Jonathan Gilbert is part of the effort to grow vegetables using the Flex Farm vertical farm, which has been operational since mid-September. He has recruited students who have shown interest in the vertical farm to help with the production and harvesting.

See article in the Stamford Advocate

In Memoriam: Dr. Hans Laufer, MCB Professor Emeritus, October 18, 1929 – August 17, 2024

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Dr. Hans Laufer.  Hans was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut since his retirement in 1997.

Hans completed his PhD at Cornell University, his Postdoctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and then became a member of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the UConn Storrs campus. During the summer months Hans conducted research as a Visiting Investigator at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole.

Hans’s main research was in the field of crustacean development and hormones.

He was a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Elected Fellow of the Royal Entomology Society of London. In 2010 was awarded an Honorary Membership of the International Society for Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, where he served as president and was a member since 1978, and editor of the society journal since 1998. 

 Hans was born in Silesia, Germany. In 1939, after Kristallnacht, he and his family immigrated to the United States. Hans gave several presentations on his experience during this time. He was married to Evelyn Green until her death in 2001. They had three children Jessica, Marc, and Leonard, and six grandchildren.

More about Hans and his family can be found on these websites

https://tbewellesley.org/hans-laufer/

http://www.isird.org/members/Laufer_honorary_ISIRD_member.pdf

In science, art and data are often indistinguishable. To showcase the beauty of the Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) Department's research and the creativity of its members, we held a Picturing MCB Image Competition! There were four categories: Microscopy, Cool Science, Data Visualization and MCB in Action. The winners were announced at the department's annual retreat. Thank you to all who participated! The winning photos can be seen here

Wife of former MCB colleague Tony Romano and co-founder of the MCB Antonio H. & Marjorie J. Romano Graduate Education Fellowship Jean Romano passed away on August 8, 2024. Obituary for Marjorie Romano. 

The Annual MCB Department Retreat was held on 8/22/24 at the beautiful UConn Avery Point campus. Highlights include the presentation of MCB Summer Fellowship Awards, Research talks by new faculty members Dylan Murray and Kristen Ramsey, a Poster Session, food trucks, a lively trivia game, and announcement of the first annual MCB image competition winners.

See photos of the event!

MCB is excited to introduce our two newest faculty members, Dylan Murray and Kristin Ramsey.

Dylan Murray joins the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology as an assistant professor. Murray earned his doctorate degree in molecular biophysics from Florida State University and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health. Murray’s research interest focuses on how microscopic molecules like proteins and DNA in humans and plants collectively produce much larger phenomena required to maintain life. His work has broad applications from fighting neurodegenerative disease and cancer to engineering plants to produce petrochemicals or to survive drought.
Read more about Dr. Murray - A Cool Spin on Large Biomolecular Complexes

Kristen Ramsey joins the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology as an assistant professor. She received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Florida State University as a Goldwater Scholar and her doctoral degree at the University of California, San Diego in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Ramsey previously served as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University. Her research is focused on integrating molecular biophysical approaches with cell-based functional assays to further understand the fundamental biology of pathogen-sensing and signaling by innate immune RNA sensors from humans, birds, and scavenger species.

We’re all getting older. But more Americans are old now than ever before—and that’s both a strain on the medical system and a scientific opportunity. University of Connecticut undergraduates can now study the biology of aging through a new program offered by the Institute for Systems Genomics and Department of Molecular & Cell Biology. See full article in UConn Today