Is it possible to run out of words?

Because it sure feels like I already have.

A lot of my classes have lots of weekly writing assignments so I have been doing a lot more reading and writing about things than I ever have in previous semesters. And while it is in subjects that I find to be intellectually stimulating, I somehow find myself in the position of not knowing what to say. I've done the reading, I've done the outlining but right now, I can't put words on paper to make something meaningful and distinctly mine.

Considering it is actually my job to work with words, finding the best and most precise words and presenting them with finesse, it seems like a kind of odd problem to have-not being able to say anything.

I don't actually have any profound messages that I wanted to say with this, no romantic metaphorical resonances I wanted to strike. I just wanted to share. Maybe I just need more sleep.

The Bees are at their Breaking Point: If they die, we might go with them

While some may think of distant poverty-stricken countries when hearing the phrase “wide-spread hunger”, it is the reality that our nation will be faced with if something is not done to conserve honeybee colonies. Since 2006, scientists have reported that honeybee colonies are dying at record rates of 30%, a substantial jump from the previous annual average of 5-10% and the number is only increasing. It is easy to think that this is an esoteric issue that is best left to the crusades of well-meaning yet eccentric environmentalists. However, this is a natural disaster that affects the daily life of the consumer. Considering that bees are directly or indirectly responsible for roughly 75% of the food that we eat, the decline of the honeybees has very dire implications for our future as a nation.

Do you enjoy consuming food? If so, then the honeybee crisis is actually incredibly relevant to you. One may think that honey is the only commodity that the bees contribute to the food market. However, the US Department of Agriculture reports that honeybees are responsible for pollinating over $15 billion of crops each year and agricultural products constitute some of the fastest growing American exports. Honeybees pollinate many commercial crops including apples, almonds, citrus fruits and many more. Some crops, like almonds, rely exclusively on professional bee pollination each year on a massive scale. Beekeeping is in and of itself a dynamic industry and farms pay to have truckloads of bees help them out each spring. There are many other indirect ways that bees affect the food industry as well. For example, crops like alfalfa are pollinated by bees but not directly used as a human food source. However, they are then used to feed cows that are in turn responsible for producing many dairy products as well as being used for meat. One may wonder why the average consumer may not have noticed this crisis at the food markets but the average price of almonds per pound has actually more than doubled in the last five years. The honeybee population is at the center of the food industry and absolutely crucial to the continued success of the US economy as well.

The honeybee crisis appears to be caused by several of factors. First introduced to the US in the late 1980s,  varroa mites are parasites that have been an increasing problem for the bees in recent years. The mites target the maturing honeybees, causing them to be more susceptible to disease and eventual death. Thus, in colonies affected by the mites, few bees ever reach adulthood. A lonely queen is left to watch over young bees who will never grow up, waiting for workers who will never return.

However, perhaps the most significant factor contributing to the bee crisis is the use of certain insecticides. In 2007, the EPA estimated that the US used a record-breaking 1.1 billion pounds of insecticides.  While insecticides have been used for many years, a new class of nicotine-derived insecticides called neonicotinoids has come under fire most recently. After being approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2005, the use of neonicotinoids has increased dramatically. However, recent research has come to light supporting the fact that these chemicals can have seriously detrimental effects on honeybee populations. A clinical study showed that honeybees exposed to these compounds were unable to find their way back to their hives and died due to the subsequent lack of protection. Neonicotinoids also differ in their mode of dissemination, as they are ingrained into the seeds of plants and can thus persist for many months when other pesticides might have washed away. The increased use of neonicotinoids correlates to the rise in honeybee mortality and unless something is done, the numbers will only continue to escalate. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that although separately the EPA might not consider the insecticides lethal, roughly 20 different chemical residues have been found in devastated beehives. This suggests that the chemicals are unexpectedly far more potent together and play a role in bee deaths. Together the mites and pesticides are the perfect storm to absolutely decimate honeybee populations.

We do not have to stand idle watching this crisis unfold; there are several things that we can do. By buying food that has not been treated with pesticides, we can change the market. Companies currently have no incentive to choose bee-friendly methods but might be swayed by consumer demands. However, organic foods have become a bit of cultural cache here in the US and are not necessarily accessible to everyone. So more than just hoping to change the markets indirectly, we can take action by appealing to the legislative bodies, which could lead to a solution with longevity. The European Union has already banned the use of certain pesticides and the time has come for us to finally try and open the conversation here that our European counterparts have been having for many years. This is not an issue that is only for the tree-hugging bohemians, it is an issue that concerns us all. Consider this the call to arms to help our apiarian comrades.

Hacking the Bacterial Social Network

While we update our Twitters, Facebooks and Instagrams throughout the day, many might be unaware that a similar phenomenon is happening at the microbial level as well. In a two-part lecture, Bonnie Bassler, a professor and researcher at Princeton University, proposed that bacteria everywhere from the ocean to our gut relay and receive messages to one another through chemical signals. These signals help the bacteria know when to change their behaviour when other bacteria are around. For some, that means illuminating the marine darkness. For others, it means producing toxic chemicals to wreak havoc on our immune systems. Many disease-causing bacteria actually use this chemical network to sense when there are enough of their comrades before launching an attack against the immune system. But if the message can be sent, can it then be intercepted? In addition to presenting their previous research on what is currently known about this signaling system and combining several scientific disciplines, Bassler and her team worked with the bacterium that causes cholera to see if they could do just that.

Central to understanding the work of the researchers is the concept of quorum sensing. Bacteria have a chemical “language” that allows for communication with other members of the species, when they would otherwise be completely isolated from one another. When they receive messages from other bacteria, the bacteria then knows to modify its behaviour. Sometimes this means producing light, as the researchers found from their initial work with a species of marine bacteria. For others, the bacteria know to produce toxins that would otherwise be ineffective to carry out alone. Furthermore, bacterial species are able to transmit messages that can be received by other bacterial species as well. Long thought to be isolated but co-existing entities, Bassler and her associates proved that there is actually a bacterial nexus existing right beneath our eyes.

Armed with the knowledge of bacterial communication, Bassler and her team wanted to see if it was possible to hijack this communication network. Although the team initially worked with marine bacteria, Bassler turned her attention to the pathogenic bacteria that causes cholera, under the assumption that it uses the same chemical network as well. Cholera is a fast-disease that causes dehydration through extreme diarrhea, caused by the release of toxins by a certain species of bacteria. Though it often calls to mind images of a distant past, cholera still claims up to 120, 000 lives every year and can kill within hours after the onset of infection. Unlike some of the other known pathogens, the bacterium that causes cholera is most dangerous at low levels. When there are not too many other bacteria of the same species around, cholera-causing bacteria ramp up the productions of toxins that make us sick. When the numbers of bacteria increase, the cells send out a message to stop producing toxins and instead focus their attention towards infecting a new host.

For cholera-causing bacteria specifically, Bassler and her team wanted to see if they could send the cells false intelligence.  Bassler’s team wanted to manipulate experimental cells by sending them a synthetic signal to stop producing toxins while the cells were at low density. After isolating and characterizing what they believed to be this chemical signal responsible for turning off toxin-production, the team created a synthetic molecule that they hoped would mimic the actions of the real “off” signal.  When they added the synthetic molecule to cells infected with the bacteria, toxin production decreased dramatically.  The team then moved onto mice infected with cholera and saw similar drops in toxin levels. With the addition of the synthetic molecule, the researchers were able to restore the animals to health.

The team’s findings are incredibly exciting from a curative perspective. It implies that patients infected with the bacteria could be treated effectively and efficiently. However, the chemical mechanism this treatment does not necessarily work for all species of bacteria. The signaling system is complex and many other pathogens use the opposite mechanism whereby they are largely inactive but ramp up virulence at high densities. Therefore, instead of trying to mimic the chemical signal directly, researchers would need to create a synthetic antagonist (an off-switch) that is a molecule that would counteract the messenger rather than trying to duplicate the messenger itself. We should definitely take heart in the fact that some of the signals are species-specific. This has huge implications for the future of antibiotics. By finding ways to exploit signals for only one species, we can target harmful bacteria without the risk of also targeting good bacteria species or healthy tissue cells. Currently, antibiotics lack specificity and end up killing good and bad bacteria alike in addition to causing painful side-effects. By proposing a novel type of antibiotic, Bassler and her team may have laid the foundation to revolutionize the way that we treat diseases and lead to less noxious medications.

Breaking out from the Ivory Tower

I think coming up with topics to write about here has been one of my longest-lasting conflicts.

I consider myself a content creator... sometimes. I have always agonized about what to put here-I want to write about things that were relevant and engaging. I wanted to create content that was intelligent and poignant. For awhile I was very adamant about not writing about my thoughts or feelings, lest some future admissions council find it and decide I was not worthy to attend their institution-and actually I'm still working with that today. I also wanted to write about things that were not in any shape or form related to the things that I was learning in school. I think I was trying to prove the point that I was an engaged person who was not just some nerdy bookworm and that I was a person who thought about issues outside the realm of academia.

But as more and more of my time became dedicated as classes became more and more difficult, I had less time to ruminate on things outside of my studies. As a result, the posts here just became less and less frequent and less and less enthused.

I only recently have started to understand why I didn't really feel comfortable writing about the things that I am learning in school. There are two main reasons, the first being that I didn't think that what I was learning was relevant. Interesting to me, but would anyone else think so? The second reason, and far more embarrassing one, is that I didn't feel comfortable explaining things that I myself didn't understand. I had hoped that this problem would go away and that magically by the time I was a senior in high school I could read complex scientific journal articles and understand them perfectly. Unfortunately this seems to be a recurring phenomenon that I think will be an ongoing event so long as I am a person that is learning things.

The reason that any of this came to mind is because I am in a class designed specifically for writing about academic subjects but for the general public. Yes, we had to have classes specifically designed for this purpose. And while I obviously think that it is a worthwhile endeavor, I think that speaks volumes about how disconnected we the Wellesley community are from "the Real World", so much so that we need to have classes with the main objective of helping us communicate our passions and interests to the hypothetical layman. Being a senior in college has made me hyperaware of the fact that in one year's time I will have to find a place for myself in this "real world" I keep hearing so much about.

So you can probably see where I'm going with this-I am going to be trying to post the articles I write for class here on the blog and maybe even the other things I've written about before. While I can't pretend I will love every subject I write about, I do think it defeats the purpose of writing for the general public if no one but my classmates and professors read my writing. I'm actually really really nervous about doing this because the serious subjects will never go viral the way that another post I write might. But I guess I have to take the leap that the while the good things may not be the most exciting click-baitable things they are still worthwhile.

The Best of times and The Worst of times

The Golden Class of 2015 is coming for you.

Not so long ago, the Golden Class of 2015 became Wellesley College's new senior class. 

I think I speak on behalf of at least a few of my fellow classmates when I say that my feelings mainly fall into two very much opposite feelings:

1) Finally! It's been forever in the making but we are finally here!

and

2) Wait...when did that happen again? Who on earth thought it was a good idea to put us in charge?



But I think I speak on behalf of a majority of my classmates when I say: Good freaking riddance to junior year. I am so glad to be done with that nonsense. 

I have similarly mixed feelings when I think about this year: both the academic year and the year that has passed since June 2013. On the one hand it feels like nothing happened because I distinctly and vividly remember the person that I was and the things that were happening at this time last year. And on the other hand it feels like everything has happened because boy, have we come a long way. (side note: I am so glad that we are still at the point in our lives where one year can change everything)

I remember that this time last summer I felt angry, sad and frustrated with my college experience. I think the biggest lesson that I learned this year is not that those are not valid feelings to have (because they are) but that they don't have to weigh me down. The failures of yesterday have no bearing on the potential successes of tomorrow. Unless you let them, of course. So I guess that's the trick really: don't let them. 

Junior year was weird because it wasn't like it was wholly good or wholly bad. It felt like I was living in extremes: the good times were better and the bad times were worse and they always balanced eachother out. For me, junior year has really centered around confronting shortcomings head-on by finding ways to just keep getting by. When you go to a school like ours, there really isn't anywhere to hide from them.  I am infinitely grateful for the strong support network of friends and family that I added some truly wonderful people to this year. For a really long time, I felt that letting people be privy to my weaknesses made me vulnerable and idiotic. I have since been amazed not only at the astounding amount of empathy that I have found in my peers but also the fact that my actions, even small acknowledgements, can have a much larger [positive]  impact on someone than I think they will. Opening up to anyone is terrifying but I think it's a risk worth taking. It's gratifying to know that I can be helpful in that way but even more than that, to know that the support is mutual. 

And I think the majority of the rising senior class, this year has academically been a colossal pain in the butt. Be it fall or spring semester, I think almost every rising senior had their most challenging semester at some point this academic year. I think that we should take comfort in having successfully completed what has widely been acknowledged as the crummiest year of college ever. So there's that-if nothing else, at least it is done.   

So cheers to you, my golden lovelies, for three years successfully under our belts. We nearing the crossroad and I have no idea where the next stop is. The uncertainty of that is terrifying but also a little bit exhilarating. But for now, enjoy the respite from our lovely alma mater this summer.

I expect to see you running top form in the fall. 

tkc.

100 Days of Happy-Days 10-16???

It's been a crazy busy week as we are counting down to the very bitter end of the school year so I promise you I haven't been forgetting to be happy this entire time haha. I'm just going to do one post to cover the week for convenience's sake. But I have quite a few photos to get through, so let's get started!

Day 10: Mainly spent this day recovering from the day before. But like most things in life, it was easier to get through with a friend at my side. We managed to snag our favorite conference room in the science center. We were talking a lot so I don't think we actually managed to get all that much done but it was nice to take a few moments to not feel like a robot.

Day 11: Still a kind of weird day. We had a power outage earlier in the morning and since I was feeling exceptionally lazy, I took the time to journal a little bit. For anyone who doesn't know, I've kept a physical diary for about...9 years now? It's been a while. I think there is something incredibly cathartic about writing things down so that I don't have ten thousand thoughts swirling around my head, demanding attention.  Also, I'm going to break a rule and have a second picture that I took that day. It's not some superbly beautiful pictures but one of my friend Sophia when we were playing around in my room. She met my unicorn Frederick and was an incredibly good sport as I put bows on...like everything. I think it's really important here that we acknowledge that we can still be silly and childish and that that is completely okay.

Day 12: I took this on my way to class. I don't have a ton to say about this other than I wanted to capture a moment when it was beautifully crisp and clear out and I was early to class so I had the luxury of being able to take the extra second to take a pretty picture before scurrying off to 8:30 Organic Chemistry.

Day 13: I cheated a little bit with this one. So I didn't actually take this picture with my phone, for obvious reasons. And I also didn't go swimming the day that I posted this. I had actually gone swimming the night before and realized that the pool is actually my physical happy place and many times lets me access my mental happy place as well. I actually was thinking about writing a full post on this at some point but I think one of the reasons I like swimming so much is that it feels like there is endless possibility. Also like there is no way that I can really lose. Swimming is a different kind of catharsis for me than writing is-I think it's much more of a guarantee. Whereas I can still be incredibly upset after writing, that's hardly ever the case with swimming. Swimming let's me take out all my frustration and anger in a productive form. Best case scenario, I have a great swim and calm my mind a bit. Worst case scenario, I'm too tired to think about anything anymore. So I think the fact that it feels like I can never really go wrong with going to the pool is the reason that I keep returning to it. It's not a perfect system, I can't always make it to the pool when I want to because swimming kind of takes a lot of energy for me, more so than any other physical activity. But I feel like in recent memory, every time I have been incredibly stressed I usually also can remember going to the pool shortly thereafter.

And side note-I also realized that I've had a lot of different vistas by virtue of going to different pools at different times. Unfortunately I can never show you these views which is a shame because they are some of my favorite.

Day 14: Ruhlman Day. I wasn't presenting but that meant that I had a long day of studying in sweatpants while everyone was getting dolled up. I had been working with a lot of students though as a public speaking tutor so I was fine with this. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot in terms of the actual flow of the day that was interesting. I had an exam so mainly I was just focusing on trying to absorb that. But, when I relocated to my room, I remembered that I had a guardian unicorn and that he makes me happy. So everyone, meet Frederick my unicorn. He guards my desk.

Day 15: This day was really rough for me. My day started at 8:30 with an exam, I had three back-to-back classes, Organic Chemistry lab and then an insufferably long meeting after that. So really, I had to be a functional human being from 8:30AM-6PM. Eek. And did I mention that there was an essay, problem set and reading due the next day? When all of the scheduled madness ended, I went back to my dorm to eat a quick dinner and then prepare for the inevitable late night of p-setting. Before I got back to the Science Center though, I decided to stop by the campus center and get myself a treat. And I had run low on flex points so this was actually out of pocket. I felt guilty at first for making what seemed like an unnecessary expenditure. Who was I to buy myself something when it seemed like I hadn't done anything noteworthy to actually deserve it? I had probably failed my exam and didn't do so great on a presentation that day. But then I realized that I wasn't reinforcing mediocrity by doing this for just surviving the day. It was acknowledgement of the suckiness of the day and encouragement for the future. Furthermore, self-care and self-maintenance is not actually selfish. Or at least that what I told myself. Either way, it was delicious.

Day 16: Last but not least for this post. I took this picture when I was walking back to my dorm after a marathon problem set session early in the morning, which unfortunately was becoming a bit a trend. At the time I took this picture, I wasn't actually done with everything that needed to get done today (and yes, it did all get done somehow??) but I think I had finished enough so that I could appreciate this view. I walk past this every single day when I go between Tower Court and the Science Center but here's a picture of it, finally.

So, there it is. I am not sure if I'm going to be doing day by day posts this coming week. This past week was kind of hectic so the fact that I remembered to post pictures on the days of is kind of a slight miracle. It all really depends on the timing of everything from now on but i will definitely keep updating my instagram and tagging each of the days for your consideration.

Until next time.

100 Days of Happy-Day 10

The last 24 hours have been kind of long and weird for me but I've made it through to the other side with a little (a lot) of help from my friends.

I think that the times I was most unhappy at Wellesley, I felt like I was constantly surrounded by people and constantly overwhelmed with things that needed to be done...and yet I always felt alone.

And I think that the times I've felt happiest at Wellesley have been when I realized that that doesn't need to be the case. I can't really explain how you go from one to the other because honestly, I think I still fluctuate myself.

But, as crazy as this school drives me sometimes, I am incredibly grateful for the people it has brought into my life.