Opportunity for future PhD student

This fantastic opportunity just in from Pablo Nepomnaschy. I'm thinking maybe I need to get another PhD....

We are seeking to recruit a graduate student interested in pursuing a PhD on the early development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (“stress”) axis.

Project description: The stress axis plays a critical role in determining an individual’s ability to cope with challenges throughout the lifetime. However, the extent to which stress axis function is ‘calibrated’ by prenatal stress at different gestational stages is unclear. This project involves the use of a unique longitudinal data set to explore the impact of stress experienced during the first six weeks of gestation on post-natal stress response in later life.

Qualifications: We are seeking an individual with:

• Excellent academic record
• Background in evolutionary biology, physiology, genetics and/or epigenetics
• An evident commitment and passion for science

Start : ideally, September 2011

We offer: annual stipend, research funds, training at the interface of evolutionary biology with physiology, development, genetics and epigenetics, innovative intellectual environment

Institution and location: Human Evolutionary Studies Program, Faculty of Health Sciences and Dept. of Biology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

PIs: Dr. Pablo A. Nepomnaschy and Dr. Bernard Crespi

Required materials: Please send a letter of intent and a CV to Dr. Katrina Salvante at kgsalvan@sfu.ca

Parenting Blog for Science Nerds

Big props to the ever-dashing Pablo Nepomnaschy for bringing to my attention one of the most awesome websites I've seen in a long time. Gwen Dewar, a fellow biological anthropologist with degrees from Berkeley and University of Michigan, is also a parent. She weds the two brilliantly on her site ParentingScience.com, the tagline of which is "Evidence-based information for the thinking parent." Nice.

From Dr. Dewar's homepage:
"No folk theories. No preachy advice. No authoritarian pronouncements or pseudoscientific political dogma. Instead, you’ll find something pretty rare among popular resources for parents: In-depth analysis with fully referenced citations from the scientific and medical literature.

I’ve got opinions. But who cares? What’s really important is critical thinking. Parents deserve to be treated like intelligent, rational beings. You may be a scientist, physician, or teacher. Maybe you’re an educated, skeptical layperson who loves science. Whatever the case, you don’t need dogma. You need evidence. You can draw your own conclusions."

In addition to being helpful to academic parents, I see this site being useful in anthropology courses on human sexuality, life history, parenting, evolutionary medicine,evolutionary psychology, etc. Please check it out!