2019-2020 Series
Fall term 2019
Departmental Seminar Series
Thursdays, 12:30-1:45 PM, Regents 239
The Department invites scholars in Biology to present their research on most Thursdays throughout the academic year. The seminars are followed by a Q&A session.
Fall 2019 Speakers:
September 12, 2019
Dr. Sarah Gaffen, Gerald P. Rodnan Endowed Chair, Professor of Rheumatology
University of Pitt
“Oh to be Seventeen Again: IL-17 Signaling in Infection and Autoimmunity”
Hosted by: Steven Singer
September 26, 2019
Dr. Luke Berchowitz, Assistant Professor of Genetics & Development
Columbia University
“Meiosis-Specific Translational Repression of Retrotransposon mRNA”
Hosted by: Dr. Mark Rose
October 10, 2019
Dr. Leslie Ries, Assistant Professor, (Department of Biology)
Georgetown University
“Understanding and predicting ecological responses to a changing global environment”
October 17, 2019
Dr. Paolo Forni, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
University at Albany
“Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Cell Fate Determination, Connectivity, and Migration of GnRH-1 and Vomeronasal Neurons”
Hosted by: Dr. Thomas Coate
October 24, 2019
Dr. Elise Zipkin, Assistant Professor
Michigan State University
“Synthesizing multiple data sources with integrated modeling: a case study with monarch butterflies”
Hosted by: Dr. Leslie Ries
November 7, 2019
Dr. Meera Sundaram, Professor of Genetics
University of Penn School of Medicine
“Building and shaping tiny tubes”
Hosted by: Dr. Mark Rose
November 14, 2019
Dr. Gregory Ragland, Assistant Professor (Department of Integrative Biology)
University of Colorado Denver
“Polygenes, genetic correlations, and diverse physiological processes shape adaptations to seasonality and temperature in insects”
Hosted by: Dr. Peter Armbruster
November 21, 2019
Dr. Gisela Therese Storz, Deputy Chief of the Cell Biology and Metabolism Program of NICHD (Department of Integrative Biology)
Intramural Research Program
“The hidden secrets of small genes.”
Hosted by: Dr. Martha Weiss
December 12, 2019
Dr. Guy Tanetzapf
Assistant Professor (Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
The University of British Columbia
“Coordination of Stem Cell Behavior in Time and Space Through Cell Junctions
Hosted by: Dr. Jeffrey Huang
Spring term 2020
Departmental Seminar Series
Thursdays, 12:30-1:30 PM, Regents 239
The Department invites scholars in Biology to present their research on most Thursdays throughout the academic year. The seminars are followed by a Q&A session.
Spring 2020 Speakers:
January 23, 2020
Dr. Julie Wolf, Plant Physiologist Plant Physiologist, USDA ARS Adaptive Cropping Systems Lab
U.S. Department of Agriculture
“Agriculture, climate change, and the global carbon cycle, or why a plant biologist was invited to Japan to talk about livestock poop to the IPCC.”
Hosted by: Dr. Gina Wimp
January 30, 2020
Dr. Jeff Urbach, Professor, Chair, and Interdisciplinary Chair in Science; Department of Physics
“Biophysics of axon growth and guidance: Rigidity sensing, force generation, and tension dynamics.” Hosted by: Heidi Elmendorf
February 6, 2020
Dr. Mustafa Khokha, Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Critical Care) and of Genetics
Yale University
“Surprising discoveries from patients with Congenital Heart Disease: potassium channels, membrane potential, and pluripotency.”
Hosted by: Dr. Elena Silva
February 20, 2020
Dr. Orna Cohen, Senior Investigator and Section Chief, NIDDK, NIH
“How to parental genomes mix after fertilization? Lessons from C. elegans.”
Hosted by GU Graduate Students
February 27, 2020
Dr. Seema Lakdawala, Assistant Professor
University of Pittsburgh
“Exploring Diverse Factors that Influence Airborne Transmission of Influenza Viruses.”
Hosted by: Dr. Shweta Bansal
March 5, 2020
Dr. Emily Minor, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
The University of Illinois at Chicago
“Effects of socioeconomics and neighbor mimicry on vegetation and biodiversity in residential neighborhoods.”
Hosted by: GU Graduate students
March 26, 2020
Dr. Malcolm Winkler, Professor (Department of Biology)
Indiana University Bloomington
Dynamics and Regulation of Peptidoglycan Cell Wall Synthesis in the Superbug
Hosted by: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade.
*Note: Cancelled due to COVID-19
April 2, 2020
Dr. Cameron Currie, Ira L. Baldwin Professor of Bacteriology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hosted by: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade
*Note: Cancelled due to COVID-19
April 16, 2020
Dr. Amy Savage, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, International Accelerator Program.
American University
Hosted by: Mun Chun Chan
*Note: Cancelled due to COVID-19
April 23, 2020
Dr. Megan Fritz, Assistant Professor, department of Entomology
University of Maryland
“Genome architectural shifts associated with human-imposed selection in agriculturally and medically important insects.”
Hosted by: Leslie Ries
*Note: Due to the COVID-19 situation, the seminar will be in a virtual platform (on Zoom)
Summer term 2020
During the summer semester, there are no Departmental Seminars; however we will announce special seminars.