BMB Weekly #38: September 27, 2024

 

Hsu receives NIH, NSF awards for genetic studies Read the full article here.

 

 

Federico Rey from The University of Wisconsin, Madison will be presenting "Gut bacterial metabolism and cardiometabolic disease".

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

The Fall BMB Seminar Series will run through December 5, 2024. 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 Jeffrey Cameron from University of Colorado-Boulder. The seminar will be held at 4:00PM in room BCH 101.

Jeffrey’s talk is titled “A biochemical recipe for a photosynthetic cell”. We would like to invite graduate students and postdocs to join the speaker for a lunch and discussion on Monday, September 30. Lunch will be provided at 12:00PM in PBL 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 at morrisk@msu.edu with any dietary restrictions by Friday September 27, 2024 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.

Institution types range from primarily undergraduate institutions and comprehensive universities to research intensive, minority serving, and faith-based institutions. What is the best type for you? Participants will explore the various institution types during the session and discuss how to align their written materials with the mission and values of an institution to be a competitive candidate. Learn more and register here.

In this session, you will learn about the Graduate School’s value for well-being as well as practical tips to help you manage your health and well-being while advancing your academic and professional goals. You will also hear about workshops, programs, and resources offered at MSU that support these efforts. Learn more and register here.

We invite you to join the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety at Michigan State University for Science Day 2024! This year's program will focus on Recycling of Plastics and Chemical Contaminates in Recycled Plastic. Free networking lunch and dinner at The Graduate East Lansing Hotel will be provided with registration. Learn more and register here.

This virtual event is a unique chance for MS/PhD students and postdocs to connect with academic and research institutions hiring for tenure-track, non-tenure-track, research, teaching, and adjunct faculty, as well as staff research, lecturer, and postdoc positions. It’s a fantastic platform for those looking to continue their careers within academia. This is a free event for all MS/PhD/Postdocs within the BIG10 and all 18 Big Ten Institutions are added! Learn more and register here.

The BIG10 GSPIRE focuses on bridging the gap between graduate students and postdocs and leading companies in industry and government sectors. This event will bring together diverse, high-caliber talent from 18 Big Ten Institutions, providing students with opportunities across a multitude of disciplines. This is a free event for all MS/PhD/Postdocs within the BIG10. Learn more and register here.

 

Please consider nominating your best Biochemistry student for the 2024 BMB Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award. This award is presented to a Biochemistry senior who has demonstrated the highest excellence in scholarship and research activities. Students are not required to be working in a Biochemistry lab to qualify for this award. The nomination form is available here and more information can be found at the BMB Awards website. For any questions, please contact Mary Villarreal (Awards.BMB@msu.edu) or Bob Hausinger (hausinge@msu.edu).

This fellowship is intended to support graduate students in the natural sciences and mathematics in recognition of academic achievements, research goals, contributions to a diverse educational community, and a record of overcoming obstacles whose progress in their chosen scientific discipline enhances educational diversity at MSU. Applicants must be MSU PhD students in the natural sciences and mathematics who contribute to the university’s diverse educational community and demonstrate a record of overcoming obstacles (see above description of award). Learn more and apply here.

This program offers postdoctoral research fellowships and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to the diversity and equal opportunity at the University of Maryland. The program is seeking applicants with the potential to bring to their academic and research careers the critical perspective that comes from their non-traditional educational background or understanding of the experiences of members of groups historically underrepresented in higher education in the United States. Learn more and apply here.

 

As flu season approaches, it’s time to prioritize your health by getting your annual flu shot. Even if you're in good health, getting the flu vaccine can lessen the severity of symptoms and help you stay on track with your classes. Flu shots are available for students at:

• Olin Health Center Monday through Friday
• Brody Outpost Clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Call 517-353-4660 to schedule today! 

The MSU Department of Police and Public Safety has released an online Active Violence Incident Awareness Training program that is available for students, faculty, and staff. This training includes a presentation explaining how to respond during an active violence situation. Throughout the training, knowledge checkpoint questions will appear on screen to evaluate participants’ understanding of the content. In addition, a video is in development, which will be included in the training at a later time. Learn more here.

The MSU Student Food Bank is a resource available to students and scholars who may be experiencing food insecurity. The Food Bank provides free food and other essential items to those in need within our MSU community. Learn more here.

 

The Lundquist lab group in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is seeking a researcher to support our studies of protein localization and protein-protein interactions within plant chloroplasts and cyanobacteria. Duties will include, but are not limited to, planning and execution of research experiments, molecular cloning, confocal microscopy, bacterial/algal/plant transformation, analysis of datasets, and will participate in presenting research updates and findings. Demonstrated ability in the written and oral communication of science is expected. Expertise with the growth and manipulation of bacteria and genetic transformation of algae and tobacco are especially desired, though not essential. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

The Department of Biology at Duke University in Durham, NC is planning to hire three Assistant Professors in ecology, evolution, and/or organismal biology. We will consider all candidates in these disciplines, but we are especially interested in candidates with a focus on plant and/or fungal biology. Successful candidates will articulate how their scholarship will enrich, and be enriched by, the breadth of expertise among existing faculty in our department, and how their teaching and mentoring efforts will support our undergraduate and graduate students. Learn more and apply here.

Postdoctoral researcher (Research Associate) positions funded by NSF and NIH are available in Dr. Polly Hsu’s laboratory at Michigan State University (Hsu lab, https://sites.google.com/view/polly-hsu-lab) to investigate translational regulation in Arabidopsis and crops. Candidates interested in RNA biology and translational regulation are encouraged to apply.

Description of duties:

• 90% Research -- design, perform, and document experiments, ex. generate/characterize Arabidopsis mutants and transgenic plants, large-scale DNA/RNA/protein-extraction, PCR, qRT-PCR, western blot, RNA-seq/Ribo-seq library constructions, and prepare manuscripts for publication.
• 10% Assist in lab organization and training new lab members (e.g., safety officer duties, assisting in training future Lab members on basic procedures).

Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

The laboratory of Dr. Polly Hsu at Michigan State University has an opening for a Research Technologist to investigate translational landscape and gene regulation in Arabidopsis and crops. The candidate will be involved in multiple projects using techniques in plant molecular biology. To learn more about the lab: https://sites.google.com/view/polly-hsu-lab.

 Duties include:

• Perform and document project-specific experiments, e.g. generating/identifying/characterizing higher-order mutants and transgenic plants in Arabidopsis, DNA/RNA/protein-extraction, PCR, qRT-PCR, protoplast isolation, luciferase assays, western blot, and basic imaging analysis such as operating dissection microscope and light microscope.
• Prepare lab reagents.
• Assist in lab organization -- ordering supplies, organize/update chemical inventory and lab materials, calibrating and providing regular maintenance for lab equipment, establishing lab common protocols and assisting in training future lab members.

Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

 

 

Jin, H., & Merz, K. M., Jr (2024). Partial to Total Generation of 3D Transition-Metal Complexes. Journal of chemical theory and computation, 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00775. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00775

Bramble, M. S., Fourcassié, V., Vashist, N., Roux-Dalvai, F., Zhou, Y., Bumoko, G., Kasendue, M. L., Spencer, D., Musasa Hanshi-Hatuhu, H., Kambale-Mastaki, V., Manalo, R. V. M., Mohammed, A., McIlwain, D. R., Cunningham, G., Summar, M., Boivin, M. J., Caldovic, L., Vilain, E., Mumba-Ngoyi, D., Tshala-Katumbay, D., … Droit, A. (2024). Glutathione peroxidase 3 is a potential biomarker for konzo. Nature communications, 15(1), 7811. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52136-5

Schlecht, N. J., Lanier, E. R., Andersen, T. B., Brose, J., Holmes, D., & Hamberger, B. R. (2024). CYP76BK1 orthologs catalyze furan and lactone ring formation in clerodane diterpenoids across the mint family. The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 10.1111/tpj.17031. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17031

Ling, J., Chen, S., & Marina, M. (2024). Coping strategies mediated the relationship between perceived stress and hair cortisol among socioeconomically marginalized parents. Health psychology and behavioral medicine, 12(1), 2399211. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2399211

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 57, No.38