Bioinformatics: The Importance of Training the Trainer
In recent years bioinformatics – using computational power to help process the massive swathes of data produced by modern experiments – has become an indispensable tool for research scientists.
Continue ReadingBetter Imaging Makes for Better Understanding
Frédéric Bonnet manages MDI Biological Laboratory’s Light Microscopy Facility (LMF), a service available to all Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) PIs. During his Ph.D. studies in his native France, Bonnet developed an unshakable fascination with the technology to image his work on chicken spinal cord neural cells.
Continue ReadingMINOTA 2020 – a change of direction
Transcriptome-profiling is the primary means by which researchers characterize what is happening at the molecular level. When a transcriptome profile is generated for a sample, it tells us which genes are active (being expressed) and at what amount. Comparing profiles among samples allows us to identify genes, and importantly the biological processes that are varying...
Continue ReadingStrong Mentor-Mentee Relationships Have Long Lasting Effects
During College years, having a dedicated and caring mentor can make a huge difference in a student’s success and passion for learning their chosen subject. If well matched, there can be true symbiosis, where both parties gain positive outcomes. For former INBRE* student Lydia Tilley and INBRE Investigator Larry Feinstein, Ph.D., this seems to have...
Continue ReadingAlumni Spotlight: A Conversation with Rose
Earlier this year Rose Besen-McNally graduated from College of the Atlantic with a degree in human ecology. During her freshman year, Rose applied for a student research fellowship at the MDI Biological Laboratory through the IDeA Network of Biomedical Research (INBRE). Although Rose had not previously considered a career in research, after spending just a...
Continue ReadingBig Data: Computational Biology Opens a New Window on the World’s Challenges for Colby Scientists
In this excerpt from an article in Colby Magazine by Kate Carlisle, genomics expert Andrea R. Tilden, Ph.D., The J. Warren Merrill Associate Professor of Biology at Colby and a visiting scientist in bioinformatics at the MDI Biological Laboratory, discusses the evolution of the fields of bioinformatics and computational biology.
Continue ReadingStudents Share Observations on Their Summer Research Fellowships
Forty-one high school and undergraduate students participated in summer research fellowships at the MDI Biological Laboratory this summer. Here, three summer research fellows share their observations on what the experience has meant to them.
Continue ReadingStaying on in Maine: MDI Biological Laboratory Research Assistants Talk About the Value of Working in Their Home State
Three research assistants at the MDI Biological Laboratory talk about about how Maine INBRE helped foster their careers, and about what the opportunity to work in biomedical research in their home state means to them.
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