Professors, graduate assistants and support staff have made significant adjustments to courses, preparing multiple lesson plans to meet the needs of in-person and distance learners.

Story in UConn Today

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has awarded David Goldhamer, Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology a $2.2 million, 5-year award to study Satellite cells. Satellite cells are responsible for the marked regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle. Although these stem cells were discovered more than 50 years ago, the molecular mechanisms that program satellite cells for muscle differentiation are incompletely understood. Using unique mouse lines and strategies, the proposed studies will determine the functions of two key myogenic regulatory proteins (MyoD and Myf5) in satellite cell development, myogenic programming and differentiation.

View complete abstract

Samantha Holmes (M.S. Applied Genomics) and Courtney Gunter (M.S. Microbial Systems Analysis), have been published in the PSM Alumni and Graduation Chronicle, 2020 Issue. See their profiles in the 2020 PSM Chronicle

Spencer Nyholm is part of a team that received a $550,000 award from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to develop new tools to study symbiotic relationships in the Hawaiian bobtail squid.

The award is part of the Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative and is investing $19 million over the next three years to support 42 teams of scientists to advance model systems in aquatic symbiosis. Marcy Balunas from UConn Pharmaceutical Sciences is also a Co-PI on the grant.

Learn more about the Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative

James Cole and Rachel O'Neill among five UConn researchers awarded internal funding to support researchers who are using their expertise to find new solutions to address the Covid-10 pandemic The program will award up to $50,000 to recipients.

Dr. James Cole received $43,439, Targeting the Endoribonuclease of Coronaviruses, Co-PIs: Mark Peczuh, Chemistry

Dr. Rachel O'Neill was awarded $50,000, Rapid and Ultrasensitive SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Wastewater by Smartphone
Co-PIs: Maroun Sfeir, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

See full article in UConn Today

David R. Benson, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology, retired on June 1 after more than 40 years at UConn. Dr. Benson’s distinguished career includes service as Head of the Molecular and Cell Biology Department from 2007-2012. During that time, he oversaw the expansion of the department personnel, doubled undergraduate course enrollment, built administrative protocols and brought national visibility to MCB, and increased graduate student recruitment. Dr. Benson’s guidance encouraged department members to participate in public and community outreach thereby highlighting awareness of the department.

Friend and colleague, Dr. Peter Gogarten describes Benson as “an encouraging mentor, advisor and co-advisor, an effective cheerleader for students, colleagues, and the department.” As colleagues mutually interested in the use of anciently duplicated genes in unraveling the early history of life, Gogarten says, “Our collaborations on the comparative genomics of Frankia strains, transposable elements, and the secretome of Frankia grown under different conditions launched several students onto successful scientific careers.”

Dr. Benson received his doctoral degree from Rutgers University in Microbiology and Biochemistry and did postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in biochemistry before coming to UConn in 1980. Benson's research and teaching expertise are in the Microbial genomics, microbial biogeography and ecology, physiology and molecular biology of bacteria, symbiosis, psychrophile evolution, food microbiology, bio-security He is particularly interested in genomic and biochemical characteristics that align with the distribution of microorganisms in environments.

Dr. Benson served as a Jefferson Science Fellow to the U.S. Department of State from 2012-2017. As a Jefferson Fellow, he served as a Senior Science Advisor to the Biological Policy Staff in the Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation. In addition, he is a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Academy of Microbiology and was twice elected as the Chair and Councilor of the General Microbiology Division of the American Society for Microbiology and has served on the Editorial Board of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. He has been elected to the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences and served as visiting professor at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.

Dr. Michael Lynes, professor and current head of the Molecular and Cell Biology Department said, “I celebrate David’s career – for his achievements and the investments he made in other faculty and their success, his contributions to the scientific community in MCB, his teaching of content critical to our students, and for his role as a thoughtful and cheerful colleague.” Dr. Benson has been appointed by the UConn Board of Trustees as Professor Emeritus, Molecular and Cell Biology.