September 24, 2020
2020 Ig Nobel Prizes
The 2020 Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded online at the 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, on Thursday, September 17, 2020.
2020 Winners
ACOUSTICS PRIZE: For inducing a female Chinese alligator to bellow in an airtight chamber filled with helium-enriched air.
PSYCHOLOGY PRIZE:
For devising a method to identify narcissists by examining their eyebrows.
PEACE PRIZE:
Awarded to the governments of India and Pakistan, for having their diplomats surreptitiously ring each other's doorbells in the middle of the night, and then run away before anyone had a chance to answer the door.
PHYSICS PRIZE:
For determining, experimentally, what happens to the shape of a living earthworm when one vibrates the earthworm at high frequency.
ECONOMICS PRIZE:
For trying to quantify the relationship between different countries' national income inequality and the average amount of mouth-to-mouth kissing.
ENTOMOLOGY PRIZE:
For collecting evidence that many entomologists (scientists who study insects) are afraid of spiders, which are not insects.
MEDICINE PRIZE:
For diagnosing a long-unrecognized medical condition: Misophonia, the distress at hearing other people make chewing sounds.
MEDICAL EDUCATION PRIZE:
To various world leaders for using the Covid-19 viral pandemic to teach the world that politicians can have a more immediate effect on life and death than scientists and doctors can.
MATERIALS SCIENCE PRIZE:
For showing that knives manufactured from frozen human feces do not work well.
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
• Details about each prize and its winner(s)
• Webcast of the proceedings
Front & Center ... Heads Up ... LOI due October 1
Kudos ... 50 Most Influential Hispanics in Georgia
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Carlos del Rio |
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Valeria Cantos |
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Kudos to the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce which, on Friday, September 18, honored the 50 most influential Latinos in GA.
Including Carlos del Rio and Valeria Cantos!!
Nominations were based on character, impact, and connectivity that self-motivated leaders provide in their communities.
Yep ... that definitely sounds like Carlos and Valeria to us!
Read More About It:
• GHCC Website (including a recording of the virtual event)
In Other Exciting News ....
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Mirko Paiardini |
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Mirko Paiardini and Jacob Estes (Oregon Health & Science University) have just received new R01 funding to use in DETERMINING THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF CD4 T CELLS AND MACROPHAGES TO HIV PERSISTENCE AND REBOUND (R01MH125457).
Q: If ART can suppress HIV, why can't it eliminate it?
A: Reservoirs!
Q: What's the deal with reservoirs?
A: Ask Mirko and Jacob after they do their study.
Despite the extraordinary challenge of persistent virus reservoirs, a few cases have recently proved that prolonged viral remission after analytical therapy interruption (ATI) is possible. Unfortunately, the specific mechanisms regulating HIV rebound remain very poorly understood. In this project a multidisciplinary team of investigators will address directly (in vivo) how the size and relative distribution of the reservoir in CD4 T cells and macrophages govern (i) the anatomic location of persistent viral reservoirs; (ii) the exent of residual inflammation and neuropathogenesis; and (iii) the time and extent of viral rebound after ATI. Specifically, they will use a rhesus macaque model to try to alter the overall size of virus reservoirs and its distribution between CD4 T cells and macrophages.
Read More About It:
• R01MH125457
Bulletin Board...
Implementation Science Fellows Sought:
Inter-CFAR Fellowship Program
Calling junior faculty (Asst. Prof. and equivalent positions), post-doctoral fellows and exceptional senior-level PhD candidates to participate in a series of virtual presentations/workshops, culminating in an in-person (COVID willing) workshop in Baltimore in April 2021. Fellows will also work individually with a mentor on their proposal. The mentors come from Johns Hopkins, Emory, Washington University, UNC, and CUNY.
App Deadline: October 18, 2020 11:59 pm EST.
Learn More About It:
• Questions: Contact Patrick Sullivan (pssulli@emory.edu)
• Read the Flyer
Learn More About It:
• Flyer
Government News... NIH FAQ
Q: "Will the NIH continue to accept preliminary data as post-submission material through the May 2021 Council?"
A: Yes. See additional details here
Mentoring Moment...
Planning for Success:
Intensive Training in NIH R-Level Grant Writing
From the good folks at CFAR:
CFAR FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY
• Flyer
• More Information and Registration
Community Corner...
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