Sam Lewis, Ph.D.

10 stories?!

Congratulations!

6

I learned how to read well because I was doing it all the time. A Goosebumps book and an encyclopedia volume hated to see me coming. I dont even know how you develop proper reading skills if you only read books at school.

This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible: Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed) Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution’s academic calendar) Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded. Not be a current NSF employee. Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will be returned without review as being ineligible for a fellowship.

Announcing such a major change to NSF GRFP this late in the cycle is incredibly cruel. 2nd yr students (mine included) have been working so hard on their proposals despite ongoing uncertainty. They are driven and passionate about being outstanding scientists and helping those coming up behind them.

Position available! Team @mito911.bsky.social needs a new scientific program manager to take over from legendary super-PM @doroteaartscience.bsky.social, who is moving on to bigger things. This is a Berkeley-based position. Apply at aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05103.

Black woman sitting in a wheel chair

mood today #blacksky:

I don't really care if the future is short videos. I like words. Words have gotten me this far and I'm gonna stick with 'em for the duration

Congratulations!!! 🎉🍾

📣 Don't miss out on the upcoming @mito911.bsky.social webinar featuring Katie Drerup, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin.

👇 Reserve your spot using the link below.

📅 September 8
⏰ 11:00 AM EST
RSVP: bit.ly/4mUJeAc

Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo

supernatural thriller set at Yale

... This work is useful for understanding the functional implications of variable network connectivity for the spread of e.g. genetic information within mitochondria! 🎉 Congrats to all co-authors!

... the model by directly recording mitochondrial network dynamics in human fibroblasts, osteosarcoma, and neuroblastoma cells. We found that by considering mitochondria as a ✨social network✨, its possible to define when motility vs fusion predominate material spreading... 2/3

I'm happy to share new work in collaboration with Elena Koslover's lab! First author Keaton developed a mathematical framework for diffusion of soluble material through mitochondrial networks. Then, Lewis lab PhD candidate Camryn used live cell imaging to parameterize... 1/3

Diffusive Spreading Across Dynamic Mitochondrial Network Architectures Networks of physical units can vary from a stationary set of spatially-embedded links to a collection of mobile agents that undergo transient social interactions. In living cells, mitochondria form ar...

arxiv.org/abs/2506.05643

Mitochondria finally made the headlines, yay!

Oh wait, ... oh no ....

Activity-driven proprioceptive synaptic refinement in the developing spinal cord by complement signaling mechanisms Proprioceptive group Ia afferents detect muscle stretch to guide effortless and purposeful movement and make monosynaptic connections with spinal α–motor neurons to mediate reflexes, such as the stret...

Happy to share the my lab's latest preprint, where we investigated sensorimotor circuit formation in the developing spinal cord. We show that proprioceptive axons target motor neurons in neighboring spinal segments to give rise to intersegmental reflex responses.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

I have
NIGMS R35, impact score 12
NIHGRI R21, 4th percentile
NHGRI R01, 7th percentile (co-I)
and it seems like none will be funded. 0/3.

PO (who has been very helpful) said "Unfortunately, I do not expect this application will be selected for funding in FY25."

😭

Just got an email that the NIH Early Independence award is "not going forward." This was an award that catapulted promising PhD students into faculty positions and is part of the High-Risk High-Reward grant program in the NIH Office of the Director. Deadline was 9.6.25!

One of the funnier things about the Yale prof who is advocating Niemollering the humanities is that his nirvana already exists. They are called Research Institutes. Why doesn’t he just change jobs to one of those and stop telling everyone else what to do?

Absolutely honoured to see our work featured on this month’s cover! 🎉🧬

Artwork by the incredibly talented @doroteaartscience.bsky.social 👇

I would find someone else to upload on last day, and then address the discrepancy later if/when it comes up. Don't want it withdrawn for lacking right # of letters.

An incorrect diagram generated by ChatGPT4 attempting to depict vesicular trafficking in a mammalian cell.

After teaching the trafficking module, I assigned this as homework in MCB 104 last spring, "Tell me everything wrong with this picture". Eye opening.

me

Congratulations @kev-in-situ-et.bsky.social and the whole team on in situ cryo-ET images of OA-induced mitochondria damage and Parkin-dependent mitophagy out now tinyurl.com/25b82cp4. We couldn't have done it without in situ guru @wilflinglab.bsky.social and mito guru @samlewis.bsky.social .‬

Just look at those sweet, sweet phagophores

Great job @kev-in-situ-et.bsky.social and team!

the 'defense' ants have abs...

Thanks, Jim! 🙂

yes!

simple - 1 part Angeleno amaro, 3 parts soda. maybe a splash of fresh grapefruit. its bitter but the chamomile in the Angeleno is comforting too