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Graduate School of Life Sciences

2011 Spring

2011 / No 01 GSLS spring newsletter

  

"Intercultural Talk - Shaking Hands"
a joint project of the GSLS with GSiK and the International Office

Editorial

Dear GSLS members and friends,

The 2011 Year of Science is dedicated to "Research for Our Health", and will be focusing on an interdisciplinary dialogue in society about modern health research. The WHO has defined health "as physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely as the absence of disease or infirmity". +++ At the New Year´s reception DFG president Matthias Kleiner was reflecting on leisure and quietude. Good performance would need patience like grapes need their time for good wine. He quoted a brain researcher: "If everybody in Germany stopped communicating for an hour a day, we would get the largest burst of innovation and creativity you can imagine." +++ Still trusting in the busy German science world the Excellence Initiative keeps funding graduate schools, clusters of excellence and institutional strategies. However, the University of Würzburg has recently not been considered by the Common Commission of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) and the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat). +++ The GSLS together with GSiK (Globale Systeme und interkulturelle Kompetenz) and the International Office has started a joint intercultural project. We want to make life easier for people from abroad. This is why we are offering an intercultural competence workshop for international students, doctoral students, postdocs, and staff. German students and staff who are interested in exchanging intercultural competence are also welcome.

With kind regards,
Rose Liebert

1. Featured Paper

The awardee of the 4th round of the featured paper contest has been chosen. The GSLS board wishes to congratulate Gholamreza Fazeli (Department of Toxicology, University of Würzburg). Appraisal read more. He is awarded a prize of 250 euros for a conference participation or external research stay. Congratulations!

A new round for the featured paper contest has been opened: win a prize of 250 euros for a conference participation or external research stay. All GSLS doctoral students may send their publications dating from December 2010 onwards to gabriele.blum(at)uni-wuerzburg.de and run for the next "Featured Paper". Closing date: 15 May 2011

2. Doctoral Students´ Affairs

  • Meet the people of the Doctoral Students´Council (DSC)

DSC Elections

  • Why not speak up for doctoral students´interests? Please contact the DSC

New University ID-Card 

  • All university students will get a new university ID-Card over the coming months. The new card is safer than the old "MUCK" card, and also multi-functional. Read more (in German)

For your messages

  • Are you looking for new friends to play cards with? Do you want to share your research findings with somebody from another section? You may post any message here

Save the world on your weekend

  • If you want to get socially and ecologically committed over the weekend you can join the third "Synagieren Wirkcamp" in Jena from 14 to 17 April. Read more (in German)

Greetings from…

  • ... doctoral students who have spent some time either abroad or in the country for a working stay.  – You are welcome to send YOUR greetings!

FAQ of the month

  • I want to study in Germany. Where can I apply for a scholarship?
  • What is the procedure for applying for a student visa?
  • When applying for a student visa, how can I prove that my financing is secure?
  • Do I have to keep enrolled in the Doctoral Study Program “Life Science” if I extend beyond three years?

3. GSLS Newsdesk

The GSLS welcomes new PIs!

  • Daniel López, section Biomedicine
  • Erik Henke, section Biomedicine
  • Cynthia Sharma, section Infection & Immunity
  • Wilma Ziebuhr, section Infection & Immunity

7th semester re-registration

  • Do I have to keep enrolled in the Doctoral Study Program “Life Science” if I extend beyond three years? In case you need more than six semesters for your dissertation you may either further enroll at the university or not. Either way you will remain a GSLS member.

Awarded

  • Former GSLS dean Markus Riederer was awarded the "Verdienstkreuz am Band" (Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon) by Bavarian state minister Wolfgang Heubisch on behalf of the federal president. Professor Riederer was honored for his high reputation and excellent research as a successful scientist and popular academic teacher. Read more (in German)

Launch of the second round of MENTORING life sciences for female doctoral students

  • Orientation meeting on Tuesday 22 March 2011, 4:15 pm, at the GSLS, Paradeplatz 4, 97070 Würzburg. All interested female doctoral students are welcome.  Find more information on the program.

Study Trip 2011: Berlin

  • The next study trip goes to Berlin (end of May/beginning June). There are 20 places available, please register.

Workshops for PIs and Team

Transferable Skills Workshops

  • Workshop on Copyright in Science on 23 March: how to identify passages of third-party material. This is an open workshop with no charge for non-GSLS doctoral students.
  • 25 March: Recruiting Luncheon. Representation of a pharmaceutical consulting company. Please register
  • Workshop on Information Technologies in Health Care and the Life Sciences on 19 July. Learn more about the importance of data sharing in advancing health.
  • Find the 2011 schedule with more workshops - supportive for your thesis and for your time as a postdoc

Scientific Workshops, Lectures, Events

  • The lecture series "Clinical Medicine" (lecture no. 1302003, SS2011) starts on May 9. It is designed for doctoral students of the Life Sciences and and students of Biomedicine. Please note that participation in eight lectures is mandatory to receive the certificate of attendance. Read more. Register here
  • The scientific workshop "How does Statistics work?" will offer you a deep understanding of Statistics. Doctoral students with little knowledge and basic skills in Statistics are welcome to register! Read more

4. University News

Scientific Findings

  • Kidney Cancer caused by Hormons? Helga Stopper and Nicole Schupp are testing the complexity of high blood pressure and kidney cancer supported by funds of the Deutsche Krebshilfe.
  • Downregulation of the Myc oncoprotein. A feedback loop is disrupted during colorectal tumorigenesis argue scientist around Martin Eiler.
  • The regulation of the immune system. Regulatory T cells communicate with "ordinary" T cells of the immune system as shown by Friederike Berberich-Siebelt and Edgar Serfling.
  • Mutualism between bats and pitcher plants. Tropical bats and carnivorous plants both benefit from one another as described by T. Ulmar Grafe
  • Poor countries are flooded with faked medication - up to 50 percent. Read more (in German)
  • Initial activity. What triggers creatures to show certain reactions? What is the role of the brain? Such questions are researched by Martin Heisenberg, former tenured professor for the Department Neurobiology and Genetics, and now senior professor at the Rudolf-Virchow-Center. Working with the drosophila his project is supported by the DFG with 1.2 million euros for the next five years.

Advanced Grants

  • After a Europe-wide competition the European Research Council awarded chemist Holger Braunschweig and physicist Laurens Molenkamp 2.5 million euros each for their investigator-driven frontier-oriented research. Previously awarded outstanding scientists at this university were Martin Lohse, Biomedicin, and Rainer Hedrich, Biophysics. Read more (in German)

Translational Research Training Award 2011

  • Pediatrician Matthias Wölfl was awarded by the European Hematology Association and the American Association of Hematology for his endeavour to faster translate novel therapies from the lab to the clinic. Read more (in German)

Future-oriented Projects on the new Hubland North Campus

  • An energy efficiency center, called Center for Applied Energy Research, will be built with innovative material, novel techniques and an exceptional architecture. Read more (in German)
  • Facing a deficit of 300,000 graduates in the so-called MINT-subjects (mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technique) by the year 2030 the president of this university, Alfred Forchel, plans to pioneer in founding a Forum for Public Research. Read more (in German)

Alumni

  • 21 March, 10:30 am: Alumni-Matinee read more (in German)
  • 17 April: Runners urgently wanted for the Residenzlauf 

The University´s Event Calender

  • 17 May 2011: talk on German-Japanese business relations, a cooperation of the University of Würzburg with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce during the Japan Days of the 150 year jubilee of commerce between Japan and Germany

  • 01 to 8 July 2011: Europe-Indian Week, including the opening of the Würzburg Centre for Modern India (more info there soon)

  • 23 July: "Land of Ideas" - the University of Würzburg was again awarded in this Germany wide competition. Würzburg physicists will present their excellent research from their microstructure laboratory to the public Read more (in German)

5. Off Campus

Award

  • The DFG honors alternatives to Animal Testing. The Ursula M. Händel-Tierschutzpreis (Animal Welfare Prize) went to researchers who have developed innovative methods and successfully used human embryonic stem cells thus significantly decreased the number of animal experiments. Read more (in German).

Scientific Findings

  • White bloodcells that throw out nets to catch germs. Read more
  • Investigating measures for fighting malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans triggered by the plasmodium parasite University of Maryland-led researchers from the UK and US have found that a genetically engineered fungus carrying genes for a human anti-malarial antibody or a scorpion anti-malarial toxin could be used to fight this disease. Read more
  • In the fight against cancer scientists from the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven have developed an innovative technology that boosts chemotherapy dosage to tumors with the possiblity of easing harmful side effects by combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound. Read more

DFG (German Research Foundation)

  • Elections: roughly 100,000 researchers are eligible to vote and to get proposed as candidates in the German science system. Read more (in German)
  • The new DFG Priority Programme 1646 "Education as a Lifelong Process" focuses on education in multiple contexts over the life span. Read more
  • "The first 10 Million Years of the Solar System - a Planetary Materials Approach". Read more (in German)

The European Science Open Forum 2012

  • The ESOF will be held in Dublin, Ireland from 11 to 15 July 2012 with visitors from science, business, politics, science communication, and the media. Issues are both top-notch European research and global challenges such as energy, climate change, food or health. To apply read more

News from...

  • ... the university of Erlangen-Nürnberg: a Center for Islamic Studies where future imams will be trained has been promised financial support by the federal ministry of research. Comparable with chairs for Christian Theology now islam religion shall be established at German universities. Read more (in German)
  • ... the German University in Cairo (GUC), the first German university abroad, has set up an office in Berlin (8 February 2011). Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had opened the GUC in October 2003

"Würzburger Wissen" Calender

  • "Würzburger Wissen" is a cooperation of researchers, culture institutions, creative people, business, media representatives, and the town administration. Read more (in German)

Würzburg Event Calender

  • 08 May 2011: International Kinderfest. Where? in the city of Würzburg
  • 22 May 2011 (from 12:00 to 6:00 pm): traditional Frühling International. Where? Würzburg Landesgartenschaugelände (opposite Talavera resp. river Main, below the Festung Marienberg). International music, food, shows etc.
  • 22-29 May 2011: Czech Week.Where? in the city of Würzburg
  • Würzburg event calendar

 

Schematic presentation of BAD serine 134 phosphorylation in RAF and RAS mutant tumor cells. Stimulation of receptor tyrosine kinase (TRK) at the plasma membrane (PM) leads to activation of RAS GTPases and RAF kinases. Thick arrows indicate enhanced activation or phosphorylation.
By Lisa Polzien, section Infection and Immunity

 

contact: liebert(at)gsls.uni-wuerzburg.de

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