BMB Weekly #36: September 8, 2023

 

Welcome Olorunseun Ogunwobi! BMB welcomes Olorunseun "Seun" Ogunwobi as Chairperson.

 

 

Robert Quinn from Michigan State University will be presenting "Metabolites from the microbiome during health and disease"

To join us on Zoom, click this link. Password: bmbseminar

The Fall BMB Seminar Series will run through December 7, 2023. The complete schedule is available on the BMB Fall Seminar Series website. If you are interested in meeting with any of these speakers please email Leslie Williams, glady@msu.edu. Many speakers are planning to visit in-person. A zoom option will continue to be offered for all seminars.

 

Join us for MPS speaker Stuart McDaniel from University of Florida. The seminar will be held at 4:00 p.m. in MPS room 1200.

Stuart’s talk is titled “The UV sex chromosomes of Ceratodon and Marchantia: windows into the evolution of sexual development in land plants”. We would like to invite graduate students and postdocs to join the speaker for a lunch and discussion. Lunch will be provided at 12:00 p.m. in PLB 168. This is a great opportunity to meet our outside speaker in an informal environment. If you would like to participate in the luncheon, please RSVP to Keri Morris (morrisk@msu.edu) with any dietary restrictions by Friday September 8, 2023 at noon. All students and post docs who are interested in this week’s seminar topic are welcome to attend. You do not need to be in the MPS program or affiliated with an MPS faculty member.

Recent Functional Updates to the RECR page in SIS have gone into effect. During this webinar, the Graduate School’s SIS team will present information on the RECR page updates, basic RECR requirements, how students should fulfill the requirements, and staff responsibilities regarding RECR. Attendees of these trainings will have the opportunity to join drop-in sessions on September 14 and September 21, respectively. Learn more and register here.

The MSU AGEP Program is conducting a workshop series that will present NSF GRFP program information and provide structured practice to create competitive GRFP application. Students will participate in a 5-part series that will include an overview of the GRFP and application process, first-hand advice from GRFP reviewers and recent awardees, and two interactive sessions to review and revise their application documents. Learn more and register here.

Join the Womxn of Color Initiative as we demystify the comprehensive exam process. In the first part of a two-part series, attendees can expect to learn about how to prepare for comprehensive exams via their reading lists as well as how to write their comprehensive exams. Attendees will hear from graduate students and faculty from the College of Social Science, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Arts and Letters, and the College of Education. Learn more and register here.

The PEER (Promoting Education & Emotional Resilience) Program seeks to empower students to learn about their mental health and develop positive coping skills. This 6-week workshop will help students develop resiliency skills derived from evidenced-based practices such as Mindfulness, ACT, CBT, DBT, and Resiliency training in collaboration with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) and Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS). PEER participants will also have a dedicated practical application support group for deeper discussion and community building. Graduate and undergraduate students welcome! Learn more and register here.

Registration is now open for the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning’s fall programming. The courses, workshops, and events cover a range of topics in teaching and learning in the college classroom: accessibility, evidence-based teaching fundamentals, academic professional development, teaching development for postdocs, science communication, and teaching-as-research. Learn more and register here.

 

This endowed award program seeks to advance the work of an MSU graduate student whose research has the potential to contribute to economic and scientific improvements in society, with a promise of practical applications that benefit U.S. economic interests. Applicants must be graduate students in good standing who have successfully completed their preliminary exam, have a track record of research accomplishment, and a project that is ripe for translation to impact through a commercialization/dissemination pathway. One prize in the amount of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) will be awarded annually. Learn more and apply here.

The Shari VanDelinder Endowed Fellowship has been established to further research and knowledge in the areas of autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or Alzheimer's. Recipients shall be pursuing a graduate degree at Michigan State University with an area of study/research in autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or Alzheimer's. Learn more and apply here.

This fellowship is awarded in honor of Dr. Karen Klomparens, Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost for Graduate Education at MSU from 1997 until 2014, in honor of her unwavering commitment to graduate education. Applicants should be enrolled in masters or doctoral programs at MSU in any discipline including professional degree programs. Learn more and apply here.

 

BoT is a monthly community outreach event during which two scientists give 15–20-minute non-technical talks on topics in biology to the public at a local pub. In addition to engaging in the presentations, the audience can participate in trivia related to the talks for a chance to win prizes! 2023-2024 BoT will be held at Michigan Wildlife Conservancy's Wildlife Pub on the first Thursday of each month at 7 PM, starting in October. That said, we are currently looking for speakers! Talks can be about any topic in biology that interests you and we will work to pair speakers together under a common theme. Scientists at any stage in their career are encouraged to speak. Learn more and register here.

BioRender is a cutting-edge, scientific graphic software designed to revolutionize the way the scholars communicate their research findings. Many faculty and students across the MSU research community are already using this exciting tool and have found great value in it. The Office of Research and Innovation is excited to offer BioRender at the subsidized rate of $100 per year, providing faculty and students with an affordable solution to create stunning, publication-quality graphics that effectively convey complex scientific concepts. Learn more here.

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.

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.

 

A Postdoctoral Research Associate position is available in the laboratory of Melanie Balbach in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The Research Associate will focus on the metabolic changes and underlying regulatory pathways in the male germ cell during activation and during zygote development. Opportunities for professional development include participation in grant proposal writing, attending and presenting at scientific research symposiums and conferences, networking with other scientists within and outside MSU as well as mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

The Rhee lab is hiring undergraduate researchers to investigate plant adaptive strategies to extreme environmental conditions such as drought and heat stress. We focus on metabolic traits at multiple scales including individual genes, pathways, and networks. Current work would assist in growing, genotyping, and transforming plants; developing phenotypic assays for plant growth and seed germination; live cell imaging and microscopy; data collection and analysis; and media preparation. This position has the potential for multi-year, part-time employment in the Rhee lab as well as the possibility to develop your own research projects. If interested, please send a description of how your interests align with our lab, your resume, and your availability to Sterling Field (fieldst4@msu.edu).

The Department of Biology at Colgate University invites applications for a tenure-stream position in molecular biology at the rank of Assistant Professor beginning fall semester 2024. The successful candidate will join a biology faculty committed to innovative teaching and undergraduate-accessible research in a liberal-arts setting. The successful candidate is expected to develop a productive independent research program in molecular biology or genetics with a preference for laboratory-based research. The individual hired will team teach in a foundations course called Molecules, Cells, and Genes; elective courses in molecular biology or genetics; and a senior research tutorial in their area of interest. Learn more and apply here.

The Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development (FASD) is seeking a creative and innovative graduate student to help with data collection and benchmarking in support of our current work portfolio, as well as conducting landscape analysis to inform proposals related to MSU’s Strategic Plan. This half-time assistantship will require 20 hours per week and comes with a stipend, tuition reimbursement, and health insurance. Work hours are typically spread across weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Some work will be done in person (e.g. support, staff meetings), and some of the work can be done remotely. The position runs through May 15, 2024. Learn more and apply here.

 

Chipkar, S., Smith, K., Whelan, E. M., Debrauske, D. J., Jen, A., Overmyer, K. A., Senyk, A., Hooker-Moericke, L., Gallmeyer, M.,
         Coon, J. J., Jones, A. D., Sato, T. K., & Ong, R. G. (2022). Water-soluble saponins accumulate in drought-stressed switchgrass and may
         inhibit yeast growth during bioethanol production. Biotechnology for biofuels and bioproducts, 15(1), 116. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-022-02213-y

Diedrich, J. D., Gonzalez-Pons, R., Medeiros, H. C. D., Ensink, E., Liby, K. T., Wellberg, E. A., Lunt, S. Y., & Bernard, J. J. (2023).
         Adipocyte-derived kynurenine stimulates malignant transformation of mammary epithelial cells through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor.
         Biochemical pharmacology, 115763. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115763

Feng, H., Wang, R., Zhan, C. G., & Wei, G. W. (2023). Multiobjective Molecular Optimization for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Using
         Generative Network Complex. Journal of medicinal chemistry, 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01053. Advance online
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Karmaus, W., Kheirkhah Rahimabad, P., Pham, N., Mukherjee, N., Chen, S., Anthony, T. M., Arshad, H. S., Rathod, A., Sultana, N., & Jones,
         A. D. (2023). Association of Metabolites, Nutrients, and Toxins in Maternal and Cord Serum with Asthma, IgE, SPT, FeNO, and Lung Function
         in Offspring. Metabolites, 13(6), 737. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13060737

Kennedy, M. S., Zhang, M., DeLeon, O., Bissell, J., Trigodet, F., Lolans, K., Temelkova, S., Carroll, K. T., Fiebig, A., Deutschbauer, A.,
         Sidebottom, A. M., Lake, J., Henry, C., Rice, P. A., Bergelson, J., & Chang, E. B. (2023). Dynamic genetic adaptation of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
         during murine gut colonization. Cell reports, 42(8), 113009. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113009

Kheirkhah Rahimabad, P., Jones, A. D., Zhang, H., Chen, S., Jiang, Y., Ewart, S., Holloway, J. W., Arshad, H., Eslamimehr, S., Bruce, R.,
         & Karmaus, W. (2023). Polymorphisms in Glutathione S-Transferase (GST) Genes Modify the Effect of Exposure to Maternal Smoking Metabolites
         in Pregnancy and Offspring DNA Methylation. Genes, 14(8), 1644. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14081644

Li, Y., Grotewold, E., & Dudareva, N. (2023). Enough is enough: feedback control of specialized metabolism. Trends in plant science,
         S1360-1385(23)00258-3. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2023.07.012

Severin, G. B., Ramliden, M. S., Ford, K. C., Van Alst, A. J., Sanath-Kumar, R., Decker, K. A., Hsueh, B. Y., Chen, G., Yoon, S. H., Demey,
         L. M., O'Hara, B. J., Rhoades, C. R., DiRita, V. J., Ng, W. L., & Waters, C. M. (2023). Activation of a Vibrio cholerae CBASS anti-phage system
         by quorum sensing and folate depletion. mBio, e0087523. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00875-23

Shiroda, M., Doherty, J. H., Scott, E. E., & Haudek, K. C. (2023). Covariational reasoning and item context affect language in
         undergraduate mass balance written explanations. Advances in physiology education, 10.1152/advan.00156.2022. Advance online
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Stamm, J., DeJesus, L., Jones, A. D., & Dantus, M. (2022). Quantitative Identification of Nonpolar Perfluoroalkyl Substances by Mass
         Spectrometry. The journal of physical chemistry. A, 126(47), 8851–8858. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.2c05373

Stanley, R. K., Carey, D. W., Mason, M. E., Doran, A., Wolf, J., Otoo, K. O., … Romero-Severson, J. (2023). Emerald ash borer
         (Agrilus planipennis) infestation bioassays and metabolic profiles of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) provide evidence for an induced
         host defensive response to larval infestation. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2023.1166421

Straughen, J. K., Sitarik, A. R., Jones, A. D., Li, J., Allo, G., Salafia, C., Cassidy-Bushrow, A. E., & Paneth, N. (2023). Comparison of methanol
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Wang, Q., Xu, T., Fang, F., Wang, Q., Lundquist, P., & Sun, L. (2023). Capillary Zone Electrophoresis-Tandem Mass Spectrometry for
         Top-Down Proteomics of Mouse Brain Integral Membrane Proteins. Analytical chemistry, 95(34),
         12590–12594. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02346

Ziyab, A. H., Jones, A. D., Chen, S., Anthony, T. M., Mukherjee, N., Arshad, S. H., & Karmaus, W. (2023). Fucoxanthin levels in maternal
         serum at birth and eczema risk in offspring in early childhood: A birth cohort study. Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publicationof the
         European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 34(6), e13979. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.13979

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 56, No.36