Preparation for the Nepal expedition

We set up an automatic fish feeding station to feed the fish in our 70 gallon aquarium while traveling. A foot-long Tiger Plecostomus and a 15 year old Tinfolil Barb are the mainstay, along with a Red Tail Shark and a catfish. Four algae wafers and several shrimp pellets were loaded into each of 27 separate hoppers in the feeder, left on a chair in the study. This morning we found the feeder on the floor, empty, with several food hoppers dislodged!



The culprit, during the night;

our yellow lab (aka "Curious George O'Brien") had devoured a month's worth of fish food, followed by his regular breakfast in the morning. The only clue that something was amiss was a little vomiting episode before we found the feeder in disarray. So much for a head start on our trip!

Balancing research, teaching and traveling

2007 timeline:


January- research; RNA interference with the expression of individual mitochondrial ribosomal proteins in cultured human cells.


Februry 19 -Teaching in graduate course BCH 6415, ribosome structure/function, protein synthesis and translational control.


March: Research continues (between all teaching and travels).


April: medical course BCH 6204, Medical biochemistry correlation discussions.


April 20 - 29: Traveling again! Classic Journeys trip to Sicily (selected pictures will follow later).


May 10: Traveling again!


A week in the Dordogne region of southern France, before heading to Berlin, for the Wittmann Memorial Symposium featuring ribosome research that emerged from Wittmann's large research group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics. Tom gave the closing lecture at the banquet, "Ribosomes in Berlin, and in Mitochondria'". (selected pictures will follow later).


June 3 - 8: Ribosomes 2007, meeting in Cape Cod. (research -related travel)



June 13 - 16: United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Meeting, in San Diego (research-related travel).


July 21 - 25: Travel to Waynesville, NC.


August 1 - 7: Travel to Waynesville, again.





August 21 - September 8: Travel to Queensland, Australia (selected pictures will follow later).


September 10 - 12: graduate course BCH6206, lectures on protein targeting to cellular and mitochondrial compartments.


September 20 - 27: Return to Waynesville.



October 3 - 7: Travel to Rochester, MN, to visit Tom's mother and his brother, Jim, and his wife, Pam.


October 15 - 17: graduate course BCH6206, lectures on TCA cycle, bioenergetics and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.


October 29 - November 9: Travel; National Geographic Expedition to Patagonia. (selected pictures will follow later)


November 14 - December 13: undergraduate course BCH 4024, lectures on molecular biology.


December 23 - January 4: Holidays in Waynesville.




Holiday dining with the "little man", Seamus.