was seeing the entire crowd from the second floor of the auditorium. Hands in the air and singing in unison, people chanted the lyrics to “On a Good Day,” while tens of thousands of bright lights and special effects lit up the stage overhead. Above & Beyond closed the show with their gigantic single, “Thing Called Love.” The crowd, lyrics and massive special effects made for an amazing finale. The energy in the room definitely was therapeutic.
ear Mama M., I am a student in the School of Medicine, in the middle of my first year now. I love school, I love studying and learning, and I love being here. But I get so insecure when I realize that I can’t really retain everything I am supposed to be reading. I have fallen so behind in my studying, and I am so nervous about our exams. We are supposed to learn so much about things I have never heard of (I was not a science major in college). I don’t know if I can cut it. How am I ever going to become a good doctor if I can’t remember all this important material? Please help. Sincerely, Can’t Cut It ______________________________
D
ear Can’t Cut It, Welcome to my world. I had to keep rereading your question because I kept forgetting what you were worrying about. Seriously, I am pretty sure you don’t need to retain “everything.” We learn by repetition, and, sugar plum, they are gonna repeat the really important stuff over and over and over and over again. And did I mention over again? The thing about medical school is that it feels like everything that is said is important to memorize. It is not possible to remember everything, honey. Someone (I forgot who) once said, “Real learning is what remains after everything that has been memorized has been forgotten.”
The kind of doctor you become will not be determined by the amount of minutiae that you can retain, but by your ability to retain what matters. And, I am repeating myself, but what really matters will be repeated repeatedly. Don’t worry, sugar. You will become a good doctor, sugar, because you will remember what is important. You know what I love about you? You love school! You love studying. You love learning. You love being in school. You are awesome. Really, I love you. I love you because I want my doctor to love learning above all else. The rest you can look up on your iPhone. I can feel your joy from over here, and that is friggin’ refreshing. I love joy ... it is infectious. Insecurity is a fact of life, my sweet joyful one. You can cut it. You are cutting it. And what is more, you are enjoying it. That is hard to come by. A practical exercise for you: Go to the movies. It will help relax your mind, and when your mind is relaxed, it will retain what you need to remember. Sincerely, Mama M. Mama M. and her editor are health providers at UCSF who understand the challenges facing health professionals. This column offers students honest, compassionate advice, wisdom and love. All communication is confidential. Names and identifying information will be withheld to maintain anonymity. Send letters to MamaM.synapse@gmail.com.
Chris Foo is a first-year pharmacy student.
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(Right to left) First-year pharmacy student Chris Foo with friends Calvin Han and Akio Bandle at Above & Beyond's Halloween Group Therapy Concert.
synapse.ucsf.edu | November 7, 2013 | 11
PUZZLES
Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham
The Weekly Crossword
ACROSS 1 Goblet feature 5 Legal postponement 9 Take hold of 14 Vatican VIP 15 Undercover device 16 Barnes' partner 17 Surrounded by 18 Harry Potter actress 20 Rachael Ray offering 22 Sweat site 23 Great weight 24 Stage worker's access 26 Really smelly 27 Prickly seed case 30 Pint-sized 31 Give the boot 32 Not deserved 34 Unpretentious 37 Celebrated in the past 38 Seattle slugger 39 Wes Craven genre 40 Hymn of praise 41 Pistol, slangily 42 Mob scene 43 Yellowstone grazer 44 Mimic a mantis 46 Viewpoint 48 Hosiery mishap 49 Heloise offering 50 Graf's game 54 Ambition 57 Pour on the love 58 Pull a scam
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Copyright 2013 by The Puzzle Syndicate
59 Arab leader 60 Part of OTC 61 Work with dough 62 Peggy and Brenda 63 Newborn's need
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Nibble away Become rancid Self-restraint Sailing vessel Tube-shaped pasta 19 Cantonese cooker DOWN 21 Scud destroyer 1 Rigging support 25 Hoe target 2 Heavy reading 26 Circle spokes Week - 11/10/13 3 Big pictureof 11/4/13 27 Wild country, 4 "M*A*S*H" extra Down Under 5 Equal, e.g. 28 Do-others link 6 Comical 29 Overhaul Conway 31 Funeral procession 7 Mourner's accessory 33 Orderly 8 Per annum grouping
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Lions and tigers Broker's advice Arduous hike Fountain order Franc fraction Place for Christmas stockings Thorn mishap Like some sentences By way of Finish with Sight starter Old Chevy model Agenda listing All dried out Herbal brew Compete
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty : Easy
Copyright 2013 by The Puzzle Syndicate
Grad School Illustrated
HOW TO SOLVE:
Solution to Sudoku
www.phdcomics.com
(Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)
HUMOR/FAKE NEWS
title: "Believe it or Don't!" - originally published 10/18/2013
UCSF Scrambles to Pay Record Internet Usage Bill
Student downloads entirety of Pubmed Staff Humorist
U
CSF administrators are in a panicked frenzy after a student downloaded all of Pubmed in an attempt to study as much as possible for her upcoming test. PubMed is a free database accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. It has over 23 million records going back to 1966, selectively to the year 1865, and very selectively to 1809. “It clearly wasn’t a good idea in retrospect, but I was desperate! I had so much material to cover and so many primary sources to validate,” said second-year medical student Zoe Carlton. “Downloading them all from the Internet one at a time was just a waste, so I figured I’d download everything, then sort through it all on my computer.” After a moment of reflection, she added, “Whoops.” The bill, which has already been validated by Guinness as the largest Internet bill of all
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by Jillian Varonin
time, is the latest in a series of budget crises facing the UC system. The treasurer of the UC system broke the news to the public in a televised interview early this morning. Experts are worried the UC system may have to resort to selling some of the newer universities, such as UC Merced, to cover the debt. News of the budget-busting invoice, which will paid for in part by cuts to exorbitant graduate student stipends, led to record gains for Verizon (VZ) stock value during the course of the day. From 1971 to 1997, MEDLINE online access to the MEDLARS computerized database had been primarily through institutional facilities like medical libraries. PubMed, first released in January 1996, ushered in the era of private, free, and home-computerized MEDLINE searching. The PubMed system was offered free to the public in June, 1997, when MEDLINE searches via the web were demonstrated, in a ceremony, by Vice President Al Gore.
Parnassus Poets [untitled haiku] Practicing a gaze of mild curiosity: the aging body Sarah Paris UCSF staff
Jillian Varonin is a fourth-year BMS student.
12 | November 7, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu
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