BMB Weekly #4: January 27, 2023

 

MSU Researchers Uncover New Potential for Ancient Mint Plants Björn Hamberger, associate professor and James K. Billman Jr., M.D., Endowed Professor was recently featured in an MSU Today article along with his graduate students, Abigail Bryson and Emily Lanier. Read the full article to see how they traced the evolution of mint genomes for potential future applications that range from medicines to pesticides to antimicrobials.

 

 

Philipp Zerbe from the University of California, Davis will be presenting "Investigating Plant Terpenoid Metabolism toward Crop and Bioproduct Applications."

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

The Spring BMB Seminar Series will run through the end of April. The complete schedule is available on the BMB Spring 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.

 

Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan is looking for scholars from around the country to share their research at the virtual 2023 Graduate Research Symposium, March 6-8. The Graduate Research Symposium is a fully virtual event that brings together 1,500 virtual attendees from 30 countries on five continents to learn about the latest graduate student and postdoctoral research. Learn more and apply here. 

This 6-week group provides doctoral students with a supportive, structured environment that helps mitigate the sense of isolation and frustration that often accompany the dissertation process. A weekly discussion topic will also allow participants to share experiences with and resources that help address some of the most common barriers to progress (e.g., low motivation, time management, stress/burnout). Learn more and register here. 

The Exchange is the weekly Tuesday morning event for graduate students. Please join us for the following:
Journal Club — Philipp Zerbe, UC Davis (Xingxing Li, Last lab)
Plant secondary metabolites

Volunteers: Angel McKay-Whiteman, Ben Dolgikh, George Kusi-Appiah 

Educational Testing Service is again offering a series of discounts to students that are taking the GRE for admission to programs that accept GRE scores. Students that register to take the test by January 31, 2023, and take the test by June 30, 2023, will save $50 on the GRE General Test. In addition, ETS is offering a $40 discount on the new Official GRE Mentor for students that want additional prep support. Learn more here. 

The Council of Graduate Students is pleased to announce that the 15th Annual Graduate Academic Conference will take place on February 18, 2023, at the MSU Union. We are now accepting abstracts for poster and oral presentations and applicants to participate in the famous Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition!  Abstracts & registration are due by January 31, 2023. Learn more here. 

A CSTAT Seminar, "Data quality, simple yet complicated," is being offered that is relevant to faculty involved in data management and to graduate students who need a refresher credit for responsible conduct of research requirements. Learn more and register here. 

The GAC is a forum for graduate students to gain experience communicating their research to a non-specialized audience. Our adjudicators are MSU Alums (many graduate school alums!)  with wide-ranging professional backgrounds who provide feedback that can help students fine tune their presentation skills.

As a presenter, you will benefit from constructive feedback that will help you learn to better communicate your research to generalized audiences as you progress in your research. You will also be able to network with your peers across disciplines as well as with your audience of judges and other interested professionals attending the conference! As an attendee, you will be able to view the great work being done by student researchers as well as have access to workshops geared to help all graduate/professional students!

Click here for more information. 

 

The L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program honors female scientists at a critical stage in their careers with grants of $60,000 each. Since 2003, they have awarded 95 postdoctoral women scientists nearly $5 million in grants. They are seeking five exceptional female scientists looking to advance their research and serve as role models for the next generation of girls in STEM. Learn more and apply here. 

The Julian Samora Research Institute at MSU is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for:

• The Julian Samora Endowed Scholarships (Graduate/Undergraduate) for 2023-2024
• The P. Lea Martinez Endowed Scholarship Fund (Graduate) for 2023-2024

Learn more here. 

If you work at MSU, you know how important student employees are to the success of your department and the university. Do you know a student who consistently goes above and beyond in their work? Supervisors have the chance to recognize these exemplary Spartans by nominating them for the Student Employee of the Year award by February 10, 2023. Find more details and the nomination form on the Department of Student Life website.

The Asian Studies Center at Michigan State University will annually award multiple undergraduate and graduate fellowships under the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship program funded by the U.S. Department of Education for students pursuing the study of Asian languages and Asia area studies at MSU. Learn more here. 

Danone North America (“Danone”), is excited to announce that it is now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 Danone North America Gut Microbiome, Yogurt and Probiotics Fellowship Grant. In its 11th year, Danone will award two $25,000 grants to graduate students interested in exploring the gut microbiome, probiotics and yogurt to better understand how they help support and maintain human health and wellness. Learn more and apply here. 

The Intelligence Community (IC) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program offers scientists and engineers from a wide variety of disciplines unique opportunities to conduct research in a wide range of topics relevant to the Intelligence Community. The research is conducted by the Postdocs, while working in partnership with a Research Advisor and collaborating with an advisor from the Intelligence Community. Learn more and apply here. 

 

CAPS Connect consists of in-person confidential meetings (up to 20 mins in length) that are intended to provide students with brief and accessible support/advice. These meetings are scheduled online in advance, up to an hour before the appointment time. CAPS Connect might be helpful for the student who is a little wary of counseling due to stigma or cultural expectations/values. It is a nice way to meet a mental health professional without committing to anything. If a student already knows they need counseling/psychiatric services, it is best for them to sign up for an initial consultation with CAPS online (https://caps.msu.edu/schedule/) rather than use CAPS Connect.

Our CAPS clinician is Abigail Waller https://caps.msu.edu/general_info/profiles/AbigailWaller.html - the CAPS Connect meetings will be held in-person only, in 1312 Biomedical and Physical Sciences Bldg – (Physics and Astronomy student affairs office) every Monday from 9:00a – 11:00a, except the last Monday of each month. 

You will need to schedule a meeting @ https://caps.msu.edu/services/CAPSConnect.html or via the QR code that will be on the office door.

The ITA Program is currently scheduling advising appointments for international graduate teaching assistants interested in taking ITA support courses in Spring 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 Electric Fish Laboratory at Michigan State University (efish.integrativebiology.msu.edu) is looking to fill an immediate opening for the position of Research Technician.  This position is an opportunity to join a growing team of evolutionary biologists focused on understanding the genomic basis of trait evolution in weakly electric fish. The successful applicant will be chiefly responsible for conducting experiments in our molecular biology laboratory and training undergraduate research assistants to conduct independent experiments in collaboration with the principal investigator. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

The MSU Center for Community and Economic Development is seeking qualified student applicants (graduate or undergraduate) to assist with the development of equity assessment tools which will help practitioners, organizations, and communities understand their movement towards equitable community development and equitable economic development. Learn more and apply here. 

The Kaguni lab at Michigan State University seeks a talented and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to determine the cryo-EM structure of a protein-DNA complex formed in the process of replication initiation using Escherichia coli as a model system (https://bmb.natsci.msu.edu/directory-pages/faculty/jon-m-kaguni/current-research.aspx). The individual will also obtain training in nucleic acid enzymology, and molecular genetics. The postdoc is expected to participate in seminars, journal clubs, weekly lab meetings, and prepare and submit manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

The Kroos lab in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University is seeking a postdoctoral research associate to work on mechanisms of signaling and gene regulation in bacteria. A highly motivated individual is sought to conduct biochemical, genetic, and microscopic experiments on mechanisms of signaling and gene regulation in Bacillus subtilis and Myxococcus xanthus. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link. 

The Research Associate will be using molecular modeling and molecular simulation to investigate ligand binding and release processes. Analysis of these transition paths will yield valuable information to further collaborative drug design projects. Duties include: conducting and analyzing molecular simulations, communicating research in conference presentations and manuscripts, and serving as a mentor to undergraduate and graduate students. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link. 

The Quinn lab in Biochemistry at Michigan State is looking for two responsible and capable undergraduates to help maintain and perform experiments on coral reef aquaria. The lab is using the coral Galaxea fascicularis as a model organism for the study of coral response to climate change. We have live corals in the lab that need to be cared for and experimented on. Job duties including measuring temperature, pH, salinity and other aspects of the aquarium water, monitoring, growing and maintaining corals in good health, and experiments with corals under different temperature regimes. In the Quinn lab the student will also be involved in general lab duties and experiments with molecular biology and microbiology techniques. The job will require about 10-15 hours per week, but sometimes less. Students must have taken a biochemistry lab course. Any experience with coral reef aquaria is a bonus. Please email quinnrob@msu.edu for more information.

The Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University (MSU) seeks mid-career applicants for a tenure-stream position at the Associate or Full Professor level focusing on the biochemistry and engineering of plant metabolism. Of particular interest are pathways and metabolites with long-term potential for medical, industrial, or agricultural applications. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link. 

 

Chen, J., Wang, R., Hozumi, Y., Liu, G., Qiu, Y., Wei, X., Wei, G. (2023). Emerging Dominant SARS-CoV-2 Variants. Journal of Chemical
         Information and Modeling, 63(1), 335-342. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01352

Merz, K. M., Wei, G. W., & Zhu, F. (2023). Editorial: Machine Learning in Bio-cheminformatics. Journal of chemical information and
         modeling, 63(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01496

Raicu, A. M., Kadiyala, D., Niblock, M., Jain, A., Yang, Y., Bird, K. M., Bertholf, K., Seenivasan, A., Siddiq, M., & Arnosti, D. N. (2023).
         The cynosure of CtBP: evolution of a bilaterian transcriptional corepressor. Molecular biology and evolution, msad003. Advance
         online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msad003

Sarkar, D., Kulke, M., & Vermaas, J. V. (2023). LongBondEliminator: A Molecular Simulation Tool to Remove Ring Penetrations in
         Biomolecular Simulation Systems. Biomolecules, 13(1), 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13010107

Sharkey T. D. (2023). The discovery of rubisco. Journal of experimental botany, 74(2), 510–519. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac254

Sun, M., Zhang, C., Sui, D., Yang, C., Pyeon, D., Huang, X., & Hu, J. (2023). Rational Design and Synthesis of D-galactosyl Lysophospholipids
         as Selective Substrates and non-ATP-competitive Inhibitors of Phosphatidylinositol Phosphate Kinases. Chemistry (Weinheim an der
         Bergstrasse, Germany), 29(2), e202202083. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202202083

Tsai, C. H., Chuang, Y. M., Li, X., Yu, Y. R., Tzeng, S. F., Teoh, S. T., Lindblad, K. E., Di Matteo, M., Cheng, W. C., Hsueh, P. C.,
         Kao, K. C., Imrichova, H., Duan, L., Gallart-Ayala, H., Hsiao, P. W., Mazzone, M., Ivanesevic, J., Liu, X., de Visser, K. E.,
         Lujambio, A., Lunt, S. Y., Kaech, S. M., Ho, P. C. (2023). Immunoediting instructs tumor metabolic reprogramming to support
         immune evasion. Cell metabolism, 35(1), 118–133.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.12.003

Tsai, H. C., Lee, T. S., Ganguly, A., Giese, T. J., Ebert, M. C., Labute, P., Merz, K. M., Jr, & York, D. M. (2023). AMBER Free Energy
         Tools: A New Framework for the Design of Optimized Alchemical Transformation Pathways. Journal of chemical theory and
         computation, 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00725. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00725

Valdes-Garcia, G., Heo, L., Lapidus, L. J., & Feig, M. (2023). Modeling Concentration-dependent Phase Separation Processes
         Involving Peptides and RNA via Residue-Based Coarse-Graining. Journal of chemical theory and computation, Advance
         online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00856

Ying, S., Scheible, W. R., & Lundquist, P. K. (2023). A stress-inducible protein regulates drought tolerance and flowering time
         in Brachypodium and Arabidopsis. Plant physiology, 191(1), 643–659. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiac486

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 56, No. 4