BMB Weekly #26: June 30, 2023

 

Congratulations to the 2023 BMB Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) First Place Award Winners! Poster Presentation Student Presenter: Dayna Olson  Mentor: Josh Vermaas  Title: Lipid Specificity of the Drought Stress Signaling Protein PLAFP  Poster Presentation Student Presenter: Roksana Riddle  Mentors: Daniel Ducat, Michaela TerAvest, Masako Harada, Bjoern Hamberger  Title: Modifying Pseudomonas Syringae Phage as a Model for Plant Pathogen Biocontrol  Poster Presentation Student Presenter: Tuan "Kiet" Trinh  Mentor: Hyojin Kim  Title: Structural and Biochemical Analysis of SGT2-GET 4/5 Complex That Plays a Critical Role in Tail-Anchored Protein Biogenesis Poster Presentation Student Presenters: Sunyoung You, Sejla Sinanovic  Mentor: Jiying Ling  Title: FirstStep2Health: Effects on Reducing Parents' Perceived Stress and Improving Coping Poster Presentation Student Presenter: Ram Sanath Kumar  Mentors: Christopher Waters, Kaylee Wilburn  Title: Identifying CBASS Phage Defense Activation in Vibrio cholerae El Tor Oral Presentation Student Presenters: Michael Ngatio, Isabella Rodrigues  Mentor: Jinxing Li  Title: Application of Hydrogels to Treat Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism  Oral Presentation Student Presenter: Harrison Nabors  Mentor: Dohun Pyeon  Title: Characterization of CDKN2A/p76 as a Tumor-Specific Promoter

 

 

The speaker list for the Fall 2023 BMB Colloquium Series will be available soon.

 

Are you registered for the Postdoc Academy's course, "The Postdoc Academy: Building Skills for a Successful Career" through the edX platform? If so, Drs. Rique Campa and Tony Nunez from the Graduate School are hosting weekly Postdoc Academy Learning Sessions (PALS) to help all participants (e.g., postdocs, senior graduate students, early career faculty, etc) navigate the course and discuss course content with the goal of assisting participants complete the 7-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). No registration or fee is required.

Michael Nikolovski and Brendan Abiskaroon will talk about their research, plans for future research, and/or journal article of interest, with plenty of time for questions and answers. Please join us for pizza and drinks, and a chance to hear what your peers are up to. We will meet outside at the picnic tables in the garden, or BCH 208 if inclement weather.

This webinar is designed for Plan A Master’s students and all Doctoral students who intend to graduate this semester. During this workshop students will receive information regarding the following:

• How to format their thesis or dissertation correctly
• How to successfully submit their thesis or dissertation via ProQuest
• How to successfully submit required paperwork, complete their Graduate School degree requirements, and receive their diploma

Registration is required. Learn more here.

A teaching philosophy statement demonstrates your teaching beliefs, values, use of evidence-based teaching and assessment practices for effective instruction.

In this workshop, we will walk you through the process of recognizing your teaching values and collecting evidence of effective teaching. At the end of this session, you will have a working draft of your teaching statement, which will empower you to continue your efforts toward intentional and effective teaching. Learn more and register here.

Join us in the heart of Michigan, East Lansing for the 62nd annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA) at Michigan State University. The meeting will be held at the Kellogg Conference Center on July 16-20, 2023. This long-standing conference brings together researchers with interest in the chemistry and biochemistry of plant natural products, their Synthetic Biology and their effects on plant and animal physiology and pathology, and their agricultural, pharmacological, and industrial utilization. Learn more and register here. 

Many jobs, especially academic positions, ask students to submit a “diversity statement” with their application materials.

In this workshop, we will walk you through the process of recognizing your identities and positionality, and the role of DEI in your teaching, research, service, and community efforts. At the end of this session, you will have a working draft to tailor according to your respective needs and to continue your efforts toward DEI. Learn more and register here.

Recruiters from graduate programs are invited to attend the graduate recruitment fair at the Mid-Michigan Symposium for Undergraduate Research Experiences (Mid-SURE). Mid-SURE is an opportunity for undergraduates involved in research and creative activities to share their work with their peers, faculty, and external audiences. The recruitment fair will run concurrently with Mid-SURE presentations. Learn more and register here.

 

The Princeton Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts, an interdisciplinary group of scholars in the humanities and social sciences, invites applications for the 2024-27 fellowship competition. Four fellowships are to be awarded:

• Two or three Open Fellowships in any discipline represented in the Society
• One Fellowship in Humanistic Studies
• One Fellowship in Race and Ethnicity Studies

Learn more and apply here.

The STEAMpower Project is looking for graduate student fellows and faculty/staff-led teams that are interested in exploring the intersection of STEM and the arts/humanities. The theme for this year’s projects is sustainability. Graduate Fellows will earn $4,000 for participation during the academic year 2023-24, and Faculty/Staff-led Teams can access up to $20,000 for their interdisciplinary project over 2023-24. Learn more and apply here. 

 

Two PCR thermocyclers in working condition available for free. Contact Neil Bowlby (bowlby@msu.edu) for more information.

International graduate students for the upcoming Fall 2023 semester will need to complete various tasks and attend events prior to the start of the semester. A list of these action items can be found here.

Graduate students interested in volunteering this summer can apply to assist in the Stoneleigh Hospice House. Volunteer positions at Stoneleigh Residence include working with patients and families. There are also opportunities to help with non-patient care such as lawn and garden care, light housekeeping, maintenance, and other duties. Learn more and apply to volunteer here.

The ITA Program is currently scheduling advising appointments for international graduate teaching assistants interested in taking ITA support courses in Fall 2023. Learn more here.

To help field questions, Global Safety has developed a guide with recommended steps and resources. This is available as a PDF and on the Global Safety website at www.globalsafety.msu.edu/positive-COVID-19. The first step is to call ISOS for guidance.

 

The research associate will conduct research to determine the cryo-electron microscopic structure of a protein-DNA complex formed in the process of replication initiation using Escherichia coli as a model system. The individual will also obtain training in nucleic acid enzymology and molecular genetics. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

Research Associate, Fixed Term — Quinn Lab

This project involves study of the metabolome and microbiome of corals in Hawaii, USA during their response to thermal stress. The scholar will work on both live coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and controlled biochemical and microbiological studies of their symbiotic algae at MSU. The project involves complex analysis of metabolomics data coupled with molecular biology and genetic manipulation of culturable marine algae. Skills required for the position are broad and include mass spectrometry, microbiology, molecular biology and genetic techniques, as well as marine biology and field sampling experience. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

One research associate (post-doc) position is available in the lab of Dr. Tommy Vo. This research position is to develop new biochemical methods for high-throughput in vivo mapping of localized protein interactomes in the fission yeast S. pombe. The work will employ genetic, genomic, molecular, microscopic and biochemical approaches to understand how proteins engage with different complexes within the cell. Overall, the associate can expect to develop excellence in three key areas: research, mentoring, and scientific communication. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

Research Associate, Fixed Term — He Lab

The successful candidate will have a solid background in cellular/molecular biology and developmental biology. Experience in neurobiology, disease mouse models, mouse behavioral analysis, and/or high-throughput sequencing experiments and bioinformatics analyses are a plus. Duties include: maintain mouse colonies, perform mouse behavioral analysis, perform mouse genetic analysis, histological analysis, and molecular analysis, collect data and analyze data, and write manuscripts. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

 

Arias, C. L., García Navarrete, L. T., Mukundi, E., Swanson, T., Yang, F., Hernandez, J., Grotewold, E., & Alonso, A. P. (2023).
         Metabolic and transcriptomic study of pennycress natural variation identifies targets for oil improvement. Plant
         biotechnology journal, 10.1111/pbi.14101. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.14101

Dou, B., Zhu, Z., Merkurjev, E., Ke, L., Chen, L., Jiang, J., Zhu, Y., Liu, J., Zhang, B., & Wei, G. W. (2023). Machine Learning
         Methods for Small Data Challenges in Molecular Science. Chemical reviews, 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00189.
         Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00189

Khatri, K., O'Malley, A., Linn, C., Kowal, K., & Chruszcz, M. (2023). Role of Small Molecule Ligands in IgE-Mediated Allergy. 
         Current allergy and asthma reports, 10.1007/s11882-023-01100-2. Advance online publication.
         https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01100-2

Nault, R., Cave, M. C., Ludewig, G., Moseley, H. N. B., Pennell, K. G., & Zacharewski, T. (2023). A Case for Accelerating Standards
         to Achieve the FAIR Principles of Environmental Health Research Experimental Data. Environmental health perspectives, 
         131(6), 65001. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11484

Rivett, E. D., Addis, H. G., Dietz, J. V., Carroll-Deaton, J. A., Gupta, S., Foreman, K. L., Dang, M. A., Fox, J. L., Khalimonchuk,
         O., & Hegg, E. L. (2023). Evidence that the catalytic mechanism of heme a synthase involves the formation of a
         carbocation stabilized by a conserved glutamate. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics, 109665. Advance
         online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abb.2023.109665

Santos-Merino, M., & Ducat, D. C. (2023). Switching off the lights to illuminate a photosynthetic brake in cyanobacteria. Nature         
         metabolism, 10.1038/s42255-023-00827-6. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00827-6

 

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 56, No.26