As enrollment numbers for the introductory chemistry and physics courses reach around 600 students each this semester, the need to understand how students learn in STEM classes only becomes more crucial.
Welcome to the sixth installment of “Dissertation Diaries.” We will be highlighting Machlan Sawden, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Shruti Sharma Lab at the Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Each year, six Nobel Prizes are awarded in the fields of physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry, economics, literature and peace work. This year, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their groundbreaking discoveries in peripheral immune tolerance — the mechanism by which the immune system prevents itself from attacking the body’s own cells.
The clinical approval of penicillin in 1945 kicked off a 25-year period that is now commonly referred to as ‘the golden age of antibiotic discovery,’ in which antibiotic discovery progressed at a dizzying pace. In the nearly 80 years since antibiotics emerged on the scene enmasse, their usage has ballooned. Now antibiotics can be found in a plethora of industries, from human medicine to agriculture to livestock.
The United States is facing an increase in human infections by drug-resistant bacteria. One such bacteria, called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, is considered especially dangerous due to the fact that the bacteria are “resistant to some of the strongest antibiotics available.”
Throughout the past few decades, antimicrobial resistance has been on the rise as a result of increased antibiotic use. Like an arms race played out on a tiny scale, pathogenic microbes develop mechanisms to survive against the antibiotics used to kill them, rendering those antibiotics less useful in treating infections.
As the effects of climate change become increasingly visible, cities face unique challenges but are also positioned to be leaders in sustainability and adaptation. Some of the most prominent effects of climate change in cities include rising sea levels and increased temperatures — as well as higher rates of heat waves — which is exacerbated by the urban heat island effect, where urban areas experience warmer weather than rural areas. Urban areas also experience greater food and water scarcity than their surrounding areas.
Welcome back to the fifth installment of “Dissertation Diaries.” This week, we will be highlighting Chantal Aaron, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in The Elizabeth Byrne Lab at the Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
On Wednesday, Jane Goodall passed away. She was 91. I was one when I first heard Jane Goodall speak. It was at my father and aunt’s Ph.D. graduation at Syracuse University in 2005. While I do not remember that speech, I think it may have unconsciously seeped into my little brain and shaped me into the person I am today.
This installment of “Dissertation Diaries” highlights Udathari Kumarasinghe, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Tufts University. Before Tufts, Kumarasinghe completed a Bachelor of Science in Physics at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka.
Midterm season is upon us all too soon; hopeful promises to ‘lock in’ loom large, and caffeine consumption reaches new heights, whether in the form of a tea, coffee, energy drink — or all three. Caffeine seems to transform from a fun little drink into a necessary ingredient in study routines. But, although we know that caffeine does in fact do something, the ways in which it works — and works less well the more you drink — can seem like a mystery. So, what’s the science behind the sip?
Last month, a spark was ignited within the scientific community as a team of researchers demonstrated a scientific method for decoding one’s inner thoughts. The team implanted microelectrode arrays in the brain tissues of four BrainGate2 patients who lost their ability to speak due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Each patient was then asked to perform various tasks, including responding to spontaneous questions, counting shapes and reading sentences, while the researchers collected electrical data from their brains to analyze their thoughts. This electrical data was then used to mechanically build an alternative communication channel.
Amid the near-total Israeli blockade, those in Gaza are facing a new threat to their lives — paralytic diseases. According to Nasser Hospital’s head of pediatrics, Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, “Before the war, we used to see one case of Guillain-Barré syndrome yearly, but in the last three months, we have already diagnosed nearly 100 cases. We are seeing an outbreak of acute flaccid paralysis as a result … Patients are fatigued, unable to stand or sit. Then, as the paralysis increases, it affects patients’ respiratory muscles and can lead to respiratory failure. This can, in some cases, result in cardiac arrest.”
Welcome to the third installment of “Dissertation Diaries.” This week, we will focus on Bradley Pedro, a fifth-year biology doctoral candidate in the Romero Lab at Tufts!
NASA has faced threats of losing a significant portion of its funding since the beginning of the Trump administration. A recent NASA economic impact report found that, in fiscal year 2023, the agency generated $75.6 billion in economic output despite the agency’s budget being roughly $25 billion that same year — an approximately threefold return on investment. Yet, the White House proposed setting the NASA budget for fiscal year 2026 at under $19 billion, representing an over 24% cut. Congress only has until Sept. 30 to finalize NASA’s funding — to decide whether to approve or reject the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts. As Congress has the final say over government spending, there is currently a bipartisan effort to veto the White House’s proposed budget cuts.
On Aug. 13, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued a warning regarding a potentially dangerous bacterium found in the waters of Cape Cod: Vibrio vulnificus.
As fall begins its descent on the Hill, pumpkin spice everything and cozy knit sweaters accompany the perpetual change in scenery that beckons the need to take a picture of every angle of Tufts campus. The quintessential New England autumn is characterized by vibrant hues of reds, oranges and yellows, adding a richness of colors that researchers have actually found to improve physiological stress recovery and emotional ratings. But, how are these leaves able to transform into the iconic colors of fall we know to recognize with the season?
In this second installment of “Dissertation Diaries,” we highlight Amarachi Osuji, a fifth-year chemistry and biotechnology Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Professor Joshua Kritzer here at Tufts. Originally from Nigeria, Osuji earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Debrecen in Hungary. For her Ph.D., she chose to shift her focus, moving away from engineering to delve more deeply into chemistry.
Welcome to the first installment of “Dissertation Diaries,” a new column where we will highlight different doctoral candidates from various science and engineering departments at Tufts! Our first student profile spotlights Kevin Smith, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
On June 9, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s key vaccine advisory panel — and replaced them with his own appointees. Established in 1964, ACIP develops national vaccine recommendations, including schedules and safety guidelines, which influence coverage under Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance.
