ARTS & CULTURE
FOOD
Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman soar » PAGE 4
Cowgirl Creamery offers some of the best cheeses in San Francsico » PAGE 10
The Master
IN THIS ISSUE
No Whey!
Events » PAGE 2 News Briefs » PAGE 3 Puzzles » PAGE 9 Arts & Culture » PAGE 10
Synapse The UCSF Student Newspaper
Thursday, September 20, 2012
synapse.ucsf.edu
Volume 57, Number 2
Making the Most Out of Your UCSF Adventure Reflections of a second-year med student By Jerome Atputhasingam Associate Editor
Y
ou have arrived at UCSF, yes, you have! You are filled with so much excitement you may still be pinching yourself at night to make sure this is all real. Let me be one of many to assure you that it is. Once that surreal feeling starts to wear off, you might start thinking about how you want to spend your years at UCSF. What you make of your time here largely depends on you. If you are up for it, your time at UCSF could be the biggest adventure of your life. The City might only be 7x7 miles wide and the school might only be couple of blocks long, but within these thin walls there is a larger-than-life narrative about our humanity. There are limitless adventures you can set sail on, but sometimes choosing an adventure out of an infinity pool of options can stop you from choosing at all. So here are my three essential criteria for choosing an adventure as a UCSF student. Let’s be honest, we don’t have much time, once school gets going. Criteria #1: Choose an adventure that lets you explore the City. Aside from parking, of course, San Francisco offers almost everything your heart desires. The different neighborhoods allow you to change your surroundings based on your mood. If you are in need of some beautiful murals and warm sunshine, head to the Mission. If you want to watch naked people roam the streets, take a run through the Castro. Or if you are in the mood for a peaceful meditation, get lost wandering around Golden Gate Park (you might just find nirvana).
UCSF ADVENTURE » PAGE 6
ANSEL ADAMS EXHIBITION
Photo by Susan Merrell
Ron Vale, PhD, professor and HHMI investigator, and Chanceller Susan DesmondHellmann celebrated Vale’s 2012 Lasker Basic Medical Research Award last week.
NEWS
Ron Vale Wins 2012 Lasker Basic Medical Research Award
Awarded for his discoveries of “cytoskeletal motor proteins” By Nicole Croom Staff Writer
U
Photo courtesy of Bancroft Library
Laboratory Research: Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, San Francisco Medical Center, UC San Francisco, August 1964. One of 50 Ansel Adams photographs in “Fiat Lux Redux,” an exhibition at the Bancroft Library (on the UC Berkeley campus), running Sept. 27, 2012 through Feb. 28, 2013.
CSF’s own Dr. Ron Vale, along with his colleagues Dr. James Spudich and Dr. Michael Sheetz, have been awarded the illustrious Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, considered by many in the scientific community to be a precursor to the Nobel Prize. The three scientists will be presented the award on Friday, September 21, at a ceremony in New York City honoring “scientists whose fundamental investigations have provided techniques, information or concepts contributing to the elimination of major causes of disability and death,” according to the Lasker Foundation website. Vale will split the $250,000 prize with Spudich, of Stanford University, and Sheetz, of Columbia University.
The trio began their research on axonal transport in the early 1980s and will now be recognized for their discovery of the protein kinesin and the mechanism behind its use as a molecular motor involved in muscle contraction, intercellular transport and cell movement. According to Vale, kinesin “may classify as close to the smallest protein machine that produces mechanical work.” The understanding of this mechanism is leading to the development of new drug therapies for chronic diseases such as heart failure, cancer and muscle disorders. The Bay Area firm Cytokinetics, Inc., which Vale co-founded in 1997, is working on these therapies. “I was very surprised indeed, let’s put it that way,” Vale said about the email announcement he received from the Lasker Committee. The committee
RON VALE » PAGE 6
EVENTS 2 | September 20, 2012 | synapse.ucsf.edu
MISSION BAY EVENTS MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES: MISSION BAY
Friday, September 21, 1:30-2 p.m., Byers Hall, 212, Mission Bay The Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for the UCSF Muslim community every week. Come join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer, lunch, and socializing. All are welcome!
PREVENTING BURNOUT
Monday, September 24, noon-1 p.m., Student Health, Rutter Center, third floor, Mission Bay Larry Lariosa, MFT, will facilitate a onehour informational session on burnout and how to prevent it amidst challenging academic times. Discussion will include recognizing patterns that lead to burnout and identifying strategies to avoid professional burnout. Free lunch with RSVP! larry.lariosa@ucsf.edu
MISSION BAY FARMERS’ MARKET
Wednesday, September 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Gene Friend Way Plaza, Mission Bay Shop healthy, shop fresh, shop California-grown at the UCSF Farmers’ Market, every Wednesday (rain or shine). Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association
PARNASSUS EVENTS WALGREENS BACK TO SCHOOL DAY
Thursday, September 20, 1-4 p.m., Walgreens, Millberry Union Event will include light refreshments and free reusable green bags (as of October 1, stores will be charging 10 cents per paper bag) for those who sign up for the balance rewards program.
[NEW STUDENTS] TASTE OF SAN FRANCISCO WELCOME PICNIC
Saturday, September 22, noon-2 p.m., Golden Gate Park The Associated Students of UCSF (ASUC) invites all new students to a welcome picnic to enjoy a few of San Francisco’s treats and to kick off the new school year. You might win a “lucky draw”! RSVP by September 16. insideguide.ucsf.edu/picnic-rsvp
[NEW STUDENTS] CHANCELLOR’S RECEPTION AND NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION FAIR
Monday, September 24, 4 p.m., Millberry Union, Parnassus Mark your calendar. You won’t want to miss this. Meet the Chancellor, mingle with new students, enjoy food and beverages and learn more about all the great campuswide services and organizations designed to help you. Great giveaways, too!
PARNASSUS GAME NIGHT
Monday, September 24, 6-9 p.m., Nursing Mezzanine, Parnassus Think you can compete? Here’s your chance to test your game skills, learn new games to play, and meet other fellow graduate students at Parnassus. You can also bring your favorite games to share with others. Let’s have some fun! Pizza and beverages will be provided.
PREVENTING BURNOUT
Tuesday, September 25, noon-1 p.m., Library, CL 210, Parnassus Larry Lariosa, MFT, will facilitate a onehour informational session on burnout and how to prevent it amidst challenging academic times. Discussion will include recognizing patterns that lead to burnout and identifying strategies to avoid professional burnout. Free lunch with RSVP! larry.lariosa@ucsf.edu
photographers, and designers. Come to the lunch meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy a free lunch.
J-1 ORIENTATION
Thursday, September 27, noon-2 p.m., S 157, Parnassus J-1 immigration regulations mandate that all new J-1 visa holders who have started their appointment at UCSF must attend one orientation. At orientation, you will learn about traveling during your program, employment and reimbursement policies, extending your program, and other helpful information about living in San Francisco and doing research at UCSF. Bring your passport, your DS-2019 and I-94 (the small white card stapled into your passport at the immigration counter).
WALGREENS FLU SHOTS
Thursday, September 27, 1-4 p.m., Walgreens, Millberry Union A flu shot table will be set up for people to sign up and get their flu shots with no waiting. For Medicare Part B and MediCal patients, shots are free!
ANNOUNCEMENTS SHARE YOUR TRAVEL STORIES
On October 4, Synapse will publish its annual “Travel” issue. We’re asking the campus community to share their stories, photographs and anecdotes about places they have visited recently, exotic or not. Send your submissions to synapse@ucsf.edu. Deadline is Friday, September 28.
REC PASS FOR STUDENTS NOW AVAILABLE!
Kayak under the Golden Gate, yell “Goal!” after an assist, or try something new! Outdoor Programs & Recreational Sports’ Rec Pass for UCSF students is the cure for life outside the classroom—a variety of trips, classes, and leagues for one low price. The Rec Pass is available for $59 to students with a current ID and is good now through June 30, 2013.
UCSF CENTER FOR IPE LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
OFF CAMPUS EVENTS
Interested in interprofessional education, IPE volunteering opportunities and more? Visit the new website, an informational hub for all things interprofessional at UCSF. interprofessional.ucsf.edu
Tuesday, September 25, noon–1 p.m., Cole Hall, Parnassus Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann speaks to the campus community and discusses her vision for this year at the State of the University Address at Cole Hall. The noontime speech will also be live-streamed (presentations. ucsf.edu/special-events/state2012/) and broadcast on televisions at other university locations.
OFF THE GRID
JOIN, POST AND WIN!
UCSF RUN CLUB
Thursday, September 20, 6-10 p.m., Cal Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park Conjure up your childhood passion for dinosaurs with a screening of Jurassic Park. Then check out a DJ set by Mochipet in a Godzilla suit, Dinosaurs Alive! in 3D, dino specimens, carnivorous plant feeding, and dissections with the San Francisco Botanical Garden, and Conservatory of Flowers’ sketch-o-saurus dino drawing station. Tickets: $9 (user name= UCSF; password= alligator) calacademy.org/ etickets/index.php
STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS
Wednesday, September 26, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Millberry Union Central Desk, Parnassus Please drop by and join UCSF Fit & Rec for a run. Each Wednesday night, the Run Club runs various distances (3-6 miles) at a 9-11 minute per mile.
CULTURE CARD SALE: $25 FOR 25 EVENTS
Wednesday, September 26, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Medical Sciences Lobby, Parnassus San Francisco Performances’ Culture Card is the best deal in town for arts lovers, bar none. This easy-to-access and inexpensive program—$25 for 25 performances—is your direct connection to world-class opera, classical music, vocal programs, dance and jazz. Bring your checkbooks! Visit bit.ly/CultureCard
PARNASSUS FARMERS’ MARKET
Wednesday, September 26, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., ACC, 400 Parnassus Ave. Shop the Farmers’ Markets on Wednesdays to pick up locally grown produce and more.
SYNAPSE NEWSPAPER AND WEBSITE
Thursday, September 27, noon-1 p.m., MU 123W Synapse is looking for Mission Bay and Parnassus writers, bloggers,
Thursday, September 6, 5-9 p.m., Stanyan & Waller, Upper Haight 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.
CAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: JURASSIC NIGHTLIFE
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT THE DE YOUNG MUSEUM
Friday, September 7, 6-8:45 p.m., 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park Friday Nights at the de Young offers a variety of free interdisciplinary arts programs, including live music, poetry, films, dance, art activities and lectures in the public spaces of the museum. Programs are free and open to the public but do not include admission to the museum’s galleries. Have an event that you would like to submit? Please email to synapse@ucsf.edu
Are you a UCSF first-generationto-college (FG2C) student? Have you joined our new Facebook page? Join the Facebook page and post a photo of yourself with “UCSF” and “FG2C” somewhere in your photo by October 2 and you’ll be automatically entered in our raffle for a $50 Whole Foods gift card giveaway! Sponsored by First Generation College Student Initiative. Please find eligibility details on the Facebook page. facebook.com/ firstgenUCSF
SF SYMPHONY STUDENT AMBASSADOR Become a SF Symphony Student Ambassador, spread the word about upcoming concerts and benefits for college students and earn six sets of free concert tickets and other great perks. If you love the symphony and know your classmates do too, register and attend the orientation October 7. sfsymphony. org/Buy-Tickets/Discount-Tickets/ Students.aspx
UCSF GLOBAL HEALTH SCIENCES MASTERS
Applications are being accepted for the 2014 class for the master’s degree in Global Health Sciences. This oneyear program provides students in the health sciences and allied fields with the knowledge and skills necessary for leadership roles in global health, through a multi-disciplinary curriculum and an applied global health fieldwork experience. Graduates are prepared for careers in international health policy, health care, research, and development. March 1, 2013 is the application deadline. For details, visit:www.globalhealthsciences.ucsf. edu/education/graduate/
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 20, 2012 | 3
NEWS BRIEFS
J-Town Sumo
SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
Vaderhobli and Huang Make an Impact at CEREC 27.5 CAD/CAM Conference
U Photo by Mason Tran
Hundreds of people came out to the Japantown Peace Plaza on September 8, 2012 to watch a sumo wrestling exhibition.
NEWS
WarnMe: UCSF’s Warning System
Have you registered for text alerts yet? Synapse Staff Report
P
olice are urging UCSF students and staff to register personal contact information with the University’s alerting system. Doing so could save your life, and maybe score you a prize. Anyone with an official UCSF ID is in the WarnMe system with their UCSF e-mail and university desk phone (if they have provided one). There are more than 40,000 IDs in the existing system. WarnMe is UCSF’s alerting and warning service. In the event of an immediate threat to the safety or health of the campus community, WarnMe sends alerts to UCSF phone numbers or e-mail addresses. But this is not an efficient method of reaching people in an emergency. The UCSF phone and e-mail system, for instance, could be damaged or overloaded. In recent disasters, text messages have proven to be the most reliable means of emergency communications, according to police. However, as of July 2012, fewer than 5,000—less than 20 percent of UCSF students, faculty, staff, and affiliates—have registered personal contact information (mobile devices, personal e-mail addresses, etc.) in addition to their UCSF-assigned phone and e-mail address. To receive WarnMe emergency warnings through other means, such as SMS (text messaging) or cell phones, members of the UCSF community must sign up on the WarnMe website. those who sign up and enter alternate phone, cell phone, SMS (text messaging), e-mail, or pagers, will be eligible for prize drawings. UCSF police note that: • police will not send spam or non-emergency announcements; • police will not share personal information; • all WarnMe personal information is secure. WarnMe is part of the campus’ emergency communications system. In all emergencies, natural disasters and other crises, information will be recorded on the campus emergency hotline number, (415) 502-4000 (or 2-4000 in-house), and information will be posted as quickly as possible on the campus website. Don’t forget, by registering your personal cell phone, text messaging address, or other device, you will be entered in our monthly prize drawings. Hurry, while prizes last. Better yet, hurry before the next emergency strikes. Consider it a lifeline; take it. WarnMe FAQ: https://warnme.ucsf.edu/faq.php
DID YOU KNOW? 1. Did you know that during most emergencies, local phone lines rapidly become overloaded? 2. Did you know that in recent disasters, text messages have been demonstrated to be the most reliable means of communication? 3. Did you know WarnMe can notify over 60,000 cell phones by text message, voice, or e-mail within minutes? 4. Did you know you can register as many as eight devices in WarnMe? 5. Did you know that the more phone, text and e-mail addresses you register in WarnMe, the greater the chances you will receive a warning that may save your life?
UCSF Dentistry faculty Drs. Ram Vaderhobli and Sam Huang made a significant impact at a recent CAD/CAM conference, sharing the advances UCSF Dentistry has made in the techology - “a huge impact,” in Dr. Vaderhobli’s words. Says Dr. Vaderhobli: “We have been pioneers in successfully implementing the CAD/CAM curriculum in predoctoral education amongst all dental schools worldwide, and Sam [Huang] spoke in depth about how we did it as part of his keynote address. We were mobbed by faculty from various schools afterward, asking us about the key points of Sam’s presentation and about the steps we took to get it done.” Vaderhobli and Huang have received inquiries about presenting a CAD/CAM road show at various institutions. Vaderhobli reports that he was awarded the top prize for keynote excellence in delivering the educational curriculum, via a poster. (Aug. 18, 2012)
SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
Shu receives NIH New Innovator Award to study protein interactions
X
iaokun Shu, PhD, has been named a recipient of the 2012 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator award, which will provide up to $1.5 million in research funding over the next five years. Shu, a faculty member in the UCSF School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, will use the funding to develop a new technology to identify dynamic interactions between proteins in human cells. In particular, Shu’s NIH-funded work will seek to detect weakly binding and short-lived interactions that can be difficult to detect via current techniques but which can play vital roles in health and disease. This marks the third year in a row that a young School faculty member has won this highly selective funding, designed “to support exceptionally creative new investigators who propose highly innovative projects that have the potential for unusually high impact.” This year it was awarded to 51 scientists nationwide. (Sept. 14, 2012)
SCHOOL OF NURSING
Interprofessional Care of Childbearing Families
T
he Family Heath Care Nursing Department is pleased to announce the award of a major HRSA Advanced Nursing Education 3-year grant for Interprofessional Care of Childbearing Families. Led by Jenna ShawBattista, RN, CNM, NP, PhD the funding will enable enhancement of UCSF’s perinatal/neonatal interprofessional curriculum and expand our use of innovative instructional technologies. Faculty will receive mentorship and consultation to develop expertise in interprofessional education technology integration. For further information about the nurse midwifery program, please go to: nursing.ucsf.edu/programs/ specialties/nurse-midwifery-women-s-health-nurse-practitioner. (Sept. 18, 2012)
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Hope on the Horizon for Asthma Sufferers
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new study that identifies ways to reduce the factors that lead to an asthma attack gives hope to asthma sufferers. A UCSF researcher and his colleagues believe they have found a way to help asthma sufferers by impeding the two most significant biological responses that lead to asthma attacks. Asthma, a respiratory disorder that causes shortness of breath, coughing and chest discomfort, results from changes in the airways that lead to the lungs. It affects 18.7 million adults and 7.0 million children in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers from UCSF, Johns Hopkins University and Duke University demonstrate that a specific calcium-activated chloride channel holds valuable clues to reducing two biological processes that contribute to the severity of asthma. These channels regulate airway secretions and smooth muscle contraction, the two major factors that lead to an asthma attack. “Maybe if we could inhibit both of these processes by blocking this one channel, then we could affect the two symptoms of asthma,” said senior author Jason Rock, PhD, assistant professor at the UCSF Department of Anatomy. Normally humans have few mucus-producing cells but asthma sufferers have an elevated number of these cells in the lining of the tubes that lead to the lungs. Asthmatics also have an abnormal amount of smooth muscle surrounding the airway tubes. Even the slightest stimulus can cause these to contract. (Leland Kim/UCSF, Sept. 17, 2012)
4 | September 20, 2012 | synapse.ucsf.edu
PROFI LE
‘Alex, I’ll Take Periodontics for $1000’
Mark Ryder has appeared on Jeopardy, Super Password and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire By Booth Haley Editor
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d. Note: Mark Ryder, DMD, is a professor in the Department of Orofacial Sciences in the UCSF School of Dentistry. He sat down with Synapse Editor Booth Haley to discuss his many hobbies.
Synapse: Dr. Ryder, you’ve been at UCSF since 1979. Have you been featured in Synapse before? Ryder: Actually, I wrote the first crossword puzzle ever published in Synapse. That was in 1983. It was all about things local to this campus. Then there was an article about my participation in a national crossword competition, that was in the mid ’80s, and an online article in Synapse in 2010 on leading a UCSF team to a large pub championship for the Bay Area. Nothing has been written since then. Synapse: Are you still writing crosswords and competing? Ryder: Oh, I’ve retired from crosswords. I was a little better at trivia, which is a hobby I still pursue. Synapse: Right, I’ve heard about the famous video from your Jeopardy appearance. Tell us more about your trivia career. Ryder: I’ve been on Jeopardy, Super Password, The Challengers and twice have been flown out to be in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire but didn’t win the fast finger either time. But actually, the national and international trivia tournaments are what I do more these days. I go to the North American Tournament every year in Las Vegas, for example, and compete with Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, and other well-known trivia players. And for last year’s Asian American Trivia Championship here in San Francisco, I organized a team that included four dental students. Their more youthful knowledge really helped us get first place. Synapse: What’s been your greatest trivia achievement? Ryder: Well, I don’t know about greatest, but last year in the World Quizzing Championship, I finished first in the sixty-and-over division. Synapse: What has been the funniest question you’ve ever been asked? Ryder: The funniest question . . . hmmm . . . last year I got asked, “2010 saw the premiere of an opera titled ‘U.’ ” This was the world’s first, and probably last, opera sung in what language?” Synapse: What was it, Esperanto? Ryder: Close! It was in Klingon. Synapse: This is fun; do you have a few other memorable ones? Ryder: Last year, I was in a head-to-head contest against Steve Perry, who is widely regarded as the best trivia player in the United States, for the North American Championship, and we were tied in quadruple overtime. The two questions were, “All 50 states are divided into counties except which two?” and “In the history of Time magazine’s Man of the Year, there has only ever been only one then-active member of the US House of Representatives chosen—who was it?” Synapse: Hmmm, we’ll let our readers ponder those and publish the answers at the end of the article. In addition to trivia, you’re famous for incorporating magic tricks into your lectures. When did you start studying the magician’s art? Ryder: I really got serious about magic when I was in dental school at Harvard. In those days, the medical students and dental students would host a show together for the school, and I started performing then. Synapse: What’s your favorite trick? Ryder: I love using both trivia and magic to enhance my teaching. So the trick I enjoy doing the most is a classic cups-and-balls trick, where balls keep accumulating under the cups, except I present it as the microbiology of periodontal disease, where the balls represent bacteria accumulating in biofilms. Finally, as the disease progresses, the balls magically turn into pieces of fruit, and I use yellow, orange, and red fruits to signify the yellow, orange, and red complexes of bacteria in the biofilm. Synapse: So, besides magic, what’s really exciting in the field of periodontology these days?
Photo by Mason Tran
Dr. Mark Ryder, Director of the Periodontics Program at UCSF Dental School, has been known to use trivia and magic to enhance his teaching.
Ryder: As the incidence of periodontitis has declined in the last decades, the field has really been turning more toward complex implant procedures, bone and soft tissue grafts, and plastic surgery to improve the appearance of the gingiva. The next breakthrough will probably be in regeneration, gene therapy, stem cell biology—those types of cutting-edge approaches. Also a lot of research continues to examine possible links between periodontitis and systemic conditions, such as diabetes. Synapse: What is your most exciting research project right now? Ryder: One big thing I’m working on is a multi-center study with Barbara Moscicki from the med school and Caroline Shiboski from oral medicine. We’re studying children and adolescents with HIV, their oral condition and oral bacteria, and looking for correlations with other medical conditions and cognitive ability. Synapse: You’re from New Jersey then spent a while in Boston—what made you originally move to San Francisco? Was it the research opportunities at UCSF? Ryder: Boston at the time was a little more sclerotic in its thinking, and more intolerant. And the weather was horrible. Real free-thinking, creativity, innovation—you could feel it in San Francisco in the ’70s. There was more tolerance and diversity, you could think differently, develop new ideas , and take real chances. Synapse: So if a student is thinking about applying to your periodontal program, would you say the location is its greatest attribute? Ryder: In addition to being in this wonderful city, we are the oldest program west of the Mississippi and the only one in Northern California. For this second reason, we have a very large patient pool to draw on. Also we have a great diversity of faculty, and our philosophy is not to teach students a certain way of doing things, but rather to give them knowledge of all the different approaches represented by our different faculty, teach students to think critically and make their own choices about the best approaches for their own future practices. Synapse: Speaking of giving students knowledge, how about the answers to those two questions? Ryder: Neither Louisiana or Alaska has counties, and Newt Gingrich was once Time’s Man of the Year. And for sports fans and readers of Synapse, here is one of my favorite sports trivia questions of all time (no answer here, it will take some time to think about it): In the history of the four major sports leagues, MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL, only two cities have had their teams compete against each other in all four final championship series or games. Name those two cities. Booth Haley is a second-year student in the School of Dentistry. ANSWER: St. Louis and Boston.
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 20, 2012 | 5
NEWS
Photography Interest Group Offers Artistic Outlet for Creative UCSF Staff and Students By Ernesto Diaz-Flores President, PIC
Recent research by UCSF scientists By Alexandra Greer Science Editor
IMMUNOLOGY: Autotaxin through lysophosphatidic acid stimulates polarization, motility, and transendothelial migration of naive T-cells. Zhang, Y.; Chen, Y.C.; Krummel, M.F.; Rosen, S.D. Journal of Immunology. September 7. [Epub ahead of print]
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012 has been the year in which the Photography Interest Club (PIC) has permeated through all layers of UCSF. The club was started in 2009 by Melissa Shive, a medical student, and Joe Donovan, a graduate student, who were looking to provide an artistic outlet for creative people at UCSF. They established an annual students’ photo contest that opens for submissions in December and ends with the awards ceremony/reception at the Faculty Alumni House in February. At the end of 2011, both Shive and Donovan were preparing to leave UCSF when I came across an article in Synapse, asking for submissions in its travel issue. The deadline was on the day I saw the newspaper, but since I had just been to China for the first time and had some good pictures and a story to share, I decided to submit them. Excitingly, both my story and one of my pictures were selected and published. A week later, Shive called me saying she had seen the picture and asked me if I was interested in being part of the Photography Interest Club (PIC). As a postdoc and not a student, I hadn’t heard of the club but was excited to be part of it. We had a nice conversation and I shared my ideas of things to do in the future with the club. A week later, Shive called me again and said that she and Donovan thought I would be a good new president for PIC. That’s how, without ever meeting Melissa in person, I became the president of the photography club.
UCSF JOURNAL CLUB
With help from Jennifer Rosko and Maureen Conway at the Student Activity Center, we created a website and a Facebook page, and I started organizing seminars and inviting professional photographers to visit. We opened the club to all the UCSF community so that not only students but also postdocs, faculty, staff and friends could join. Now we organize seminars, photoshoots, workshops, photo walks, photo marathons and contests, as well as the annual student/postdoc photo exhibit. We even have a collaboration with Google+ to give PIC more visibility among professional photographers. We are open to new members who are willing to help organize photo events and become part of a fun and active group, whose goal is to bring photography to the entire UCSF community while learning and enjoying the art of capturing those special moments in life. URL: facebook.com/ photographyinterestclub.ucsf Ernesto Diaz-Flores is a Postdoctoral fellow in Pediatrics/Oncology
In order for a naïve T-cell to become activated and affect the adaptive immune response, it must move from the blood into a lymph node so that it can interact with an activating dendritic cell. While it is well understood that T-cells move from blood to lymph nodes at points of high endothelial venules (HEVs), many questions remain concerning the process by which the T-cell moves out of the blood vessel and into the lymph node (called “transendothelial migration”). In this paper, researchers tried to ascertain a means by which the T-cell knows to begin transendothelial migration at the location of the HEV. They identified ATX, an enzyme that creates lysophosphatidic acid (a lipid that can influence cellular behavior and has been shown to be involved in transendothelial migration) and found it released by the HEV into the blood. They showed that T-cells have a receptor on their leading edge for ATX that promotes their transendothelial migration and therefore their movement from the blood to the lymph node.
CANCER BIOLOGY: Interactions between wild-type and mutant Ras genes in lung and skin carcinogenesis. To, M.D.; Rosario, R.D.; Westcott, P.M.; Banta, K.L.; Balmain, A. Oncogene. September 3. [Epub ahead of print] Ras genes are a family of small GTPases involved in transducing cellular signals for a number of processes, including cell division, cell growth, and cell adhesion/motility. As such, many cancerous cells that have alterations to cell division, growth, or adhesion/motility are found to have mutations in one or more Ras genes. In many cancers where one Ras gene allele is mutated, the other Ras allele has also been deleted, which has led researchers to believe that one functional allele of a Ras gene is sufficient to limit the development of cancer via the mutated Ras allele. In this paper, researchers created combinations of multiple mutated Ras genes and compared the ability of different combinations to prevent the development of lung and skin cancers. They found the greatest inhibition of cancerous traits occurred when they supplemented the cancerous allele with a healthy allele of the same Ras gene, although there were also some combinations of multiple alleles that provided partial protection.
NEUROSCIENCE: Ectopic uterine tissue as a chronic pain generator. Alvarez, P. et al., (Levine). Neuroscience. August 23. [Epub ahead of print] Endometriosis is a gynecological disease of variable severity that is caused by endometrial tissue that forms outside the uterus. It causes pain during menstruation and can eventually lead to infertility in some cases, due to extensive abdominal scarring where the endometrial tissue is present. Much of the disease formation, treatment, and prognosis remains a mystery, and the cause of endometrial pain is poorly understood, since even mild cases of endometriosis are sometimes characterized by debilitating pain during menstruation. Here, researchers investigated the cause of endometrial pain in the hopes of developing better treatments. To help learn more, they generated a model of endometriosis in rats by implanting endometrial tissue into the abdominal cavity. Within two weeks, the rats had developed an endometriosis-like condition characterized by pain and cystic endometrial tissue outside the uterus that was treatable with progesterone or leuprolide.
CELL BIOLOGY: Clathrin promotes centrosome integrity in early mitosis through stabilization of centrosomal ch-TOG. Foraker, A.B. et al., (Brodsky). Journal of Cell Biology. 198(4):591-605. Clathrin is probably best known for its role in assembling coated pits in the cell membrane to allow for endocytosis; however, the presence of clathrin is also required during mitosis for the cell to properly assemble and move the mitotic spindle along which the cell divides. Depletion of clathrin via RNAi has demonstrated this, but has also suggested that additional proteins may be involved in cell division through interactions with clathrin. Here, researchers wanted to isolate the function of clathrin by selectively inactivating it at different phases of mitosis. They found that inactivation of clathrin in the S phase caused a drop in centrosome-associated clathrin and ch-TOG in metaphase, which was accompanied by fragmentation of the centrosomes. Furthermore, the total amount of chTOG was reduced in the cell. This reflects clathrin’s role in centrosome integrity through its stabilization of ch-TOG. For comments or paper suggestions, e-mail Alexandra.Greer@ucsf.edu. Alexandra Greer is a fifth-year Biomedical Sciences student.
6 | September 20, 2012 | synapse.ucsf.edu
Ron Vale Wins 2012 Lasker » FROM HOME PAGE
had attempted to reach him several times by telephone, but Vale, as committed to his research as ever, was holed up in the Marine Biological Lab in Woods Hole, Mass., during the notification period. “I actually found out a couple of months ago,” Vale said. “You were supposed to keep it a secret until this last week, so that was the hardest thing. Of course, I could tell my family and kids, so I shared it with them and that was a lot of fun, but otherwise I had to keep my lips sealed until last Monday.” Vale received his BS degree in biology and chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his PhD in neuroscience from Stanford University. He conducted postdoctoral studies at the Marine Biological Laboratory and has been a faculty member at UCSF since 1986. Vale also founded a science education website called iBioSeminars.org, based at UCSF. Vale revealed another surprise about how he ended up working at UCSF. “That’s a little bit interesting maybe for the Synapse,” he said, laughing. “I was actually an MD/PhD student at Stanford, and a lot of the work, some of which is relevant for the Lasker Award, happened during that time. … There was all this exciting science to be done, and things went really well and I ended up postponing my clerkships to keep working on this problem.” As his research continued to yield results and job offers began to roll in, Vale postponed getting his medical degree indefinitely.
“toYoukeepwereit supposed a secret
until this last week, so that was the hardest thing.”
Nicole Croom is a first-year medical student.
Photos by Susan Merrell
Ron Vale celebrates winning the 2012 Albert Lasker Award in Genentech Hall at UCSF Mission Bay on Tuesday with colleagues and friends in Genentech Hall. Upper right: Vale displays the name of a molecular motor protein called “kinesin” on the back of his Giants jersey.
UCSF Adventure » FROM HOME PAGE
The food and art culture in San Francisco is constantly changing and evolving. Surprisingly, restaurants and shows can be relatively affordable if you snatch up deals as they come. Goldstar, Groupon, and Scoutmob are my go-to apps for looking for good deals. My favorite website to check in on what’s happening in the city is sf.funcheap.com. It is updated weekly with all the inexpensive events scheduled for that week. B u t the most effective way to get to know the city is through the people. In my experience, S a n Franciscans are pretty f r i e n d l y. They love to talk. Most of the best
when our school is spread out across so many locations, you are in for a surprise. The caveat, of course, is that you have to be willing to get to know the campus to recognize the community that is constantly being built. The best way I have found to connect with the campus community is to attend the events put on by different organizations. Most of these events have free food, which is always a welcome perk. Keep a watchful eye on the UCSF’s Student Inside Guide to see what events are coming up, or take a look at the flyers in the cafeteria while you are eating. The Student Activity Center also puts on many fun and interactive activities. For example, they bring us puppies to pet during the fall quarter so that we can unwind with some puppy love. The Chancellor also sponsors a concert series where the sweet sounds from local musicians can wash our stress away. But the most important aspect of attending these events can be to get to know the people who are there right alongside you. The richness of experience that people at UCSF bring with them to campus will leave you amazed.
recommendations I’ve been given for what to do in the city have come from conversations on Muni with other passengers. So don’t be afraid to chat it up with the locals.
Growing is an integral part of life. We have probably pushed the boundaries of growing taller by now, but we can always grow in other ways. In particular, being at UCSF gives us many privileged opportunities for becoming better in sync with ourselves. The magic of being a student in the health professions is that we have a front-row seat to life. We see people from a broad range of backgrounds, often in difficult circumstances.
The City might “only be 7x7 miles
wide and the school might only be couple of blocks long, but within these thin walls there is a larger-than-life narrative about our humanity.”
Criteria 2: Choose an adventure that lets you get to know the campus. If you are skeptical, as I was, about how much campus community can really exist
Criteria #3: Choose an adventure that lets you grow.
We are able to bear witness to the most tragic of events but also to the happiest of moments in the lives of the people that we care for. These privileges might be hard to recall while we are peering into our books, but it is worth taking some time to reflect on why we really came here to be educated. When I feel overwhelmed by school, I have found the Moffitt Hospital Lobby to be a great place for re-centering. Sitting in the Moffitt lobby for half an hour gives me a glimpse into the world around me. Listening to people talk about their fears about the health of a loved one, or cheering the arrival of a new baby boy, helps me to remember the real purpose of my education. Finding a re-centering place has been a saving grace during my first year of school. As on any epic adventure, there may be some low points along the way. But you are not alone in those moments. Everyone encounters them at some point or another. Be willing to ask for and to receive help when you find yourself struggling, and always remind yourself that who you are is much more than what and how much you know. These three criteria will hopefully get you started on deciding how you want to spend your time at UCSF. Regardless of what you decide to do, it is hard to make a bad decision, because if you let it, every adventure will teach you something about yourself or about life. After all, those lessons are the true magic of any adventure. Jerome Atputhasingam is a second-year medical student
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 20, 2012 | 7
NEWS
Alumni Association Seeks Greater Student Involvement
Alumni Weekend is scheduled for April 25-27, 2013 By Andrew Kaufteil, JD Senior Director, UCSF Alumni Association
T
he Alumni Association of UCSF (AAUCSF) will offer more social and networking opportunities this year, as a way to increase its presence in campus life. Membership in AAUCSF is open to all 35,000-plus degree-holding graduates of UCSF, as well as approximately 20,000 current and past trainees at UCSF, including staff, residents, fellows, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, and faculty. All alumni automatically become lifelong members. AAUCSF’s goal is to advance the interests of UCSF by supporting a strong community among its alumni. Students are invited to take part in our social and networking opportunities, and the association is seeking increased student involvement in its programs. Events:
•• UCSF Alumni Weekend 2012: This event attracted more than 1,800 guests in April. The 2013 Alumni Weekend is scheduled for April 25-27. All UCSF alumni, faculty, students, staff and friends are invited to celebrate at our annual reunion weekend. This year, in conjunction with Student Services, AAUCSF is offering an inaugural “Zero Year Reunion” for graduating students and trainees on April 25 at Parnassus, to follow the Last Lecture. ••
Regional events across the country: Regions include Boston, Hawaii, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC.
•• UCSF receptions at professional meetings and conferences: Professional meetings include the Society for Neuroscience, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, American Anthropological Association, American Society for Cell Biology, and JP Morgan. •• Social events for students and alumni: Past events have included a Giants Game and Tailgate, happy hours and more. Networking & Career Opportunities: •• UCSF Alumni groups on LinkedIn and Facebook: Visit www.ucsfalumni. org/socialmedia for more information.
•• Alumni & Student Career Advisory Networks: UCSF alumni from various schools and programs have already volunteered to offer current students and trainees career advice and guidance through UCSF’s Career Advisory Network. For more information on how to get connected, call the Office of Career & Professional Development at (415) 476-4986. Benefits: •• Alumni e-mail forwarding account: yourname@alumni.ucsf.edu can be forwarded to the personal email account of your choice. •• UC Extension Courses: UCSF alumni receive a discount on extension courses at all UC campuses. •• Fitness & Recreation Center discounts: UCSF alumni are eligible for a special membership rate at the Bakar Fitness and Recreation Center and at the Millberry Fitness & Recreation Center. •• Privileges at UC Libraries and Access to the ProQuest Digital Research Library: Free library privileges at UCSF’s Kalmanovitz Library and access to ProQuest, a subscription-based digital collection of thousands of peerreviewed journals, magazines, and newspapers licensed by the UCSF Library for the alumni community. •• Travel Discounts: Participating hotels and services include: Club Quarters, InterContinental Hotel, Rental Cars and Choice Hotels, and Alumni Travel Programs. •• Financial Programs: Partners include Geico and Golden 1 Credit Union. Each professional school, as well as the Graduate Division, has its own alumni association to serve and to represent the interests of its graduates. AAUCSF and each school’s alumni association offer separate and complementary services The AAUCSF website, www.ucsfalumni.org, contains up-to-date information on events, networking and career opportunities, benefits, and more. If you have questions or would like to get involved, please contact alumni@support.ucsf.edu. URL: www.ucsfalumni.org Email: alumni@support.ucsf.edu
8 | September 20, 2012 | synapse.ucsf.edu
NEWS
A Letter from the Vice Chancellor, Diversity and Outreach
I
am pleased to welcome you to the The goal of the Office is to provide for cultural transformation on our Office of Diversity and Outreach outstanding and culturally competent campus. at UCSF. The Office serves as the resources and services to UCSF and the In addition, the Office serves as campus leader in building diversity community. Affirmative Action and a central resource on campus where in all aspects of the UCSF mission, Equal Opportunity, LGBT Resource internal and external community through ongoing assessment, Center, Sexual Harassment Prevention members can easily find news and development of new updates about activities programs, and building and programs taking Diversity—a defining feature of Caliconsensus. We collaborate place, and learn how to with the medical centers fornia’s past, present, and future—refers to get involved. We provide and hospital teaching educational and culturally sites to promote diversity, the variety of personal experiences, values, enriching events taking equity, and inclusion across and world views that arise from differplace at UCSF throughout all groups on campus. the year. I invite you to The mission of the ences of culture and circumstance. Such attend these events and Office is to build a broadly differences include race, ethnicity, gender, engage in a dialogue diverse faculty, student, directly with our office, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilitrainee and staff community, publicly or privately. You to nurture a culture that is ties, sexual orientation, gender identity, may also subscribe to our welcoming and supportive, diversity listserv and join and to engage diverse socioeconomic status, and geographic our Facebook page by ideas for the provision region, and more.” visiting diversity.ucsf.edu. of culturally competent I invite you to attend education, discovery, and our events throughout the patient care. My priority UC Definition of Diversity month of October focused is to develop and execute www.universityofcalifornia.edu/diversity/diversity.html on diversity and building a comprehensive strategic community. The new plan for diversity and outreach that and Resolution, University Community Multicultural Resource Center will supports UCSF’s mission of advancing Partnerships, and the Multicultural have its grand opening celebration on health worldwide, and the recruitment Resource Center comprise the Office. October 24 from 4-6 p.m., with food, and retention of talented employees These centralized services bolster music and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. and students who contribute to and foster collaboration, improve our The Center serves as a resource for our commitment to diversity and effectiveness and serve as a cornerstone students, trainees, faculty, and staff, excellence. with a focus on underrepresented minorities, mentoring and interprofessional collaboration. Please visit our website for a full listing of events. The Office of Diversity and Outreach is a place where all members of the campus community are free to voice their concerns, collaborate and celebrate differences. I invite you to partner with me in making UCSF an even greater institution, which welcomes and supports all groups and serves as a gateway to resources and Serving fine yet affordable, diverse and opportunities. I am privileged and sustainable food and beverage items in a quiet and cozy garden setting. Provide honored to serve in this important role catering services and an official California and to be of service to UCSF and the Monday-Friday, 7:00 am-5:00 pm Lottery vendor on the Parnassus campus. In the Nursing Building, by Saunders Court community. Please feel free to contact We accept recharges for catering 415.502.5888 my office any time at (415) 476-7700.
“
You’re Funding Fun: Partial proceeds of this Campus Life Services retail partner fund concerts, outings, and other campus enrichment activities.
Sincerely, J. Renee Navarro, PharmD, MD Vice Chancellor Diversity and Outreach
October: Building Community at UCSF 6th Annual Mission Bay Block Party Sponsored by Campus Life Services Retail October 10, noon-1:30 p.m. Mission Bay Campus, Gene Friend Way National Coming Out Day Sponsored by CACGLBTI, GSDA, LGBTQSA October 11, noon-1:30 p.m. Saunders Court, Parnassus Campus Health Disparities Research Symposium VI October 12, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Laurel Heights Conference Center University Community Partnerships Celebration October 18, 5-7 p.m. Millberry Union Conference Center 3rd Annual LGBTQSA Student Mixer Sponsored by UCSF Student Health & Counseling, LGBTQSA October 19, 5:30-8 p.m. Mission Bay Community Center Multicultural Resource Center Grand Opening October 24, 4-6 p.m. Millberry Union 123
NEWS
Seeking a Quiet Space on Campus?
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A
re you searching for a quiet space on campus for individual reflection, meditation or prayer? Search no more, there is a space for you! U-70, is located in University Hall at Parnassus and 3rd Avenues and is open to the UCSF community from noon - 5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday for quiet reflection. Feel free to use this space and to share this information with your colleagues. Please note that this location has been designated for individual meditation and prayer and but is not intended as a place for groups to meet. If you have any questions or comments please contact the Office of Student Life at office.studentlife@uscf.edu.
Puzzles
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 20, 2012 | 9
Week of 9/17/12 - 9/23/12
The Weekly Crossword
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ACROSS 1 Perched on 14 15 16 5 Horse's gait 17 18 19 11 Wine vessel 14 Ticked off 20 21 22 23 15 Mustang, for 24 25 26 27 one 16 Campfire 28 29 30 31 32 residue 34 35 36 37 38 17 Gardening moss 33 18 Forcible removal 39 40 41 42 43 19 Play for a 44 45 46 47 48 sucker 20 Do a voice-over 49 50 51 22 Coastal cove 52 53 54 55 56 57 24 Pirate's prosthesis 58 59 60 61 26 Yachting event 63 64 65 66 67 28 Civil War general 62 29 Monopoly card 68 69 70 32 URL ending, 71 72 73 sometimes 33 Victorian, for Copyright 2012 by The Puzzle Syndicate one 34 Orchestral reed 35 Thistlelike plant 62 Large vase 6 Bluish hue 36 Likewise 39 Assists 63 Type of collision 7 One of the 37 Conjure up 41 Join together 65 Tiler's 38 Biblical outcast Seven Deadly 43 Not prerecorded 40 Comics page measurement Sins 44 Balance on the 68 Herbal brew 8 Carafe size offering 69 Baltimore 9 Hydrogen's 42 Casual top brink 46 Senate stretch 45 Hearing range ballplayer number 48 Janitor's tool 70 Trellis piece 10 Orbital point 47 Coal source 49 Did a 5K, say 71 Electric fish 11 Olympics event 52 Like some 50 Himalayan 72 Money handler 12 Strong point angles Week - 9/23/12 73 Fiery 13 Letter 53 Cube root of 27 monster heapof 9/17/12 before 51 Presidential 54 Important exam iota 21 Make over 55 Woodsy route nickname 52 If _____ you DOWN 23 Birth-related 57 Understand 1 Nile reptile 24 Kilt fold 60 Fan-club don't succeed... 56 Reel man 2 Stocking stuffer 25 Bone-chilling favorite 58 Erik Estrada 3 Citrus cooler 27 Cedric the 61 Field mouse 4 Flower feature 64 Before, of yore series _________ 59 Mediterranean 5 God portrayer of 30 Long, long time 66 Corn serving 31 Supreme Being 67 Consumed hot spot the 70's & 80's
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty : Easy
12/12
HOW TO SOLVE:
Piled Higher and Deeper
Women, Men & TG STATE REGISTERED SINCE 1978
by Margie E. Burke
(Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)
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NEWS
Getting Around Town on the Bus Synapse Staff Report
Y
ou will quickly find that San Francisco isn’t the most carfriendly place in the world— the City’s residents can fill your ears with lengthy tales of woe about the impossibility of finding a parking space. UCSF campus shuttles will whisk you around the various and sundry UCSF sites around the City, but what about getting around to other places? Muni! Muni is short for Municipal Railways, San Francisco’s public transit agency. The primary routes serving UCSF are the N Judah streetcar, which runs on Irving Street, and the 6 Parnassus and 43 Masonic, both of which run down Parnassus Avenue. The N also provides a link between Parnassus and Mission Bay. The fare for any Muni bus or streetcar is $2, and you must have exact change. When boarding the front of the bus, feed your cash (either change or bill) into the fare machine. The driver will give you a flimsy piece of paper known as a transfer. Hang onto this: It entitles you to free rides until the time indicated on the transfer. More importantly, you may be asked to produce it by Muni inspectors who occasionally board the bus or streetcar and ask for proof that all the passengers have paid. Your transfer is that. (If you don’t have proof of payment, the inspectors will write you a ticket, and it’s an expensive one.)
Copyright 2012 by The Puzzle Syndicate
Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham
Solution to Sudoku
title:"Endless Summer" - originally published 9/5/2012
• 5851
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If you ride the Muni frequently, you may want to invest in a Clipper card. The Clipper enables commuters to use one card on all Bay Area mass transit, from BART to CalTrain to Muni to Golden Gate Transit and more. Even if you only ride the Muni, you will still need a Clipper card, which you can reload each month. You can get this card at the UCSF Transportation Services (MU P-7, Room 26) on the Parnassus campus or at any Walgreens in the City. Muni maps are available at many bookstores and drugstores. There are also handy smartphone apps that use GPS technology to tell you when the next bus or streetcar will arrive at your stop. There are also maps posted at selected Muni stops, such as the N Judah stop at Arguello and Irving. The N and 6 Parnassus both go downtown, although the N is usually faster, since it turns into a subway once it hits Market Street, thus avoiding surface traffic. The N will eventually take you to Fourth and King Streets, near the Mission Bay campus. You can either transfer to the T line to take you the rest of the way to the Mission Bay campus or make the 10-minute walk. The 43 Masonic takes you through the Haight, over to the Presidio and on to the Marina District. On outbound routes, all three lines head into the residential neighborhoods in the western half of the City. In Mission Bay, you can take the 22 Fillmore, which runs up 18th Street and winds around the City, eventually ending at the Marina Green. On Third Street, you can catch the #15 bus to go downtown. The T Line streetcar rolls down southward from Mission Bay on its way to Bayview/Hunters Point. If you are online, you can check at www.nextbus.org to see when the next bus or streetcar is coming your way. Meanwhile, UCSF provides a shuttle service that connects UCSF sites around the City. For information about routes and schedules, see campuslifeser vices.ucsf.edu/ transportation/shuttles. URL: nextbus.org campuslifeservices.ucsf.edu/ transportation/shuttles`
ARTS&CULTURE
10 | September 20, 2012 | synapse.ucsf.edu
REVIEW
The Master: Phoenix and Hoffman Soar By Matthew Nordstrom Staff Writer
I Phil Bray/The Weinstein Company
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Navy veteran Freddie Quell in The Master.
The Master Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Genre: Drama Running Time: 137 minutes Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity and language
Synapse The UCSF Student Newspaper synapse.ucsf.edu
500 Parnassus Avenue Millberry Union 108W San Francisco, CA 94143 tel: 476-2211 | fax: 502-4537 synapse@ucsf.edu
STAFF
Booth Haley | EDITOR Theresa Poulos | EXECUTIVE EDITOR Dawn Maxey | ASSOCIATE EDITOR
got a call from a friend around 6 p.m. telling me that she had tickets to an advanced screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, “The Master,” at the Castro Theater. I jumped on BART and eventually found myself in line with about 1,500 diehard P.T. Anderson fans. After 137 minutes of one of the most engaging, beautiful and overwhelming pieces of film I have seen in years, I turned to my friend and asked, “What did you think?” With a frustrated look on her face, she replied, “I didn’t get it.” In “The Master,” Anderson has taken the concept of a character study to a metaphysical level. He has traded linear time lines and plot for raw emotions, repetitive imagery and visual metaphor in order to tap into that which motivates us all: power, whether it be over ourselves or over another. The context of this analysis is the story of a deeply damaged World War II veteran named Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix). He is the epitome of a wayward soul, brewing moonshine from whatever he has lying around and destroying everything he touches. Until he meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the wealthy and outright unsettling leader of the Cause, whose hypnosis-like process of indoctrination so closely resembles Scientology that many may think that is the point of the film. It’s not. The film is a study of what happens when one tries to control the uncontrollable. This could only have been pulled off with actors such as Phoenix and Hoffman, who have redefined the concept of method acting. In “The Master,” they have stripped their roles down to their core and made palpable the motivations of these two ferocious characters. Though Amy Adams continues to impress as she perfects her art, she was not given much room to shine as Peggy Dodd, a woman devoted to the Cause and her husband, but lacking in her own motivations. Put plainly, if you were looking for “The Master” to be an Oliver Stone-like biopic of L. Ron Hubbard and the origin of Scientology, save your $9.75 and buy yourself a specialty draft beer the next time you go to a Giants game. But if you like movies to challenge your concepts of film and explore the human experience as much as I do, this will be the best movie you watch for years. Matt Nordstrom is a first-year student in the School of Medicine.
Solutions
Oliver Ubeda | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Alexandra Greer | SCIENCE EDITOR Mason Tran | PHOTO EDITOR Jerome Atputhasingam | EDITOR AT LARGE Hujatullah Bayat | EDITOR AT LARGE Erin Currie | EDITOR AT LARGE Steven Chin | MANAGING 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.
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FOOD
synapse.ucsf.edu | September 20, 2012 | 11
REVIEW
No Whey! Artisan Cheese Tour At Cowgirl Creamery By Dawn Maxey Food Editor
Photo by Dawn Maxey
Dozens of freshly made cheese wheels, aging on racks
T
his summer I spent quite a bit of time in Kenya, which, like much of the rest of Africa, casts a wary eye on cheese and cheese products. So, when I returned to San Francisco, I decided I needed a cheese binge. What better place to start than a tour of Marin County’s famed Cowgirl Creamery? On a Wednesday morning, a classmate and I decided to skip lecture in favor of an hour-long guided tour in Petaluma (eating microbes is the same Cowgirl Creamery as learning about them, right?). When we arrived, we sat in a 419 First St. room with about fifteen other people, Petaluma, CA 94952 including a group of Italian-speaking www.cowgirlcreamery.com dairy farmers. The tour began with a mini-lecture taught by none other Tour: Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. than Vivian Straus of Straus Family Cost: $30, free parking Creamery, a renowned local dairy farm. Included: Hour-long tour with guided Straus gave us a whirlwind tour of tastings and a take-home satchel of cheese the history of artisanal cheese-making Reservations: Required in Northern California. Cowgirl Creamery was founded by Peggy Smith and Sue Conley in 1997 and uses milk from local dairies in western Marin and Sonoma counties. There used to be more than 200 small dairy farms in the area, but there are less than 50 now, and the number continues to dwindle. Ten minutes into her talk, Straus presented us with our first sample: cups of clabbered cottage cheese and slices of fresh strawberry. I used to think cottage cheese was something to be dreaded, but this was different—it had a squeaky-clean flavor and a firm texture. Combined with the ripe strawberries, the taste was divine. Then we were treated to a hands-on demonstration of how cheese is made. Straus showed us how to separate curds from whey, using some plastic molds. Their cheese is made out of the curds, and is aged for varying amounts of time depending on the type. Cowgirl Creamery produces three types of soft cheeses and six dry ones. The most popular is called Mt. Tam, named for Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, and is crafted using a closely guarded secret recipe. Our tour group moved in front of a giant glass window where we could see two 400-liter churners hard at work making the base for Mt. Tam. We were able to see Miguel, one of the cheese makers, as he tended to his latest batch. At this
point, we were given slices of fresh cheese to taste. Because it hadn’t aged, it tasted a bit salty and had a cobbled texture, but Straus assured us it would change. At our next stop, we viewed hundreds of rounds of cheese being aged on racks. In the middle of the room, several workers were rolling some fresh rounds in a mushroom and herb mixture. This was “Chimney Rock,” Straus explained, a new seasonal cheese that was due out in a few weeks. It’s a good thing public decorum and a foot-thick glass wall separated me from those rounds, because I would have plowed through lesser barriers to get my hands on them. Throughout her talk, Straus kept producing new platters of cheese samples for us to try. I tasted slices of Mt. Tam, deliciously creamy (like Brie) with a distinct buttery flavor. I also tasted wedges of Pt. Reyes, a silky cheese washed in wine and covered in herbs, and the delightfully pungent Red Hawk. As a medical student (who by definition is attracted to free food), I am not at all ashamed to admit that I happily cleared the sample tray of all extras. Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma (there is another factory in Point Reyes and a retail stand in the Ferry Building) employs only a dozen people but churns out about 4,000 wheels of cheese per week. At the end of the tour, each person was given a refrigerated satchel to take home. Inside our goodie bag, I found a whole wheel of Mt. Tam (retail: $18) and a tub of fromage blanc, a French-style cream cheese. We also got a few issues of glossy-looking cheese magazines (I didn’t know there was enough going on in the cheese world to publish periodicals about it), and a brochure mapping out the “Cheese Trail” in Sonoma County (think wine tasting, but focusing on cheese). When I initially signed up for the tour, I was a bit apprehensive about the $30 fee, but the tour more or less pays for itself if you count the loot you get at the end. With the beautiful weather and the taste of good food in my mouth, I was pleased with my experience at Cowgirl Creamery. As I was leaving, I asked Straus if she eats cheese every day. She defensively replied with a “No!” and then a few seconds later, sheepishly admitted that yes, there were few days that went by that were cheese-free for her. “In fact, it took me three years before I could walk past a Mt. Tam wheel and not sample some,” she said. That’s certainly a strong testimonial. If you haven’t yet, go to your local grocery store and give your tastebuds a chance to taste one of the best cheeses in San Francisco, if not the state. Dawn Maxey is a second-year medical student.
REVIEW
Rich Table: New American Cuisine in Hayes Valley
By Sara LaHue Staff Writer
I
failed to get a reservation at Rich Table until the third try. Clearly, the rest of San Francisco had had the same hunch about this addition to Hayes Valley. Founded by a husband and wife duo, chefs Evan and Sarah Rich, it exemplifies many of the traits that define San Francisco cuisine today: local, New American, delightful. Their restaurant, however, successfully utilizes an element that many others lack: surprise. While I appreciate bacon donuts and seeing
Rich Table 199 Gough St. SF (415) 355-9085 Price range: Under $30 Hours: Open evenings except Tuesdays Favorite dishes: Menu changes regularly Reservations: Required
Mary’s chicken featured on every menu, Rich Table caters to my view that dining out is a form of entertainment. Innovation is second nature for the Riches. After all, the renovations for this restaurant were quickly funded with the help of the Kickstarter community, a financial resource more often used to back projects in hightech and film, not in the kitchen. The meal began with a cocktail that paid homage to a plant that has taken over the Sunset: nasturtium. “Big Night” ($10), a vibrant green mix of mezcal, nasturtium and ginger, was presented with a single flower petal gracing its surface. Later, the bartender confided that his bosses were “market hounds,” which became clear as the food arrived. I started with the corn fritters ($7), as well as the lamb tartare ($13), which was accompanied by shelling bean puree and flatbread. The fritters were spheres of corn heaven: succulent kernels were miraculously preserved whole within a delicate shell of corn
Photo by Mason Tran
Rich Table is the culinary vision of Chefs Evan and Sarah Rich.
meal and yeast. The lamb tartare was silkier than the texture of fatty tuna, and its gaminess paired well with the grassy spread. A pork belly panzanella ($24) followed, the least impressive dish of the evening, especially given the misguided use of pungent wasabi or horseradish in the dressing. Ultimately, I couldn’t justify the price tag. On a whim, I ordered the duck lasagne ($19), where the richness of the duck
was complemented beautifully by plum and chervil. One of the most delectable parts of the meal was the dessert: passion fruit curd with tarragon meringue and shortbread. And true to the bartender’s word, I found passion fruit at the farmer’s market the following morning. Sara LaHue is a second-year medical student.
12 | September 20, 2012 | synapse.ucsf.edu
NEWS
UCSF Offers Free Flu Shots to Staff, Students, and Volunteers Vaccines available October 1-17 Synapse Staff Report
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for your convenience we accept: All major Credit Cards • Recharge for catering Bear Hugs • UCSF Resident Meal Card
breakfast, lunch, or dinner…
Parnassus: Millberry Union I Level, Parnassus, 415.661.0199 Open Daily 7:00 am-10:00 pm Mission Bay: 550-B Gene Friend Way, Mission Bay, 415.865.0423 Mon-Fri 7:00 am-9:30 pm / Sat-Sun 8:00 am-9:00 pm
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t is time once again for Occupational Health Service’s annual flu shot clinics. From Monday, October 1 through Wednesday, October 17, UCSF will provide free flu shots to all employees, students, and volunteers with UCSF identification at drop-in clinics at various locations including Parnassus, Mount Zion, Mission Bay, Mission Center Building, Laurel Heights, China Basin, Executive Park, and 2300 Harrison St. The UCSF Medical Center vaccination campaign is part of an effort to protect staff, patients, and the integrity of the UCSF workforce. The UCSF flu shot policy requires that all medical center employees, UCSF faculty and house staff be vaccinated with one shot for the seasonal flu, which will include H1N1. As required by state law, anyone who declines a flu shot must sign a declination form and wear a hospitalsupplied mask while in areas where patients are seen, evaluated, and treated. Please see the following policy for more information: manu a ls.ucsf me dic a lcenter.org/ AdminManual/IndividualPolicies/ InfluenzaVaccination.pdf The 2012 flu shot schedule clinic locations, hours of operation (already posted), the flu shot
declination form and the flu shot educational video is available at occupationalhealthprogram.ucsf.edu/ index.asp. Please visit Occupational Health Guidance and Updates for Influenza page for an educational video. • Everyone who receives a flu shot will be given a new sticker to place on the front of his or her ID badge. Old stickers should be removed. • Managers should ask their staff to fill out the flu shot consent form using the name listed on his or her paycheck/medical center compliance report. • Each person will be given a copy of his or her flu shot record. Students must keep their own copy as proof of their flu shot for the 2013 rotation requirements. • Employees who received a vaccination outside UCSF must bring documentation to one of the flu shot clinics or Occupational Health Services to receive a sticker. OHS will add this documentation to employees’ electronic health records. For more information regarding the flu vaccine and CDC recommendations, please see the CDC website. For information about the Flu Shot program, please contact Occupational Health at (415) 885-7580, Option 1, or e-mail ohs@ucsfmedctr. org.