The Annual Geek-fest Post

Today was the Annual Russek Student Achievement Day. This was the first year I was eligible to apply, so a couple weeks ago Sqiggles and I spent a day writing an application abstract, letter, and c.v. Then we stayed up most of Monday night making a poster for the affair. We had a grand time and our hard work paid off (literally) because we won 2nd place and $500.00! My friend Daniele (or was it you, Erin?) suggested that I might have won 1st place if I had used both hands to prepare my application materials. Maybe next year...

Here is our poster:
We figured a day of science talks and keynote speakers is kind of like PBS kis, so we brought Squiggles along for the fun. She was a big hit, and every female in the Boston University School of Medicine greater community approached Tim with squeals of delight. Most of these were friends or professors from his medical school days, but some were complete strangers. Babies are a little more rare around here than they are back home...

Here I am receiving my award from the very generous Russek family:

Squiggles pretended to sleep all day, but actually she was fascinated and forming millions of dendrite connections.

My friends humored me and pretended they were talking about science for these photos.* Daniele studies The AIDS in brains:

Erin studies VSV in innocent baby hamster kidney cells:

*Actually, they were. Geeks.

**Neither Erin nor Daniele applied for the award. They totally would have beaten me. Tim wasn't eligible since he won first prize last year.