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When we think of the New Year, it often serves as a time for reflection and renewal—a moment to pause and consider the significance of new beginnings. It is common for people to hit a proverbial “reset button” and establish New Year’s resolutions that reflect the physical, emotional, mental, or social changes they wish to… Read more: Breaking the Cycle

Tribute to James Iry 1670: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek developed the first microscope. Microscopes would gain much popularity among academics, as they justified the statement: “This thing is so obvious, can’t you see?” 1859: After an expedition on the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin proposed his evolutionary theory. Reviewers at the time were not pleased with the… Read more: A Mostly Incorrect History of Biology and Medicine

If you asked anyone to name the first thing that came to mind when you said “New York City,” very rarely would you hear words like nature or birds. Contrary to popular assumptions, however, New York City serves a crucial role in the migration of birds during the spring and winter. Life is a Flyway… Read more: How to Make the Most of Spring Migration in New York City

Sparking controversy nationwide, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced this week on X that it will further restrict the terms of federal research funding, prohibiting the purchase of “mental wellness animals” using NIH and NSF funds. This announcement has been widely seen as a response from the Trump administration to a report written by… Read more: Breaking News: Government Defunds Ducklings

Where to see early blooming plants in Central Park Dene Slope Location: East Side of Central Park between 65th & 67th St Some flowers that will be in bloom this spring are common yarrow and the black-eyed Susan. This meadow also has many native plants that bloom in fall for year-round variety. Pilgrim Hill Location:… Read more: Spring Blooms

This spring, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rockefeller’s self-proclaimed mascot: Archibald Feathersby. Mr. Feathersby is an intelligent, refined, and charismatic mallard duck who has called the pond on Rockefeller’s campus his home for the last eight years. During that time, he discovered a passion for splashing in puddles in front of the Faculty Club,… Read more: Meeting Our Mascot: An Afternoon with Archibald Feathersby

New York City is an epicenter of art and culture, housing some of the most prestigious museums in the world. Institutions like the Met, MoMA, American Museum of Natural History, and Guggenheim are globally recognized icons that draw throngs of visitors, locals and tourists alike. However, their popularity often leads to overwhelming crowds and long… Read more: Hidden Gems: Exploring Six of NYC’s Most Unique Museums

Good mentorship is a cornerstone of good science. Though vital at all career stages, mentorship holds particular value for the most junior scientists, like research technicians, whose work is a vital yet overlooked part of research output. Without extensive formal classroom instruction on laboratory techniques and scientific thinking, younger students and technicians must rely on… Read more: A Lab’s Legacy: How Mentorship Shapes the Future of Science

“What is the object you’ve held onto the longest?” In Early February, Ethiopian-American photographer Yusuf Ahmed’s exhibition Between Nostalgia and Dreams opened at The Africa Center. Ahmed’s work centers on the experiences of African and Middle Eastern people and their diasporic communities. Previous work includes the short film The Fly Collectors, which highlighted local volunteers… Read more: Between Nostalgia and Dreams, an Exhibition by Yusuf Ahmed

This fall I had the pleasure of interviewing Sir S. T. Inkerton, also known as Mr. Inky. He is an intimidatingly independent kitty with a soft spot for his owner, Yagmur Konuk, a research assistant in the de Lange lab at Rockefeller. Mr. Inky was rescued from St. Michael’s Cemetery in June and has since… Read more: Pets of Tri-I, Pet Sematary 3: Mr. Inky Rises

New York City is a behemoth of a city to tour for any amount of time, so moving and living in the city for the first time is simultaneously exciting and overwhelming. The amazing skyscrapers, bustling traffic, the chaos of Times Square, the fast New Yorker walking pace, and a massive park in the middle… Read more: NYC Study Spots To Explore!

My life in New York City began on August 26th at two points on York Avenue: the Faculty House and the Zuckerman Research Center at MSK. There, I joined Dr. Christina Leslie for my first rotation. In her lab, I have been working on methodologies to process  exciting spatial transcriptomics datasets. This data modality provides… Read more: First-Year Exploration

Meeting with your grad school advisor is a stressful situation at the best of times. It can be anxiety-inducing even when we have spent the week preparing, have slides lined up, and are caught up with all the latest papers. But, often, it’s not the best of times. Often, it is the worst of times:… Read more: An underprepared graduate student’s guide to meeting with your advisor

As one of the world’s leading biomedical research communities, members of the Tri-I appreciate the volume and rigor of research done to seek and support new medical advances. In the U.S., overall life expectancy and survival rates of many diseases have steadily increased thanks to modern medicine. Paradoxically, the general well-being and healthspan of these… Read more: Healing The Mind and Body: Insights into Complementary and Alternative Healthcare

Let’s face it, scientific talks are the most annoying part of a researcher’s job. Talks are an unwelcome interruption to the real work — the actual doing — of science. We are constantly being forced to explain, again and again, what our research means and why it’s important — as if that was not painfully… Read more: A scientific speaker’s guide to losing your audience

As summer heats up, it’s the perfect time to grab a cool drink, find a cozy spot, and enjoy these charming insights into the lives of the pets from our community. Whether you’re a cat lover or a dog enthusiast, we believe in giving equal representation to both paws and claws. So, in the spirit… Read more: Pets of Tri-I: Our Furry Friends’ Summer Shenanigans

In recent years, scientists have increasingly recognized the importance of science communication, which can be defined as the practice of informing non-experts about scientific knowledge. The goals and best practices of science communication are continually refined as various institutions study how best to engage with the public. In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,… Read more: Facing Out: Science Communication at the Tri-I

For Henrietta Lacks if i die mid experimentation working with tuberculosis will I be used like Henrietta Lacks if it’s not written on a document does the brain lose its privacy as if rotted thoughts cannot still be trapped by skull before my body fuses with mother earth will my cells be enslaved by latex… Read more: Like Hela Cells

today is friday at 5pm, and i want you to remind your body that it did a good day’s work  today remind your body that it is enough  let every muscle fiber twitch down your knuckles shock your nerve endings  marionette palms to your shoulder and hold yourself  feel comfort  embrace that you have made… Read more: A comfort poem after you finish an experiment

This month I had the pleasure of speaking with the adorable and rambunctious Cashew Carreiro, who took a pause from playtime to answer some questions about life at Rockefeller with her human mom, Jeannie.  Audrey Goldfarb: How did you and Jeannie meet? Cashew Carreiro: My brother and I were getting ready to move out and… Read more: We’re Nuts about Cashew!

2024 is upon us, and many of us have set our reading goals for the year. If you need some help getting started, look into these informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking picks. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot will walk  you through the history of one of the most important, and often misunderstood… Read more: February 2024 Book Recommendations

Audrey Goldfarb This month I was lucky enough to meet Punxsutawney “Punx” Pill, a pill bug who currently resides with Camila Villasante, a Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. student, and Denis Torre, a Ph.D. student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Per CDC guidelines, Punx preferred to perform the interview over Zoom. Although he is over… Read more: Pets of Tri-I: Punxsutawney Pill

Audrey Goldfarb As loyal fans may have noticed, Pets of Tri-I was absent from our November issue. Pooja Viswanathan is moving on to a postdoctoral position at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and sadly must leave this column behind. But never fear, dear readers; Pets of Tri-I lives on in the hands of… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan For this issue, I interview Edith and Lio, the cats who live with our very own Audrey Goldfarb (Graduate Student, The Rockefeller University). I have been enjoying seeing pictures of these two since I found their social media account. I hope I can meet them in person soon. Pooja Viswanathan: How old are… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan For this issue, I interview Maggi, the cat who lives with Priyanka Lakhiani (Graduate Student, The Rockefeller University) and her roommates. I caught sight of Maggi during a virtual meeting as she bathed herself gloriously while carefully listening to the ongoing discussion. She paused every once in a while as if she were… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan In this issue, we return with a pet interview. I have had my eye on this little puppy for a while and due to social distancing measures, I have been keeping a respectful distance, but in this time he’s already grown so much that I must introduce him to all of you without… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

This Time Konstantina Theofanopoulou This is a time to amplify Black voices and Black poets. Tagged on my poem on Instagram and on my stories daily (@newyork_rhymes) are Black writers who have inspired me. Read their poetry, support them, and thank them. Poetry: Dr. Konstantina Theofanopoulou (Instagram: @newyork_rhymes) One line art: Mikaella Theofanopoulou (Instagram: @m_theta_art)

Gretchen M. Michelfeld Heading into June, many of us in the Tri-I community are still working from home, grappling with the uncertainty of tomorrow’s news, the loneliness of quarantine, or the frustrations of too much family togetherness. Our pets continue to be comforting companions.   As a Patient Representative at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC),… Read more: Pets of Tri-I: Working from Home with Pets Pt. 2

Poetry: Dr. Konstantina Theofanopoulou (Instagram: @newyork_rhymes) Art: Mikaella Theofanopoulou (Instagram: @m_theta_art)

Gretchen M. Michelfeld With some adorable exceptions, most of us do not bring our pets to work. We were used to coming home at the end of a long day to a cat clamoring to be fed or a dog dancing ecstatically at our return. The sudden change in work culture throughout the Tri-Institutional community… Read more: Pets of Tri-I: Working from Home with Pets

Dr. Konstantina Theofanopoulou I wrote this poem in February 2019. I couldn’t have imagined how the word “quarantine” would sound today. Poetry: Dr. Konstantina Theofanopoulou (Instagram: @newyork_rhymes) One line art: Mikaella Theofanopoulou (Instagram: @m_theta_art)

Pooja Viswanathan For this issue, I interview Rudy, the dog who lives with Riccardo De Santis (Postdoc, Brivanlou lab, The Rockefeller University) and his wife, Dacia (Columbia University).  Pooja Viswanathan: How old are you? In human years? Rudy: I have 5 human years.  PV: Is there a story behind your name? R: My parents wanted… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan For this issue, I interview Astérix, the guinea pig who lives with Amélie Cornil (Laboratory Administrator, Strickland lab, The Rockefeller University) and her husband, John. I hope I meet Astérix. Pooja Viswanathan: How old are you? In human years? Astérix: I am 1 year old, and that’s 18 human years, so I’m still… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan   For this issue, I interview Sumo, the dog who lives with Margaret Fabiszak (Freiwald Lab, The Rockefeller University) and her husband, James.   Photos courtesy of Fabiszak & Co. Pooja Viswanathan: How old are you? S: Roughly in my 60s. We don’t know exactly! If anyone at the Tri-I can give me… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan   For this issue, I interviewed Luna, the rat who lives with Brigid Maloney (Jarvis & Magnasco Labs, The Rockefeller University) and her partner, Brandon. I think rats make great pets and I wanted to meet Luna ever since I first heard about her from Brigid. Pooja Viswanathan: How old are you? In… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan For this issue I interviewed Lord Bullingdon, the dog who lives with Mehrnoosh Oghbaie (Rout Lab, The Rockefeller University). Lord B is such a happy dog, and I love running into him when he’s out on walks. Photos Courtesy of Mehmoosh Oghbaje Pooja Viswanathan: How old are you? In human years? L: I… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan For this issue, I interview Michelle, the dog who lives with Emma Garst (Hang Lab, The Rockefeller University). I love animals, please write me at pviswanath@mail.rockefeller.edu if you have pets! That’s the whole point of this. Pooja Viswanathan: How old are you? In human years? Michelle: I’m going on four years old! I… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan For this issue, Natural Selections interviews House and Kima, the forever kittens who live with me (Freiwald lab, the Rockefeller University), and sometimes, with my partner, Scott Rennie. Pooja Viswanathan: How old are you? In human years? Kima: We don’t know exactly, but the humans guess about 1 in human years. In cat… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan For this issue, Natural Selections interviews Fifi, the young cat who lives with first year graduate students here at The Rockefeller University, Sarah Cai, Lindsey Lopes, and Kathryn Eckartt. Fifi is extremely sweet and playful and I enjoyed our meeting. Please contact me if you have sweet, little nonhumans living with you. I’d… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan   For this issue, Natural Selections interviews Malu, the dog who lives with Tiago Siebert Altavini (Gilbert Lab, The Rockefeller University) and Patricia Saletti. Malu speaks Portuguese and I only know 10 words of it, but her parents were willing and capable translators for our interview. I love animals, please write me at… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan In this issue, Natural Selections interviews Muffin and Velvet, the cats who live with Sarah Mereby (Fuchs Lab, The Rockefeller University) and Eddie Spencer. I wasn’t able to meet these lovely creatures but Sarah graciously transmitted my questions to them and their answers to me. Please write me at pviswanath@mail.rockefeller.edu if you have… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan In the third run of this series, I interview Mocha, the rabbit who lives with Natalie Omattage (Chen Lab, The Rockefeller University). I meet this fluffy one often, as Natalie and I share an apartment. If you would like your pet(s) featured in this series, please contact me at pviswanath@mail.rockefeller.edu. Pooja Viswanathan: Mocha,… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan In the second run of this series, Pooja Viswanathan interviews Emma and Rusty, the cats who live with Jim Keller and Dom Olinares. I met these wonderful creatures one fine evening, and they were very gracious to answer some pressing questions I had for them. If you would like your pet(s) featured in… Read more: Pets of Tri-I

Pooja Viswanathan This is a series to introduce the Tri-I community to the wildlife amongst us. In this issue, Natural Selections’ Pooja Viswanathan interviews Watson Gonzales (follow on Instagram @_watson_dog_), the terrier mix who lives with Kevin Gonzales (postdoc, Fuchs Lab). Pooja Viswanathan: How long have you lived in New York City? Watson Gonzales: I… Read more: Pets of Tri-I – Watson Gonzales

  Sarah Baker Every group of students that graduates from The Rockefeller University is quite exceptional. Along the way to their PhDs the students who have worked here, struggled here, and accomplished here have become a family. Just like a family, each individual is unique—there is the crazy uncle, the positive go-getter sister, or the… Read more: Graduating Class Superlatives

  Natural Selections interviews Ali Brivanlou, Principal Investigator Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, the Rockefeller University. Guadalupe Astorga Together with his team, Ali investigates the molecular pathways underlying cell communication during development. Notably, his team was recently able to preserve human embryos in culture for up to 14 days. This revolutionary achievement… Read more: Natural Selections Interviews Ali Brivanlou

Sarah Baker   Ainhoa Perez Garijo “Hokusai’s Great Wave” by Bonnie Monteleone, 2016 Greenepeace USA, Turtle and Plastic in the Ocean © Troy Mayne / Oceanic Imagery Publications   Nine years ago Ainhoa Perez Garijo took the first steps towards reducing her waste and today she and her family live almost completely waste-free, meaning they… Read more: Wasting Not

  Dakota Blackman    smitten  adjective  smit·ten  \ ˈsmi-tᵊn \  deeply affected with or struck by strong feelings of attraction, affection, or infatuation  The month of February often conjures up the all too familiar images related to Valentine’s Day: heart-shaped chocolates and balloons, bouquets of flowers, and Hallmark cards passed between young children at school and between romantic partners. In… Read more: Word of the Month

    Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose. (Bill Gates)  

 

By Aileen Marshall Valentine’s Day, also known as Saint Valentine’s Day, is celebrated on February 14. It is the day that couples customarily show their love for one another. People give their loved ones cards, flowers (usually roses), candy (usually chocolate), or a romantic dinner. If you are well off, you may get or receive… Read more: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

By Daniel Briskin Continuing on with our salute to the tenth anniversary of Natural Selections, here are two comics republished from 2004.

By George Barany and Brent Hartzell GB is a Rockefeller alum (1977), BH holds a master’s degree (1994) in public policy from the University of Minnesota. For more puzzles and for the solution to this month’s puzzle, visit http://tinyurl.com/gbpuzzle Click here to download this month’s puzzle !