Volume V Issue 2
February 2009 |
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 Next
Generation Microscopy
 Microscopes
have revolutionized the practice of science, especially in the fields of
biology and medicine. Imaging techniques remain indispensable to
clinicians and researchers who diagnose medical conditions and develop
new treatments. Test results can often take hours or even days because
cells or tissues must be subjected to lengthy fixation and labeling
processes, sometimes called staining, in order to visualize and
distinguish cellular components. In addition to long processing times,
staining procedures often include harsh treatments or conditions that
alter the tissues themselves, making interpretation of results
difficult.
A newly developed
label-free imaging technique called stimulated Raman scattering (SRS)
will likely revolutionize biomedical imaging in laboratories. A team
lead by Sunney Xie at Harvard University recently reported a new
technique that uses two lasers with different frequencies. Researchers
visualize samples by tuning the laser frequencies to match the
vibrational frequency of a specific chemical bond. Each type of molecule
within a sample, including nutrients or drugs, is detectable at a unique
frequency.
 Find
out more about careers in medical
technology...
A
Shorter Life For Zoo Elephants
 People
have argued about it for years. Is zoo life really bad for elephants?
Are they actually healthier when they roam free? Finally, the debate
seems to be over. Researchers have now provided scientific evidence that
elephants that roam free are healthier and live longer than those in
zoos. This finding answers a lot of questions about the physical and
mental health of elephants, and it might also bring about some changes
in the world's zoos. A group of researchers studied data on more than
4,500 elephants – some living in captivity and others roaming free – to
find that zoo elephants suffer from many physical and mental ailments.
They suggest that being born into a zoo (rather than being imported from
the wild), being moved between zoos, and the possible loss of their
mothers, all put the animals at particular risk. The researchers call
for an end to the importation of elephants from their native countries,
and they suggest that breeding elephants should be restricted to the
zoos that exhibit no harmful effects on their captive-born animals.
Find
out more about career paths in
biology...
Building
a Better Dummy
 For
decades, automakers have been crashing test dummies to gain insight to
how various auto safety systems protect – or fail to protect – people
during car accidents. But those dummies are made of plastic and steel,
not tissue and bone. They can teach only so much. A new generation of
dummies will tell a lot more. An international group of automakers and
suppliers has formed a Global Human Body Models Consortium to fund the
best minds to build a better dummy.
A new "virtual" dummy -- one that
will live entirely within computers -- will be more realistic than any
physical dummy ever subjected to a crash test. These will be highly
detailed computer dummies -- computational models of a full human being
-- including extreme lifelike detail of the complexities and
characteristics of flesh, bones, ligaments, blood vessels and organs. A
team at the University of Virginia's Center for Biomechanics will create
a realistic computer model of the human thorax and upper extremities,
including the ribcage, muscles and ligaments, and the lungs and heart.
Teams of researchers at six other universities and institutes will
create models of other parts of the human body, including the head, neck
and abdomen. All the models will be joined together to create the most
sophisticated and lifelike simulation of the entire human body ever
assembled for safety testing.
Find
out more about career paths in
engineering and
science...
Degree
Profile: Environmental Engineering
 Environmental
engineers develop solutions to environmental problems. They are involved
in water and air pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, and
public health issues. Environmental engineers conduct hazardous-waste
management studies in which they evaluate the significance of the
hazard, offer analysis on treatment and containment, and develop
regulations to prevent mishaps. They design municipal water supply and
industrial wastewater treatment systems. They conduct research on
proposed environmental projects, analyze scientific data, and perform
quality control checks. They provide legal and financial consulting on
matters related to the environment. Environmental engineers are
concerned with local and worldwide environmental issues. They study and
attempt to minimize the effects of acid rain, global warming, automobile
emissions, and ozone depletion. They also are involved in the protection
of wildlife.
A bachelor's degree in
engineering is required for almost all entry-level engineering jobs.
Accredited environmental engineering programs usually provide broad
studies in the physical, chemical, and biological sciences in addition
to course work in civil, mechanical, and/or chemical engineering.
Environmental engineering technologists work closely with environmental
engineers and scientists in developing methods and devices used in the
prevention, control, or correction of environmental hazards. Preparation
for technologist positions is usually an associate degree offered
through community colleges.
Find
out more about careers in
environmental
engineering...
Student
Develops Pocket-sized Ultrasound Device
 A
prototype of a therapeutic ultrasound device, developed by a Cornell
graduate student, fits in the palm of a hand, is battery-powered and
packs enough punch to stabilize a gunshot wound or deliver drugs to
brain cancer patients. It is wired to a ceramic probe, called a
transducer, and it creates sound waves so strong they instantly cause
water to bubble, spray and turn into steam. Tinkering in his Olin Hall
lab, George K. Lewis, a third-year Ph.D. student in biomedical
engineering and a National Science Foundation fellow, creates ultrasound
devices that are smaller, more powerful and many times less expensive
than today's models. Devices today can weigh 30 pounds and cost $20,000;
his is pocket-sized and built with $100. He envisions a world where
therapeutic ultrasound machines are found in every hospital and medical
research lab.
Ultrasound is commonly
used as a nondestructive imaging technique in medical settings. Sound
waves, inaudible to humans, can generate images through soft tissue,
allowing, for instance, a pregnant woman to view images of her baby. But
the higher-energy ultrasound that Lewis works with can treat such
conditions as prostate tumors or kidney stones by breaking them up. His
devices also can relieve arthritis pressure and even help treat brain
cancer by pushing drugs quickly through the brain following surgery.
Lewis suggests that his technology could lead to such innovations as
cell phone-size devices that military medics could carry to cauterize
bleeding wounds, or dental machines to enable the body to instantly
absorb locally injected anesthetic. Lewis miniaturized the ultrasound
device by increasing its efficiency. Traditional devices apply 500-volt
signals across a transducer to convert the voltage to sound waves, but
in the process, about half the energy is lost. In the laboratory, Lewis
has devised a way to transfer 95 percent of the source energy to the
transducer. More information is available at
www.bme.cornell.edu.
Find
out more about careers in
medicine and engineering...
Biologist
Profile: Angela Benson-Grier
 The
Sloan Career Cornerstone Center offers profiles of hundreds of
professionals in many fields so students, counselors, and others can see
what it might be like to work in different fields. Profiles include
information about educational preparation, what an average day is like,
what they've done that they've enjoyed them most, and their advice for
students considering a career in their area.
A good example is the
profile of Fisheries Research Biologist, Angela Benson-Grier. Angela
works at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources where she is
responsible for conducting fisheries research projects in glacial lakes
located in the northern half of Indiana. When asked when she first knew
she wanted to be a biologist, Angela says, "I knew I wanted to be a
marine biologist in 9th grade. As I grew and learned more about the
field, I learned more about where my specific interests were focused."
Angela earned a bachelor's degree in Fisheries, and then went on to earn
a Master's degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. She says that the
best thing about being a biologist is that she is "part of a collection
of individuals that work together to create changes that will better
protect our environment and better manage the resources we have left."
When asked where she sees biology careers heading in the future, she
explained, "I see biologists in the future doing the same things we do
now -- finding ways to protect and manage the resources we have
available. I see the need for well-trained and diversely-trained
biologists in the future being even more critical than it is today.
Multi-disciplinary collaborative research projects are important. The
better connected a student is through a professional society not only in
their own field, but also related fields, will afford them more
opportunities for jobs and funding in the long run." Her advice to
students? "Find what you are truly passionate about because passion will
help make you successful in whatever it is you choose to do."
Explore
other profiles...
Hiring
Prospects and Strategies for Success
 Employers
say they will hire about as many new college graduates from the Class of
2009 as they did from the Class of 2008, but plan to keep a watchful eye
on those hiring needs, so they can shift gears if necessary, according
to a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Among employers responding to NACE's Job Outlook 2009 survey, the
largest group (26 ) said they will reassess their college graduate
hiring needs on a monthly basis. That's a change from last year when 26
percent said they would reassess quarterly. In more challenging hiring
environments, it is important to make use of all the resources online
and at university or community college career centers. Most career
centers offer career counseling; resume writing, interviewing skills,
and other job-search related workshops; programs to help students
identify and connect with potential employers, such as career fairs and
on-campus interviews; and job postings from interested employers, among
other services.
The
Sloan Career Cornerstone Center offers
career planning tips, profiles
of professionals working in hundreds of fields, and career path
summaries for over 170 fields,
including employment and earnings summaries.
Career Cornerstone News is a publication of the
Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. Click here
to subscribe.
This newsletter may be reproduced in other
non-profit publications with credit and links to
the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
It may also be forwarded to internal
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