I was horrified by the mass shooting in Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue…all the more so against a backdrop of  the current climate of hate in the US.

But I was heartened at the showing of support from the individuals, religious people and politicians who attended or spoke at yesterday’s vigil for the shooting victims, held at the bandshell on the Boston Common.

While, of course, the same sort of thing could happen here–and it did, at the 2013 Boston Marathon–I found solace, for a time, in the eloquence and dedication to human rights–especially of Attorney General Maura Healey, Congressman Joe Kennedy, and State Treasurer Deb Goldberg–and of BU student  Ariel Stein, a Boston University student who has belonged all her life to the Tree of Life Synagogue, where the deadly shootings took place. “It is up to all of us to love,” she said.

I’m sorry to have missed talks by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker but as one who is generally skeptical about politicians, I felt very glad to live in a state and city that elects responsible leaders–even if I sometimes don’t agree with them.

(I’ve been sending letters and will canvas to encourage infrequent voters to vote in the mid-term elections–and hope that you will do the same.)

Here’s a link to a video of the entire vigil posted on You-Tube  by Combined Jewish Philanthropies.  

–Anita M. Harris
Anita Harris is a writer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, MA. New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, a content, PR and digital marketing agency, also in Cambridge.

For anyone who loves animals, mythology, feminism, fishing and/or nature, the current exhibit at the Cambridge Art Association is a must-see. Curated by sculptor  Gin Stone,  the show, called “Creature Comforts,”  features the work of  Christine Kyle, Gail Samuelson, Gin Stone, & Daniel Zeese.

As  described by a CAA press release, the show, at the Kathryn Schultz gallery, 21 Lowell Street,  “invites the viewer to enter another environment: a landscape of contrasts, with creatures and beings spotlighted in their native realms. Some are adapted to wetlands, others to an environment unrecognizable to humans.”

On entering the gallery, I was immediately “wowed” by the fantastical, life-sized large animal shapes formed of hard foam covered by various sorts of fishing gear –many of which their creator, Gin explained,  represent mythical gods, showing both beauty and pain. The creatures–with seemingly real fur, teeth, tongues and such– are set in dioramas meant to mimic those of traditional natural history museums.

Gin says: “I am an ardent environmentalist and multimedia artist. I create humane taxidermy (anti-hunting trophies) with recycled material. I use hand dyed reclaimed longline fishing gear as a medium. The material itself is part of the work’s narrative. The local fishing culture is deeply ingrained in the environment I lives in, my studio is on Cape Cod.

Mother’s Milk

“Some of my more experimental work, as personified by the piece “Mother’s Milk – Spilled, “creates chimera and allegorical/mythological creatures. With these pieces, I incorporate a current social commentary by adding spent bullet casings, axes and other found objects to address issues such as toxic patriarchy, violence against women and children and hate crimes.”

Working in a Cape Cod studio, she writes, she is well aware of the traditional fishing community–and that “more recently the science community has come into the arena to help recover retain the health of oceans. There is frequently a clashing between these two groups. By bringing the recovery and recycling of the fishing gear to the artistic arena, I can help put a spotlight on collaboration and creativity, and perhaps a hopeful outlook on the future from everyone involved.”

Christine Kyle’s simple, organic ceramic forms  stand in for “the messiness of life.” A geometric face or window slices through each piece, keeping its attention on the search for certainty.

Their surfaces, made primarily of wax, damar resin and pigment, give each piece its own character. The statures of her creatures range within intimate dimensions. The wall portals are complementary pieces to the creatures. They add the challenge of dimensionality and the view through their portals is inward.

Gail Samuelson’s photos, shot with a large format film camera , display beauty of nature. As she writes,  for example, “old leafless trees reaching towards the sky as new plants begin to grow in the rich decaying matter of upturned stumps. It is perfectly quiet except for the sound of cracking dead wood as I make my way further into the swamp. The predawn fog rises up from the ground, briefly casting its spell. Then in a moment, the sun peaks out over the trees, lighting each leaf and cobweb. Birds begin to sing.”

Daniel Zeese is an artist, designer and educator practicing in Somerville and Boston Massachusetts. His latest work explores populations, belonging, and identity within an urban environment. Inspired by a history of textiles and the domestic objects that we bring into our home to create refuge, Daniel reveals a way to let our minds return to nature while our bodies inhabit the city.

His work investigates what it means to be within civilization while on the edge of the wilderness. Outnumbered, on the fringe of what is accepted in the city, celebrated from a distance, and threatened to exile by the powers of the majority. Daniel reacts to the continuing history of violence within cities against people who, while defining the cultural identity of a place, are often misunderstood, attacked and objectified. Later we experience the outcome, the resulting martyrdom, through the master cultural narrative. This body of work explores, in many mediums, whom it is we choose to mourn and celebrate.

You can learn more about the artists at cambridgeart.org/creature-comforts and at an artists’ talk on  Thursday, October 25, 6:30-8pm

On view at the Kathryn Schultz Gallery • 25 Lowell Street, Cambridge MA 02138
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-5pm

–Anita M. Harris

Anita Harris is a writer, photographer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, MA.

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also in Cambridge.

It’s not too late to see the work of three influential women i from three generations of ceramicists–Karen Karnes (1925-2016) , Nina Hole (1941-2016), and Ani Kasten (1976…) –at Concord’s Lacoste-Keane Gallery. But hurry, because the show closes September 1.

Karen Karnes, was an American pioneer in ceramics from the generation that came of age after WWII. Part of two legendary art communities: Black Mountain College and the Gatehill Community in New York with Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg among others, Ms. Karnes was a modernist at heart- her inspiration came from Bauhaus. Her work has always been sculptural–even in her functional work. In the 1980’s and 90’s Karnes created her legendary winged vessels and slit forms. In the 2000’s when strength was an issue she turned to her sculptures of combined forms which can be seen as landscape, figurative or still life. Her work is sought after and collected by individuals and museums. Karen Karnes long illustrious career touched and influenced many within her field.

Nina Hole was a Danish ceramic artist well known for her large exterior “Fire Sculptures”. She traveled extensively around the world making her outdoor fire sculptures in situ with a team of assistants and volunteers. One can find her 25 large scale sculptures in countries like Australia, Japan, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, Brazil and America. Architecture was a huge inspiration and in addition to making her fire sculptures; she made smaller scale sculptures inspired by houses, churches and buildings. Many who knew her intimately opined on how she really loved the firing processes as they allowed her to work with others. More than just an artist, she was also a huge champion of ceramics through her initiatives Clay Today, The International Ceramic Research Center Guldagergaard and CLAY–Museum of Ceramic Art.

Ani Kasten is an independent ceramic artist whose knowledge came outside the norms of ceramics. She had never touched clay before apprenticing to Rupert Spira in the UK. From England she went to Nepal where she spent four years as head of a project for developing a stoneware ceramic production facility for artisan potters.

Coming back to the US she rehabbed two houses and a studio living complex over the next 10 years all the while making her distinctive ceramics combining stoneware and porcelain with unorthodox and repurposed materials. Similar to Karnes, Kasten’s ceramic foray started in studio pottery which evolved and grew to expressive sculptures for which she is known today. Often Kasten responds to current social and political climate by reflecting them in her works.

This show brings together these influential artists from three distinct generations through their interpretation of ceramic sculpture. Each offers ways of seeing the world through their innovative and artistic expression. All are highly individualistic and mold breaking in their own rights.

“We are thrilled to represent these three legendary ceramic artists and bring their work to the public.” , said  Lucy Lacoste, the gallery’s founder.

Lacoste /Keane Gallery have been appointed the sole representative of Nina Hole’s estate in the USA.
The gallery is wheelchair accessible and free to the public.

Note: Lacoste Gallery is now Lacoste / Keane Gallery with Lucy Lacoste and LaiSun Keane as owners/directors.

The show runs through September 1, 2018.

The gallery is located at 25 MAIN STREET CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS 01742 T: 978-369-0278 F: 978-369-3375 E: INFO@LACOSTEGALLERY.COM

–Anita M. Harris

I recently interviewed Bob Langer–MIT biotech guru extraordinaire–on behalf of the EBD Group, which holds international partnering conferences for the life sciences six times a year.  Here’s the opening…and a link to the rest, on the EBD Site. The piece will also  appear in xconomy shortly. Full disclosure…Bob is a personal friend, former classmate, and a member of the Harris Communications Group advisory board…so this should be considered a sponsored post.

–Anita M. Harris

When Bob Langer joined the MIT faculty in 1977 he had a rocky start. Trained as a chemical engineer and working on drug delivery systems, many of his ideas went against conventional wisdom. “I had people write the most insulting things about my knowledge of biology and medicine. Many thought my ideas were crazy. A number of professors wanted me to leave and my first nine grant proposals were turned down.”

Eventually, after numerous academic scientists and companies repeated and used his work Langer was able to get grant funding from the NIH. He also turned to companies for research funding—in return for licensing his patents—which, at that time, also went against the conventional grain.

Today, Langer is one of 13 Institute Professors (being an Institute Professor is MIT’s highest honor) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With more than 1,400 articles to his credit, he is the ninth most cited individual in history, according to Google scholar. (Sigmund Freud is first). His 1,300 patents, licensed or sublicensed to more than 350 companies in pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device fields, have led to more than 100 products currently in use or in clinical trials. He has received more than 220 major professional awards including the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, Priestly Medal, National Medal of Science, National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the Charles Stark Draper Prize (considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for engineers), and the Lemelson-MIT prize for being “one of history’s most prolific inventors in medicine.” In June 2018, he was named a US international envoy for science by the US State Department.

Despite his success, Langer remains well aware of his early setbacks, and, as a scientific advisor to some 200 companies over the past 40 years, is highly cognizant of what can go wrong.

“You can have bad animal results, failed trials, or patent problems. I’ve seen partners pull out, companies take bad loans, and the FDA create delays. Stumbling blocks can arise anywhere along the way,” he says.

One of the most difficult problems can occur early on “when a researcher has good findings but is not far enough along for investors or companies to want to spend a lot of money.” In that situation, known as “the valley of death,” Langer says, “the question is how to get enough data so that will change.”

More: 

Anita M. Harris is a writer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, MA.

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also in Cambridge.

Spent an interesting Wednesday afternoon, last week,  visiting exhibitors at the Bio-IT World Conference & Expo –several of whom won “Best of Show” Awards later that day.

The judges, listed below,  named winners in six categories: Data Integration & Management; Analysis & Data Computing; Genomic Data Services; Data Visualization & Exploration; Storage Infrastructure & Hardware; and the Judges’ Prize.  Attendees also voted on the People’s Choice Award, selecting products that they believed measurably improve workflow or capacity, enabling better research.

One of my favorites was Nanome, which won best in show for Data Visualization and Exploration.
Nanome uses virtual reality to improve the drug discovery process, according to its award application. The company offers applications for experimentation, collaborattion, and learning at the nano-scale– leveraging  VR hardware such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive to create immersive virtual workspaces allowing users to visualize, design, and simulate molecules, proteins, and more.

At  Nanom’se i BIO–IT World booth, Marketing Director Jarrell James handed me a pair of VR goggles and two joysticks (?) with which  I could explore within a molecule–by seeming to make components larger, smaller or revolve.

A more sophisticated user might be able to:

• -Import molecular structures from a local machine or an online database such as RCSB or DrugBank.
• – Manipulate molecular structures by literally grabbing, rotating, or enlarging the area of interest with their hands.
• – Apply different representations to their selection of Atoms, Residues, Chains, or Proteins such as Stick, Wire, Ball & Stick, or Van der Waals.
• – Measure distances and angles between atoms.
• – Mutate amino acids and cycle through rotamer libraries.
• – Design small molecules by building with any element from the periodic table.
• – Minimize manipulated molecules to prevent clashes and provide a local energy minimum conformation.
• – Duplicate or Split any selected area of your structure to modify or export independently.
• – Export your molecular structures to PDB.
• – Join a virtual reality session as a guest with or without virtual reality hardware.

• – Present and collaborate in the same virtual environment with colleagues to demonstrate proposals or compare before and after results.

Nanome plans next to enter the education space. The company’s VR technology wil help high school and college students , likely already proficient in gaming technology,  better understqand biologic processes, James said.

The Hyve 

I also spent some time with the folks at Hyve…whose fake robot ( that is, a “robot inhabited” by a human) did make me  curious about Hyve’s work.

RADAR-base
radar-cns.org

As described in the company’s award submission,  the company’s RADAR-base, developed in the framework of the IMI RADAR-CNS project, is an open source platform designed to securely collect, store and share readings from wearable devices and smartphone sensors to enable remote monitoring. The RADAR-base platform consists of three major categories of components:

• Data ingestion: Recognizing and registering data-sources (including smartphones and wearable devices), collecting the data via a direct Bluetooth connection or through a 3rd party API and streaming in near real time to the server (green box in the figure). Using Apache Kafka, the collected data is streamed to dedicated topics in real-time where the data is optimally schematized using Apache Avro;
• Data storage and management: Consists of two centralized storage systems behind an authorized security layer. A cold-storage based on HDFS that is scalable and fault-tolerant focusing on storing large volumes of high frequency raw-data, and a hot-storage based on MongoDB storing aggregated data to provide a near real-time overview of the raw-data. (blue box in the figure);
• Data sharing: Visualizing aggregated data in a live dashboard and exporting raw data for further analyses in various formats including AVRO, JSON and CSV (yellow box in the figure).

The platform is highly secured by a centralized management system of users and their authorities, participants, allowed devices and their specifications. RADAR-Base platform is distributed as Docker containers with associated scripts and configuration files to enable easy installation.

 In addition, I  visited Sinequa, which took the prize in the Analysis & Data Computing category. 

Sinequa ES v10
sinequa.com

The Sinequa Cognitive Search and Analytics platform handles all structured and unstructured data sources and uses Natural Language Processing (NLP), statistical analysis and Machine Learning (ML) in order to create an enriched “Logical Data Warehouse” (LDW). This LDW is optimized for performance in delivering rapid responses to users’ information needs. Users can ask questions in their native language or ask that relevant information be “pushed” to them in a timely fashion when it emerges.

More than 180 connectors ready for use “out of the box” make the process of connecting multiple data sources fast and seamless. Company and industry-specific dictionaries and ontologies can be easily integrated, putting specific knowledge “under the hood” of the Sinequa platform, making it an intelligent partner for anyone in search of relevant subject information.

Other awards, as descrbed in company literature: :

Genomic Data Services

Diploid
Moon 1.0
diploid.com/moon

Moon is the first software to autonomously diagnose rare diseases from WES/WGS data. By applying AI to the domain of rare disease diagnostics, Moon brings speed and scalability to the genome interpretation process.

The software only requires the patient’s gender, age of onset and his/her symptoms – in addition to the genetic data. Moon then goes from whole genome variant data (VCF) to pinpointing the causal variant in less than 5 minutes.

The software highlights one or a few variants that could explain the patient’s phenotype. For every variant, Moon displays an extensive list of annotations that it mined from the literature, allowing geneticists to easily verify decisions from the AI algorithms. Moon’s speed does not only save a lot of time and money, it also saves lives: Moon has already proven its utility in the NICU at Rady Children’s Hospital (San Diego): https://goo.gl/7TDrQD.

Unfortunately, about 50% of rare disease patients remain undiagnosed, even after whole genome sequencing and expert interpretation. Most hospitals don’t have the resources to keep analyzing negative cases even though new correlations between genes and disorders are published every day. Moon changes all this: as the software autonomously mines the literature and analyses samples, it can reanalyze older, negative cases in the background. Only when new information that might lead to a diagnosis becomes available, the assigned geneticist is notified. That way, hospitals can frequently reanalyze thousands of cases with minimal labor, providing a perspective to undiagnosed patients.

Storage Infrastructure & Hardware

PetaGene
PetaSuite Cloud Edition – Version 1.2
petagene.com

Launching at Bio-IT World 2018, PetaSuite Cloud Edition (CE) combines two innovations: (i) the ability for a user’s software tools and pipelines to seamlessly integrate with a wide variety of cloud platforms without modification, and (ii) significantly improved, high-performance, scalable PetaSuite genomic compression technology. 

For example, users can now directly run, without modification, their custom BWA-mem, GATK, Python, Java, shell scripts, and other POSIX-based software/pipelines streaming directly to/from AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and private cloud storage, as though they were local filestores. PetaSuite CE supports each platform’s object encryption during transfer and at rest. User applications can connect to multiple cloud platforms, buckets and regions as desired, transparently, and on demand, in user-mode, without needing to modify their pipelines, setup mounts, or have administrator privileges.

Whether running on bare-metal, in VMs, or within Docker containers, for public, private or hybrid cloud, PetaSuite CE enables organizations to unlock the power of distributed object storage seamlessly from their POSIX-compliant tools and pipelines.

PetaSuite CE is built from the ground-up for the extremely high performance streaming and random-access workloads demanded by genomics applications. The integrated, transparent PetaGene compression has been significantly improved to deliver even faster compression and greater reductions of up to 6x of both BAM and FASTQ.GZ files, enabling large costs savings in cloud storage and data transfer times. Moreover, PetaGene compression can also preserve the MD5 checksum of the original BAM or FASTQ.GZ file and not just the internal raw SAM/FASTQ data.

The Judges’ Prize went to 

 Linguamatics and its iScite 2.0 (iscite.com) provide a Software-as-a-Service search application that puts the power of text analytics directly into scientists’ hands, according to the company writeup.

Using Linguamatics’ Award-winning Natural Language Processing
Researchers can extract and analyze relevant data to rapidly answer business-critical questions. iScite utilizes Linguamatics’ award-winning Natural Language  L(NLP) based blend of analytical methods. By understanding the semantics and structure of text, iScite handles the variety of ways people express the same information, ensuring searches are comprehensive and accurate.

Easy to use on any device
iScite’s intuitive HTML interface includes a simple search box and auto-complete suggestions. The innovative answer-routing engine lets users answer simple or complex questions using puzzle-piece building blocks – simplifying access to powerful queries that extract concepts, relationships, numerical data such as drug dosages, mutations and more.

Get answers to questions, not just documents
Data sources include Linguamatics’ cloud-hosted content. MEDLINE, Clinical Trials.gov, FDA Drug Labels, PubMed Central, and Patent Abstracts are annotated with curated terminologies for diseases, drugs, genes and organizations. Scientists can answer questions such as:

• What genes are involved in breast cancer?
• What protocol designs have been used for immuno-oncology trials?
• What are the adverse events for kinase inhibitors?

Actionable results
Results are presented in structured form, with bar chart facets for dynamic, visual results-filtering, a document viewer that highlights key terms and relationships, and relevant link-outs. Users can curate, save, and export their results.

iScite allows users across drug discovery and development to cut through the vast information landscape and discover the most valuable insights.

The People’s Choice award went to 

OnRamp BioInformatics, Inc. and itsROSALIND™ platform:  the first-ever genomics analysis platform specifically designed for life science researchers to  analyze and interpret datasets, while freeing up more time for bioinformaticians.

Named in honor of pioneering researcher Rosalind Franklin, who made a major contribution to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA with her famous photograph 51, OnRamp’s ROSALIND platform aims to simplify the practice of genomic data interpretation. According to the company’s writeup,  ROSALIND puts the researcher into the driver’s seat of data analysis and democratizes bioinformatics by broadly expanding access to genomic and proteomic technologies for cancer research, precision medicine and sustainable agriculture.

While many open-source tools remain the lifeline of genomic analysis, a simplified and innovative user experience for the biologist can empower them to run their own analyses, while utilizing these tools without the need for typing any command-line instructions.

ROSALIND is powered in partnership with Google Cloud and features scalable compute power and economical cloud-based storage. ROSALIND is a swarming docker-based genomic analysis solution incorporating the industry’s most trusted open-source tools and algorithms, with an angular front-end and secure RESTful API. ROSALIND is also deployable on-premise.

On Ramp technololgists believe that empowering biologists with “an intuitive and comprehensive platform” to explore their data and collaborate with colleagues and bioinformaticians, they  can help accelerate their industry and the widespread adoption of genomic technologies by dramatically lowering costs, reducing  complexity and, ultimately, focus more on what what to do with results, rather than on how to get to them.

In the words of Allison Profitt, BIO-IT World’s editor,” The awards program recognizes the best of the innovative product solutions for the life sciences industry on display at the conference,

“It’s always a treat to explore what’s new in our industry.

” The innovation on display by Bio-IT World exhibitors never disappoints, and we are excited to shine a spotlight on the best life sciences has to offer.”

Judges
“The Best of Show program relies on a panel of expert judges from academia and industry who screen eligible new products and hear presentations from a list of finalists on site. This year our judges considered 46 new products and viewed presentations on site from 18 finalists.”

The 2018 judging panel included Joe Cerro, BostonCIO; Chris Dwan, Bridgeplate; Richard Holland, New Forest Ventures; Eleanor Howe, Diamond Age Data Science; Phillips Kuhl, Cambridge Healthtech Institute; Steve Marshall, Marshall Data Solutions; Michael Miller, Genentech; Art Morales, Analgesic Solutions; Nanguneri Nirmala, Tufts University School of Medicine; Alexander Sherman, Massachusetts General Hospital; Subi Subramanian, Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Bill Van Etten, BioTeam; and Proffitt.

–Anita M. Harris
Anita Harris is a science writer based in Cambridge, MA. 
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Commmunications Group, also in Cambridge, ma.  

http://www.lacostegallery.com/

At the opening, Jeff Shapiro described his latest approaches.. After nine years in Japan, where he focused on wood-firing techniques and the “character of clay,” he moved to New York’s Hudson Valley, where for 30 years, he has created sculpture that may have “a sensibility to certain qualities of the Japanese aesthetic,. yet is a departure from both traditional Japanese pots.”  He thinks of his latest work as fine art:  that is, sculpture using clay as his medium.  One new series includes a solid-vertical form in black with a rough textured surface. In some cases, he treats the material like stone, waiting until the clay hardens so that he can carve and chisel it to expose its “inner quality.”  

deconstructed vessels; structural “cuboids; ”  and highly textured slabs which are fired in an electric kiln.

This is Shapiro’s fourth solo show at the Lacoste. It runs through May 26.

Ever wonder why people collect art?

You can find out at “Through the Eyes of a Collector,” an exhibit  opening Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018 and running through Feb. 28 at the Lacoste Gallery, in Concord, Ma.

AshwiniBhat Matrikas

The exhibit offers an insight into the art collecting practices of Steve Alpert, an avid ceramic art lover and collector for more than 40 years, according to  the Lacoste invitation.  Alpert has served on the board  of MFA Boston, as Board Chairman of the Institute for Contemporary Art, and was  founder and Chairman of Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University.

In this show, he  brings together a diverse group of artists whose work ranges from studio pottery to figurative and sculptural ceramic art.

 Gaden of Eartlhy DelightsThe artists include:Michael Ashley, Ashwini Bhat, Rick Hirsch, Jeff Kell, Eva Kwong, KyungMin Park and Jack Thompson.

The show, which runs through February 28,  represents Alpert’s vision.  Its goal is to inform new generations of ceramic art fans and collectors on how to begin an astute ceramic art portfolio.

Opening Reception with Artists: Saturday, February 3, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Panel Discussion: Ceramic Collecting for the New Generation,   Sunday February 4, 2:00 PM 

The exhibit, opening reception and panel discussion are free and open to the public but kindly RSVP for the panel discussion.

LACOSTE GALLERY
25 Main Street Concord,
MA 01742 978-369-0278
Email: info@lacostegallery.com
Web: www.lacostegallery.com 

–Anita Harris

Anita M.Harris is a writer, photographer, communications consultant and art lover based in Cambridge, MA.
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, a PR and content marketing firm, also in Cambridge.