MCB Major Paxton Tomko ’24 Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

May 2, 2024

Paxton Tomko ’24 is a molecular and cell biology major and her faculty mentor is Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology/Microbiology Geo Santiago-Martínez. In the fall, she will be starting a master’s in oceanography at UConn Avery Point, working with Professor of Marine Sciences Pieter Visscher. Tomko’s research interests are in geobiology and astrobiology and is interested in stromatolites as biosignatures and the role that methanogens play in microbial mats.

Learn more about NSF-GRFP and UConn's recipients

MCB Undergrads Receive 2024 SURF Awards

2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Awards have been announced. Of the 50 recipients, 13 are Molecular and Cell Biology majors! These students were selected from a strong group of applicants representing diverse areas of academic inquiry.
Congratulations to

Keertana Chagari ’25 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Reproducible Bioinformatic Workflows to Produce Diploid Phased Eukaryotic Genome Assemblies Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jill Wegrzyn, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Peter Fatzinger ’26 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Dynamic Changes in Chromosome Territories During Early Drosophila Embryogenesis Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jelena Erceg, Molecular and Cell Biology

Ryan Frier ’25 (Molecular and Cell Biology & Statistics, CLAS) Project Title: Investigating the Role of Actin Nucleation Factors in Mitosis Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kenneth Campellone, Molecular and Cell Biology

Suheera Haq ’26 (Molecular and Cell Biology & Individualized Major, CLAS) Project Title: Assessing the Role of BRD4 in Chlorine-Induced Lung Injury and Inflammation Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ley Smith, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Anthony He ’26 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Assembly and Annotation of a Chromosome-Scale Reference Genome for the Golden Conure (Guaruba guarouba) Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jill Wegrzyn, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Emmanuel Hernandez ’25 (Molecular and Cell Biology & Physiology and Neurobiology, CLAS) Project Title: How The Effects of a Forest Fire Change Ant and Fungus Microbiomes Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Klassen, Molecular and Cell Biology

Ruiwen Lin ’25 (Molecular and Cell Biology & Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Exploring Hybridization in Lungless Salamanders Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hunmin Jung, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Nora Lippai ’26 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Viral-Induced Readthrough Transcription: Characterizing Viral Tactics to Impede Transcription Termination Faculty Mentor: Dr. Leighton Core, Molecular and Cell Biology

Kira O'Brien, Dec. ’24 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Investigating Bacterial Glycan Utilization in the Reproductive Organ of Euprymna scolopes Using Metagenomic and Cell Culture Approaches Faculty Mentor: Dr. Spencer Nyholm, Molecular and Cell Biology

Bianca Planeta ’25 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Investigating the Role of ORF1 in the Transposition of the Centromere-Enriched Retroelement G2/Jockey-3 Faculty Mentor: Dr. Barbara Mellone, Molecular and Cell Biology

Arianna Roach ’25 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: Exploring Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance: Examining Loss of Imprint in F1 Hybrid Female Mice Due to X Chromosome Epimutation Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rachel O'Neill, Molecular and Cell Biology

Annette St. Jacques ’26 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: The Effect of Maternal Age on B Chromosome Transmission in Drosophila melanogaster Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stacey Hanlon, Molecular and Cell Biology

Victoria Yi ’25 (Molecular and Cell Biology, CLAS) Project Title: The Basic Structure of Myosin F Needed for Intracellular Survival of Toxoplasma Gondii Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aoife Heaslip, Molecular and Cell Biology

See the list of all the recipients

MCB Grad Student Appreciation Week

April 10, 2024

On Monday, 4/8, the MCB Department celebrated UConn's Grad Appreciation Week with Dairy Bar ice cream! It was a beautiful day to be outside and enjoy each other's company along with the ice cream. Thank you MCB Graduate students for all you do!

2024 Grad Appreciation Ice Cream Social

MCB DEI Seminar and Workshop with B. Chad Starks a Success

April 8, 2024

The MCB DEI Committee recently welcomed Dr. B. Chad Starks, CEO and Founder of BCS & Associates for a special seminar and workshop. Dr. B. Chad Starks is a writer, speaker, and educator with over 20 years of experience working with universities, research institutions, and organizations to provide training on issues of social justice and equity.

The seminar, entitled Be The Messenger of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Within and Beyond the University of Connecticut Community was held on 4/2 as part of the department’s regular Seminar Series and was received by a large audience.

As a follow-up to the lecture, Dr. Starks held an interactive workshop on Wednesday 4/3, introducing his “Be the Messenger” theoretical framework which examines four major constructs - Identity, Culture, Diversity, and Respect - essential to self-development, understanding bias, implicit bias, and privilege, and cultivating a deep appreciation of diversity and inclusion.

MCB DEI Seminar and Workshop 4/2-4/3/2024

Goldhamer Lab Receives Grant from Alexion Pharmaceuticals

April 2, 2024

Dr. David Goldhamer and Alexion Pharmaceuticals have established a collaborative research agreement under the company’s Discovery Partnerships Program to investigate mechanisms of impaired regeneration in models of muscle degenerative disease.

2024 MCB Summer Fellowship Awards

April 1, 2024

The UConn Department of Molecular and Cell Biology is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 graduate and undergraduate student summer fellowships. These distinguished fellowships are made possible by some very generous donors and are offered on a competitive basis to the most highly qualified students. Congratulations to all the awardees!

Claire M. Berg Graduate Fellowship in Genetics
Danielle Arsenault
Katelyn DeNegre
Samantha Peterson

 Arthur Chovnick Graduate Fellowship in Genetics
Michelle Neitzey 

Richard C. Crain, Jr. Memorial Fellowship
Ashley Reed
Richard Whitehead

 Cross-Disciplinary Fellowship in MCB and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Michael Griffith

 Dr. Edward A. and Dr. Lamia H. Khairallah Graduate Fellowship
Josette Nammour (MCB)
Michael Samulevich (Pharm)
Aniket Wahane (Pharm)
Hangyu (Isabella) Wu (Pharm)

 Jean Lucas-Lenard Special Summer Fellowship in Molecular Cell Biology
Trevor Hunter

 Jean Lucas-Lenard Special Summer Fellowship in Biochemistry
Camille Pearce
Morgan Wagner

 Philip I. Marcus Graduate Student Fellowship in Virology
Ian Barron

 Pfizer Summer Fellowship in Molecular and Cell Biology
Alyssa Coulter
Daniel Phillips
Kaylah Samuelson

 Antonio H. & Marjorie J. Romano Graduate Education Fellowship
Sarah Pasqualetti
Caroline Vieira Da Silva

 Todd M. Schuster Award in Molecular and Cell Biology
Jolie Atwood
Ryan Frier

 Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Fellowship
Giancarlo Montovano
Nadine Lebek
Sophia Gosselin
Jacob Kellermeier

MCB DEI Committee Presents Special Seminar and Workshop

March 19, 2024

The MCB DEI committee invites you to attend and participate in a Keynote lecture on April 2 at 3:30 PM in BPB131 and Workshop April 3 at 10 AM in ESB 121. Our speaker is Dr. B. Chad Starks, Founder and CEO of BCS Associates. Dr. B. Chad Starks is a writer, speaker, and educator with over 20 years of experience working with universities, research institutions, and organizations to provide training on issues of social justice and equity. To learn more about the seminar and workshop, please see mcb website.

MCB Student Cassandra Correa Chosen for 2024 Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program

February 22, 2024

Cassandra Correa (Lynes Laboratory) has been chosen for the 2024 Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program (https://www.jax.org/education-and-learning/high-school-students-and-undergraduates/learn-earn-and-explore), and will be working with Dr. Julia Oh, of the Center for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, CT.  Dr. Oh’s work is focused on the development of microbiome therapeutics to treat human disease.

MCB Graduate Stephanie Schofield, (’23 CLAS), Among Ten UConn Fulbright Recipients for 2023-24

February 20, 2024

UConn had 10 students named to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in 2023-24, a record-setting number for the school.

Stephanie Schofield
Stephanie Schofield ’23 (CLAS) of Shelton, is spending the 2023-24 year at the Institute of Human Genetics at Heidelberg University on a Fulbright research award. (Contributed photo)

Among the recipients is Stephanie Schofield ('23 CLAS). Stephanie earned her UConn undergraduate degree in molecular and cell biology with a minor in psychological sciences. She is spending 2023-24 at the Institute of Human Genetics at Heidelberg University, working with Magdalena Laugsch of the Heidelberg Institute for Human Genetics. She and Laugsch are studying the genetics behind hereditary neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on early embryonic human neural crest cell development. Schofield is planning to pursue a career in genetic counseling.

“Contributing to groundbreaking research while connecting and working with people from all over the world has been a highlight of my Fulbright experience,” says Schofield.  “Living abroad has revolutionized my view of the world around me. Heidelberg has very quickly become my second home, full of wonderful new friends, colleagues, and the most beautiful castle I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting.”

The University of Connecticut has been recognized among the top producers of Fulbright U.S. Student Program award recipients for the first time in school history. These results are from U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and were featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education on Tuesday, Feb. 13.