Last night I got a question and comment about science. In short, it was, "how do non-scientist people know the content of recent science? The Government does not seem to be doing good job to let people know the result, does it?"
To track the latest of contemporary science, you got to know where to look at. I'll write a little bit about how the results are disseminated to researchers and to the public.
I don't know how the rocket science people do it, though. I'll answer his question with an example of cancer and food relationship in my study field; Carcinogenesis and Cancer Chemoprevention.
In cancer chemoprevention research field, there are a few major questions.
One question is, "what diet compound or drug is good to prevent a (specific) cancer". Be it colon, lung, liver, pancreas....the research field is sectioned by organ.
We cannot use people for medical experiments for obvious reasons. Only solid preclinical results with strong rationale may allow testing in human clinical trials.
So, scientists have a set of model systems for each organ, that are supposed to reflect human's. The model may be a transgenic mouse model that develop a particular type of cancer. The model may be rats treated with a set of chemicals that challenge and cause specific condition, like colitis or cancer in liver or colon or other organs....you get the picture?
Then scientists test a diet, dietary compound/chemical, or a drug (experimental or established) on the model, and see whether the cancer or the condition is improved. In case of cancer, incidence, size and multiplicity are main things to monitor.
Another major question is somewhat more academic; How does cancer come into being? Research on the mechanistic aspect of carcinogenesis is critical to come up with a new hypothesis that may lead to a new cancer prevention, diagnosis and/or therapy.
Anyways, researchers do the research, and get the results. Let's say it's time to publish the results.
The results are disseminated in three tiers. Tier 1; Primary publications that appear in specialized scientific journals after peer review, and tier 2 and 3; secondary and the downstream publications, as in public relations document or an article in newspaper or health magazine.
Tier 1 publications can be viewed or searched through Pubmed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed). It's the government-maintained database for publications in medical science. If you want to know a latest publication for, say, colon cancer, go there, type in the key words, and you get 107896 hits as of today. I consider academic/medical textbooks as tier 1, too.
Tier 2 and 3 publications play a major role in communicating the scientific "results" to non-scientists and lay people.
In terms of colon cancer chemoprevention, there is a curatorial site maintained by French scientists. http://www7.inra.fr/internet/Projets/reseau-nacre/sci-memb/corpet/indexan.html
For more general result, some cancer centers are including diet advice based on research publications.
An example is this one at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center.
http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/about-herbs
And of course the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
An example page. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/diet
Some organizations have a focus on investigating relationship between cancer and nutrition and/or lifestyle (e.g. exercise).
American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is an example. http://www.aicr.org/
American Cancer Society (ACS) (http://www.cancer.org/) provides good amount of educational information about cancer.
There are many more. Once you hit the right place, there are many links you can follow.
Looking at the contents of the tier 1 and/or 2 publications, science writers, magazine columnists and bloggers write their articles (tier 3). It's something like,
Livestrong foundation http://www.livestrong.com/
Health magazine http://www.health.com/health/service/magazine
I say wikipedia is tier 3 source, because the writers accountable for the articles are unidentifiable.
The lower the tier, the message is more generalized and easier to understand, but perhaps less accurate.
"Miracle cure" diet supplements and all are, in many cases, baseless and unsupported by solid science. Don't fall for that.
If you want to know the contents of near-future science, you can track and have a glimpse of the contents of currently funded research (meaning, the results may not be published, yet). Abstracts of Government-funded grants are searchable.
Hope this answers the question and helps to look for more solid information we scientists rely on.
Science does make progress, and today's tier 1 information may be revised in the future. But it will always help to know how to distinguish tier 1, 2 and 3.
PS
In addition, there is tier 0, personal communication among the researchers in the field. But it doesn't have to be publicized, does it?
June 22, 2014
June 16, 2014
Science: Grant writing
After the last entry, I've gotten busy. There's almost two weeks gap. Oops.
A major reason is grant writing. National Institutes of Health (NIH) guideline estimates that it would take 22 hours to prepare for a grant application. But the estimate must be a very straightforward addition of the time. My personal average preparation time is (10-)14 days of nearly full time work. It includes reading announcement and format specifications, making a list of necessary attachments, doing research for scientific component, digging up preliminary results, writing, communicating with collaborators, working on budget estimates, facts and reference checking, and all other associating work. Administrators can help some (thanks), but I got to do my part first.
Science is a unique business. To some extent, contemporary science is a service. You propose a project that contributes advancement of public health (in case of NIH). Also to some extent, it is a professional work by qualified individuals, who have proven their competency for completing the job. To some extent, science is an art form. You need to do the work in a specific manner defined by the art, and generate useful information and other tangibles. Also, being a scientist is somewhat like being a professional athlete. You better know current boundary of the research field. To do that, you need to keep up with recent advancement at least in your research field.
In a sense, science is a never ending process and working in the system is a rat race. No wonder some want to retire, or choose a different life style and work.
Anyways, however you define science, you need money to get it going. It's the bottom line. To "rent" a lab and office space in the university or in a company, to buy materials, reagents and equipment, to hire yourself and associates, to publish the results, etc.etc.
And one of a few ways to raise the money for your science is grant writing. Therefore, it's a very important thing to do as an independent scientist. It's a major part of my plan A as an research scientist in academia.
In these years, budget situation has gotten tight and funding rate keeps dropping. Some scientists are pessimistic, others somehow maintain optimism. I am neither. What I do is plan on my plan A and plan B, and activate one when needed.
I can imagine it would be tougher for someone more emotional. I acknowledge that many scientists share some particular personality traits. Maybe it is a selection process that enriches a certain type of people?
This work is not for everybody. I still love it, though.
PS
I've been busy. Yet, I was not entirely tied up. On weekends we did a couple of Tango performances in public. It's good to free my mind and move my body sometimes.
A major reason is grant writing. National Institutes of Health (NIH) guideline estimates that it would take 22 hours to prepare for a grant application. But the estimate must be a very straightforward addition of the time. My personal average preparation time is (10-)14 days of nearly full time work. It includes reading announcement and format specifications, making a list of necessary attachments, doing research for scientific component, digging up preliminary results, writing, communicating with collaborators, working on budget estimates, facts and reference checking, and all other associating work. Administrators can help some (thanks), but I got to do my part first.
Science is a unique business. To some extent, contemporary science is a service. You propose a project that contributes advancement of public health (in case of NIH). Also to some extent, it is a professional work by qualified individuals, who have proven their competency for completing the job. To some extent, science is an art form. You need to do the work in a specific manner defined by the art, and generate useful information and other tangibles. Also, being a scientist is somewhat like being a professional athlete. You better know current boundary of the research field. To do that, you need to keep up with recent advancement at least in your research field.
In a sense, science is a never ending process and working in the system is a rat race. No wonder some want to retire, or choose a different life style and work.
Anyways, however you define science, you need money to get it going. It's the bottom line. To "rent" a lab and office space in the university or in a company, to buy materials, reagents and equipment, to hire yourself and associates, to publish the results, etc.etc.
And one of a few ways to raise the money for your science is grant writing. Therefore, it's a very important thing to do as an independent scientist. It's a major part of my plan A as an research scientist in academia.
In these years, budget situation has gotten tight and funding rate keeps dropping. Some scientists are pessimistic, others somehow maintain optimism. I am neither. What I do is plan on my plan A and plan B, and activate one when needed.
I can imagine it would be tougher for someone more emotional. I acknowledge that many scientists share some particular personality traits. Maybe it is a selection process that enriches a certain type of people?
This work is not for everybody. I still love it, though.
PS
I've been busy. Yet, I was not entirely tied up. On weekends we did a couple of Tango performances in public. It's good to free my mind and move my body sometimes.
June 4, 2014
Dance: A Stage Tango, June 1, 2014
Last weekend (6/1/14 Sun), we danced a stage tango in the Rose State college performing arts theater, a serious theater that boasts total 1400 seats and hosts many events and concerts.
The occasion was a dance studio's Spring showcase. The studio is pretty big, and they had a matinee and an evening show to accommodate all performers.
The studio has 18 years of history and runs a variety of programs, including hip-hop, ballet, jazz, contemporary, Mexican folklore and flamenco, for kids and for adults. My performance partner, Martha, works at the studio as a manager. She also offers introductory Argentine Tango and performs the dance with her husband, David.
This time, David was unavailable because of his own passion project, umpiring baseball. He has been a baseball player, a very good one I might add, and in this season he has been actively involved in umpiring games in local junior league. His love for the sport is evolving. Good for him.
When her another partner backed out, this Stage Tango project fell on to my lap. There are not many Tango leads in this city, let alone performers. I thought it would work for me as a part of my self-appointed divorce recovery program (and it did). "When you are up, you dance. When you are down, you dance, too." In addition to a scientist's mind, I may have gotten a dancer's spirit somehow.
Preparation time: eight weeks. We had music (a techno/nuevo version of "Tango to Evora"), but no choreography. We could practice together once or twice per week on weekends.
In this entry, I'll briefly describe how we prepared for the dance.
Dancing a stage tango is a very different business from social/salon tango. If you think dancing a lot of social tango will lead to a good Stage Tango, think again. For the stage presence and audience appeal, with the performer's skills being equal, Stage Tango has an advantage over Salon Tango, as the names suggest.
Many couples who dance Tango for a show or for their special occasion resort to ask pros to choreograph. It is a good way to learn and to have something to show quickly. But this time we wanted to choreograph the dance by ourselves. It's a part of fun.
We got to think what we even want to show. Like any other sports, what you practice shows on the stage. In the sense, I wouldn't believe in last minute miracle. By the time you show up on stage, how you would do is pretty much determined.
First thing first. We started working on Tango basics by incorporating 30 minutes Tango warm-up for each practice session. Changing and improving body usage takes several weeks. Considering the remaining time, it was the first task.
Next step was to analyze the song and the structure, so that we could fit the moves to the song.
When Hugo and Celina came to OKC (5/3/14 weekend), we were on the third week into preparation and still nowhere near showing anything. But their workshops helped a lot. We even incorporated a few of their moves into our final choreo.
Following two weeks was the main time for coming up with ideas and assembly. It was good that we had some "stock" moves that we could use. It would have been harder for us if we had to start from scratch. Professionals have large amount of stockpile moves that can be used as modules for on spot "improvisation". That's why they can pull off "improv" well.
One more thing: I believe Argentine Tango is a strongly lead-follow dance, and even in a choreography, lead-follow should be there. Two people doing their parts of the choreo independently is not exactly what I want. I want to see lead-follow.
Once the entire routine was roughly assembled (2 weeks before the show), polishing began. There were some trouble spots at first, so we needed to work on them.
Final stage (1.5 weeks before the show) was also the time for mental rehearsal of the routine. Create mental videos, and rehearse the dance in your head, as well as moving physically. The important trick is to think only of positive and successful performance. And it can be difficult. If you have never done it, try it. You may be surprised how "self-defeating" you can be.
Saturday (5/31/14) was dress rehearsal. There were many tasks to be done in a short time; know the backstage, make sure the dress/costume is good, check out the order of dance, decide initial positioning on stage, dance on the stage to get the feel, adjust timing for lighting and music, etc, etc. Stage lights can be very blinding, and you need to be prepared for it.
For dancing a partner dance publicly, there are two approaches in general. One approach is to try to appeal to the audience directly. Another approach is that we dance to each other, and attract the audience. We took the approach two. A merit of the approach two is that it is easier to focus on the dance itself, and it has less chance of distraction from the audience or of stage fright.
Also, note that adrenalin on stage grants you to move quickly. You need to consciously relax, slow down, and dance with the music. Monitor your heartbeat. Stay on the moment.
And there we danced in front of 500-700 people on Sunday matinee. Believe it or not, I enjoyed dancing there on stage. She danced very well. So we danced well and it was awesome. I am very happy about it. Yeah.
When the video becomes available, we'd upload it.
The occasion was a dance studio's Spring showcase. The studio is pretty big, and they had a matinee and an evening show to accommodate all performers.
The studio has 18 years of history and runs a variety of programs, including hip-hop, ballet, jazz, contemporary, Mexican folklore and flamenco, for kids and for adults. My performance partner, Martha, works at the studio as a manager. She also offers introductory Argentine Tango and performs the dance with her husband, David.
This time, David was unavailable because of his own passion project, umpiring baseball. He has been a baseball player, a very good one I might add, and in this season he has been actively involved in umpiring games in local junior league. His love for the sport is evolving. Good for him.
When her another partner backed out, this Stage Tango project fell on to my lap. There are not many Tango leads in this city, let alone performers. I thought it would work for me as a part of my self-appointed divorce recovery program (and it did). "When you are up, you dance. When you are down, you dance, too." In addition to a scientist's mind, I may have gotten a dancer's spirit somehow.
Preparation time: eight weeks. We had music (a techno/nuevo version of "Tango to Evora"), but no choreography. We could practice together once or twice per week on weekends.
In this entry, I'll briefly describe how we prepared for the dance.
Dancing a stage tango is a very different business from social/salon tango. If you think dancing a lot of social tango will lead to a good Stage Tango, think again. For the stage presence and audience appeal, with the performer's skills being equal, Stage Tango has an advantage over Salon Tango, as the names suggest.
Many couples who dance Tango for a show or for their special occasion resort to ask pros to choreograph. It is a good way to learn and to have something to show quickly. But this time we wanted to choreograph the dance by ourselves. It's a part of fun.
We got to think what we even want to show. Like any other sports, what you practice shows on the stage. In the sense, I wouldn't believe in last minute miracle. By the time you show up on stage, how you would do is pretty much determined.
First thing first. We started working on Tango basics by incorporating 30 minutes Tango warm-up for each practice session. Changing and improving body usage takes several weeks. Considering the remaining time, it was the first task.
Next step was to analyze the song and the structure, so that we could fit the moves to the song.
When Hugo and Celina came to OKC (5/3/14 weekend), we were on the third week into preparation and still nowhere near showing anything. But their workshops helped a lot. We even incorporated a few of their moves into our final choreo.
Following two weeks was the main time for coming up with ideas and assembly. It was good that we had some "stock" moves that we could use. It would have been harder for us if we had to start from scratch. Professionals have large amount of stockpile moves that can be used as modules for on spot "improvisation". That's why they can pull off "improv" well.
One more thing: I believe Argentine Tango is a strongly lead-follow dance, and even in a choreography, lead-follow should be there. Two people doing their parts of the choreo independently is not exactly what I want. I want to see lead-follow.
Once the entire routine was roughly assembled (2 weeks before the show), polishing began. There were some trouble spots at first, so we needed to work on them.
Final stage (1.5 weeks before the show) was also the time for mental rehearsal of the routine. Create mental videos, and rehearse the dance in your head, as well as moving physically. The important trick is to think only of positive and successful performance. And it can be difficult. If you have never done it, try it. You may be surprised how "self-defeating" you can be.
Saturday (5/31/14) was dress rehearsal. There were many tasks to be done in a short time; know the backstage, make sure the dress/costume is good, check out the order of dance, decide initial positioning on stage, dance on the stage to get the feel, adjust timing for lighting and music, etc, etc. Stage lights can be very blinding, and you need to be prepared for it.
For dancing a partner dance publicly, there are two approaches in general. One approach is to try to appeal to the audience directly. Another approach is that we dance to each other, and attract the audience. We took the approach two. A merit of the approach two is that it is easier to focus on the dance itself, and it has less chance of distraction from the audience or of stage fright.
Also, note that adrenalin on stage grants you to move quickly. You need to consciously relax, slow down, and dance with the music. Monitor your heartbeat. Stay on the moment.
And there we danced in front of 500-700 people on Sunday matinee. Believe it or not, I enjoyed dancing there on stage. She danced very well. So we danced well and it was awesome. I am very happy about it. Yeah.
When the video becomes available, we'd upload it.
Hiroshi "Hiro" Yamada and Martha Wells
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)