It has been a while since I posted here, busy with teaching, manuscripts, life.
But I have had some interesting experiences of late, and I will share them here for anyone interested.
First, some trivia. I always teach that mosquitoes don’t transmit bacteria, and I maintain that this is still a true statement. However, a series of experiments from Sweden have shown that Francisella tularensis holarctica might use various Aedes species as vectors. Well, they showed the bacteria could get into the mosquitoes, either as larvae or adults, but they were not able to infect mice. So, I think I can still say that mosquitoes aren’t proven vectors of bacteria, but maybe by next year they will have demonstrated this, and I will have to change my lectures.
Second, I just moved offices (now 2326 Gardner Hall). I think every academic should have to move offices every couple of years. Not only does it force you to get rid of stuff you don’t need, there is something intellectually enjoyable about organizing your books and academicalia. It forces one to reflect on what influenced your career–old text books, papers, drawings, notebooks, awards–and why you study what you study.
Third, a paper I was a part of (a small part) was just used in a White House press briefing. That’s pretty cool.
Lastly, I have invited my post-doctoral adviser to give a talk next fall. That felt good. If I can just get tenure, I may finally feel a little more settled into my career.
More blogs this summer…