ISB News

Shifting the Education Paradigm

Photo above: Dr. Vineet Sangar, right, a postdoc in the Price Lab at ISB, explains proteomics technology to a group of community college faculty, who participated in a systems biology workshop in May 2014. By Dana Riley Black Director of Logan Center for Education Over the past two decades, systems biology has revolutionized traditional approaches to answering complex biological questions. The rapid advancement of computational power and the increased access…

ISB’s K-12 STEM Education Work: Collaboration with Washington Alliance for Better Schools

(Photo: Bothell High School teacher Cynthia McIntyre (above left) and ISB’s Chris Plaisier (above right), a senior research scientist in the Baliga Lab, participated in Washington Alliance for Better Schools’ event “A Celebration of STEM” which took place MOHAI on May 6.) ISB’s K-12 STEM Education work On May 6, Washington Alliance for Better Schools held “A Celebration of STEM” at MOHAI to showcase projects that middle and high school…

ISB's Ilya Shmulevich describes his lab's work in The Cancer Genome Atlas project and how ISB and FHCRC could collaborate.

Melding ISB and FHCRC Brain Power for Cancer Research

(Photo above: ISB’s Dr. Ilya Shmulevich describes his lab’s work in The Cancer Genome Atlas project and how ISB and FHCRC could collaborate.) Big health challenges require big science. Cancers are prime examples of overwhelmingly complex diseases that need the power of a cross-disciplinary, systems biology approach to decipher the underlying dysfunctional gene networks in order to find ways to prevent and manage the diseases and develop more effective therapies….

It's National Cancer Research Month. Please visit aacr.org to learn more. Or please support Institute for Systems Biology directly at https://www.isbscience.org/support.

It’s National Cancer Research Month: How To Help

May has been designated "National Cancer Research Month" and we'd like to share a little about how ISB is using the systems biology approach to tackle some of the complexities of researching cancers. You can read our four-part series on how ISB's pioneering systems biology has made an impact and continues to clear new pathways for the cancer research field. Please visit aacr.org to learn more about NCRM. Support ISB's…

Networks Are All Around You network activity created at Institute for Systems Biology for the USA Science & Engineering Festival.

ISB at USA Science and Engineering Festival

ISB scientists Aaron Brooks (Baliga Lab) and Martin Shelton (Hood Lab) attended the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington D.C. on April 26-27. They, and ISB senior research engineer, Chris Lausted, developed an interactive network activity involving circuit boxes that represent nodes and fiber optic cables to connect them. The project and trip to D.C. were supported by funds through NIH/NIGMS and ISB’s Center for Systems Biology. From Brooks:…

Systems Biology + Systems Art

(Photo above: Artist Xiao Dong Feng and Dr. Lee Hood raise a toast during a reception on April 28. Feng’s painting “Qing Xu” hangs in the background. The name is symbolic of someone who eschews earthly materialism and is instead a visionary who seeks a higher or more spiritual understanding.) On April 28, Institute for Systems Biology hosted an intimate symposium on Systems Biology & Systems Art in honor of…

Support ISB: GiveBIG 2014

Date: Tuesday, May 6th, 2014 Time: 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM Where:  The Seattle Foundation website – ISB profile page GiveBIG is an annual, community-wide day of giving hosted by The Seattle Foundation that aims to inspire regional philanthropy. Between midnight and midnight (PST) on May 6th, The Seattle Foundation and its generous sponsors will match a percentage of all contributions to local nonprofits. If you are considering a gift…

USA Science & Engineering Festival

Networks are everywhere – from communications and transportation to social and biological – but we take most of them for granted. Three ISB scientists (Chris Lausted, senior research engineer; Aaron Brooks, graduate student; and Martin Shelton, postdoc) and high school intern Sarah Williams are collaborating on a project for the USA Science & Engineering Festival on April 26-27 in Washington D.C. to demonstrate just how essential networks are. The team…

USA Science & Engineering Festival

Networks are everywhere – from communications and transportation to social and biological – but we take most of them for granted. Three ISB scientists (Chris Lausted, senior research engineer; Aaron Brooks, graduate student; and Martin Shelton, postdoc) and high school intern Sarah Williams are collaborating on a project for the USA Science & Engineering Festival on April 26-27 in Washington D.C. to demonstrate just how essential networks are. The team…

Tiniest Malfunctions in a Cell Can Cause Devastating Diseases

3 Bullets: ISB researchers are studying peroxisomes, which are cellular organelles that are linked to a rare syndrome that causes progressive organ complications and infant mortality. Peroxisomes have a role in metabolizing and breaking down cellular waste. Because peroxisomes easily change shape and function according to a cell’s needs, a systems approach is necessary to help decipher that complexity. By Dr. Thurston Herricks Dane Tolmie was a 19-month old boy…

ISB’s Trans Proteomic Pipeline Software in Demand

Luis Mendoza and Eric Deutsch, of the Moritz lab, were at CINVESTAV (a federal institute in Irapuato, Mexico) last week to teach a workshop on the Trans-Proteomic Pipeline software. From Luis (pictured above): "We covered the basics of data analysis of tandem mass spectrometry data using the TPP, including the justification and theory behind the methods as well as interpretation of the results via hands-on tutorials. We had a full…

Best Way to Get Kids to Like Science? Inspire Teachers

By Hillary Lauren Science teachers and principals from Schmitz Park and Arbor Heights Elementary Schools in West Seattle attended a day-long workshop co-hosted at the Institute for Systems Biology. During their visit to ISB, the educators were enthusiastic to collaborate, learn about new curriculum materials, and see first-hand what an innovative science research space looks like at ISB. “The day signified much more than these teachers learning about some instructional…

Now Accepting ISB Internship Applications

ISB’s summer internships for high school and undergraduate students are highly competitive — who wouldn’t want to work leading experts in systems biology research? The application process is now open. If you or someone you know may be interested in applying, visit the following links: High School Internships Undergraduate Internships

Science Education Impact

The educators who work at ISB continue to influence how science is taught in the State of Washington. Claudia Ludwig and Dina Kovarik, members of the Baliga Lab education team, recently helped the Highline School District apply for a $1,000 grant to use toward systems science materials and teacher training. Highline’s Arts and Academics Academy received the award, which will also provide students with “real-world” lab experience.

Valerie Logan Luncheon Raises $50K for Science Education Programs at ISB

The Second Annual Valerie Logan Luncheon, which took place on Nov. 13, raised just over $50,000 (UPDATE: As of Dec. 18, 2013, the total funds raised has reached more than $60,000) for our education programs at Institute for Systems Biology. Guest speaker Julia Joo, who spent her summer as a high school intern here at ISB, shared with us the educational journey that led her to choose science as a…

ISB Hosts 2nd Annual Valerie Logan Luncheon on Nov. 13

Photo above: Valerie Logan during the 2012 Valerie Logan Luncheon. To inspire students and imbue them with a love for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), we must inspire their teachers. ISB has always held this philosophy and, at the 2nd Annual Valerie Logan Luncheon on Nov. 13, we will celebrate our vision for bringing quality STEM education to all students and also honor Dr. Meena Selvakumar as the recipient…

Lee Hood Among Featured Innovators at Bezos Center for Innovation at MOHAI

On Oct. 11, MOHAI hosted a VIP event to celebrate the launch of the Bezos Center for Innovation. The exhibit features 13 innovators from the Seattle area, including ISB’s president, Dr. Lee Hood. Each innovator sat for an interview and snippets from each interview are woven throughout the exhibit on touchscreens. Event attendees included Dennis Hayes, below left, who founded Earth Day. He and Lee Hood, below right, spent a…

Guest Post: Harvard at ISB

Guest Post By Alia Qatarneh Research Assistant, Life Sciences Outreach Program Harvard University The realm of research is changing. The understanding of a scientific phenomenon is no longer a journey on a one-way road. It is an active collaboration between many departments, professionals, and experts, resulting in interdisciplinary frameworks that can tackle the vast principles of biology. Systems biology combines those aspects and allows for the exploration of how components…