Dr. Victoria Jeffers, Assistant Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire

Host: Aoife Heaslip

Placing a BET on bromodomains in Toxoplasma gondii

Dr. Binyam Mogessie,

Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale

Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale

Wellcome Trust and Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellow

Host: Barbara Mellone

“Emerging mechanisms of chromosome segregation in mammalian eggs”

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!