Reading material
Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the
Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are
By Bill Sullivan, Showalter professor of pharmacology and toxicology, microbiology and immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine
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Why are you attracted to a certain “type”? Why are you a morning person? Why do you vote the way you do? What makes you you. “ Pleased to Meet Me” describes in everyday language how genetics, epigenetics, microbiology and psychology work together to influence personality and behavior. Mixing cutting-edge research with pop culture and humor, “Pleased to Meet Me” is filled with insights that shine a light on who we really are — and how we might become our best selves.
A Practical Guide to Writing a Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Grant
By Andrew D. Hollenbach, co-director of basic science curriculum, school of medicine, andprofessor, department of genetics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans
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This second edition includes changes to the application since the first edition and continues to provide F-series grant applicants and mentors insider knowledge on the process by which these grants are reviewed, biases that contribute to reviews, the extent of information required in the application, a deeper understanding of the exact purpose of each section of the application, and key suggestions and recommendations on how to best construct every section of the application. This book is a solid resource for trainees and their mentors to use as a guide when constructing F30, F31, and F32 grant applications.
The Paracellular Channel: Biology, Physiology and Disease
By Jianghui Hou, associate professor of medicine, Washington University
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The Paracellular Channel: Biology, Physiology and Disease offers a cohesive and unifying picture of the critical functions of paracellular channels (tight junctions) in different tissues. This new class of ion channel utilizes a completely different mechanism to create ion passage pathways across the cell membrane. This volume outlines common principles that govern the organization and regulation of these diverse cellular structures, describes the methodology of study and highlights the pathophysiologic consequence of abnormal structures and functions of the paracellular channels in human diseases.
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People highlights or most popular articles
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ASBMB names 2025 fellows
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When Batman meets Poison Ivy
Jessica Desamero had learned to love science communication by the time she was challenged to explain the role of DNA secondary structure in halting cancer cell growth to an 8th-grade level audience.
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The monopoly defined: Who holds the power of science communication?
“At the official competition, out of 12 presenters, only two were from R2 institutions, and the other 10 were from R1 institutions. And just two had distinguishable non-American accents.”
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In memoriam: Donald A. Bryant
He was a professor emeritus at Penn State University who discovered how cyanobacteria adapt to far-red light and was a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for over 35 years.

Yes, I have an accent — just like you
When the author, a native Polish speaker, presented her science as a grad student, she had to wrap her tongue around the English term “fluorescence cross-correlation microscopy.”
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Professorships for Booker; scholarship for Entzminger
Squire Booker has been appointed to two honorary professorships at Penn State University. Inayah Entzminger received a a BestColleges scholarship to support their sixth year in the biochemistry Ph.D. program at CUNY.