CEMB offered a unique virtual program for Boot Camp 2020 in response to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Our team gathered expertise from the Center’s partner institutions to create an intensive series that provided fundamental knowledge in the cross-disciplinary field of mechanobiology and honed participants’ key scientific and analytical skills important to all related fields.
The course comprised two parts. During the first week, morning lectures built knowledge of cross-disciplinary topics in the mechanobiology of animal and plant cells. Afternoon sessions consisted of labs designed to build modeling, analysis, imaging, and bioinformatics skills. During the second week, interdisciplinary teams conducted a research project that culminated in a group presentation. Additional professional development sessions were given in week two to enrich participants’ graduate school experience and help prepare them for future career pathways.
Funded by the The Center for Engineering MechanoBiology (CEMB).
Boot Camp Agenda
Monday, July 6, 2020 – Friday, July 17, 2020
| Week | Day | Morning | Afternoon |
| 1 | Wed., 7/8/2020 | 4:00 – 5:00 pm Orientation (Ram Dixit) | |
| 1 | Mon., 7/6/2020 | Boot Camp Lectures: Start time: 11:00a EST/10:00a CST/8:00a PST 11:15a EST: Basic Biochemistry and Mechanics (Paul Janmey, Penn) Video 12:15 p EST: Measuring Forces (Anders Carlsson, WU) Video | Labs 3:00 – 5:00p /EST: Mat Lab I (Kalpana Mandal, Penn) |
| 1 | Tues., 7/7/2020 | 11:00a EST: MS Channels (Haswell Lab, WU) Video 12:00 p EST: Animal Cell Adhesion (Amit Pathak, WU) Video | 3:00 – 5:00p /EST: Mat Lab II (Louis Woodhams, WU) |
| 1 | Wed., 7/8/2020 | 11:00a EST: Intro to Plant and Animal Cytoskeleton (Ram Dixit, WU) Video 12:00 p EST: Intro to Nuclear Mechanobiology (Ben Prosser, Penn) Video | 3:00 – 5:00p /EST: Image J (Claudia Loebel, Penn) |
| 1 | Thurs., 7/9/2020 | 11:00a EST: The Plant Cell Wall (Charlie Anderson, Penn State, and Siobhan Braybrook, UCLA) Video | 3:00 – 5:00p /EST: Python (Ryan Emenecker, WU) |
| 1 | Fri., 7/10/2020 | 12:00 p EST: Animal ECM (Guy Genin, WU) Video 11:00a EST: Artificial Matrices (Nate Huebsch, WU) Video | 3:00 – 5:00p /EST: Bioinformatics (Manasvita Vashisth, Penn) |
| 2 | Mon., 7/13/2020 | Group Research Projects Work Day | Workshops 2:00 – 3:30 EST Career Development Workshop I (Michelle DeLair, WU Career Center) |
| 2 | Tues., 7/14/2020 | Work Day | 1:30 – 3:00 EST Scientific Presentation Skills (Joel Boerckel, PI at Penn; Natasha Bilkey and Morgan Li, CEMB Trainee Leadership Cl) |
| 2 | Wed., 7/15/2020 | Work Day | 2:00 – 3:30 EST Career Development Workshop II (Michelle DeLair, WU Career Center) |
| 2 | Thurs, 7/16/2020 | Work Day | 11:00a – 12:30p EST/10 CST/8 PST Diversity and Inclusion in STEM Workshop: The Myth of Meritocracy (Miriam Goodman, Stanford Univ.) |
| 2 | Fri., 7/17/2020 | Group Presentations Each group: 20 min pres + 10 min Q&A | 4:00 – 6:00 p EST Research Group Presentations |
Professional Development Workshop Descriptions
Mon. July 13th – Career Exploration Series Part 1: Assess your Skills, Interests, and Values
(Presenter: Michelle DeLair, WU Career Center)
The first step of career exploration is identifying the types of tasks you are good at and enjoy doing, and the types of work environments in which you thrive. This session will introduce you to the process of reflecting on, identifying, and prioritizing your skills, interests and values as it relates to finding a career that fits you.
- Define your skills and interests and how to use skills and interests, specifically, to explore career paths using LinkedIn
- Identify your values and reflect on the importance of values in job satisfaction
- Set career development goals and outline and prioritize your career exploration plans
Session 1 Pre‐work: Complete skills, interests, and values assessments online with myIDP at
myidp.sciencecareers.org
Tues. July 14th: Scientific Presentation Skills
(Presenter: Joel Boerckel, University of Pennsylvania; Moderators: Natasha Bilkey, WU,and Morgan Li, WU ‐ CEMB Trainee Leadership Council Representatives)
Hosted by the Trainee Leadership Council of the Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, this workshop is presented by Joel Boerckel, a Primary Investigator in the CEMB and dynamic presenter. Content includes some lecture and some content workshopping activities.
Wed. July 15th: Career Exploration Series Part II: LinkedIn, Informational Interviewing, and Networking
(Presenter: Michelle DeLair)
Employers value candidates who are well versed in their organization’s culture and industry. Learn to conduct career research to gain insight, identify key organizations and discover industry‐specific practices and vocabulary. The next step is networking. Talking with people to learn about their challenges, rewards, ideas and advice is one of the most valuable ways to understand organizations and industries. Session 2 Topics:
- Create or update your LinkedIn Profile and use LinkedIn for career research
- Learn to use informational interviewing to learn about career areas and build your network
- Conduct research to create a target list
- Practice correspondence and come up with a plan to connect
Session 2 Pre‐work: Create a LinkedIn account
Thurs. July 16th: The Myth of Meritocracy
(Presenter: Miriam Goodman, Stanford Univ.)
This presentation will be a lecture/discussion format using polling to get attendees thinking about unconscious/implicit bias and confirmation bias and how this affects the STEMM disciplines.
About Miriam: I am not a social scientist or expert in the study of diversity and inclusion in STEMM. My teaching and speaking in diversity and inclusion is my ‘side gig’. I am trained as a neuroscientist and biophysicist and work in sensory biology. My research focuses on the genetics and physics of touch sensation and mechanical neuroprotection in animals. We use C. elegans as our main model organism.
Pre‐work: Complete survey to be shared in advance of class.
Boot Camp TAs and Attendees
| Name | Role | Institution |
| Natasha Bilkey | Teaching Assistant | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Ryan Emenecker | Teaching Assistant | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Sharereh Hashemi | Teaching Assistant | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Shumeng Jiang | Teaching Assistant | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Aayush Kant | Teaching Assistant | University of Pennsylvania |
| Claudia Loebel | Teaching Assistant | University of Pennsylvania |
| Kalpana Mandal | Teaching Assistant | University of Pennsylvania |
| Eoin McEvoy | Teaching Assistant | University of Pennsylvania |
| Kari Miller | Teaching Assistant | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Manasvita Vashisth | Teaching Assistant | University of Pennsylvania |
| Louis Woodhams | Lecturer | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Faviolla Baez-Cruz | Attendee | University of Pennsylvania |
| Gabriel I. Vega Bellido | Attendee | University of Pennsylvania |
| Christoffer Caro | Attendee | UCLA |
| Christie Crandall | Attendee | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Kirstene Gultian | Attendee | Rowan University |
| Ethan Hoppe | Attendee | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Stephanie Huang | Attendee | UNC at Chapel Hill |
| Huiyong (Morgan) Li | Attendee | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Xiangjun Peng | Attendee | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Joshua Toth | Attendee | University of Pennsylvania |