misciwriterseditors blog, EquilibriUM

Building the Periodic Table

Written by: Camila Gonzalez Curbelo

Edited by: Emily Januck, Colter Giem

Illustrated by: Colter Giem

Memorizing the periodic table of elements is undeniably one of the (slightly dreadful) science class rites of passage. Although most of us weren’t expected to memorize the entire table, we had to learn enough of it to recognize what a few of the symbols meant. Growing up during the golden era of YouTube, I came to associate learning the elements with the iconic “The New Periodic Table Song” by AsapSCIENCE. The song consists of a rapid-fire list of the chemical elements in order, sung in an absurdly catchy melody. It is chaotic, distinctively nerdy, and unforgettable even a decade later. 

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misciwriterseditors blog, Spanish

De la impresora al diagnóstico: el prometedor mundo de la microfluídica

Escrito por: Camila Gonzalez Curbelo

Editado en inglés por: Nick Janne, Hector Mendoza, Jessica Li y Ryan Schildcrout

Traducido por: Camila Gonzalez Curbelo y Rocio Cisneros

Ilustrado por: Caroline Harms

Como muchos estudiantes, disfruto de las noches de trivia en el bar local de mi universidad. El invierno pasado, durante un evento al estilo Family Feud, quedé intrigada por la emocionante ronda de preguntas bonus. La dinámica consistía en identificar las tecnologías más infravaloradas que los estudiantes utilizan con frecuencia. Entre las cinco respuestas más populares proyectadas en la pantalla apareció la impresora: una contendiente discreta, eclipsada por dispositivos como la laptop, pero cuya evolución ha desempeñado un papel fundamental en el avance del descubrimiento científico.

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misciwriterseditors blog, RNA2026

Dr. Shelley Berger: Epigenetic pathways as targets in human disease

Live Blogger: Camila Gonzalez Curbelo

Editor: Paola Medina-Cabrera, Ryan Schildcrout

This piece was written live during the 10th annual RNA Symposium, “RNA Frontiers: From Mechanisms to Medicine” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine.

“Doesn’t everyone want to increase their memory?” asks Dr. Shelley Berger. 

Understanding the mechanisms that drive memory loss and aging is precisely the motivation for Berger’s ongoing and exciting research. Dr. Shelley Berger is a scientist in the epigenetics field – the type of science that studies how genes can be regulated without altering the DNA sequence. Authoring high-impact publications in Nature, Science, and Cell, Dr. Berger is undoubtedly a world-renowned expert who has advanced our understanding of many basic biological pathways and has worked to translate this knowledge into applications in medicine and beyond. 

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misciwriterseditors blog

From Printer Inkjets to Diagnostic Tests: The Promising World of Microfluidics

Written by: Camila Gonzalez Curbelo

Edited by: Nick Janne, Hector Mendoza, Jessica Li, and Ryan Schildcrout

Illustrated by: Caroline Harms

Like many students, I enjoy trivia nights at my local university bar. This past winter, during a Family Feud-style event, I found myself intrigued by a stirring bonus question round. The task was to name the most underestimated technologies regularly used by students. Among the top five answers displayed on the projector was the printer–an unassuming contender overshadowed by the likes of the laptop–yet a worthy candidate whose evolution has been critical for scientific discovery. 

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