Grad Appreciation Night and EEB colloquium

Incomplete Rowe Lab (from left to right): Our Leader Locke, myself, Min and Inga....missing member: Sean on the other side, Cait at the other table, and Jen in BC

Last weekend..... We had our annual two-day departmental colloquium and Grad appreciation night.

The departmental colloquium gave an opportunity for everyone from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology to find out what their fellow researchers are working on. Min proudly represented my current lab and Paul proudly represented my original lab. They both did an excellent job with their presentation!!! Our invited speakers also gave some extremely interesting talks.

I love Dr. Jonathan Shurin (UBC) talk on trophic ecology of freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It was interesting to see comparison among these three types of ecosystems. As my friend Meg has perfectly put it "Dr. Shurin is a true community ecologist trying to answer broad scale question"

Dr. Daniel Pauly (UBS) was our Atwood lecture speaker and his topic was " Impact of fisheries and global warming on marine ecosystems and food security". He has published in a number of world renounced top scientific journals (e.g. Nature and Science). In his talk, he suggested that all fishing practices currently found around the world are not sustainable and what we are doing right now to try to raise awareness (e.g. Green labeling, conservation zoning) is too slow and ineffective. He proposed that a social movement is required and we, as global citizens, should push our governments to make drastic changes with current policy.

I can definitely see the need of that, but I also believe good science has to meet with reality in order to get the idea forward.........I think individual efforts should not be discounted and is necessary. Anywaz, I can go on and on about this.........so I should just stop here......


Another highlight of the day was the Grad Appreciation Night where the supervisors (PI) treat their grad students to a nice dinner :)...... and another proud moment was Jen from our lab got the grad student award (i.e. the best PhD student of the year!!!)

Ok this post is getting too too long...... I should just start posting pictures

Min really loves her beer!!!

What is wrong, Min? You don't like my camera?

I am still not sure what Min is up to :)

Incomplete Rodd lab (from left to right): Anna, her leader Helen, and ex-Rodd member Sean with crazy hair (Yeah his life history is complicated :P)

Smart people engaging in serious topic

Proof of Aneil being nice to his student



Locke is shocked!!! About what though?

LIFE IN SCIENCE ~~1: Ladybird Beetle Work

Meet my labmate Inga from Germany


What is she doing over there? Looking serious and all............What is she watching over?

I will give your 5 sec to make a guess

5
4
3
2
1

Times up!

We are actually observation the mating behaviour of two-spotted ladybird beetles (Adalia bipunctata). I can tell you what we are observing but you will have to ask Inga about the details of her experiments (TOP SECRET!!!).

That is a black two-spotted male mating with a red female

This is what we do, we put a male and a female ladybird beetle together in a tiny petri dish in hope that they will mate with each other (Which they do almost all the time and pretty much right away :P)

We record the length of courtship..........and I believe our record time so far was 6 hrs (correct me if I am wrong, Inga)

Can you imagine how painful this task is? Give it a try and you will know............although I have to say those ladybugs are really quite cute




Stay tune for the next posting...............

PREVIEW: FLY WORK (or Drosophila melanogaster work)

What do scientists do?

LIFE IN SCIENCE

I am not sure if I have mentioned this before.........but I am sort of a budding, wannabe scientist.............I just recently finish my MSc in Ecology, but I would not quite call myself a scientist just yet. I will do that when I actually published something (In the science world, publications are everything. The number of publications is a measure of success)...........So yeah I would say I am a working progress

BUT, I am sure people have wondered what does a scientist do on a day to day basis? What is it like to be in research? Even my closest friends whom have know me for years have that question.

Since I have been spending more time in the lab than at home lately, I have decided to take some pictures and record my daily life as a scientist in the Lab............

I have been taking a break from my own research and has been working in an Evolutionary Biology lab. The main interest of our lab is life history (basically like the life story of an animal) and sexual selection (Yes, that's right!!!)............Lets not go too deep into the theory behind before everyone starts to leave me :P

NOW Let's begin the "LIFE IN SCIENCE" series presented by Scented . Love

Other @Home chefs

I am sure my blog has shown how much I love food and the act of eating........................

Therefore conveniently, I have a lot of food friendly friends...........and I have to say THEY CAN COOK!!! I love exchanging recipes with friends, I love cooking with friends,.................

Here are some friendly contributions from my lovely friends............


Jen's Gourmet Almond Chocolate Cake:

The chocolate ganache on top is so tasty and the cake was rich and moist................and I love the decoration ( I think is very Jen"ish")........ Jen, will you teach me how to make it?

BTE's Strawberry Rhubarb pie:

I have to say BTE knows how to make great pies..........
I was really impressed by this pie when i tried it the very first time two summers ago.........I don't like my dessert too sweet and using honey instead of sugar gave this pie the right amount of tartness.........just how I like it..........bring back all the lovely memory from that summer @ LT, too bad i didn't get a slice this time

So all my lovely friends.......if you want to have your creation posted here.....send them to me... and of course Don't forget to send me a sample of the item in the picture too!!!


Your food addict friend,
C

7 layers cookie bar aka Heart attack bar

I discovered this little yummy treat in Kensington Market........@ a place called Cora's kitchen

I also have a soft spot for chocolate (well i guess who doesn't) and coconut ..............and this bar has it all......................actually alot alot more!!!


The best way to enjoy this bar is to not look at the ingredients and how much calories are involved

JUST EAT and ENJOY!!!

1 stick butter

1 1/2C graham cracker crumbs

1 pkg chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet or bitter sweet, just cause all the other ingredients are sweet enough!!!)

1 pkg butterscotch chips

1 1/3C shredded coconut (unsweeten)

1 can condensed milk

1 C chopped pecans

1) Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs and then spread it out at the bottom of a 9 x 13 " pan

2) Sprinkle chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, shredded coconut layer by layer

3) Drizzle condensed milk on top of that

4) Sprinkle chopped pecans on top

5) Bake for 25-30 mins @ 350F

6) Let cool before serving!!!


Make sure you go to the gym for 10 hours after you have a piece of this!!! I am telling you it might be hard work later but it is well worth it!!!

Bread trial # 4: Sweet potato bread

I have to say.... or as all of you can tell.............I have be in love with bread making lately!!!........

I have always thought that breads are really hard to make, but what I have realized after these experiments is that they are actually easier than other forms of baking (e.g. cake, pastry, etc...). The most important component is patience............

The particular bread making method used for this sweet potato bread can be said to be the ultimate patience tester!!!

Different from the other methods.......This one is (again I am making this name up):

Cold Rising Method

The dough after the initial kneading process is then stored in a Ziploc bag and let rise in the fridge for ~20-24 hrs...... apparently this allows the flour particles to absorb and re-distribute the H2O.............and allow the gluten to form slowly and steadily to develop flavours..........


I added some mashed sweet potatoes in the bread dough.......sweet potatoes not only provided the bread with some natural sweetness........but they are also responsible for the orangy, gold glow of the loaf


Methods

300 g Bread flour

100g Whole wheat flour

180ml Whole milk / soy milk

~250g Mashed Sweet potatoes
*I just cooked mine in the microwave with a little bit of milk and then mashed it

80ml Honey
*that is about 1/3C

20g Milk powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp dry yeast

1) Combine all dry ingredients

2) Add wet ingredients to Mix 1

3) Knead dough until a smooth and elastic dough is formed
* This dough is a bit wet, so it will still be slightly sticky but certainly elastic is key

4) Let rise in RT for 30 mins

5) Transfer dough into a large Ziploc bag and put it in the fridge

6) Let rise in the fridge for ~ 20-24 hrs

7) Take out and let sit at RT for 30 mins

8) Shape dough to desire shape or add fillings

9) Let rise in a warm draft free place for another 40 mins or until dough double in size

10) Baked @ 180C for 20-40 mins depending on shape and size
* I made two loafs..... so they are bigger and took about 40 mins to bake


Result


A lovely orange loaf with a hint of sweet potato both in flavour and scent........!!! delicious............

2/3 of a loaf was gone in 2 mins...........


After all these experiments, I have to say


I WANT A BREAD MACHINE


Maybe i should save up and then instead of buying a car when i move to Tahoe, I should buy a BREAD MACHINE

I guess unless I can be as lucky as Inga and manage to find one off the street for free.... I doubt that would happen in Tahoe..........

I guess i can only hope :P

Bread trial # 3 Sweet bun with lotus seed filling

Using the same bread recipe as Bread experiment # 1 but added much more moisture because I want to create a moister bread..............

I have also used the "old" dough method.........not sure what the proper name is in English, but it is a really popular bread making method in Asian. What you do essentially is to combine in your "new" dough an "old" dough that you saved from your previous bread making experiment. This method is suppose to create a moist and full of flavour output, because the flour, gluten, moisture and all the lovely little yeast were given time to be friends with each other in your "old" dough and that little piece of "old dough you saved with give your "new" dough a whole new level of texture and flavour............well theoretically speaking

Methods:

Bread flour 500g ( I used 300 g of white bread flour and 200 g of whole wheat flour)
* I also added a hand full of oatmeal, wheat bran, and grounded flex seed

Sugar 35g

1 large egg

butter@room temperature 50g

Yeast 1 1/2 tsp

Salt 1 1/2 tsp

Milk or soy milk 300ml

* I had some pear sauce left (~ 2 tbsp) so i added that in there too, figured it will make the bread more moist


1) Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, yeast, salt) together

2) Add egg and pear sauce and mix until combined

3) Add milk/soy milk

4) Use dough hock and knead at low speed for 5 mins, then switch to medium speed and knead for about 5 mins

5) The dough should appear slightly sticky and wet

6) Take out the dough and head knead it until smooth and elastic (when you pull the dough and stretchy thin film should form)

7) Let rest in a warm spot for ~ 1hr (x2 in size)

8) Reshape and rest for 10 mins

9) Cut and shape dough, or add fillings to your desire
* So I added some lotus seed paste filling which you can get in China town, mine came in a can ~$ 2.50)

10) Let rest again for another ~ 1 hr (cover with wet cloth, ~ x1.5 in size)

11) ~180C oven for about 10-20 mins depending on shape and size

And the result was:





Some yummy looking golden little buns............is super moist and soft, plus the lotus seed paste added a different note and texture to the bread................lovely!!!

Well I guess what i have to say about my own bread is not a unbiased source for proper data collection.......I should really wait for the true comments from my daring tasters @ RW to validate my result :)

But this is sure to be an interesting method..........so next time when you try to make bread, be sure to save a little for your future bread making endeavors

If you have tasted this bread, please leave a comment!!! Thanks!!!

DE-pork day 1

I wouldn't say it was a wild success..... cause I ate a doubles and a fresh baked bun that i made..........

But............at least I have kept myself away from some junk food..... said no to chocolate...........

It is only the first day and i already feel deprived....:(

Hang in there...........

still 10 pounds to go

"Porky" !?!................Split pea soup is my first step

~20 Ben and Jerry Ice cream......and a year of thesis stress later................I am almost a million times heavier than I was before..............

Since i need to get back into my beach body in a month before I move to the Sun and Sunny............I have decided I need to "de-pork" myself................

I have to say I love food! So some drastic measures have to be done...............I need to get myself back on track!!!

Soup is a great filler......hearty, health , filling, and best of all--> Low in calories


Split pea and ham hock soup:

Super easy to make, high in fiber, rich and creamy

1 large onion
5 sticks of carrots (sounds like a lot because the organic kind is usually smaller)
4 sticks of celery

1 package of dry green split pea (I think the bag i used was 450g)
Vegetable bouillon (I used the organic kind without all the unknown chemical additives)

1 small smoked ham hock (mine costed me about $4.00)

8 cups of water
2 bay leaves


1) Brown onion, chopped carrot and celery with some EVOO in your soup pot. The vegetables should become caramelized

2) Add a few tbsp of water to de-glaze the pot

3) Add 8 cups of water and vegetable bouillon to the pot

4) Add the ham hock and split pea into the pot

5) Bring it to a boil then turn the heat down and let it simmer until the split pea soften

6) When ready, pull out the ham hock and puree the soup mixture until desirable consistency

7) Pull the meat off the ham hock and put it back in to the soup

READY TO SERVE

My goal is to lose 10 pounds!!!

Stay tune :P

I passed my G2!!!

I passed my G2!!!..... For those who doesn't believe I can drive..... I CAN!!!

My examiner actually said: "You are a good driver" and then gave me a high five!!!


Well I guess...... a Nevada license next.............is brutal, I can't believe I have to take a whole new test again from written to road test........................................I guess driving in the mountains is different :)


Well, I also want to learn how to drive a "manual" car as well............since almost everyone I know drives that in Tahoe.....or is it just because I don't know that many people there :P

Bread Trial #2 experimental result-Chocolate bread

Result of my experiment: It might be a bit dark..... cause of the coco in the bread.... but is mighty Yummy :)


I am sure all the ladybuggers will agree :)

Bread Trial #2 Chocolate Bread

I saw this recipe on NPR (click to see and listen to the yummy choc bread) about a week ago.............and i have been thinking and thinking about it...............so since i got to go home early today (i.e. 8:30pm)..........I decided I am going to give it a try.................

Yeah I have been super busy these days. I thought post thesis days would be more play, fun and relaxing............but I am as busy as before...........I guess mostly is because I have to prepare for my driving test this Friday, plus i have a whole bunch of errands i need to do to prepare for my "still don't know when I am leaving" departure to Tahoe.............

Anywaz.... my dough is in the oven rising...................Get bigger Get bigger..........stay tune !!!

Tahoe Blues................

South Yuba...........I think I am right :) Have to remember
my rivers to be a true Tahoe girl!!! I love the trees, water
and wild flowers............


It has only been a week since i got back from Tahoe................but it seems like it had be a month................................I guess people always miss the good times.....................I am not saying that my time here in Toronto is bad, but my time in Tahoe is just that GOOD :)

I guess I am suppose to say that my main purpose of this trip was to attend the Tahoe science symposium....... but honestly, the symposium was just a perfect disguise of my true intention...........If it wasn't for the conference, I would not have been able to take a week off from work.

The conference was actually really good. It was my first time presenting my work (which is a fish study on Lake Tahoe) to a Tahoe audience. Tonnes of people came up to me and told me I did a good job, so I was really happy.........It was also kind of my debut to my soon to be co-worker in TERC........ I am so glad that people liked my presentation cause i was super nervous, You know my future bosses were all there!!!


Days without the conference were relaxing...........got loads of EXCERISE :P....................got to catch up on my long outdated TV shows and some NCAA March Madness basketball (UCLA!!!)........................plus most importantly COOKED a WHOLE bunch and actually had someone to eat with..... not just me and my computer....


One of my proudest creation (well it was not a sole effort, Thanks BTE!!!) Sun-dried Tomatoes, Zucchini, caramelized onion, and goat cheese on a whole wheat crust


Well anywaz.... this trip was short, but super sweet..........

I can't wait till I can start packing and get myself over there............Mid May is what I hope for.......I hope SC will call me up soon .............................

Hopefully, when I go back.......................Happiness will still be there *fingers crossed*