UPDATE 07MAY — Vacuum Tech course open for audit for instructors. Scroll down below J ATE Writers Workshop post.
J ATE Writers Group with Dr. Jillian Blatti | April 4, 2025
Listen in to the latest J ATE Writers Workshop with host Thomas Brown from Forsyth Technical Community College. Today, he interviews Jillian Blatti, an associate professor of chemistry at Pasadena City College, who goes by “Dr. jB” with her students. They are discussing her article on DNA nanotechnology, which localizes biochemical reactions within DNA compartments using DNA-based enzymes.
The research, conducted with collaborators from Caltech, UCLA, and UCSB, involved students in the process. Dr. jB emphasized the importance of writing in science, sharing her journey from graduate school to publishing, and the iterative process of improving manuscripts through feedback. She highlighted the use of Bio Render for creating figures and the significance of high-resolution images.
She also advised new writers to start early, write frequently, and enjoy the editing process. There are several links below so you can dive deeper into these topics.
You can read the full article that inspired this Writers Workshop interview and discussion with Dr. Jillian Blatti here on MNT-EC on the Journal of Advanced Technological Education: Investigating substrates Amplifu Red and ABTS (2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) in the colorimetric detection of DNAzyme activity localized to DNA condensates
Read the Journal of Advanced Technological Education (J ATE) Guide for Authors.
Other links from Dr. jB that you won’t want to miss, check all of these out:
If you are interested in BioManufacturing, you may also want to read Dr. Blatti’s “Invited Letter” at J ATE as well: Invited Letter: Undergraduate research as a means to build a creative, resilient, and highly skilled biomanufacturing workforce.
If you would like to see tutorials about how to build nanostructures and other interesting videos about DNA nanotechnology research, here are Dr. jB’s YouTube channels:
PCC Nanostars: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSbMer53yyqWYLTZgBQvpgw
Dr. jB: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqFtrYX4Vzeos5MsP1J7ybQ
And Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sustainableplanetearth
https://www.instagram.com/pcc_microscopic_art (gotta say we love this one!!).
Here are 2 articles published in the PCC Courier about the nanostars:
The ‘Nanostars’ of PCC’s synthetic biology research program
Posters of Nanostar research break down the hard science behind research breakthroughs
UPDATE 07MAY — Vacuum Tech course open for audit for instructors. Scroll down below J ATE Writers Workshop post.
Normandale Community College is offering 4 of its classes in Vacuum Technology (VACT) this summer. With continued support from the NSF of Normandale’s NSF-ATE project, we are able to offer faculty the opportunity to audit these classes at no cost. Faculty who audited these classes over the past two semesters have shared that their experiences were beneficial.
The summer term starts at the end of May/beginning of June. All of the summer classes are being offered in the fully online, asynchronous (no live class sessions to attend) format.
The following VACT classes are being offered:
VACT 1010 (Foundations of Vacuum Science), 2 credits – starts June 2nd and ends by July 25th (8-weeks). VACT 1010 addresses foundational chemistry and math concepts related to vacuum science/technology applications that are used in subsequent VACT classes.
VACT 1293 (Concepts of Rough Vacuum Systems), 1 credit – starts May 27th and ends by July 3rd (5-weeks). VACT 1293 transitions concepts from VACT 1010 to the function of the rough vacuum system.
VACT 1300 (Introduction to Vacuum System Automation), 1 credit – starts May 27th and ends by July 3rd (5-weeks). VACT 1300 is a new class that was developed as part of grant work supported by the National Science Foundation. VACT 1300 addresses different types of technical documentation associated with vacuum systems and how to use it.
VACT 2290 (High Vacuum Equipment), 1 credit – starts May 27th and ends by July 3rd (5-weeks). VACT 2290 introduces the basic structure and operation of a high vacuum system and focuses on the function of high vacuum pumps.
Please let me and my colleague Tim Lapanne know if you are interested in auditing one (or more) of these VACT classes. We can help you navigate the registration process.
And if you have any questions about these classes, please do not hesitate to contact me (Nancy.Louwagie@normandale.edu).
Normandale’s current NSF-ATE grant project covers the cost of the class registration for faculty who want to audit the course for Professional Development purposes.