Washington's Dream

Weights and Measures

Bit

Nate Bargatze

Was the United States of America founded with the sole purpose of implementing its own unique system of weights and measures? Did the burning desire for displacing the metric system with inches, feet, yards, and miles keep George Washington warm as he crossed the Delaware River on that bitterly cold December night during the Revolutionary War?

Nate Bargatze—a comedian and Nashville native—plays such a Washington in the SNL sketch, “Washington’s Dream.” His dream is worth checking out for a good laugh, and it isn’t only limited to the US customary units, but also touches on the sport of football.

Academic Musing

K Awards

An NIH research career development (K) award isn’t an Emmy. But it’s about the nearest thing to it for early career scientists. Instead of a trophy, you get a notice of award (NoA), which is an email. An email, which you are lucky to receive, after waiting 9 months (more if you revise and resubmit) during which your grant application is reviewed at Study Section and Advisory Council. Trust me, it’s all way more exhilarating than it sounds. That’s why I’m excited to share that I received my first ever NoA for my K award this January!

If you are applying for a K award, did you know that the NIH makes available the success rate for K awards by Institute for the last 10 years (2014-2023)? I made interactive plots if you want to check out the data for yourself!

Remember getting to the point of even applying for a K award shows that you are on your way! Also, revise and resubmit (I did)!

Thank you for reading and have a fulfilling weekend!

If you have any suggestions for future features as a Bit, Base Pair, or Academic Musing, please respond to this email with your recommendations!

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