work this past summer

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Hey blog readers! Before I jump into describing my first few weeks of medical school, I wanted to share with you guys my experiences this past summer as a faculty advisor with the National Youth Leadership Forum program at UCLA. I spent June through August with three separate groups of 22-23 high school students, all of whom were attending a program designed to expose them to the field of medicine.

I had a whole classroom-sized group of high schoolers to be responsible for at all times! Pretty challenging for a soft-spoken recent college grad. My job entailed three basic duties: 1) teach a curriculum that would introduce many key concepts and processes that are integral to medical education and the profession itself (i.e. med school admissions, traits and character, ethics), 2) supervise and chaperone students to different site visits and 3) manage and discipline students when necessary. This was how my room looked like at the end of every forum:

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Yes, that's a lot of bleached flipchart paper. Don't worry, it was all recycled.

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Believe it or not, I had a blast with this job. It was very rewarding working with high schoolers. Though there were times when I wondered what the heck I got myself into, it was great to get a glimpse of what the next generation of teenagers think, feel, and value. I worked with a diverse set of students--each with different backgrounds and beliefs--who broadened my perspectives on just how mixed our country really is. I also had a lot of fun with my co-workers.,,

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For any college grads with a free summer, I'd highly recommend this program. It requires a college degree, lots of energy, and a willingness to work with super-hyper high school students. Check it out!

Alex Lau
posted September 2, 2008 9:46 PM

Marine Sanctuary Proposed

Looks like the President of the US is doing something meaningful for our oceans.
This great news is reported by National Geographic. Link to the full article:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080826-marine-monument.html


World's Largest Marine Sanctuary Proposed by U.S.

August 26, 2008

A proposal by U.S. President George W. Bush could give national-monument status to some of the world's most remote and pristine Pacific islands and their waters, potentially transforming them into the largest protected marine reserve on the planet.



But its success will hinge on whether the proposed ocean sanctuaries in the western and central Pacific are granted full-protection status, scientists warn.

That would prohibit potentially disruptive activities such as oil and gas drilling, fishing, and mineral extraction.

The administration has traditionally been friendly to industry needs.

Just yesterday the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—which falls under Bush's purview—proposed reducing a protective buffer zone against large ships in areas where endangered North Atlantic right whales swim. The move bows to shipping-industry preferences, conservationists say.

The central Pacific islands—which would include Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, and Jarvis and Howland Islands—could potentially cover about 776,000 square miles (2 million square kilometers) of protected area.

The western proposed reserve, comprising the Northern Mariana Islands, could cover as much as 115,000 square miles (297,000 square kilometers). It would include parts of the Mariana Trench, the deepest location on Earth's surface, along with coral reef islands called atolls.

Because the President has exclusive power to protect U.S. resources, conservationists expect the new proposal will become law.

"Great Choice"

Enric Sala, a marine ecologist and National Geographic fellow and emerging explorer, called the selected territories a "great choice."

The waters of the central Pacific islands are home to some of the best preserved coral ecosystems in the world, Sala said.

Any one of the central Pacific islands in the proposed sanctuary contains five times as many coral species as the entire Florida Keys, as well as hundreds of fish species; dozens of species of seabirds; and numerous whale, dolphin, and sea turtle species.

"These are among the only base lines that we have left of what the ocean was like hundreds of years ago," Sala said.

The waters off Kingman Reef, for instance, are dominated by gray sharks, white-tipped reef sharks, and other shark species.

"These places are completely different from what we know anywhere else. They're totally dominated by their predators," Sala said.

"Imagine the Serengeti with five lions per wildebeest. This is Kingman Reef."
There's more to the article, click here.

Christina
posted September 2, 2008 11:15 AM

Hey there, calling out from Southern California

Hey! It's great to be in touch with CNR again. After graduation, I've felt a bit disconnected from campus, so blogging will give me an opportunity to continue contributing to the Golden Bear family.

So first, let me introduce myself. I'm Alex, a freshly minted graduate this May with a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences, physio and metabolism concentration, along with a minor in English. When I was at Cal, I was involved in the Peer Advising Leadership Program (PAL) at CNR and got to know many of the college's friendly and helpful administrators. In addition, I penned a food on Fridays column for the Daily Cal, did research with Ellen Simms from the Integrative Bio department, and volunteered with the Special Needs Aquatic Program (SNAP) down at Berkeley High and the YMCA.

So where am I now? I'm currently a first year MD/PhD student at USC's Keck School of Medicine and am wrapping up the second week of medical school as I write this. It's been really exciting and (admittedly) a bit challenging, but I'm really enjoying the experience.

I'll be sure to blog about my med school experiences as the year progresses (as well as write an entry about what I did over the summer), so "stay tuned!" I look forward to sharing my experiences with the CNR family.

Alex Lau
posted August 21, 2008 8:33 PM

To Russia with Love

Dear Russia,

Please stop bombing little Georgia.

XOXOXO,
me

Links to news articles
(Note that few of these are from US sources. Unfortunately this is obtaining more media attention internationally)

Russia turns war machine on Georgia (video)

Georgia pulls out troops from Iraq to fight at home

Russia portrays Georgia as aggressor

US backs Georgian territorial integrity

Christina
posted August 8, 2008 3:36 PM

Cloned Pups in the News

Has cloning pets become all the rage in Korea? Seems like it is among the working dog pup-ulation. Here is a piece about it, with adorable photo, from National Geographic News. Link to the full article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/photogalleries/animal-photos-week1/photo2.html

Seoul, South Korea, July 1, 2008 - Who's the cutest? Four puppies cloned from a Labrador retriever pose with researchers at Seoul National University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Two South Korean labs are offering cloning services to pet owners at prices ranging between U.S. $50,000 and $100,000.

Owners of working dogs have been the best customers to date, however. To South Korea's customs service, for example, cloning champion sniffers is a more efficient option than breeding the dogs the old-fashioned way.

Christina
posted July 23, 2008 9:37 PM

I never imagined what a degree in CNR would lead to in my career!

All through my youth I had a passion for the natural sciences and I wanted to follow it in college. During my first two years at Cal I took the prerequisite courses for Biology major, which were just about the same as for any science degree. When trying to decide on what major to declare I looked within the life sciences and earth sciences departments and within the College of Natural Resources (CNR). What attracted me to CNR was the opportunity to learn in a small class setting and have more contact with the professors, and be associated with the college that through its programs was studying the science issues of the day; like the energy crisis, food safety and security and environmental degradation and pollution. Sound familiar! I chose the Soils and Plant Nutrition major because of its overlap with both the life and earth sciences. So in 1977 I graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S degree in Soils and Plant Nutrition from the College of Natural Resources.

How did my years at Berkeley prepare me for the future? Besides the courses within the major, like soil classification, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, and plant physiology and biochemistry, I was able to take courses in geology, forest influences and forest soils, ecology, botany, mycology and ag economics. All of the courses included classroom lectures and either lab or field work or both.

One of the best courses offered in the department was a summer field course. Over a six week quarter, UC Berkeley and UC Davis professors covered the study of soils within many of the environments of California for students from both schools. The major offered opportunities for independent study where I worked on the impacts of fluoridated water on the environment in conjunction with the Sierra Club, and the issue of herbicide usage in the Viet Nam war. I conducted trials in the Oxford Tract greenhouse and I worked at the Oxford Tract organic garden. Because of the close contacts with the department and its professors we could access their latest analytical equipment for our work and study. I even found time to work at the US Forest Service Labs in Berkeley and had a small landscaping business in the community. It was a great time to be a student at Berkeley.

continue reading "I never imagined what a degree in CNR would lead to in my career!" »

John Casazza
posted July 14, 2008 3:34 PM

Good Books!

I recommend the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. Highly enjoyable, light, easy read, fun, and filled with mystical creatures. Mom had these waiting for me after I finished finals, and I ate them up quickly.

With the help of magical milk from a giant cow, a young brother and sister find their way into a magical world. Filled with ancient, nearly extinct creatures of myths, the children roam a space that is some combination of mystical botanic garden and free range zoo. As they make friends with creatures and the humans that tend them, they embark on one fantastic adventure after another in the hopes of saving their friends and all of Fablehaven.


Book 1: Fablehaven


Book 2: Rise of the Evening Star


Book 3: Grip of the Shadow Plague

Book jacket images were taken from these websites:
http://deseretbook.com
http://www.ericdsnider.com
http://amazon.com

Christina
posted July 10, 2008 10:52 PM

Botanic Garden

Today I took my niece and nephew to the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden. They were fascinated by the flowers and the wildlife. They enjoyed learning about the plants, were mystified by their Latin names, and cherished the time doing something different. I brought those two 7-year-olds home well-exercised, tired, but happy. They had a lot of fun relating the adventures they experienced while out and about - the lizards and the butterflies, birds, rabbits, and flowers.

A few of their favorite spots:


The Butterfly Garden


The Bird Habitat

continue reading "Botanic Garden" »

Christina
posted July 10, 2008 10:11 PM

Wedding photographs

On June 7, I married my sweetheart, Tom.
A friend just sent me couple of photographs of the big day. Thought it'd be fun to share.

The Kiss



Dancing with Daddy.

'twas fun how our first dance and daddy dance worked out. Tom was dancing with me for our first dance, then my dad (with mic in hand) asked to cut in (This was impromptu, he asked the DJ for a mic). Tom passed on my hand, then asked his mom for a dance. They continued the chain for a bit, eventually I was dancing with Tom's dad, my dad was dancing with Tom's mom, and Tom was dancing with my mom.

Christina
posted July 1, 2008 7:20 PM

Summer Time

In a sense, you can say that I've "graduated." The only thing that's holding me back are two classes over the summer that I'm currently taking to finish my major. I'm really excited to get my degree in Molecular Toxicology, but also sad that I'm going to have to leave CAL which is weird because I'm usually not a sentimental person. The feeling struck me as I was walking towards the Mulford area. It's surreal to think that I have only two months left of summer school before I head out to Sacramento for my gap year. I'm going to miss all the labs and great professors who really helped me understand the area of Toxicology. After CAL, I plan to further my education by either going to public health or medical school (where ever God leads me) to pursue my interest in Maternal and Child health. However, I'm going to take a year off to unwind and work on my applications. I'll be sure to post updates so stay tuned.

Rebekah Kim
posted June 26, 2008 1:18 AM