2024 All-Biology Colloquium

May 6, 2024

The All-Biology Colloquium was held with great success on Friday, April 26, 2024. The Colloquium showcased undergraduate research occurring in the three Biology departments at UConn. Award winners were celebrated at a reception prior to the graduation ceremonies on May 5. Congratulations to these exceptional students!

Biology Director’s Award: Carrie Epstein (PNB) and Alana Grant (PNB)

CT State Museum of Natural History Award: Sila Inanoglu (EEB)

Excellence in Applied Genetics: Sindy Gorka (MCB)

Margaret Ertman Award: Olivia Bowes (MCB)

Outstanding Senior in EEB: Laurel Humphrey (EEB ) and Annaliese Seibel (EEB)

Outstanding Senior in PNB: Akshara Iyer (PNB)

Outstanding Senior in MCB: Emma Beard (MCB)

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.

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Greetings from Department Head Carolyn Teschke

April 13, 2024

Greetings Friends and Alumni:

Welcome to the 24/25 academic year! This Fall, we welcomed 16 new PhD students, 4 MS students, and 6 Professional MS students. All are settling into our classrooms and research labs. Our undergrad majors total ~500 and we are excited to announce the creation of a new MCB undergraduate scholarship for students majoring in MCB who demonstrate academic achievement and proven financial need. We are pleased to welcome two new faculty members to MCB Dylan Murray and Kristen Ramsey.

Our teaching mission continues to grow. This year UConn accepted its largest-ever incoming class of ~4500 first-year students. MCB majors now number ~550 and we contribute to the education of the greater than 1000 Biological Sciences students. We anticipate these numbers to continue to rise with the increased UConn enrollment. Many of our undergraduates participate in research and are awarded SURF funds to support their summer research.

In terms of research support, we continue to produce new grant proposals at a good rate, and as of July, these efforts have attracted additional major awards totaling more than $5.6 million and research expenditures of ~$7.5 million for FY24. Faculty continue to produce work that is translational, with several MCB research programs being supported by institutions and agencies working to transform our scientific discoveries into products, therapies, and diagnostics.

In this issue, we share the work of Ken Campellone who, along with undergraduates, is unlocking the secrets of aging in the new field of Geroscience. We are also excited to share recent research from the labs of Geo Santiago-Martinez and Rachel O’Neill. I am so proud of how hard our entire MCB community works to provide excellent educational opportunities for our students and the research each lab produces. This research enhances our understanding of our health and our world.

 

 

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.