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November 2023 Monthly Newsletter
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November Content
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From the outreach office
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BMB seminars
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#NewScience Alert!
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Department news
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November events
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Welcome New hires
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Feature of the month
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From the Outreach Office
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We are also looking to plan some volunteering events during the upcoming holiday season – if there’s a cause or an organization you’re passionate about, feel free to make recommendations!
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BMB seminars
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Nov 8th, 11am – Jamaine Davis from Meharry Medical College - “Precision Medicine for All: Resolution of neurological disorders across scales”.
Nov 29th – Ryan Alexander Flynn from Boston Children’s Hospital
RIPS (Research In Progress)
Nov 3rd – Chun-Ying Huang
Nov 17th – Vincent Azzolino
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#Newscience Alert
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BMB News
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2nd Annual BMB Spooktacular was a success, congratulations to the Thyme Lab! winners of the door decoration contest. Thank you everyone for celebrating with us, until next year!
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UMass Chan attended the SACNAS conference 2023, which took place in Portland, Oregon. Among the attendees from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology (BMB) were Helen Magana, Havi Fisher, and Dr. Mary Munson. Additionally, the outreach office actively participated in the conference, and we had a great time!
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The Outreach Office presented their work aimed at building community in the department (including this newsletter) at the Diversity and Inclusion Office’s Diversity Summit. Promoting inclusion and maintaining a supportive atmosphere is ongoing work, so please share any ideas you have!
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We hosted kids and adults from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for some hands-on science experiments. Our guest learners all had a great time, and left more interested in science than they were the day before! A huge shoutout to our volunteers – Sean Ryder, Leonora Martínez-Núñez, Lauren Intravaia, Krishna Anand, Peren Coskun, Jessica Chrabasz, Astrid Veloz Maury, Rinalda Proko, and Marina Krykbaeva! Thanks also to Kathy Drolet for her help coordinating everything and to Mary Pickering and ScienceLive! for providing volunteer training and microscopes.
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Dr. Leonora Martínez-Núñez participated in a storytelling event at the Boston Museum of Science as part of their Hispanic/LatinX Heritage Month celebrations. She shared the stage with other scientists and educators who told their stories to a captive audience.
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UMass Chan was named one of the healthiest employers in America!
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Anyone can now subscribe to our department newsletter! Please share with your network, and make sure you sign up for the newsletter with your permanent external email if/when you move on from UMass Chan.
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November events
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November is Native American Heritage Month! Learn about the Nipmuc Nation, upon whose ancestral land UMass Chan resides. There are more resources and events on the City of Boston website.
Most Fridays at 12:30, the Outreach Office organizes a “Newbie Lunch” for recent hires (~the last six months). All are welcome, as the goal of the lunch is to help new members of our department meet people and integrate into our community.
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GSBC is throwing its annual Halloween Party on Friday, November 3rd, from 7:00 to 11:00 pm in the ASC Multipurpose Room. There will be a costume contest, a live DJ, food, beverages, and drinks (beer + gluten free hard seltzer) from Redemption Rock Brewery!!Open to UMass Chan students, postdocs, and their plus-ones!
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Nov 4th – OUTREACH EVENT – Science Illuminated: An Artistic Exploration at the Worcester Public Library from 11am – 3pm
Nov 5th – Daylight Savings Time ends
Nov 7th – Election Day
Nov 7th – EAP seminar on Money Management: Strategies for Saving in an Era of Inflation
Nov 11th – Veterans Day
Nov 15th – 18th – ABRCMS conference in Phoenix, AZ
Nov 23rd – Thanksgiving
Nov 24th - Native American Heritage Day
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Welcome new hires!
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Suresh Kannan, PhD
Role: Academic Administrator for BMB
Hometown: Madras, India
Education: BSc, majored in Microbiology. MSc (Medical Biotechnology) and PhD (Microbiology and Applied Biotechnology) from the University of Westminster, London.
Interests: Table tennis, playing sports and video games with his 10yo son. Loves traveling with his family.
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Ari Ginsparg
Role: visiting scholar in the Thyme lab
Hometown: Chesterfield, MO
Education: B.S. in Biological Sciences with Bioinformatics and Chemistry minors @ Missouri University of Science and Technology, PhD in Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics @ University of Alabama Birmingham (ongoing)
Interests: Gaming, Hiking/Being Outdoors, Cooking
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Feature of the Month
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Blog Post & Social Media
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Follow the Outreach Office on Social Media and check out the BMB Blog Post 👆
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Free events in & around Worcester
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Any time – volunteer with One Leaf Corp (run by our own Webb Camille in the Xu Lab) by emailing oneleafcorp@gmail.com
Every Sunday, 2-5pm – Learn to knit or crochet with the Worcester Knitty Council
Nov 4th, 10am-12pm – Fall apple cider walk along the Sudbury Resevoir Trail
Nov 20th, 3:30-5pm – De-stress with therapy dogs at the Worcester Public Library
Nov 4th, 11am-3pm – Science Illuminated: An Artistic Exploration at the Worcester Public Library showcasing scientific art from our department!
Nov 17th, 5-6:30pm – Music on Main by the Worcester Chamber Music Society
Nov 15th, 8am-3pm – Free latte day at the Rose Room Cafe! (only available to the first 100 customers)
Nov 11th, 11am-3pm – International Food Festival (admission costs $7 if you purchase online $10 at the door)
Mondays, 12-1pm – Fitness in the parks: hip hop dancing
The Worcester Railers (hockey team) are back! Tickets are not free, but attending a local hockey game is super fun!
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Wellness
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Daylight Savings is coming to an end on November 5th, and we’ll all (hopefully) get an extra hour of sleep! In honor of that extra hour, here are some sleep hygiene tips:
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Stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.
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If you’re thinking of changing your sleep schedule, do so gradually (e.g. if you usually wake up at 10am, don’t suddenly start waking up at 5am).
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Limit screen time before bed – a 30-60 minute screen buffer time is recommended.
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Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bed – yes, alcohol! While this depressant can help you fall asleep, it can also reduce sleep quality. Nicotine at any time during the day or night can also disrupt your sleep.
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Move your body during the day.
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Establish a bedtime routine – this can include putting on pajamas, brushing your teeth, doing the dishes, sipping on tea, etc etc etc. Engaging in a routine helps get your brain and body in the zone for sleep. Incorporating other relaxing rituals such as reading or meditating can also help – some people recommend allocating a full 30 minutes to wind down each night.
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If you have trouble falling asleep, consider shifting your focus to relaxing rather than sleeping by engaging in paced breathing, mindfulness, or meditation.
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Do not hang out in bed if you’re not sleeping – working on grants in bed, reading papers in bed, watching TV in bed are all no-no’s. It helps you sleep better if your brain and body know that you are going to sleep when you get into bed.
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Get some sunlight during the day! The natural cycles of light and dark both feed into our circadian rhythms and melatonin production.
Sources: CDC, Sleep Foundation
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Other information
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Office of Well-Being's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is offering a four-session support group over the holiday season to provide a healthy space for UMass Chan employees to learn about grief and explore personal loss. Attend one session, or all; drop-ins are welcome.
There will be opportunities to gain knowledge, break down myths, provide space for participants to share stories, process, and manage grief.
In-person sessions will be held the second Thursday of the month, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, in the Library Conference Room (S1-605).
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November 9
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December 14
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January 11
Virtual sessions will be held online the third Friday of the month, from noon to 1 pm.
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November 17
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December 15
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January 19
UMass Chan Medical School Office of Well-Being's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is pleased to announce that in our continuous efforts to support the well-being of faculty, staff, students, residents, post-docs, and fellows, we have enhanced our EAP offering. EAP will now provide up to eight sessions per issue, an increase from the previous five sessions.
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EAP: 1-800-322-5327 or eap@umassmed.edu
Emergency numbers:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
MA Behavioral Health Help Line (can also text this number!): 833-773-2445
SAMHSA National Helpline (in English and Spanish!): 1-800-662-4357
Worcester Community HealthLink: 1-866-549-2142
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Job Openings - Share with your Network!
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Tell us what’s going on
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Link for suggestions
Link for news
Link for job openings
Link for social feature request
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Miss a previous newsletter? They’re all on the BMB website!
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