My AI Qualtrics survey answer: OK, I'm a dinosaur, but look. I am very concerned about how ChatGTP etc are going to affect classroom assignments. If the students are going to write their reports with AI, why should I have to use my actual brain to grade that stuff?...

Thinking we should make some monoclonal antibodies so wondering what experiences people have had with different companies, as it's not going to be cheap so want to get our moneys worth?

New paper from the lab! In collaboration with Patrice Tankam lab at Indiana University, we evaluated changes in the Descemet's membrane thickness in the double mutant FECD mice. Congrats to the co-first authors Hadiya Pattan and Subashree Murugan! iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx...

Vision Science Folks! Time is running out to nominate a worthy colleague for an @iser.bsky.social International Prize! Deadline for the Balasz, Bárány, and Kayser awards is September 8! Get nominatin'! iser.org/page/Awards_...

So the lab now has 7 big freezers (mostly tissue storage). When I had 4 they were named after the Beatles, but once I got past 4 I named them after kaiju in the Godzillaverse - Godzilla (obvs), Rodan, Mothra, etc. Well we got a new small one which we named Minilla and he is so disturbing.

Started using Fiji to estimate apartment sizes from Zillow images. Being a tall fella, you gotta prep for these things. I am told this is "On Brand"

It’s incredibly hard to express what Professor Pete Coffey meant to so many of us. The Macular Society has written a beautiful tribute to Pete and I'm honoured to have contributed a few words. Thank you, my friend, for so many happy days. www.macularsociety.org/about/media/...

High altitude species have reduced olfactory receptor repertoires! The reduction has happened repeatedly throughout mammals. Why? We're not sure, but perhaps because there are fewer things to smell above the tree line! authors.elsevier.com/c/1lJxH3QW8S...

Here is a cool post for #MicroscopyMonday. Here's a 3D visualization from my recent project using #SP8 confocal #microscopy. Red = DAPI nuclear staining Green = Photoreceptor transduction via AAV serotypes with reporter/ #biosensor genes This image shows successful targeting of photoreceptors.

It’s been a weird, unproductive week at the lab and I’m feeling a little down. So here are 10 cool facts about vision:

On Sunday I will cycle 50 km to raise money to support research to prevent blindness. If you can, please sponsor me! fightingblindness.akaraisin.com/ui/MOVEFORSI...

Now that it is official, I am pleased to announce that the Shyam lab will relocate to the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Iowa, effective August 2025. I cannot remember ever being this excited about a new chapter in my professional life!

For those using Notion. What are the pros and cons? Seems a lot of labs use Notion for lab and project management.

Happy to share our collaborative work showing a switch in integrin signaling in young versus old primary human trabecular meshwork cells. a5 integrin expression is lost in old cells, while avb5 becomes activated. iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx...

Don’t Miss Out! Submit your abstract before NEXT TUESDAY MAY 27th to ISER/BrightFocus Glaucoma Symposium and be part of an inspiring research community. At least 30 TRAVEL FELLOWSHIPS guaranteed. Can’t get it if you don’t apply! Submission: https://iserbrightfocusglaucoma.org/abstract-submission/

📣 TRAVEL GRANTS AVAILABLE for trainees and young investigators! Deadline: May 26 Don’t miss the opportunity to attend the ISER/BrightFocus Glaucoma Symposium & Fast Track with the support of a travel grant! @iser.bsky.social @brightfocus.bsky.social 👉 iserbrightfocusglaucoma.org/abstract-sub...

Vision science students/early-career faculty: Get yer @iser.bsky.social travel awards for the 5th ISER/ @brightfocus.bsky.social Foundation Glaucoma Symposium (October 8-11th at the Emory Conference Center and Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, USA). iserbrightfocusglaucoma.org

You know it's serious when I have to put this sign on the door

It was great fun to write this review together with @katrinfranke.bsky.social and @serenariccitelli.bsky.social on behavior-specific computations in the moose retina.

Vision Science peeps: Travel awards are available for students and early-career faculty to attend the #RD2025 International Symposium on Retinal Degeneration (September 15-119th at the Clarion Congress Hotel in Prague). I'll look forward to seeing you there. rdsymposium.com/travelawards/

Sharing another beautiful image of a #Gallus gallus ( #chicken ) #retina, stained with various markers, taken by me for #FluorescenceFriday What better way to start a Friday. Retina is a beauty.

Christine Curcio and Cynthia Owsley receive the Proctor medal at ARVO 2025

@accorsi-alice.bsky.social is the best! She truly has a vision for #VisionResearch. biology.ucdavis.edu/news/snail-r...

Hi, pipette question, especially for people with tiny hands with little thumb/wrist strength Do you prefer either Acura or Rainin manual pipettes over eppendorf? And why? Thanks! I do a lot of microbiology, phage and evolution related experiments. #Mevosky

That rotating student who said I send too many emails may have had a point...

The deadline to submit your abstract for the ISER/BrightFocus Glaucoma Symposium in Atlanta is May 26th! Share your research with the glaucoma community. Don't miss out! #glaucoma #research #deadline #ISER #BrightFocus #Atlanta iserbrightfocusglaucoma.org/abstract-sub...

We look forward to seeing you there!

Once again wishing everyone a #DAPIValentinesDay with a #FluorescenceFridat double whammy. Hoping for everyone to have peace, stability, happiness, safety and love.

Macrophages/dendritic cells/microglia -- is there a catch all phrase to cover all these cells to keep me from having to type so many words?

Hey there #cytoskeleton folks. Are there any actin-associated proteins that support the end on end fusion of #actin filaments onto other filaments? I don’t mean polymerization. I mean something more akin to splicing two bits of rope together.

Resident Tissue Macrophages Govern Intraocular Pressure Homeostasis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.25.634888v1

Reminder especially to early career folks--Google scholar is a good way to be discoverable and is used by awards committees!

I am back!

It always bums me out when I click on the Zoom link and find out it's actually a Teams link 😢

Quick question: i would like to increase (and decrease) the in vivo levels of AcCoA without obviously impairing adult Drosophila viability - any suggestion how to do it? Thank you!!!! :)

Gawgeous. Anytime I show a student a RBC in SEM/TEM they are always delighted by how much they look like the donut-y drawings in a textbook. Well how about in vivo?!

Microscopy Nodes is now up on bioRxiv! 🚀 This is a Blender extension that seamlessly integrates and visualizes 3D microscopy data (TIF & @zarr.dev). High-quality volume rendering for anyone, in both EM and fluorescence, regardless of computational expertise! 🔬 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The mute feature here is great but people are really good at getting around it. I hope they don’t mean to. Say I don’t want to any see pictures or articles about puppies. Like any at all, I am beyond puppied out. I can’t take them anymore. I mute #puppies, #dogs, #pups. Works pretty well! But…

Hey PIs, do your trainees need to learn light microscopy and image analysis? Send them to us! Financial aid is available. meetings.cshl.edu/coursesinten...

I often think about how the current generation of research trainees with their air pods will never appreciate the great Radio Wars of the 90s

Excited to begin a new adventure as an Assistant Professor Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa. Grateful to my mentors @choroidlab.bsky.social, @stemcellseh.bsky.social and Sarah Doyle for training and supporting me. Looking forward to studying choroidal immunology.

Two retina scientists! Congratulations @stevenssostre.bsky.social and Jared Tangeman!

Congratulations to the 2024 #HannaGrayFellows. I'd like to give a particular shout out to Jared Tangeman, who will be working with us to figure out how salamanders regenerate their retinas following injury.

Great work!

The teams validated the potential of this dataset through subtomogram averaging of 7 macromolecules. All but one of these structures went to sub-nanometer resolution🔍🔬 Check out this nucleosome by @aliciakmichael.bsky.social and Ricardo. The alpha helices of the histones are clearly resolved! 🧪🧶🧬

Dive into the tiny universe #realtimemicroscopy

2025 so far... www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcPS...

For #FluorescenceFriday, here are some F-actin 💧 puncta in rod connecting cilia. (The stringy things below are in Muller cell microvilli.) Co-stained with 🔴 calnexin antibody and DAPI.

Vision Science Peeps--nominate a colleague for an @arvoinfo.bsky.social achievement awards! www.arvo.org/awards-grant...