Photo of the week: Sara Mokhtar wins the CCS 3MT thesis heat

Sara Mokhtar presenting

Central Clinical School held its annual 3 Minute Thesis competition on August 12 with five participants presenting their research in under three minutes. Sara Mokhtar won the competition with her accessible description of her research, on amyloid beta protein phosphorylation of CRMP-2 and its regulation of neuritic dystrophy in Alzheimer's disease. Sara used the elegant and accurate analogy of a barren tree in Autumn to describe the brain of a patient suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Sara will now go on to compete in the Faculty 3MT competition which will be held 22 August. Well done Sara!

• CCS 3MT 2014 photo gallery  
• See more information about the 22 Aug Faculty event. 
• CCS Monash's Google+ page for more photo albums

HDR seminars and major CCS events

All event notices are maintained on the CCS Events calendars (including local events such as professional development and trade fairs and HDR calendars). For a consolidated view, details of events and to see all events and deadlines, see Announcements. To save a particular event to your own calendar, please click on the "Google calendar" icon found near the event name.  Various Departments have their own calendars, see CCS seminar index: www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/events/seminars.html

What's on for the week

Mon 18-Fri Aug 22		►	MNHS Research week
Mon Aug18	12:30 PM	►	Psychiatry Professional Grand Round - Prof Dawn Velligan
Wed Aug 20	12:30 PM	►	PhD Mid-candidature review - Ms Kirsten Morris

Forthcoming events

Mon Aug 25	12:30 PM	►	Psychiatry Professorial Grand Round - A/Prof David Barton
Tue Aug 26	3:30 PM	►	PhD Mid-candidature review seminar - Dr Mei Choy
Wed Aug 27	12:30 PM	►	Pre-submission review seminar - Ms Elisha Horat
Fri Aug 29	1:30 PM	►	Monash Institute of Medical Engineering Meeting

Research highlight: prebiotic diet 'could revolutionise our health'

Catalyst ABC TV are running a two part series on gut biota and its effect on our health. Part 1 was screened last week, featuring SOBS researchers Professor Charles Mackay and Dr Alison Thorburn. This week (8 pm Thursday 21 Aug), Part 2 screens with a young, fit, active and apparently healthy man, Gideon Cordover, who trials a fibre-rich diet designed by dietitian and nutrition researcher Dr Jane Muir and prepared by Masters student Trish Veitch, from Central Clinical School. Gideon has been eating an unhealthy diet predominantly of fast food. In the words of the Catalyst promo, "changing the foods we eat could revolutionise our health and treat disease." See more about the prebiotic diet at www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/gastro/prebiotic/.

Education: Translational research short courses - free for CCS PhD students

In 2014 Central Clinical School (CCS), in conjunction with Monash University's Southern and Eastern Clinical Schools, are offering a series of courses for postgraduate students enrolled through Monash and based not only within the Schools, but with Partner research institutes. These courses are being piloted in 2014 and will be accredited as part of the Graduate Certificate and PhD in Translational Research to be offered from 2015.

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/education/short-course/index-tr.html

27 Aug	1-5pm	TR5L5	Introduction to Bioinformatics: Detail	Dr Dieter Bulach	Link
24 Sep	1-5pm	CSIRO	Introduction to Fermentation and Bioprocessing: Detail	Prof George Lovrecz	Link
25 Sep	1-5pm	SR1L5	Introduction to Biobanking: Detail	Mrs Zdenka Prodanovic	Link

2014 AMREP student information night very successful

AMREP held its annual student information night for 2015 intake on Thursday 14 August 2014, presenting future students with information about studying honours at AMREP. Over 200 students attended the evening, gaining information about potential projects available for them to undertake in various schools including Central Clinical School. Students were given the opportunity to meet potential supervisors for honours projects and they were also able to speak with current honours students who attended the night, a great resource for those interested in finding out more about the degree. Thank you to staff and students who presented, manned stalls, ran lab tours, and to the potential students who attended - you all made the night a resounding success!

• Photo gallery link
• Honours at AMREP

Media mentions

CCS researchers have had many media mentions this last week, see more from the link below.

11/08/2014 Dr Rebecca Segrave, MAPrc, commented on studying depression, a condition that "one in seven Australians will experience in their lifetime".  She mentioned that she's trying to understand the bias in negative thinking that people get when they are depressed.

The Age