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Abstract Junior faculty mentoring committees have important roles in ensuring that faculty thrive and adjust to their new positions and institutions. Here, we describe the purpose, structure, and benefits of junior faculty mentoring committees, which can be a powerful tool for early‐career academic investigators in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM) fields. There is a paucity of information about what mentoring committees are, how to use them effectively, what areas they should evaluate, and how they can most successfully help junior faculty progress in their careers. This work offers guidance for both junior faculty mentees and mentoring committee members on how to best structure and utilize mentoring committees to promote junior faculty success. A better understanding of the intricacies of the mentoring committee will allow junior faculty members to self‐advocate and will equip committee mentors with tools to ensure that junior faculty are successful in thriving in academia. 

Abstract Qualifying exams and thesis committees are crucial components of a PhD candidate's journey. However, many candidates have trouble navigating these milestones and knowing what to expect. This article provides advice on meeting the requirements of the qualifying exam, understanding its format and components, choosing effective preparation strategies, retaking the qualifying exam, if necessary, and selecting a thesis committee, all while maintaining one's mental health. This comprehensive guide addresses components of the graduate school process that are often neglected. 

ABSTRACT The field of developmental biology has declined in prominence in recent decades, with off-shoots from the field becoming more fashionable and highly funded. This has created inequity in discovery and opportunity, partly due to the perception that the field is antiquated or not cutting edge. A ‘think tank’ of scientists from multiple developmental biology-related disciplines came together to define specific challenges in the field that may have inhibited innovation, and to provide tangible solutions to some of the issues facing developmental biology. The community suggestions include a call to the community to help ‘rebrand’ the field, alongside proposals for additional funding apparatuses, frameworks for interdisciplinary innovative collaborations, pedagogical access, improved science communication, increased diversity and inclusion, and equity of resources to provide maximal impact to the community. 

Vertebrate development is regulated by several complex well-characterized morphogen signaling pathways, transcription factors, and structural proteins, but less is known about the enzymatic pathways that regulate early development. We have identified that factors from the inflammation-mediating cyclooxygenase (COX) signaling pathway are expressed at early stages of development in avian embryos. Using Gallus gallus (chicken) as a research model, we characterized the spatiotemporal expression of a subset of genes and proteins in the COX pathway during early neural development stages. Specifically, here we show expression patterns of COX-1, COX-2, and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-2 (mPGES-2) as well as the genes encoding these enzymes (PTGS1, PTGS2, and PTGES-2). Unique expression patterns of individual players within the COX pathway suggest that they may play non-canonical/non-traditional roles in the embryo compared to their roles in the adult. Future work should examine the function of the COX pathway in tissue specification and morphogenesis and determine if these expression patterns are conserved across species. 

The choice of fixation method significantly impacts tissue morphology and visualization of gene expression and proteins after in situ hybridization chain reaction (HCR) or immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. In this study, we compared the effects of paraformaldehyde (PFA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCA) fixation techniques prior to HCR and IHC on chicken embryos. Our findings underscore the importance of optimizing fixation methods for accurate visualization and subsequent interpretation of HCR and IHC results, with implications for probe and antibody validation and tissue-specific protein localization studies. We found that TCA fixation resulted in larger and more circular nuclei and neural tubes compared to PFA fixation. Additionally, TCA fixation altered the subcellular fluorescence signal intensity of various proteins, including transcription factors, cytoskeletal proteins, and cadherins. Notably, TCA fixation revealed protein signals in tissues that may be inaccessible with PFA fixation. In contrast, TCA fixation proved ineffective for mRNA visualization. These results highlight the need for optimization of fixation protocols depending on the target and model system, emphasizing the importance of methodological considerations in biological analyses. 

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a class of analgesics that inhibit the activity of cyclooxygenase isoenzymes, which drive tissue inflammation pathways. Caution should be exercised when taking these drugs during pregnancy as they increase the risk of developmental defects. Due to the high rates of NSAID use by individuals, possibilities for in utero exposure to NSAIDs are high, and it is vital that we define the potential risks these drugs pose during embryonic development. In this review, we characterize the identified roles of the cyclooxygenase signaling pathway components throughout pregnancy and discuss the effects of cyclooxygenase pathway perturbation on developmental outcomes. 

ABSTRACT Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a dynamic, multipotent, vertebrate-specific population of embryonic stem cells. These ectodermally-derived cells contribute to diverse tissue types in developing embryos including craniofacial bone and cartilage, the peripheral and enteric nervous systems and pigment cells, among a host of other cell types. Due to their contribution to a significant number of adult tissue types, the mechanisms that drive their formation, migration and differentiation are highly studied. NCCs have a unique ability to transition from tightly adherent epithelial cells to mesenchymal and migratory cells by altering their polarity, expression of cell-cell adhesion molecules and gaining invasive abilities. In this Review, we discuss classical and emerging factors driving NCC epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and migration, highlighting the role of signaling and transcription factors, as well as novel modifying factors including chromatin remodelers, small RNAs and post-translational regulators, which control the availability and longevity of major NCC players.