Letter from the Editor: September 2016

Have you ever heard someone use the word “virtual” in conversation? It usually goes something like “She virtually dumped him at the party” or “I’m virtually done with my PhD thesis.” While the use of the word is innocent enough, soon sentences like these may be downright confusing. Why? Because virtual reality has gone from a cute sci-fi storyline to an advancing technology in the hands of consumers.

For our feature article this month, Jeremy Swan argues that virtual reality may be the next big thing for biomedical research. Several NIH faculty already employ the technology, and our very own NICHD fellows and investigators are visualizing complex three dimensional datasets using Virtual Reality-based methods. If your interests are piqued, check out Jeremy’s article and consider visiting the Virtual Reality booth at the upcoming NIH Research Festival, September 14–16.

While at the festival, don’t forget to check out our many NICHD posters, including some who received the 2017 Fellows Award for Research Excellence. Maybe you could put their science speaking skills to the test. If you don’t know what constitutes a good scientific talk, Dr. Pushpanathan Muthuirulan provides a nice recap of August’s “Speaking About Science” workshop, led by the popular Scott Morgan.

And of course, please don’t forget to check out the many September announcements and events, including several save-the-dates for upcoming workshops. Okay, I’m virtually done with this letter.

Your Editor in Chief,
Shana R. Spindler, PhD 

Please send your questions and comments to Shana.Spindler@gmail.com.