profile
Some personal profile and metrics
Professional Profile
"You're like a celebrity that isn't famous"
- E.M.; The 2nd best compliment I've ever received
"Pull back three curtains and there's Jason"
- C.T.B.; The 5th best compliment I've ever received
"You are an NBC sitcom but the writers room has the good cocaine"
- C.K.; The 17th best compliment I've ever received
An incomplete list of things I do and have done, if you have to know for some reason.
I’ve worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory since 2004, first at the bench in the Plant Science group and currently as an Assistant Director at the lab’s DNA Learning Center. I also get to teach my own science course a few hours a week at Yeshiva University High School for Girls. I think helping scientists keep up with changing technology is one of the most important things we can do to accelerate research. Moreover I think this can be sustainably achieved by building, supporting, and promoting the people who do this training - hence my founding of the group Life Science Trainers, a global community of practice for short-format training in the life sciences ( open to anyone who provides training for life scientists).
- Workshops, Talks, Teaching, and Presentations
- Selected Publications and Products
- Things to Fund
- Academic, Community Service, Awards
- Photo and Speaker’s Bio
- Other Things
Workshops, Talks, Teaching, and Presentations
This list significantly includes my work with CyVerse, a project I work on that brings cyberinfrastructure to biologists. I am their Education, Outreach, and Training lead, so I get to help lots of biologists use computation in their teaching and research. Workshops are mainly multi-day training events.
2023
(includes scheduled events)
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG 30) | Session Chair/Organizer: Advanced Computational Methods – CyVerse for Machine Learning, Containers, and Clouds | San Diego, CA | |
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG 30) | Session Organizer: A Moderated Discussion on the Missing Components in Genomics: Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion | San Diego, CA | |
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG 30) | Invited Speaker: Understanding Barriers to Bioinformatics Education - Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education | San Diego, CA | |
| Australian Research Data Commons Skills Summit | Invited Keynote: Professionalizing Training Origin Stories for the Modern Researcher | Online | |
| CyVerse Foundational Open Science Skills | Instructor | Online | course site |
| NIH Office of Data Science, Generalist Repository Ecosystem Initiative (GREI) Workshop | Invited Panelist:Researcher Perspectives – NIH Generalist Repository Ecosystem Initiative (GREI) Workshop | Online | |
| OpenScapes - Pathways to Open Science | Invited Panelist: Career-spanning Learning in the Life Sciences – Supporting Open, Data-driven Biology | Online | |
| University of Florida, Rigor and Reproducibility Seminar Series | Invited Speaker: Training and Re-Training in Open and Reproducible Research | Online | |
| 2023 U.S. Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium | Invited Fellow/Organizing Committee Chair; Organizer: Proteins, Biology, and Artificial Intelligence | Irvine, CA | |
| CZI - Accelerating Open Science in Latin America | Invited Participant | Buenos Aires, AR | |
| AgBioData Annual Conference | Invited Keynote: It’s Impossible to Keep Up Career-spanning Learning in the Life Sciences | Chicago, IL | |
| HudsonAlpha | Invited Seminar: It’s Impossible to Keep Up Career-spanning Learning in the Life Sciences | Huntsville, AL | |
| Bioinformatics Education Summit | Invited Speaker: Building Communities of Practice | Hinxton, UK | |
| Nanopore Sequencing Foundations for Course-based Research | Organizer/Instructor | New York, NY | |
| Gordon Research Conference: Undergraduate Biology Education Research | Invited Keynote: Making Life Science CURES Inclusive and Accessible | Lewiston, ME | |
| Bioinformatics Open Source Conference | Organizing Committee | Lyon, FR | |
| CSHL Course - Advanced Sequencing Technologies & Bioinformatics Analysis | Instructor | ||
| North Carolina State University, Genetics and Genomics Academy | Invited Seminar: It’s Impossible to Keep Up; Career-spanning learning in the Life Sciences | Raleigh, NC |
2022
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chan Zuckerberg Initiative | Workshop attendee: Workshop on Support for Open Science Training and Education | Online | ||
| National Society of Black Engineers | Workshop: Plotting and Programing in Python | Anaheim, CA | ||
| North-East Regional Meeting Society for Developmental Biology | Invited talk: Career-spanning Learning in the Life Sciences; Supporting Open, Data-driven Biology | Woods Hole, MA | ||
| BioIT World Conference & Expo 2022 (Canceled) | Invited Chair: Session: Application and Utility of FAIR Data Principles | Boston, MA | ||
| Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology DataWorks! | Invited Speaker: Learning New Tricks – Data Sharing and Career-Spanning Learning in STEM | Online | ||
| 2022 U.S. Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium | Invited Fellow/Organizing committee; Organizer: COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Therapeutic RNA Molecules. | Irvine, CA | ||
| National Academies of Science | Invited Lecture: Open Science and Learning in the Genome Age | Irvine, CA | YouTube | |
| CSHL Banbury Center | Organizer/PI: Making Career-spanning Learning in the Life Sciences Inclusive and Effective for All | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | ||
| National Institutes of Health | Invited attendee, session moderator: NINDS Workshop on Catalyzing Communities of Research Rigor Champions | Bethesda, MD | ||
| CyVerse Foundational Open Science Skills | Instructor | Tucson, AZ | course site | |
| Frontiers and Techniques In Plant Science | Invited Workshop: Title:Computational Basics for Plant Biology | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | ||
| Bioinformatics Open Source Conference | Conference Organizer/Panel Host/BOSC and Education COSI Joint-Keynote: Keynote - “Riding the Bicycle — Including All Scientists on a Path to Excellence”; Panel Organizer - Building and Maintaining Inclusive Open Science | Madison, WI | ||
| NIH National Human Genomics Research Institute | Workshop: 2021 NHGRI Short Course in Genomics: DNA Barcoding | Online | ||
| John Hopkins Welsh Symposium on R3Reforming Graduate Science Education | Invited Speaker Title:Opening the Door to Good Science Education | Online | ||
| NASA Ames Horizons in Biosciences and Informatics Seminar Series | Invited Speaker Title:Open Science: The Next Generation | Online | ||
| Southwest Society for Developmental Biology Meeting | Invited Speaker Title: Career-spanning Learning in the Life Sciences – Supporting Open, Data-driven Biology | Austin, TX | ||
| Advanced Sequencing Technologies & Bioinformatics Analysis | Invited Workshop: Title:Computational Basics for Plant Biology | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | ||
| Australian Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Society Annual meeting | Invited Keynote Title: Running to Stand Still – Traversing skill gaps in computational biology | Melbourne, AU | slides |
2021
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CyVerse Foundational Open Science Skills | Instructor | Online | course site | |
| NSF NorthEast Big Data Hub | Invited Speaker: Northeast Student Data Corps (NSDC) Data Science Career Panel | Online | ||
| North Carolina State University | Workshop:Introduction to Bioinformatics with CyVerse | Online | ||
| Atlanta University Center Consortium Data Science Initiative | Workshop: Genomics Data Carpentry | Online | ||
| SfAM International Applied Microbiology Conference 2021 | Invited Workshop: Introduction to RNA-Seq with the Kallisto and Sleuth workflows | Online | ||
| James Madison University | Workshop:JMU Center for Genome and Metagenome Studies (CGEMS) - Getting started with R and CyVerse | Online | ||
| Plant Biology 2021 | CyVerse Tools for Reproducible Research | Online | ||
| Prairie View A&M University College of Engineering | Invited Speaker:Extending the Possibilities of Biology with Open Science | Online | ||
| NIH National Human Genomics Research Institute | Invited Keynote: 2021 NHGRI Short Course in Genomics: Owning the Genome | Online | ||
| American Society of Cell Biology Public Engagement Webinar | Relevance and Rapport Promoting inclusion through public engagement | Online | ||
| Black Women in Computational Biology | Opening Doors - Preparing the Next Generation of Computational Biologists | Online | ||
| CyVerse Webinar Series | Webinar: CyVerse Visual Interactive Computing Environment | Online | ||
| George Washington University | Workshop attendee: Computing for Teaching and Learning with Jupyter | Washington, DC | ||
| American Society of Cell Biology, Cell Bio Virtual 2021 | Selected Workshop: Integrating Bioinformatics into Your Courses | Online |
2020
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVIII) | Session Chair/Organizer: Advanced Computational Methods – Machine Learning, Containers, and Clouds | San Diego, CA | ||
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVIII) | Session Chair/Organizer: CyVerse - Software, Tools, and Services for Data-Driven Discovery, Data Science, and Education | San Diego, CA | ||
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVIII) | Invited Speaker: Resources and Programs for Undergraduate Education in Genomics: “Tools and Approaches for Making Bioinformatics Work in the Classroom” | San Diego, CA | slides | |
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVIII) | Session Organizer: Pragmatic solutions for scaling your analysis: Machine Learning, Imaging, Containers, Clouds and APIs | San Diego, CA | ||
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVIII) | Invited Speaker: Cloud Computing for Genomics Data Analysis: “Reproducibility in the Clouds - Harnessing the in nube Paradigm” | San Diego, CA | slides | |
| National Science Foundational | Awardee: NSF 2026 Idea Machine Award Ceremony - Reinventing Scientific Talent | Alexandria, VA | Press release | |
| CyVerse Foundational Open Science Skills (FOSS) Camp | Instructor: Introduction to Reproducible Science | Tucson, AZ | Lesson materials | |
| The Allied Genetics Conference 2020 | Selected Talk: The Genomics Education Alliance Scalable, Sustainable Infrastructure for Undergraduate CUREs | Online | slides | |
| Plant Biology 2020 Online | Selected Talk: Reproducible Analyses with Jupyter and R on CyVerse | Online | slides | |
| 2021 Biology and Mathematics Educators (BIOME) Institute | Selected Workshop: RNA-Seq and Jupyter - Bringing Genomics Into the Classroom | Online | ||
| 2021 Biology and Mathematics Educators (BIOME) Institute | Poster: Making bioinformatics tools classroom-friendly | Online | ||
| 2020 U.S. Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium | Invited Fellow/Participant | Online | ||
| Carnegie-mellon University | Invited Seminar; Computational Biology | Online | ||
| University of Arizona | Invited Ecology Graduate Seminar | Online |
2019
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVII) | Session Chair/Organizer: Advanced Computational Methods – Machine Learning, Containers, and Clouds | San Diego, CA | |
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVII) | Session Chair/Organizer: CyVerse - Software, Tools, and Services for Data-Driven Discovery, Data Science, and Education | San Diego, CA | |
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVII) | Session Chair: Resources and Programs for Undergraduate Education in Genomics | San Diego, CA | |
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVII) | Session Organizer: Pragmatic solutions for scaling your analysis: Machine Learning, Imaging, Containers, Clouds and APIs | San Diego, CA | |
| 5th Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Bioinformatics Consortium | Invited Workshop: Extensible Cyberinfrastructure for Life Science | Little Rock, AR | |
| Environmental Data Science Inclusion Network | Lightning Talk: Broadening Participation with Bioinformatics, Big Data, and Data Science | Boulder, CO | |
| CyVerse Foundational Open Source Skills Camp | Workshop developer | Tucson, AZ | Course materials |
| Genomics Data Carpentry - Genomics 2.0 Lesson Release Workshop | Workshop organizer/instructor | Tucson, AZ | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Frontiers in Plant Science Course, Invited Instructor: Introduction to R | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| International Society for Computational Biology: Joint Annual meeting - 27th Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology/ 18th European Conference on Computational Biology | Invited Opening Keynote: Education COSI - “Training, Teaching, Technology, Togetherness – Promoting Knowledge Exchange in Life Sciences Through Communities of Practice” | Basel, CH | slides |
| International Society for Computational Biology: Joint Annual meeting - 27th Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology/ 18th European Conference on Computational Biology | Invited Speaker: Scalable Plant-Research in Cloud Environments - “Overview of CyVerse tools and services: introduction to data/metadata management and sharing with CyVerse” | Basel, CH | |
| International Society for Computational Biology: Joint Annual meeting - 27th Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology/ 18th European Conference on Computational Biology | Lightning Talk: The Data Carpentry Genomics Curriculum: Overview and Impact” | Basel, CH | |
| Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics | Invited Seminar: “Cyberinfrastructure for Scaling Research, Education, and People” | Lausanne, CH | |
| GOBLET Annual Meeting | LifeSciTrainers.org A global community of practice for short-format training in the life sciences | Jakarta, ID (Virtual) | slides |
| CyVerse Foundational Open Science Skills: Practical Data and Software Skills for Reproducible Research | Workshop organizer/instructor | Rome, IT | Announcement and materials |
| Technical University of Graz | CyVerse Austria - Train the Trainers | Graz, Austria | workshop site |
| University of Puerto Rico | Invited Seminar: Computational Learning, Thinking, and Doing in 21st Century Biology | San Juan, Puerto Rico | slides |
| University of Puerto Rico | CyVerse Tools, Services, Reproducibility workshop | San Juan, Puerto Rico | workshop site |
| Elixir UK All-hands, University of Dundee | Invited Keynote: The View from Nowhere in Computational Infrastructure | Dundee, Scotland | slides |
2018
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSF INCLUDES summit | Broadening Participation with Bioinformatics, Big Data, and Data Science | Alexandria, VA | poster |
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXVI) | Session Chair/Organizer: CyVerse Education: DNA Subway, Data Science, and Microbial Genomics - CyVerse - Software, Tools, and Services for Data-Driven Discovery; BOF-Organizer: Machine Learning, Imaging, Containers, Clouds and APIs | San Diego, CA | |
| North Carolina State University | Genomics Data Carpentry and CyVerse Tools and Services Workshops | Raleigh, NC | |
| ASPB Southern Section Regional Meeting | Symposium Keynote Speaker: “Data, Data Everywhere, Nor Any a Drop to Drink” | New Orleans, LA | slides |
| Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub | Data Carpentry: Ecology | San Francisco, CA | |
| University of New Orleans | Genomics Data Carpentry and CyVerse Tools and Services Workshops | New Orleans, LA | |
| Amazon Research | Invited Seminar: “Scaling Science by Scaling People, Purpose-built Cyberinfrastructure for the Life Sciences” | Cambridge, UK | |
| University College, Dublin | Genomics Data Carpentry and Carpentry Con | Dublin, IE | |
| Bioinformatics Open Source Conference/Galaxy Community Conference | Joint Session Talk: “Improving the Undergraduate Bioinformatics Curriculum”, Panelist: Training and Documentation in Bioinformatics | Portland, OR | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Frontiers in Plant Science Course, Invited Instructor: Genomics Data Carpentry - Introduction to R | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Genomics Data Carpentry and Machine Learning | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| Plant Biology 2018 | Poster: “The Next 10 Years of Data-Driven Plant Biology”/ Data Carpentry and RNA-Seq Workshop | Montreal, CN | |
| Colorado State University | Genomics Data Carpentry and CyVerse Tools and Services Workshops | Ft. Collins, CO | |
| CSHL Biological Data Science | Poster: “Improving the Bioinformatics Curriculum” | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| BioInfoSummer | Invited Keynote:”Improving the Bioinformatics Curriculum” Invited Instructor: “Introduction to Kallisto and Sleuth RNA-Seq Workflows - Bulk and Single-cell RNA-Seq applications” | Perth, AU | |
| Earlham Institute | CyVerse UK Workshop | Norwich, UK |
2017
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXV) | Session Chair/Organizer: CyVerse Education: DNA Subway, Data Science, and Microbial Genomics - CyVerse - Software, Tools, and Services for Data-Driven Discovery | San Diego, CA | |
| CyVerse UK Workshop | University of York | York, UK | |
| Plant Biology 2017 - American Society of Plant Biology | Symposium Chair: Computation/Bioinformatics: CyVerse Resources for Enabling Data-driven Plant Biology; Panelist: Common Author Errors and How to Avoid Them; ASPB Journal Editor’s Session: Tools for Reproducible Plant Biology | Honolulu, HI | slides |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory - Frontiers & Techniques in Plant Science | Invited Instructor: Genomics Data Carpentry | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| Beyond the Bench 2017 | Panelist: Careers in Education and Government | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | agenda |
| University of Arkansas | Genomics Data Carpentry and CyVerse Tools and Services Workshops | Fayetteville, AK | |
| James Madison University | Genomics in Education and CyVerse Tools and Services Workshops | Harrisonburg, VA | |
| Los Alamos National Laboratory | Software Carpentry | Los Alamos, NM | |
| New Mexico State University | Genomics Data Carpentry and CyVerse Tools and Services Workshops | Las Cruces, NM | |
| ASPB Conviron Scholars | Panelist: Plantae Conviron Scholars Career Panel | Online | |
| Toronto Bioinformatics User Group | Invited Speaker: TorBUG Bioinformatics Seminar - “The Bioinformatics Training Landscape” | Toronto, CN | slides |
2016
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXIV) | Session Chair/Organizer: iPlant and Education: DNA Subway, Data Science, and Microbial Genomics - Cyberinfrastructure for Life Science and Beyond – Scaling your science with iPlant | San Diego, CA | |
| Stony Brook University, Genomics Cluster | Genomics Data Carpentry | Stony Brook, NY | |
| University of Delaware | Genomics in Education Workshop/CyVerse Tools and Services Workshop | Newark, DE | |
| MidSouth Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (MCBIOS) | Invited Workshop Organizer: CyVerse tools for Data Driven Discovery | Memphis, TN | |
| Ohio State University | CyVerse Tools and Services Workshop | Wooster, OH | |
| iDigBio | Webinar: Education and Outreach Webinar Series: iPlant’s DNA Subway | Online | slides |
| University of Melbourne | Invited Lecture/Workshop Organizer: CyVerse Training Day | Melbourne, AU | |
| National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources project (Nectar) | CyVerse and Atmosphere Cloud Overview | Melbourne, AU | |
| Jackson Laboratory | Big Genomic Data Skills Training for Professors: Invited Lecture/Workshop Organizer: CyVerse Cloud for Research and Education | Farmington, CT | |
| National Institutes of Health | Genomics Data Carpentry/BD2K | Bethesda, MD | |
| Langebio/Cinvistav | Genomics Data Carpentry/CyVerse Tools and Services | Irapuato, MX | |
| 2016 National Academies Special Topics Summer Institute on Quantitative Biology/BioQUEST | Guest Lecture/Workshop Organizer: CyVerse Overview/CyVerse Atmosphere for Education | Raleigh, NC | |
| Plant Biology 2016 | Bioinformatics Symposium: Symposium Speaker: Resources for Big Data Biology: The Evolution of iPlant | Austin, TX | |
| Genetics Society of America/ Allied Genetics Conference | Workshop Organizer: CyVerse Tools and Services | Orlando, FL | |
| Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Science Education (NIBLSE) | NSF RCN Kick-off meeting | Omaha, NE | NIBLSE website |
| South African Genetics Society/South African Bioinformatics Society - Join Conference | Keynote Speaker Leveraging Cyberinfrastructure to Scale Science and People | Durban, ZA | slides |
| NorthWest University | Genomics Data Carpentry Workshop | Potchefstroom, ZA | |
| CSHL Cereal Genomics Workshop | Invited Instructor: Accelerating Plant Science with CyVerse | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| Biological Data Science | Poster: Required Parameters - What Does it Take to Bring Bioinformatics into the Classroom at a National Level? | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | poster |
| EMBL-Australian Bioinformatics Resource | Invited Lecture/Workshop Organizer: EMBL-ABR workshop on Open Source and Software Development Best Practice | Melbourne, AU | agenda |
| EMBL-Australian Bioinformatics Resource | Invited Lecture/Workshop Organizer: EMBL-ABR Open and Scalable Training workshop | Melbourne, AU | agenda |
2015
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXIII) | Session Chair/Organizer DNA Subway: Genomics, DNA Barcoding, and RNA-Seq Made Easy for the Undergraduate Classroom - iPlant Workshop: Why a Biology Cyberinfrastructure is the Best Way to Meet the Challenges of Large Datasets | San Diego, CA | |
| Clemson University | iPlant Tools and Services Workshop | Clemson, SC | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Data Carpentry Hackathon on Genomics Lesson Materials | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | wiki |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | USDA-iPlant BigData Workshop on Genome Variation | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| University of Georgia, Athens | iPlant Tools and Services Workshop | Athens, GA | |
| Santa Fe Community College | iPlant Tools and Services and Genomics in Education Workshop | Santa Fe, NM | |
| Bowie State University | RNA-Seq for the Next Generation Workshop | Bowie, MD | website |
| South Dakota State University | iPlant Tools and Services and Genomics in Education Workshop | Brookings, SD | |
| California State University, Long Beach | RNA-Seq for the Next Generation Workshop | Long Beach, CA | website |
| The Genome Analysis Centre (Earlham Institute) | iPlant Tools and Services Workshop | Norwich, UK | |
| John Innes Centre | Galaxy Community Conference | Norwich, UK | |
| Bioinformatics Open Source Conference | Invited Panelist: Open Source, Open Door: increasing diversity in the bioinformatics open source community | Dublin, IE | |
| ISMB/European Conference on Computational Biology | Workshop: Using Biological Cyberinfrastructure to Scale Science and People – Applications in Data Storage, HPC, Cloud Analysis, and Bioinformatics Training | Dublin, IE | agenda |
| Plant Biology 2015 | Bioinformatics Symposium: Symposium Speaker: How to Scale Data, Science, and People using Biological Cyberinfrastructure - PUI workshop: Using iPlant Cyberinfrastructure To Support Diverse Research and Education Objectives | Minneapolis, MN | |
| Plant Biology 2015 | Data Carpentry Workshop at Plant Biology 2015 | Minneapolis, MN | |
| USDA-ARS Meeting on Microbial genomics, Biomics, and Metagenomics Workshop | Overview of iPlant Resources Cyberinfrastructure for Metagenomics | Athens, GA | |
| Florida SouthWestern College | iPlant Genomics in Education Workshop | Ft. Myers, FL | |
| University of California, Davis | iPlant Multiworkshop with Data-Intensive-Biology Lab | Davis, CA | |
| Colorado State University | Invited Speaker: MIP Seminar: How to Scale Data, Science, and People Using Biological Cyberinfrastructure | Ft. Collins, CO | |
| National Ecological Observatory Network | NEON/Data Carpentry Hackathon on Geospatial Data | Boulder, CO | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Half-day iPlant workshop at CSHL Plant Genomes and Biotechnology Meeting | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| Plant Genomes & Biotechnology: From Genes to Networks | Invited Talk: Scaling plant science (and scientists) using Biological Cyberinfrastructure | Cold Spring Harbor, NY |
2014
| Venue | Presentation | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Plant and Animal Genome Meeting (PAG XXII) | Session Chair/Organizer DNA Subway Workshop - iPlant Workshop: Cyberinfrastructure for All Life Sciences | San Diego, CA | |
| Linfield College | iPlant Tools and Services Workshop | McMinnville, OR | |
| The Genome Analysis Centre (Currently: Earlham Institute) | Invited Seminar: The iPlant Collaborative - A Unified Cyberinfrastructure for the New Life Science | Norwich, UK | |
| Wageningen University | The iPlant Collaborative and CoGe | Wageningen, NL | |
| 2014 Maize Meeting | Workshop: Introduction to iPlant Collaborative | Beijing, CN | |
| UC Davis | iPlant Train-the-Trainers/Tools and Services Workshop | Davis, CA | |
| University of Omaha | NSF (RCN) Incubator: Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education (NIBLSE) | Omaha, NE | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Software Carpentry Workshop | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| Stony Brook University | iPlant Tools and Services Workshop | Stony Brook, NY | |
| University of Nebraska, Lincoln | Understanding GWAS workshop | Lincoln, NE | |
| Plant Biology 2014 | Symposium Speaker: CyVerse Resources for Plant Science | Portland, OR | |
| Plant Biology 2014 | Software Carpentry Workshop | Portland, OR | |
| Botany 2014 | iPlant Tools and Services/Genomics in Education half-day workshops | Boise, ID | |
| World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production | Invited Talk: DNA Subway An Educational Bioinformatics Platform for Gene and Genome Analysis: DNA Barcoding, and RNA-Seq | Vancouver, CA | |
| National Science Foundation | Invited Talk NPGI Annual Awardee Meeting: The iPlant Collaborative: Computational Resources for Young Investigators - How Can We Help? | Arlington, VA | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (Banbury) | High Performance Computing (HPC) in Undergraduate Biology Education | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY | |
| European Conference on Computational Biology | Invited Workshop: Dual Benefit of Bioinformatics Training | Strasbourg, FR | |
| USDA-ARS | ARS Arthropod Genomics Workshop | Beltsville, MD | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Meeting founder/organizer/session chair: Biological Data Science (Inaugural Meeting)/ | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | iPlant Train-the-Trainers | Cold Spring Harbor, NY |
Selected Publications and Products
-Revisiting barriers to implementation of bioinformatics into life sciences education Jennifer Drew, William Morgan, Sebastian Galindo, Adam J. Kleinschmit, Mindy McWilliams, Mark Pauley, Eric W. Triplett, Jason J. Williams, Barbara Murdoch, Anne G Rosenwald.
- Preprint:CyVerse: Cyberinfrastructure for Open Science Tyson L. Swetnam, Parker B. Antin, Ryan Bartelme, Alexander Bucksch, David Camhy, Greg Chism, Illyoung Choi, Amanda M. Cooksey, Michele Cosi, Cindy Cowen, Michael Culshaw-Maurer, Robert Davey, Sean Davey, Upendra Devisetty, Tony Edgin, Andy Edmonds, Dmitry Fedorov, Jeremy Frady, John Fonner, Jeffrey K. Gillan, Iqbal Hossain, Blake Joyce, Konrad Lang, Tina Lee, Shelley Littin, Ian Mcewen, Nirav Merchant, David Micklos, Andrew Nelson, Ashley Ramsey, Sarah Roberts, Paul Sarando, Edwin Skidmore, Jawon Song, Mary Margaret Sprinkle, Sriram Srinivasan, Jonathan D. Strootman, Sarah Stryeck, Reetu Tuteja, Matthew Vaughn, Mojib Wali, Mariah Wall, Ramona Walls, Liya Wang, Todd Wickizer, Jason Williams, John Wregglesworth, Eric Lyons
- Preprint: Optimizing Short-format Training: an International Consensus on Effective, Inclusive, and Career-spanning Professional Development in the Life Sciences and Beyond Jason J. Williams, Rochelle E. Tractenberg, Bérénice Batut, Erin A. Becker, Anne M. Brown, Melissa L. Burke, Ben Busby, Nisha K. Cooch, Allissa A. Dillman, Samuel S. Donovan, Maria A. Doyle, Celia W.G. van Gelder, Christina R. Hall, Kate L. Hertweck, Kari L. Jordan, John R. Jungck, Ainsley R. Latour, Jessica M. Lindvall, Marta Lloret-Llinares, Gary S. McDowell, Rana Morris, Teresa Mourad, Amy Nisselle, Patricia Ordóñez, Lisanna Paladin, Patricia M. Palagi, Mahadeo A. Sukhai, Tracy K. Teal, Louise Woodley.
- Bikeprinciples.org: The Bicycle Principles for Effective, Inclusive, and Career-spanning Short-format Training; Improving Professional Development in the Life Sciences and Beyond.
- Roadmap for implementation of 14 Recommendations for career-spanning short format training in life sciences that is effective and accessible to all Tractenberg RE, Williams J.
- Making Change Sustainable: Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education (NIBLSE) Meeting Review Toby I, Williams J, Lu G, Cai C, Crandall KA, Dinsdale EA, Drew J, Edgington NP, Goller CC, Grandgenett NF, Grant BJ, Hauser C, Johnson KA, Jones CJ, Jue NK, Jungck FR, Kerby J, Kleinschmit AJ, Miller KG, Morgan WR, Murdoch B, Noutsios G, Nunez-Castilla J, Pauley M, Pearson WR, Robertson SD, Robic S, Rosenwald A, Seah YM, Shofner M, Sierk M, Siltberg-Liberles J, Smith T, Stover NA, Tapprich W, Triplett EW, Ryder EF.
- Achieving STEM diversity: Fix the classrooms J. Handelsman, S. Elgin, M. Estrada, T. Johnson, S. Miller, V. Mingo, C. Shaffer, J. Williams.
- Pre-print: Building Back More Equitable STEM Education: Teach Science by Engaging Students in Doing Science Sarah C R Elgin, Shan Hays, Vida Mingo, Christopher D Shaffer, Jason Williams.
- Pre-print: The Rockerverse: Packages and Applications for Containerization with R Daniel Nüst, Dirk Eddelbuettel, Dom Bennett, Robrecht Cannoodt, Dav Clark, Gergely Daroczi, Mark Edmondson, Colin Fay, Ellis Hughes, Lars Kjeldgaard, Sean Lopp, Ben Marwick, Heather Nolis, Jacqueline Nolis, Hong Ooi, Karthik Ram, Noam Ross, Lori Shepherd, Péter Sólymos, Tyson Lee Swetnam, Nitesh Turaga, Jason Williams, Craig Willis, Nan Xiao, Charlotte Van Petegem.
- Biodiversity Science and the Twenty-First Century Workforce Elizabeth R Ellwood, Jocelyn Anne Sessa, Joel K Abraham, Amber E Budden, Natalie Douglas, Robert Guralnick, Erica Krimmel, Tom Langen, Debra Linton, Molly Phillips, Pamela S Soltis, Marie Studer, Lisa D White, Jason Williams, Anna K Monfils, December 2019 Biodiversity Science and the Twenty-First Century Workforce, BioScience.
- FAIRshake: Toolkit to evaluate the FAIRness of research digital resources Clarke DJB, Wang L, Jones A, Wojciechowicz ML, Torre D, Jagodnik KM, Jenkins SL, McQuilton P, Flamholz Z, Silverstein MC, Schilder BM, Robasky K, Castillo C, Idaszak R, Ahalt SC, Williams J, Schurer S, Cooper DJ, de Miranda Azevedo R, Klenk JA, Haendel MA, Nedzel J, Avillach P, Shimoyama ME, Harris RM, Gamble M, Poten R, Charbonneau AL, Larkin J, Brown CT, Bonazzi VR, Dumontier MJ, Sansone S-, Ma’ayan A. Cell Syst. 2019;9(5):417-21.
- Preprint: SciApps: A Cloud-Based Platform for Analyses and Distribution of the MaizeCODE data Liya Wang, Zhenyuan Lu, Melissa delaBastide, Peter Van Buren, Xiaofei Wang, Cornel Ghiban, Michael Regulski, Jorg Drenkow, Xiaosa Xu, Carlos Ortiz Ramirez, Cristina F. Marco, Jason Williams, Alexander Dobin, Kenneth D. Birnbaum, David P. Jackson, Robert A. Martienssen, William R. McCombie, David A. Micklos, Michael C. Schatz, Doreen H. Ware, Thomas R. Gingeras.
- Barriers to integration of bioinformatics into undergraduate life sciences education: A national study of US life sciences faculty uncover significant barriers to integrating bioinformatics into undergraduate instruction Williams JJ, Drew JC, Galindo-Gonzalez S, Robic S, Dinsdale E, et al. (2019) Barriers to integration of bioinformatics into undergraduate life sciences education: A national study of US life sciences faculty uncover significant barriers to integrating bioinformatics into undergraduate instruction. PLOS ONE 14(11): e0224288.
- AgBioData consortium recommendations for sustainable genomics and genetics databases for agriculture Lisa Harper, Jacqueline Campbell, Ethalinda K S Cannon, Sook Jung, Monica Poelchau, Ramona Walls, Carson Andorf, Elizabeth Arnaud, Tanya Z Berardini, Clayton Birkett, Steve Cannon, James Carson, Bradford Condon, Laurel Cooper, Nathan Dunn, Christine G Elsik, Andrew Farmer, Stephen P Ficklin, David Grant, Emily Grau, Nic Herndon, Zhi-Liang Hu, Jodi Humann, Pankaj Jaiswal, Clement Jonquet, Marie-Angélique Laporte, Pierre Larmande, Gerard Lazo, Fiona McCarthy, Naama Menda, Christopher J Mungall, Monica C Munoz-Torres, Sushma Naithani, Rex Nelson, Daureen Nesdill, Carissa Park, James Reecy, Leonore Reiser, Lacey-Anne Sanderson, Taner Z Sen, Margaret Staton, Sabarinath Subramaniam, Marcela Karey Tello-Ruiz, Victor Unda, Deepak Unni, Liya Wang, Doreen Ware, Jill Wegrzyn, Jason Williams, Margaret Woodhouse, Jing Yu, Doreen Main Database, Volume 2018, 1 January 2018, Pages 1–32.
- Preprint: A Genomics Education Alliance Sarah C R Elgin, Gita Bangera, Vincent P. Buonaccorsi, Douglas L. Chalker, Elizabeth Dinsdale, Erin L. Dolan, Linnea Fletcher, Arthur Hunt, Carolyn J. Lawrence-Dill, Wilson Leung, Laura K. Reed, Anne G. Rosenwald, Sandesh Subramanya, Emily Wiley, Jason Williams. (2017): A Genomics Education Alliance. figshare.
- Preprint: Barriers to Integration of Bioinformatics into Undergraduate Life Sciences Education Jason Williams, Jennifer Drew, Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez, Srebrenka Robic, Elizabeth Dinsdale, William Morgan, Eric Triplett, James Burnette, Sam Donovan, Sarah Elgin, Edison Fowlks, Anya Goodman, Neal Grandgenett, Carlos Goller, Charles Hauser, John R. Jungck, Jeffrey Newman, William Pearson, Elizabeth Ryder, Melissa Wilson Sayres, Michael Sierk, Todd Smith, Rafael Tosado-Acevedo, William Tapprich, Tammy Tobin, Arlin Toro-Martínez, Lonnie Welch, Robin Wright, David Ebenbach, Mindy McWilliams, Anne Rosenwald, Mark Pauley.
- Unmet needs for analyzing biological big data: A survey of 704 NSF principal investigators Barone L, Williams J, Micklos D (2017). PLoS Comput Biol 13(10): e1005755
- Pre-print: Bioinformatics Core Competencies for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education Melissa A. Wilson Sayres, Charles Hauser, Michael Sierk, Srebrenka Robic, Anne G. Rosenwald, Todd M. Smith, Eric W. Triplett, Jason J. Williams, Elizabeth Dinsdale, William Morgan, James M. Burnette III, Sam S. Donovan, Jennifer C. Drew, Sarah C. R. Elgin, Edison R. Fowlks, Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez, Anya L. Goodman, Neal F. Grandgenett, Carlos C. Goller, John Jungck, Jeffrey D. Newman, William R. Pearson, Elizabeth Ryder, Rafael Tosado-Acevedo, William Tapprich, Tammy C. Tobin, Arlín Toro-Martínez, Lonnie R. Welch, Robin Wright, David Ebenbach, Kimberly C. Olney, Mindy McWilliams, Mark A. Pauley bioRxiv 170993; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/170993
- DNA Subway – Fast Track to Gene Annotation and Genome Analysis U. Hilgert, Williams, J., S. McKay, M. Khalfan, C. Ghiban, S. Lauter, E.S. Jeong, and D. Micklos (online resource for bioinformatics analysis in the classroom)
- DNA Subway – An Educational Bioinformatics Platform for Gene and Genome Analysis: DNA Barcoding, and RNA-Seq Williams, J., S. McKay, M. Khalfan, C. Ghiban, U. Hilgert, S. Lauter, E.S. Jeong, and D. Micklos, . Proceedings, 10th World Congress of Genetics Applied to Livestock Production
- Data mining with iPlant: A meeting report from the 2013 GARNet workshop, Data mining with iPlant Martin, L., Charis C., Matasci N., Williams, J., and Bastow R.,. J. Exp. Bot. (2015) 66 (1): 1-6. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eru402,
- A Vision for Collaborative Training Infrastructure for Bioinformatics Williams, Jason J. and Teal, Tracy K. (2016). Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Academic Community Service and Awards
| Role | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Member, Learning and Training Advisory Board: Wellcome Connecting Science | 2023- | |
| Member, EDI Committee: International Society for Computational Biology | 2023- | |
| Member, External Advisory Board: Community for Rigor | 2023- | |
| Member, Researcher Advisory Committee/External Advisory Board: ACCESS-CI | 2023- | |
| Member, Scientific Advisory Board: HudsonAlpha Institute | 2023- | |
| Chair, Organizing Committee: National Academy of Sciences Kavli Frontiers of Science 2023, US Symposium | 2022-2023 | |
| Member: Federation of Scientific Societies for Experimental Biology - Data Works Advisory Committee | 2022- | |
| Member, Scientific Advisory Board: Lupus Research Alliance | 2022- | |
| Member, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice committee: Earth BioGenome Project | 2021- | |
| Editor: Journal of Open Source Software | 2021- | |
| Member, Organizing Committee: National Academy of Sciences Kavli Frontiers of Science 2021, US Symposium | 2021 | |
| Member, Organizing Committee: Bioinformatics Open Source Conference | 2021- | |
| Board of Directors: Data Dryad (2020-22, Secretary, 22-23, Chair) | 2020-2023 | |
| Education track co-chair: JupyterCon | 2020 | |
| Member, ASPB Forward: (Strategic planning committee for American Society of Plant Biology ) | 2020-2021 | |
| Member, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Group: Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) | 2020- | |
| Chair, Training Advisory Group: Australian BioCommons | 2020- | |
| National Science Foundation: 2026 Idea Machine Meritorious Prize Winner | 2020 | |
| National Academy of Sciences: Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow | 2020 | |
| Curriculum Advisory Board: Health Data Research UK | 2019-2020 | |
| Founder: LifeSciTrainers.org/LifeSciTrainer Slack | 2018 | |
| Science and Industry Advisory Board member: ELIXIR UK | 2018- | |
| External Expert Panel: National Institutes of Health-NHLBI Data STAGE (Storage, Toolspace, Access and analytics for biG data Empowerment)(now BioData Catalyst) | 2018- | |
| Steering Committee member: Biodiversity Literacy in Undergraduate Education, NSF RCN-UBE | 2018- | |
| External Panel of Consultants: National Institutes of Health Data Commons | 2017-2019 | |
| Steering Committee member: Plantae, American Society of Plant Biology/Global Plant Council | 2017- | |
| Chair, International Science Advisory Group: EMBL-Australian Bioinformatics Resource | 2016-2019 | |
| Steering Committee Chair: Software Carpentry Foundation | 2016-2017 | |
| Conference Review Committee member: Open Bioinformatics Foundation Bioinformatics Open Source Conference | 2016- | |
| Steering Committee Treasurer: Software Carpentry Foundation- (Founding Committee) | 2015-2016 | |
| Science Advisory Board member: NIBLSE Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Science Education | 2016- | |
| Trainer/Instructor/Maintainer: The Carpentries - Software and Data Carpentry | 2014- | |
| Founder: CSHL Biological Data Science Meeting | 2014 | |
| Scientific Training Advisory Board member: The Genome Analysis Centre Currently - Earlham Institute, Norwich, UK | 2013-2015 |
Things to Fund
Any takers?
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What Works in Workshops – Evolving Short-format Training to Serve STEM Life Sciences Professionals in the 21st Century This was a submitted proposal for a think-tank conference on 1) how short-format training can be improved to serve career-spanning learning needs of a diverse life science STEM workforce; and 2) how global SFT efforts that promote career-spanning “workforce development” can be connected into an inclusive community of practice framework
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The Genomics Education Alliance - Pre-print is a white paper for bringing together several genomics education initiatives to develop course-based research experiences. $500K + over 3-4 years depending on implementation
Update: Funded, future info here. Will be looking for future implementation funding for GEA
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Broadening the Pipeline: Best Practices for Training in Biomedical Data Science is a plan for organizing experts and communities to improve training in biomedical data science/ bioinformatics while broadening participation. $300K over 2 years
Photo and Speaking Bio
An acceptable photo for your press releases
If you are introducing me at a talk, feel free to use (or not) the following:
Jason Williams is Assistant Director, Inclusion and Research Readiness at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center where he develops national biology education programs. Jason leads education, outreach, and training for CyVerse (US national cyberinfrastructure for the life sciences) and has trained thousands of students, researchers and educators in bioinformatics, data science, and molecular biology. Jason’s focus has been developing bioinformatics in undergraduate education and career-spanning learning for biologists. Jason is founder of LifeSciTrainers.org – a global effort to promote community of practice among professionals who develop short-format training for life scientists. Jason is advisory to cyberinfrastructure, bioinformatics, and education projects and initiatives in the US, UK, Europe, and Australia. He is also a teacher at the Yeshiva University High School for Girls.
Other Things
Blood type: Ragù
Personal Catch Phrases, Quotes and sayings:
- “Release the weaponized Chihuahuas to soften the enemy’s defenses”
- “三十六计，走位上策” - Of the 36 Stratagems, fleeing is best
- “Das er inert an vergangene zeiten” - Reminds me of days gone by
- “No amount of introspection would let him discover the rules governing his deformity and his labor; he needs an outside impulse, the wisdom of Mimi the Goose”
- “I am best adapted to an environment of unlimited plenty”
- “(sigh) Years that could have been spent erecting my pleasure dome”
- “Still, those individuals who, by a ‘stroke of undeserved luck’, have ‘not quite adjusted to the prevailing norms’ can, at the very least, initiate change.”
- “People should be presented with several opportunities to be reminded I am adorable.”
- “I don’t need to “figure out” what’s inside the burrito, that’s what I’m paying you for”
Kryptonite: Most pop music
Beverage: Gin and Tonic
Astronomical Phenomenon Eta Carinae
Subatomic Particle: Top quark
Special Powers (partial list):
- Ability to perceive what people would have wanted to leave me in their will if they had the chance (e.g. precious gems/metals, fine fabrics, fragrances, etc.)
- Fairly double-jointed
- Able to display cold symptoms at will
- Convincing Canadian goose noises
- Able to navigate NYC subway system by smell
Travel Tips and Recommendations
I travel a fair bit. Here are some of my favorite items for the road-warrior scientist
Travel Essentials
| Category | Item | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bag | Arkiv Modular Backpack | link | This is my FAVORITE bag. I have the rucksack for everyday use, but this is a buy-it-for life quality travel bag. You can fully customize the bag for all your travel needs. I have the large 40L R6. I have compartments for my laptop, iPad/small electronics, and water bottle. You can add more accessories as needed. I have gone on a 10-day international trip including an clothes and an extra pair of shoes with just this bag. You will only need one. |
| Bag | Drawstring | link | The Arkiv bag can split into smaller bags, but is too much for days on a trip when I am not flying. This bag is very light, sturdy, and good for carrying my laptop and few small supplies. Also nice if you are going shopping for a few small things. |
| AV equipment (airplane iPad holder) | High View | link | This is perfect for watching movies on your iPad mini or other small tablet on a plane. Even when a TV is available, I usually am watching highbrow classical concerts not available even in first-class. This will secure your small tablet to the seat in front of you. (2023: No longer available but should be easy to sew your own. I don’t have a replacement recommendation at this time.) |
| Bag | Foldable Duffle Bag | link | You never know when a casual seminar will turn into a bank heist. This foldable duffle bag is helpful if you do a fair bit of shopping on your trip and need the extra room. Also on a longer trip, I will use this with my carry-on bag. |
| Suitcase/carry-on | Zuca Flyer Business Bag | link | This really is the ULTIMATE suitcase. It is a carry-on size, but this plus the Arikiv are a month’s worth of clothes for me - especially if I also bring the duffle bag. This is an indestructible bag. If you need to make repairs you can find what you need at Home Depot. It also doubles as a seat when you are waiting at the gate. |
| Travel accessory | Bag Bungie | link | I secure this to my carry-on and then can add a duffle bag on top |
| Travel accessory | Jacket grip | link | Lets you easily hang a jacket from your bag. I haven’t tried, but I bet this would help with a poster tube as well |
| Travel accessory | Travel vacuum bags | link | This is a must. You can compress all your clothes without a vacuum. Just roll the air out using these bags. This is one of several brands I have used. Cary an extra one to keep your worn dainty unmentionables separated. |
| Travel accessory | Travel umbrella | link | A dependable, lightweight umbrella. |
| Travel accessory | RFID neck stash wallet | link | If you will be visiting shady locales, this may help keep your valuables safe. |
| Travel accessory | Sleep mask | link | Comfortable! |
| Travel accessory | Ostrich Pillow | link | For when you must block the outside world out. |
| Travel accessory - electronic | Bluetooth Speaker | link | I have to surround myself with music. This is very loud, compact, and holds a charge. |
| Travel accessory - electronic | Lightning cables | link | These cables for Apple mobile products won’t crack. |
| Travel accessory - electronic | External battery | link | Provides several charges for phone and iPad. Buy whatever you need but make sure that the mAh are not above TSA/FAA standards; some countries you travel to may also have local standards - I’ve lost batteries this way. |
| Travel accessory - electronic | Travel adaptor | link | Perfect for foreign travel and has USB ports. |
| Travel accessory - electronic | Parrot Headphone | link | My choice for noise-cancelling headphones. Make sure to get an extra battery. |
| Travel accessory - electronic | Lapa Bluetooth tracker | link | I have a few that I can put in my bags. Besides the ability to help you find a lost item (in theory) via crowdsourced GPS; you can set a safety mode which will inform you if you (or your item) is more than a certain distance away. (2023 update: I now use Apple Airtags) |
Other Travel Items
- laser pointer/remote (e.g. link)
- Extra backup dongle (computer to projector)
- Wireless hotspot (don’t reply on hotel wireless, if you have a dedicated hotspot, buy it from a different carrier than your phone)
- VPN software (e.g. Express or IVPN - Wireless on the airplane/airport is not at all secure. You may also need a VPN when traveling abroad)
Travel Pharmacopeia - liniments and snake oils
Drugs are an essential part of travel; conferences are germ cesspools. Be prepared. Also, anyone with a little MacGyver ingenuity and a first-year pharmacy degree will recognize the possibilities in my selections should they find themselves kidnapped by nefarious forces.
- Travel Lysol: Sanitize your airplane seat and anything you will touch or sleep on during the trip.
- Alcohol wipes: Take several of these. Buy a good brand, but not too many because they dry out. Keep them everywhere because you will be in front of food and realize you have nothing to clean your hands with.
- Analgesics: Aspirin, Tylenol, and Advil for fevers, aches, sunburn etc.
- Hypnotics: If you are traveling several time zones, a melatonin supplement is nice (low dose) is better. A diphenhydramine sleeping pill is also good. Avoid prescription ones if you can.
- Anti-cold/flu: I like to have some daytime/nighttime cold medication pills like NyQuill. I also am a fan of Zicam which works for me. In addition, a Cepacol lozenge, or something that has benzocaine is great for a sore throat. I also like to have a menthol inhaler stick for congestion. You can also save a bottle of Jack Daniels or other whiskey from your plane ride.
- Ointment and Creams: Take plenty of lotions (planes are very dehydrating). I am a fan of Aveeno and also unscented Shea butter products like Out of Africa. Burts Bees lip balms are also good for winter travel. Bubble bath products can be brought in your checked bags, or you can carry a small amount for shorter trips. Of course Frankincense, Myrrh, Sage, and other oils are a must. Don’t forget anti mosquito creams like Odomos - mosquitos are everywhere, for now.
- Things you may not think you need: Especially in a foreign country, you may not know where to find a pharmacist, or you may have difficulty communicating. See the CDC for country-specific recommendations - including an Anti-diarrheal and Anti-allergy (I never had an allergy attack until one foreign trip), dental filling repair kit, etc.
Travel Phrase Book
If you are going to a place where your language is not spoken, keep some kind of book (paper/electronic) with useful phrases. Most languages will have an App you can download with the more common phrases. Here are some phrases you might not find in an App, but which I have always found useful. I will be adding to this, and also some translations. I am grateful for additions or corrections to translations so please submit a pull request.
| Phrase | Translation: Chinese |
| “Either get this for me now, or find someone who can!” | 要么现在得到这个给我，要么找到一个可以的人！ |
| “What is it going to take to get the charges dismissed?” （helps to flash a $20) | 如何解决这些指控呢？（给他们看100元） |
| “Do you know who I am?!” | 你知道我是谁吗?! |
| “Are you out of your mind? I am a citizen of the United States of America!” | 你疯了吗？我是美国公民！ |
| “S/he’s not expected to survive, I did everything I could”😏 | 他/她没有预期的生存，我尽我所能😏 |
| “I can’t be connected to（this）in any way” | 跟（这个）一点关系我要都没有 |
| “Send a message to our listening posts…” | 发送消息给我们的聆听帖子 |
| “I deserve the best!” | 我应该得到最好的！ |
| “I thought it would amuse me” | 我认为这会让我愉快 |
| “If I go down, you’ll lose everything” | 如果我失败，你会失去一切 |
| “I don’t have time for this nonsense” | 这个废话我没有时间了 |
| “I’ll have another (beverage)” | 再一杯！ |
| “I’m feeling attacked!” | 我感觉到被攻击了! |
| “I find accusations that I stole the cake, insulting and provocative” | 我觉得无礼的传闻我偷了蛋糕是完全辱骂的，挑衅的。 |
| “By this time tomorrow, every cupcake within 1000 miles will be mine.” | 明天这个时间，每一个1000英里以内的纸杯蛋糕都将是我的。 |
| “Make it look like an accident” | 使（它）看上去像一个事故了。 |