Dr. Tara McAllister, Research Fellow, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Host: Dr. Kat Milligan-McClellan

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 3:30 PM, BPB 130

“Formidable Phormidium: toxic cyanobacteria in New Zealand rivers”

Dr. Janko Gospocic, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Host: Jelena Erceg

“Hormones and High Society: Control of Caste Identity in Ants”

Summary: Social insects are exceptional model organisms to study how epigenetic factors and gene regulation modulate neuronal circuitry resulting in specific social behaviors, in particular because very similar genetic backgrounds can give rise to distinct castes. The Indian jumping ant (Harpegnathos saltator) has the unique ability to change caste throughout adulthood depending on the social context within the colony. Analysis of brain transcriptomes during the transition revealed that neuropeptide corazonin and steroid signaling are major regulators of caste identity and behavior in social insects.

The Annual MCB Department Retreat was held on 8/24/23. In the morning, Department Head Carol Teschke announced the 2023 Summer Fellowship Awards followed by Research Lightning Talks from MCB Assistant Professors Erceg, Hanlon, Heaslip, Milligan-McClellan and Santiago-Martinez.
A poster session was held with 21 labs represented.
Food trucks provided delicious lunch options and the day finished with a lively trivia competition. See photos here!

Josette Nammour (Robinson Lab) won an award for her poster entitled Altered Guanine Nucleotide Binding by the Bacterial Translation Factor BipA Negates Actin Pedestal Formation by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.

Corey Theodore (Campellone Lab) won an award for his poster entitled Cytoskeletal requirements for maintaining lysosomal integrity during autophagy.

Both poster awards were sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The FASEB Conference, The Microbial Pathogenesis Conference: Mechanisms of Infectious Disease was held July 9-13 in Southbridge, MA

The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) presented MCB Assistant Research Professor and MCB PhD Alumna, Sara McAnulty with their 2023 Public Service Award. The Public Service award honors national leadership and outstanding public service in support of biomedical research or advocacy of sound research policies. McAnulty is the Executive Director for the non-profit organization, Skype A Scientist

The Graduate School offers a Conference Participation Award (previously known as the Doctoral Student Travel Award) to support a student’s ability to present their research at national or international meetings and conferences, including both in-person and virtual events. Yutian Feng, Katelyn DeNegre and Alyssa Coulter each received an award that will be used for participation in a conference at which the student is presenting their research.

A team led by environmental microbiologist Jonathan Klassen at the University of Connecticut and natural products chemist Marcy Balunas at the University of Michigan has found that the ants sniff out diseased fungus by detecting chemicals called peptaibols. See full story in UConn Today

The MCB department is proud to announce that Danielle Arsenault and Brenden Griffith have been named the 2022-2023 Outstanding MCB TAs in recognition of their outstanding contributions, professional dedication to inspiring student learning and commitment to education.

Please join us in congratulating Danielle and Brenden on their notable accomplishments!

The recent retirement of Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology David Knecht might suggest the end of an era in MCB.  David joined our department in 1987 after undergraduate studies and a major in chemistry at Oberlin College, doctoral work in cell biology at the University of Wisconsin/Madison, and postdoctoral work on the molecular and cell biology of development at the University of California/San Diego.  He has been an active and extremely vocal member of the department for the entirety of the ensuing 35 years.  During that time, he made seminal contributions to both the immediate departmental environment, the University at large and the wider scientific community.  He has provided a constant source of expertise in microscopy, molecular biology and developmental biology, has served as Co-head of the Flow Cytometry and Confocal microscopy Facilities in the Biotechnology Center, headed the Cell and Developmental Biology Area of concentration, and led the departmental Courses and Curriculum Committee, to name but a few of his contributions.  His scholarly productivity has been quite high, with significant grant support over the decades from NIH, ACS, and NSF, and his work has resulted in nearly 100 scientific publications and a patent.  David’s overall role in the UCONN scientific community was recognized in 2019 with the UConn CLAS Faculty Research Excellence Award in the Life and Behavioral Sciences.  Despite his well-known penchant for asking the “hard questions”, David has been a sought-after mentor and graduate committee member, both for his own research in the molecular mechanisms of cell motility, and for his legendary expertise in many different forms of high-end microscopy.  This role as mentor has been recognized by the University with the 2022 Marth Award, which celebrates a faculty member for outstanding leadership and dedication to excellence in mentoring graduate students.

As an invaluable colleague and collaborator who was always willing to share his expertise, engage in vigorous debate on the relative merits of a scientific approach, the interpretation of novel data, or just about anything else, he will be missed in the everyday rush of MCB activities.  But he no doubt will be equally busy as he steps into his new role as Rear Commodore for Racing at the Thames Yacht Club, and we expect that he will continue the tradition of excellence and community that he has fostered within MCB.

Stephanie Schofield ’23 (CLAS) earned her UConn undergraduate degree in molecular and cell biology with a minor in psychological sciences. She will perform research in Heidelberg, Germany, and work with Magdalena Laugsch of the Heidelberg Institute for Human Genetics. She and Laugsch will study 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. See full article in UConn Today