Category Archives: Going Interdisciplinary

From pipets and antibodies to computers and algorithms – wet-lab versus dry-lab

Image from colourbox.com.

About the interviewer: I am Amir Kayvanjoo, a PhD student in the field of Molecular Biomedicine at LIMES institute, research group of Dr. Mass, University of Bonn. I have done my bachelor in Biology-Animal Sciences in Iran and later my Master in Life Sciences Informatics with the focus on data science and chemoinformatics at the University of Bonn. In a series of articles, I would … Continue reading From pipets and antibodies to computers and algorithms – wet-lab versus dry-lab »

Interdisciplinarity – Thinking outside the box

Years ago, when I finished school, a small but special human population termed mom and dad expected me to decide what to do with my life. “Benedikt, do something meaningful!” my parents said. Thus, highly motivated I enrolled at the University of Bonn and started studying biology. That was amazing! Everything was fantastic and my fellow students and me were the opposite of focused: A … Continue reading Interdisciplinarity – Thinking outside the box »

Politics and Immunology: Diseased bodies in distress

Some of you may immediately feel nauseated when watching the news today. Understandable, since engaging in the developments of the home of the brave and land of the free may wear one out these days. But no worries – you are not alone. In fact, the instance that you still bravely follow the news shows how strong you are. So let´s try to understand how … Continue reading Politics and Immunology: Diseased bodies in distress »

How chemistry opened the door to a molecular level for Sebastian Schmitt

Not many biologists will keep their first semester practical course in chemistry in especially good memory. Slowly titrating 0.1 M HCl against NaOH while observing the pH is usually a little less thrilling than cooking some methamphetamine with Walter White in the desert of New Mexico (sorry here to all non-Breaking Bad viewers). Nonetheless, chemistry can prove extremely useful when working on a biological question. … Continue reading How chemistry opened the door to a molecular level for Sebastian Schmitt »

Physics fact #1: You can be cooled to -273.15 °C and still be 0 K

The stereotypical physicist featured in “The Big Bang Theory” is rather sceptical about biology and has some problems accepting their girlfriend’s job as a biologist. Fortunately, that does not necessarily hold true in real life. Prof Matthias Geyer and Dr Donald Guu are enriching the Cluster’s scope by their background in physics. They both agree on the fact that physics opens many doors – here, … Continue reading Physics fact #1: You can be cooled to -273.15 °C and still be 0 K »

A range of software tools to boost your research

Last month, you learned about how math helps to understand T cell immunity. This time, it is about how software engineering and innate immunity come together. Jonathan Schmid-Burgk studied Molecular Biomedicine in Bonn and is now about to finish his PhD at the Institute of Molecular Medicine. Here, Jonathan tells us how developing several software tools allowed him to study open questions in innate immunity. … Continue reading A range of software tools to boost your research »