Dear miRcorers,
I was really encouraged at last week’s ASHG conference where 7,500 attended. I will share key moments from the ASHG this weekend, attaching a picture from our booth.
I am also impressed at our MVP officers’ great work towards our upcoming middle school biology workshop. We will hold the workshop on the day of in-person meetings + Dr. Lauring’s talk, all happening on November 15th. Can’t wait to meet you all again in this beautiful fall color Michigan! Please say hello to me.
Our website has been updated recently. If your GIDAS has social media, please let me know so that they can also be included in our main website. Now you can also read my latest weekly email from the website. We plan to have member-specific sites for your volunteer hour checking.
1) 8th MVP meeting agenda
1:30-2 pm ET: Office hour run by education committee
2-2:30 pm ET: Review, Epidemiology activity
2:30-2:40 pm ET: Student teaching
2:40-2:50 pm ET: Committee announcement
2:50-3 pm ET: Promote Middle School Biology Workshop
3-4 pm: Group activities
4-4:30 pm: Committee meeting
2) From the Fundraising Committee:
We have an amazing opportunity for you – if you’re into art, fundraising, MVP, or all of the above! The Fundraising Committee is currently designing this year’s MVP merch and is looking for some artwork submissions for our logo! You will gain fundraising hours for this (reminder that 5 fundraising hours are mandatory to receive your overall volunteer hours by the end of the year), so this is a great opportunity to get involved!
3) From MSA
Mircore Science Advocacy had its first meeting today! It’s not too late to join! If you are interested, please consult the MVP email for links. To apply to be a committee lead in MSA, fill out the form by Sunday, Oct 26th at 11:59pm EST.
4)Attendance projection form
Consult the weekly email for the form link. Please respond as soon as possible. If you don’t submit the form by Friday 11 pm ET, you are not guaranteed to get this weekend’s meeting link.
5) Repeat item: November 15th, 2025
a) In-person meetings at University of Michigan, Scripps, NorCal area.
Please join the second in-person meeting so that you can connect with your local students and build a regional community.
b) Middle School Biology Workshop
We plan to hold middle school biology workshops at all these locations as well as virtually before the MVP meeting. Click here for the registration page, and please consult the weekly email for the volunteering signup form.
c) Invited speaker at UM campus
Please invite MI GIDAS members to come to the UM campus for Dr. Adam Lauring’s talk so that they can directly interact with him. He is the Section Head in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan Medicine and a great speaker. Yes, parents are also welcome. His talk will be broadcast to other locations and virtually
Inhan Lee, Ph.D.
Have Questions?
Visit the FAQ page to see commonly asked questions and their answers!
Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH talks to miRcore students about the role of genomics in modern medicine.
Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D.Director, National Institute of Health speaks to miRcore students about COVID-19, health disparities, and precision medicine.
Jonathan Pevsner, Ph.D, Chief of Genomics Research Branch, NIMH, NIH speaks to miRcore students on the topic of Genes and Mental Health.
• March trilogy (graphic novel, multiple authors)
• Bone series (graphic novel, Jeff Smith)
• The Door Within (Wayne Thomas Batson)
• To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
• Candide (Voltaire)
• The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexander Dumas)
• Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
• I Am Malala (Malala Yousafzai)
• The Cactus (Sarah Haywood)
• 1984 (George Orwell)
• The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Kelly Barnhill)
• The Woman in Cabin 10 (Ruth Ware)
• The Awakening (Kate Chopin)
• Silent Spring (Rachel Carson)
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert A. Heinlein)
• The Farewell (2019)
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
• Office Space (1999)
• Vinland Saga (Summer 2019 Anime)
• What Happened to Monday (2017)
• Always Be My Maybe (2019)
• Goodfellas (1990)
• Gattaca (1997)
• Re:Zero (Spring 2016 Anime)
• The Incredibles (2004)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
• “I decided to memorize the dictionary. I got through six pages before I got too bored. I learned next to nothing.”
• Trust Me, I’m a “Biologist”
• “What’s the difference between a poorly dressed person on a bicycle and a well dressed person on a tricycle? Attire.”
• “Why should you save your pennies? Because it makes good cents”
• xkcd
• “Medieval medicine wasn’t always on point, but those medieval physicians sure had a sense of humour!”
• “Twin 1 is in prison for 20 years. After 10 years, he calls his twin.’Hey, remember how we always said we finish each other’s sentences?'”
• “We really need to stop talking about mitosis… it’s such a divisive issue!”
• “A chemist walks into a bar with his friend after work. He tells the bartender, “Can I get an H2O?” His buddy looks at him strangely. “George, you don’t have to say it like that. We’re not at work anymore.”
The first chemist walks into the bathroom and cries. His assassination plot has failed.”
• “Haikus are easy / But sometimes they don’t make sense / Refrigerator”
• “‘My ability to do calculus is limited.’
‘Is it approaching zero?'”
• “‘You got any sodium jokes?’
‘Na!'”
• (^in response^) “I slapped my neon that one!”
• “‘I tried to sue the airline for losing my luggage’
‘Did you win?’
‘I lost the case'”
• Checklists/scheduling
• Planning something enjoyable after studying
• Switching between studying and relaxing
• Using a dedicated study room to shift mindset
• Forest app
• Pomodoro method
• Turning off notifications (Do Not Disturb)
• Classical music/marches
• Turn off any music so it’s not distracting
How to Use Zoom, MVP GDrive, and Skribbl.io
How to use Zoom
Zoom is a free platform that offers video conferencing, screen sharing, and chatroom functionalities. You can seamlessly set up online meetings, send out invitations for people to join, and add meetings to your Microsoft Outlook/Google Calendar using Zoom. All miRcore volunteers are expected to have Zoom installed for use in group research meetings and committee meetings.
You can download the Zoom Desktop application (the “Zoom Client”) for Mac or PC here: here.
Instructions for setting up and using Zoom are available here.
The Zoom application is also available for mobile devices: Zoom at the App Store and Zoom on Google Play
How to Navigate the miRcore Volunteer Program’s Google Drive Folders
At the beginning of each volunteering season, miRcore volunteers receive access to several Google Drive folders containing resources for research, fundraising, and other miRcore activities. Depending on the folder, volunteers will have “View only” or “Editing” permission in each Drive folder.
Please see this presentation (courtesy of Rhea Cong, miRcore Volunteer Program Vice President, 2019-20) for details on how to navigate the Drive system and set up research folders for your research group: https://docs.google.com/
Google Drive Hierarchy (Folders and Subfolders)
• 2019-20 MVP Resources
• Useful files
• RNA division
• Practice Data
• Meeting Slides
• 2019-20 MVP Research
• MVP RNA
• MVP DNA
• MVP online
• MVP general
• Fundraisers
• miRcore Officers 2019-2020 (this folder is accessible only to miRcore Officers)
Skribbl.io Instructions
How to Join:
• Have one member go to skribbl.io
• Have that member click ‘Create Private Room’
• Change the settings to 8 rounds and 40 seconds per turn
• That group member will send the link (at the bottom) to the other people to join
• Once everybody has clicked the link and is in the room, press start!
The goal of the game is to try to guess what other people are drawing. When it’s your turn to draw, try to make your drawing convey the word you are given so that other people will be able to guess. The person with the most points wins.
Today’s game should start and wrap up in about 10 mins.