Qing Yu
Assistant Professor at BMB
Education: Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Postdoc training at Harvard Medical School.

Interests: Sports, basketball, swimming, skiing, badminton, traveling and hiking.

Maria Thandi Buthelezi

Visiting Scholar in the Schiffer Lab

Education: Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry,
University of Florida.

Interests: Scrabble, walking and spending time
with family.

Yerin Kim
High school summer intern in Dr. Summer Thyme’s Lab

Education: Rising senior at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI.

Interests: Loves food, trying new dishes & sharing it with good company. Travel and visiting new places.

Roey Chen
Research Intern in the Munson Lab

Education: Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Interests: Spending time with friends and family, travelling, and trying new foods!

Kelly A. Gay

Postdoctoral Scholar in the Bolon Lab

Education: PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Interests: Spending time with children and grandchildren, gardening, kayaking, hiking, and spending time outdoors.

July events

BMB Seminars + RIPS are off this month.

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.

July 4 – HOLIDAY – American Independence Day

July 9 - BMB Paint & Unwind Hour. LRB 916
July 26 – Opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics

Anti-Racism Reading Club (ARC)

Next Meeting - July 9 at 4pm

Book - Root Magic by Eden Royce

Summary - The story of twins Jez and Jay as they discover their family's magical legacy, set in the 1960s among the Gullah Geechee culture in South Carolina (magical historical fiction, young adult fantasy).

Volunteer for Science Live!

A STEM outreach program aiming to increase science literacy.

Happy summer, everybody! As the weather heats up and we start engaging in summer activities, please take a moment to review some water safety tips and best practices. Water safety is an equity and inclusion issue – drownings and near-drownings occur at higher rates for people of color, immigrants, male-identifying people, and children with autism.

General tips:

• Learn to swim! No matter your age, there are swimming classes available to you. You can use this mass.gov website to find classes near you! They also have a list of organizations that provide adaptive swim lessons for people with disabilities.

• Take stock of and respect your limitations – these can include physical fitness and medical conditions. Note that some prescription medications can impact your risk of drowning (ask your doctor!).

• NEVER SWIM ALONE!!! No matter how strong a swimmer you are, you should always swim in the presence of a lifeguard or a swimming buddy.

• Swim sober – alcohol (and other substances) can delay your reaction time, reduce your coordination, impair your ability to accurately assess risk, and numb your senses.

Tips to recognize and prevent drowning:

• Learn what it looks like when someone is drowning. Signs include a lack of forward progress in the water, being vertical in the water but unable to move or tread water, being motionless and face-down in the water, and becoming suddenly quiet. If someone goes missing, check the water first.

• Avoid going into water to save someone from drowning – throw them a floatation device or something you can use to pull them to land (e.g. rope or pool cleaning stick).

• Know where you are in case you need to call 911 in the case of a drowning.

• Learn CPR so you can assist in the case of a drowning.

Tips for swimming with kids:

• Always always always always closely watch children while swimming. No drinking, no checking your phone, nothing! Young children or children known to be weak swimmers should be kept within arm’s reach.

• If relevant, put physical barriers in place between children and the water, e.g. a fence around a backyard pool. It can also help to teach children to always check in with an adult before getting into any body of water.

Tips for swimming out in nature:

• Be careful in natural bodies of water – they can contain hazards like steep drop-offs, invisible currents, cold water temperatures (cold shock can paralyze you and lead to drowning), obstacles that you can get stuck on, and poor visibility.

• Tips for specific bodies of water:

• Never swim upstream near a waterfall.

• Watch out for slippery rocks.

• Do not jump off of waterfalls.

• If you end up in fast moving water (e.g. river), float on your back with your feet pointing downstream (don’t try to stand up until you’ve reached slower water). Point your toes to the sky and use your feet to navigate around / push off from rocks, etc.

• If you’re caught in an ocean rip current, swim parallel to the beach to get out of the current, then swim towards shore.

• Always keep an eye on the waves while at the ocean – waves can be randomly and unexpectedly large.

• Maintain awareness of the ocean tides so you don’t get trapped at high tide.

• Do not dive into water that you are not 100% certain is more than 12 feet deep, especially if the water is murky – submerged rocks and logs can lead to serious injury.

Tips for boating:

• Always wear a life jacket (sinking boats can suck you under the water regardless of your swimming ability).

• Never operate a boat while drinking alcohol or using drugs.

• Always tell someone your boating plan in case of emergency (e.g. who is on the boat, where are you going, how long do you plan to be gone).

Sources – check these out to learn more!

American Red Cross

US Forest Service

Commonwealth of Massachusetts