Biophysical Society Bulletin | June 2019

Career Development

7. Practice makes perfect. The experienced writer knows that writing is an unfinished task even after it gets the green sig- nal. When all issues are ironed out, gaps filled, proper claims made, and the writing is clear, the paper is ready for submis- sion to peer-review. 8. For non-native English speakers. The best piece of advice I got was first to write a paragraph in my native language, as if I am explaining the research to my friend or family member, then translate it into English, and correct the grammar. Poof!!! You have an original piece of writing and it will be a beauty to behold. 9. Nothing personal! Critiquing a manuscript is part and parcel of scientific writing. Do understand that the comments and critiques are not targeted to you at a personal level, they are intended to make the manuscript better. Your advisor and you are on the same team. Every reviewer hopes to read a well-polished manuscript and that manuscript could be yours!

Exercises for writing scientific papers Writing a research paper is hard, but it can be mastered with lots of practice. Do the following, and you will see your scientific writing skills improve. A. Have a list of writing prompts to keep you writing frequently. B. Write about 100–200 words everyday religiously without worrying about the grammar and spelling. The only rule is that the cursor should keep moving towards the right. C. If you read a published paper and it looks perfect to you, emulate the writing style, and make it yours. This helps to overcome writer’s block, in case you feel stalled in your writing.

Visit the Biophysical Society Career Development Webinar How toWrite a Biophysics ArticleWorthy of Publication www.biophysics.org/webinars

Grants & Opportunities AAASMentor Awards

NIH: Pilot and Feasibility Studies Evaluating the Role of RNA Modifications (the ‘epitranscriptome’) in Cancer Biology (R21) The NIH encourages basic research into the roles of RNA chemical modifications and their corresponding writers, readers, and erasers in the initiation and progression of cancer. Chemical modifications of RNA bases have been reported to regulate the fate and function of both coding and noncoding RNAs and are emerging as a critical element of post-transcriptional gene regulation. This grant will support investigation of novel scientific ideas or new model systems, tools or technologies that have the potential for significant impact on biomedical or biobe- havioral research. Who can apply/be nominated: Nominees should be based in a country with a EuChemS member organization at the time of nomination Deadline: July 17, 2019 Website: https:/grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/ PA-16-177.html

The AAAS has two categories of Mentor Awards (Life- time Mentor Award and Mentor Award) both honor individuals who during their careers demonstrate extraordinary leadership to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering fields and careers. Both awards recognize an individu- al who has mentored and guided significant numbers of students from these groups to the completion of doctoral studies or who has impacted the climate of a department, college, or institution to significantly increase the diversity of students pursuing and com- pleting doctoral studies. Who can apply: The award is open to all regardless of nationality or citizenship. Deadline: August 1, 2019 Website: https:/www.aaas.org/awards/mentor/about

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