Advice for potential biology graduate students

There are a few things to keep in mind before you apply for graduate course in biology. First, be realistic about graduate school. Graduate school in biology is not a sure path to success. Many students assume that they will eventually get a job just like their advisor's. However, the average professor at a research university has 3 students at a time for about 5 years each. So, over a career of 30 years, this professor has about 18 students. Since the total number of positions has been pretty constant, these 18 people are competing for one spot. So go to grad. school assuming that you might not end up at a reserach university, but instead a teaching college, or a government or industry job. All of these are great jobs, but it's important to think of all this before you go to school.
Second, choose your advisor wisely. Not only does this person potentially have total control over your graduate career for five or more years, but he/she will also be writing recommendation letters for you for another 5-10 years after that. Also, your advisor will shadow you for the rest of your life. People will always think of you as so-and so's student and assume that you two are somewhat alike. Finally, in many ways you will turn into your advisor. Advisors teach very little, but instead provide a role model. Consciously and unconciously, you will imitate your advisor. You may find this hard to believe now but fifteen years from now when you find yourself lining up the tools in your lab cabinets just like your advisor did, you'll see. Someone once said that choosing an advisor is like choosing a spouse after one date. Find out all you can on this date.

Finally, have your fun now. Five years is a long time when you are 23 years old. By the end of graduate school, you will be older, slower, and possibly married and/or a parent. So if you always wanted to walk across Nepal, do it now. Also, do not go to a high-powered lab that you hate assuming that this will promise you long term happiness. Do something that you have passion for, work in a lab you like, in a place you like, before life starts throwing its many curve balls.

If, after reading this, you still want to apply for grad study, apply now.

Concepts in Biology: Laboratory Manual

Rhesus monkeys in Nepal may provide new alternative for HIV/AIDS research

Scientists investigating the genetic makeup of rhesus macaque monkeys, a key species used in biomedical research have found the rhesus in Nepal may provide a suitable alternative to alleviate a critical shortage of laboratory animals used in work to develop vaccines against diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Researchers headed by Randall Kyes of the University of Washington report that the Nepali macaques are more closely related genetically to rhesus macaques form India than rhesus macaques of China.

This is important because Indian origin animals have been used for more than half a century in biomedical and behavioral research. Rhesus macaques have contributed to the discovery of vaccines to prevent diseases such as polio and yellow fever, and represent one of the most widely used primate models for AIDS related research. India, however, banned the export of all macaques in 1978, thus leading to the current shortage. Although China has been exporting captive-bred animals for sometime, scientists have noted a number of behavioral and physiological differences in disease progression between animals from the two countries, and the Indian origin macaques are generally preferred in research on certain disease.

The new study was spearheasded by Kyes, a primatologist and head of the UW’s Division of International Programs at the Washingron National Primate Research Center, in collaboration with Mukesh Chalise, president of the Nepal Biodiversity Research Society and zoologist at Tribhuvan University in Nepal.

Blood samples from 21 Nepali rhesus macaques living at a temple site in Kathmandu were obtained as part of a comprehensive health screening conducted at the temple. These samples were compared with existing samples collected from more than 300 Indian and Chinese origin rhesus macaques.

The researchers did sequence analyses of mitochondrial DNA and examined the distribution of certain types of alleles, or pairs of genes, for genetic variations distributed across 17 chromosomes. They also looked for the presence of other alleles that are known to influence immunity and the rate of disease progression in the animals, including one that is present in Indian rhesus macaques but not in the Chinese ones.

Kyes said that the genetic analyses indicate the Nepali rhesus macaques are genetically similar to Indian origin rhesus macaques. In addition, while the temple samples were taken from an isolated population, he believes they may be representative of Nepali rhesus macaques in general given the past history of the area and the geographic barrier of the Himalayan Mountains that separates Nepal and India from China.

To facilitate the use of rhesus macaques in research while ensuring the conservation of Nepal's naturally occurring rhesus populations, the Nepali government enacted a policy in 2003 stipulating that only captive-bred animals may be used for scientific research. The rhesus macaque is prevalent in many countries and is not considered an endangered species. An agreement between the Nepal Biodiversity Research Society and the Washington National Primate Research Center was signed in September 2003 and a captive-breeding facility is now under construction. A breeding colony is expected to be established within 12 months.
Taken from www.biologynews.net (June 1, 2006)
However, due to opposition and demonstration allover the world mainly in Europe by Animal Right’s Activists, export of rhesus macaques form Nepal to USA has been halted and to my knowledge, the captive breeding facility will soon be dismantled (However, I am not sure.)