The Independent Activities Period (IAP) is a special four-week term at MIT that runs from the first week of January until the end of the month. We offer both credit and non-credit opportunities.
For Credit
7.102 -- Introduction to Molecular Biology Techniques
Building 68, Room 089
Level: U | 6 units (0-5-1) | Can be repeated for credit.
Instructors: Prof. Adam Martin, Dr. Mandana Sassanfar
Prerequisites: None – Note that this course is not a substitute for 7.002 or 7.003
This intensive “boot-camp” style lab course introduces students to basic research and teach them many fundamental laboratory skills by providing hands-on instruction in basic molecular biology and microbiology techniques including sterile techniques, bacterial cultures, isolation and quantification of nucleic acid (DNA) and protein, agarose and SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis, PCR, gene cloning, spectroscopy, microscopy, ultracentrifugation, DNA sequence analysis, and curve fitting using python. Students will learn to grow bacteria, purify viruses that infect bacteria using advanced techniques such as ultracentrifugation and learn about electron microscopy. Emphasis will be on real-world application in preparation for a successful UROP experience. This lab course will also improve students troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
Priority will be given to freshmen with no prior research experience.
Participants are expected to spend every afternoon from 12:30 to 5pm in the lab. As in a real lab situation, some experiments will take longer than expected, or will need to be repeated. Students will work in teams (which makes it fun and enjoyable) and should divide work load.
Apply by November 28 by filling out this form and emailing it to Dr. Mandana Sassanfar. The class is limited to 16 students. No listeners. Applicants will be informed of their registration status by December 9.
Non-Credit
Skills to Enhance Your Career
Communicating your Science Visually
Wednesday, January 10th, 2–4pm
68-181
Sebastian Lourido
Associate Professor of Biology, MIT Core Member, Whitehead Institute
In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to use Adobe Illustrator and apply skills and tricks to present their research on slides, figures, or posters. With degrees in both science and art, Sebastian Lourido will equip participants with skills needed for illustrating their science and sharing it with the public.
Cultivating Everyday Mindfulness: Discovering Your Path to a Fulfilling Life and Career
Thursday, January 11th, 3:30–5pm
68-180
Jia Jia Zhang, PhD
Michaela Bartusel PhD
In this workshop, we will introduce several mindfulness concepts and discuss why and how practicing mindfulness in everyday life can help develop your self- awareness and motivation to experience greater overall well-being in work and in school.
Fueled by Innovation: How Top Biotech Co-founders Ignite Startup Success
Friday, January 26th, 11:30am–1pm
68-181
Gevorg Grigoryan, PhD
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Generate Biomedicines
Reshma Shetty, PhD
Co-founder, President, and Chief Operations Officer, Ginkgo Bioworks
Thomas de Vlaam
Founder at Amylon Therapeutics Principal at Pillar VC
Jonathan Moore, PhD
Co-founder and Chief Science Advisor, Rectify Pharma
Delve into the founding narratives of Generate Biomedicines, Ginkgo Bioworks, Rectify Pharma, and Amylon Therapeutics. Refine your approach to company pitching with valuable do’s and don’ts from an experienced venture capital perspective. Submit questions in
advance here:
Structural Visualization for All!
Wednesday, January 31st, 3–5pm
68-181
Lucas Farnung
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School
Are you a cell biologist who wants to know how to present structure models like a pro? In this workshop, you will learn the best practices on presenting protein structures.
Demystifying Structural Prediction Algorithms: A Hands-on Workshop on AlphaFold
Thursday, February 1st, 3–5pm
KI Luria Auditorium, 76-156
Sergey Ovchinnikov, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology, MIT
Tailored to non-structural biologists, this workshop will teach you how to leverage the power of AlphaFold and interpret its results through real experimental examples!
Finding the Right Path for You
Community Outreach: From Ideas to Action
Wednesday, January 17th, 4–5pm
68-181
Noelle Wakefield, PhD
Assistant Dean, Diversity Initiatives and Director, MIT Summer Research Program
Gisselle Vélez Ruiz, PhD
Associate Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Broad Institute
Taylor Baum
CEO and Founder of Sprouting
Join us for a panel discussion about outreach initiatives! Learn about our panelists’ career trajectories and how to be involved in outreach efforts.
From Lab to Leadership: Navigating Biotech & Pharma Career Trajectories
Thursday, January 18th, 4–5:30pm
68-181
Kathleen McGinness, PhD
Vice President, Arrakis Therapeutics
Bryce Carey, PhD
Director, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Jon Kenniston, PhD
Director, Takeda
Explore the journey from the bench to leadership roles with industry experts from Arrakis Therapeutics, Takeda, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. They will discuss transitioning from academia to the dynamic biotech and pharma industries, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in mentorship and interdisciplinary teamwork.
Teaching with a PhD: Exploring Teaching-focused Career Options
Wednesday, January 24th, 1–2pm
68-181
Leah Okumura, PhD
Senior Instructor, Biological Sciences Laboratory, Wellesley College
Summer Morrill, PhD
Instructor in Science, Phillips Exeter Academy
Elizabeth Dunphy, PhD
Professor, Bunker Hill Community College
Interested in teaching but not sure what type of academic institution would be the best fit? Come learn about our panelists’ experiences teaching at a high school, community college, and a primarily undergraduate institution.
Careers Beyond the Bench: Using your PhD in the Business World
Thursday, January 25th, 1–2:30pm
68-181
Lauren Mifflin, PhD
Vice President of Company Creation, Frazier Life Sciences
Drew Lowery, PhD
Director of Life Sciences, Global Prior Art
Stephane Ricoult, PhD
Senior Director, Simon Kucher & Partners
Hear from industry leaders who successfully leveraged their graduate training in the business world. Learn about careers in consulting, IP patent law, and life sciences investment.
Pathways to Industry: Internships and Postdocs
Monday, January 29th, 1–2:30pm
68-181
Yami Acevedo-Sanchez, PhD Candidate
Interned, Abbvie
Allen Sanderlin, PhD Candidate
Internship course/Pfizer
Lara Tshering, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pfizer
Lauren Cotnoir
Abbvie Senior Specialist, R&D | Early Career Programs, Abbvie
Raghu Ram Katreddi, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Discovery Neuroscience, Abbvie
Come learn about internship and postdoc opportunities for current PhD students. Hear first hand experiences from past interns and current postdocs in industry, and come chat one-on-one with panelists and recruiters while enjoying refreshments after the panel.
Integrative Structural Biology
MICOS in focus: exploring mitochondrial dysfunction and aging through 3D reconstruction
*canceled*
Dr. Antentor O. Hinton, Jr, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University
Tackling supramolecular complexes in innate immunity with cryo-EM and other approaches
Tuesday, January 9th, 4–5:30pm
68-181
Hao Wu, PhD
Asa and Patricia Springer Professor of Structural Biology, Harvard Medical School
Using cryo-EM to build atomic models of ciliary axonemes
Tuesday January 16th, 4–5:30pm
68-181
Alan Brown, PhD
Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School
Integrated structural parasitology of malaria parasites
Tuesday, January 23rd, 4–5:30pm
KI Luria Auditorium, 76-156
Mimi Ho, PhD
Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University
Harnessing AI to drive mechanistic discovery: lessons from genome maintenance
Tuesday, January 30th, 4–5:30pm
68-181
Johannes Walter, PhD
Professor of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School
Combining structural techniques to study protein motions
Friday, February 2nd, 4–5:30pm
68-181
Nozomi Ando, PhD
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University
Science and Society Seminar Series
Effective and Ineffective Mentorship: Utilizing the Power of Saying “No”
*canceled*
Dr. Antentor Hinton
Assistant Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University
The quality of mentorship may differ tremendously between individuals. Here, Dr. Hinton discusses his experience with both effective and ineffective mentorship. This talk further offers techniques to recognize and respond to ineffective mentorship, such as utilizing the power of saying “no”. In this talk, Dr. Hinton offers tips both for mentees and mentors to recognize the various form of mentorship and maximize the effectiveness of mentorship.
Genomics for Indigenous Communities and People: Key Considerations
Tuesday, January 16th, 12–1pm
68-181
Dr. Krysal Tsosie
Assistant Professor in the School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
The next discoveries in genomic medicine are likely to be rare or uncovered variation from peoples largely absent in current datasets. Indigenous peoples—who have long-expressed concerns related to data sharing, privacy, and group risks of re-identification that are unlikely to be resolved in this open data movement—are presented with a catch-22 dilemma. How can Indigenous peoples benefit from clinical genetic testing even though they derive lower clinical utility and encounter severe structural barriers and inequities to care? How can they also contribute to genomic datasets, if they wanted to, and not be subject to data co-optation and commercialization in innovation pathways that are inaccessible to Indigenous peoples? Geneticists must realize that simply increasing the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in genomic datasets is not going to solve the health inequity problem. Instead, we need drastic shifts in benefit equity and data-decision equity—via machine learning, dynamic consent approaches, and Indigenous community data governance models—to change power imbalances commensurate with the fields’ exploitation of Indigenous peoples’ genomes.
Inclusive Teaching Micro Credential Workshop
Part 1
Wednesday, January 10th, 3-5pm
68-180
Part 2
Wednesday, January 17th, 3-5pm
68-180
Darcy Gordon
Instructor of Blended and Online Initiatives, MIT Department of Biology
Hallie Dowling-Huppert
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, MIT Department of Biology
Python IAP Bootcamp
Instructors: Julia Dierkesheid, Julian Stanley and Prof. Joey Davis
Rough class structure:
- Five 90-minute sessions.
- Each session we’ll send you some additional readings/scripts to familiarize you with the material.
Prerequisites (detailed instructions for linux/mac/windows to follow):
- Fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/Km3G8BWBsvZEEU3t8
- Create an account to use google colab (https://colab.research.google.com/)
Day 1 | Introduction, variables | Monday, January 8, 2024, 3:00-4:30 p.m., 68-181
- Value of programming in biology
- Why python?
- Getting started with notebooks and scripts
- Overview of useful libraries
- Variables and variable types
- Where to look for more help
- Extended reading: Python Tutorial – Chapters 1, 3 [docs.python.org/3/tutorial]
Day 2 | Functions, and control structure | Thursday, January 11, 2024, 3:00-4:30 p.m., 68-181
- Defining functions, calling functions, function signatures
- Pass by reference vs pass by value
- Conditions – if/then/else
- For loops, while loops
- Extended reading Python Tutorial – Chapter 4 [docs.python.org/3/tutorial]
Day 3 | Data structures | Thursday, January 18, 2024, 3:00-4:30 p.m., 68-180 (note room change)
- Lists/arrays, iterators, dictionaries
- List & dictionary comprehension
- Numpy arrays
- Pros/cons of various data structure
- Extended reading: Python Tutorial – Chapter 5 [docs.python.org/3/tutorial]; https://numpy.org/doc/stable/user/absolute_beginners.html
Day 4 | Basic input/output, data wrangling I | Monday, January 22, 2024, 3:00-4:30 p.m., 68-181
- Opening, reading, and writing files
- Working with Pandas dataframes intro (selecting, merging, filtering, etc.)
- Exceptions, assertions, error handling
- Accepting user input (time permitting)
- Handling command line arguments (time permitting)
- Extended reading: Python Tutorial – Chapters 7, 8 [docs.python.org/3/tutorial]; https://pandas.pydata.org/docs/user_guide/10min.html
Day 5 | Data wrangling II and plotting | Thursday, January 25, 2024, 3:00-4:30 p.m. 68-181
- Numpy array manipulation
- Pandas indexing
- Pandas filtering
- Extended reading: https://pandas.pydata.org/docs/user_guide/dsintro.html; https://pandas.pydata.org/docs/user_guide/basics.html; https://pandas.pydata.org/docs/user_guide/io.html; https://pandas.pydata.org/docs/user_guide/indexing.html