BMB Weekly #49: December 13, 2024

 

Congratulations to BMB 2024 Undergraduate Awardees Professor Richard L. Anderson Endowed Undergraduate Research Prize To a Biochemistry major for excellence in scholarship, to support pursuit of an undergraduate research project. Ryn Van Winkle Mentor: Dr. Bjoern Hamberger Dr. James K. Billman, Jr., Undergraduate Research Award To a Biochemistry major for excellence in scholarship, to support pursuit of an undergraduate research project. Alphan Alpaydin Mentor: Dr. Morteza Mahmoudi Maya Pearce Mentor: Dr. Tommy Vo     Nayeema Siraj Mentor: Dr. Masako Harada Michael Burdick Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Scholarship To a Biochemistry major for excellence in scholarship and for support of education to embark on productive and successful careers in science. Ashtyn Hinz Pamela J. Fraker Undergraduate Scholarship To a Biochemistry major who has demonstrated the capacity to achieve educational and professional goals, the motivation to achieve these goals, and the initiative to seek opportunities to further their progress. Tahia Binta-Salim Moore-Billman Scholarship in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology To a Biochemistry major for excellence in scholarship, to support pursuit of an undergraduate research project. Dakshesh Ravi Mentor: Dr. Jeremy Lohman Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award To a Senior Biochemistry Major for the Greatest Excellence in Scholarship and Research Mihn Anh Dang Mentor: Dr. Eric Hegg Megha Suresh Mentor: Dr. David Arnosti BMB Undergraduate Research Fellowship Given to a junior or senior for excellence in scholarship, to support pursuit of an undergraduate research project in Biochemistry. Matthew Barr Mentor: Dr. Maks Chruszcz Ana Ivanov Mentor: Dr. Ryan Sweeder Travis Yang Mentor: Dr. David Douches

 

 

The speaker list for the Spring 2025 BMB Colloquium Series will be available soon.

 

 

The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation is offering a Grade-a-thon event for faculty/instructors and others who may be interested. Attendees can meet with MSU IT Ed Tech consultants for D2L and grade submission assistance, work independently, attend all day or part of the day, and enjoy coffee, treats and dedicated time to finish their grading the day before grades are due. Learn more and register here.

In this session Dr. Shannon Lynn Burton (MSU Ombudsperson) will present key strategies in discussing the importance of academic integrity, as well as in preventing misconduct, both in its more traditional forms, as well as in the digital space. Participants will have the chance to discuss scenarios and think about strategies for how to communicate clearly with students including discussions about AI. Learn more and register here.

New graduate teaching assistants are invited to participate in the Spring 2025 Graduate Teaching Assistant Preparation Programs. These virtual sessions will help prepare you for your role and include topics like:

• Using D2L
• Managing your roles and responsibilities
• Developing a syllabus
• And more

Learn more here.

Write Winning Grants comprehensively covers practical and conceptual aspects essential to the proposal-writing process. Learn how to tailor your content to relevant agencies, develop strategies for each section of the application, and to articulate your proposal in a way that makes reviewers want to read it. Learn more and register here.

COGS has partnered with Dr. Emily Roberts and Personal Finance for PhDs to offer this workshop for students on fellowships to learn how to manage quarterly taxes. A limited number of registrations will be available at a discounted cost through 12/15/24 (or until filled), for MSU graduate & professional students. The discounted cost is $10 and is available to the first 60, currently enrolled MSU Graduate or Professional Students to Register on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more here.

This webinar will walk you through understanding the decision processes and techniques to write a competitive renewal, including decision trees, writing the Progress Report, and other elements of NIH Type 2 submissions. Learn more and register here.

 

Nominations are being accepted for the 2025 MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award competition. This Teaching Award is very competitive, so we are looking for exceptional PhD and Master’s students with great demonstration of teaching competence and knowledge of pedagogy, innovative teaching/instructional design, effective mentoring skills, and commitment to teaching professional development. Learn more here.

This fellowship will not be based on test scores or grade point averages, but rather the individual's commitment to fighting society's "isms" - including sexism, racism, and ageism. The recipient will invest his or her enhanced social capital to evoke positive action and changes in the community. Learn more and apply here.

 

 

A 2-credit “Metals in Biology” special topics course will be taught by Bob Hausinger, Eric Hegg, and other guest lecturers during Spring of 2025. The course will cover the roles of metals in biological systems, including metalloenzymes, metallocenter biosynthesis, metal transport, metal toxicity, and metalloregulation. Student presentations will be an important emphasis in this class. Undergraduate students must obtain permission to enroll from Dr. Hausinger (hausinge@msu.edu) and submit the online Biochemistry course override request form. The class will meet in room 502 Biochemistry at 9:10 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

This one credit seminar course will examine the mechanistic role of the immune system in disease conditions. Spring 2025 the course will be focusing on the role of the immune system in inflammatory diseases, including cancer, obesity, and neuro-immunology. Different topics will be discussed through student presentations of key journal articles and seminars by distinguished guest speakers. The contribution of key immunoregulatory networks and associated molecular mechanisms will be covered. The impact of these mechanisms on the development of therapeutics and clinical applications will also be discussed. Learn more about this MSU course offering here.

Looking for a meaningful way to give back during the holidays- or anytime? The MSU Student Food Bank supports over 300 individuals and families every week who are facing food insecurity. Contact us at foodbank@msu.edu for more information or to get started on your own drive! Let's make a difference together!

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.

 

Dr. Sue Rhee is seeking a highly motivated, organized, and creative person to coordinate the online and in person communications of several federally funded life science centers to promote the science and scientists of the centers. The current centers include the Plant Cell Atlas, Water and Life Interface Institute, and Plant Metabolic Network. The strategies and materials built for these centers should be made in ways for them to be easily adopted and adapted by other centers at MSU. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

Dr. Sue Rhee is seeking a highly motivated, organized, and creative person to coordinate the communications, outreach, and stakeholder engagement activities of an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, international research center called C-SPIRIT (Center for Sustainable Plant Innovation and Resilience through International Teamwork).

C-SPIRIT addresses the critical challenge of stabilizing global food production amid unpredictable weather patterns. It brings together experts from the United States, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom, to explore sustainable solutions for agriculture. By discovering and harnessing natural products from plants and microbes, it aims at enhancing plant and soil health. The goal is to ensure crop productivity despite increasing environmental stressors. One of the primary missions of the Center is to engage industry and agricultural stakeholders, ensuring that the developed solutions are practical, scalable, and adopted widely. A particular focus on public engagement and technology adoption aims to build trust and facilitate the widespread implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

The newly forming Institute for Plant-Human Interface (IPHI) at Northeastern University is currently conducting a faculty search for Assistant Professor Positions the field of plant-human interface, broadly defined. They particularly encourage candidates who are completing their PhD or are in the early stages of their postdoctoral training to apply through the INVEST Program, an initiative designed to provide strong support for exceptional early-career scientists in pursuing an academic career. Outstanding senior candidates will also be considered.

Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to: plant RNA biology, plant biochemistry, plant inter-species interactions, food chemistry and food allergy, pharmaceutical biomanufacturing, metabolic engineering, climate change, and sustainable foods.

Learn more and apply here.

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology invites applications and nominations for a tenured or tenure-track faculty position at the Associate or Full Professor level to serve as Co-Director of the nascent Center for Cancer Health Equity Research (CCHER). CCHER is a developing initiative in partnership with the Colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine and the Henry Ford Health System, with a mission to advance cancer health equity through innovative research, collaboration, and community engagement.

We seek an experienced and motivated leader with an established research program in cancer biology, cancer health disparities, or related fields, who is committed to playing a key role in shaping the Center's future and contributing to a growing initiative that addresses cancer disparities in underserved populations. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

 

 

Guzha, A., Gautam, B., Marchiafava, D., Ver Sagun, J., Garcia, T., Jarvis, B. A., Barbaglia-Hurlock, A. M., Johnston, C., Grotewold, E., Sedbrook, J. C., Alonso, A. P., & Chapman, K. D. (2024). Targeted modulation of pennycress lipid droplet proteins impacts droplet morphology and seed oil content. The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 120(5), 2151–2171. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17109

López-Goldar, X., Mollema, A., Sivak-Schwennesen, C., Havko, N., Howe, G., Agrawal, A. A., & Wetzel, W. C. (2024). Heat waves induce milkweed resistance to a specialist herbivore via increased toxicity and reduced nutrient content. Plant, cell & environment, 47(12), 4530–4542. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.15040

O'Malley, A., Ray, J. M., Kitlas, P., Ruethers, T., Kapingidza, A. B., Cierpicki, T., Lopata, A., Kowal, K., & Chruszcz, M. (2024). Comparative studies of seafood and reptile α- and β-parvalbumins. Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society, 33(12), e5226. https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.5226

Rhee, S. Y., Anstett, D. N., Cahoon, E. B., Covarrubias-Robles, A. A., Danquah, E., Dudareva, N., Ezura, H., Gilbert, K. J., Gutiérrez, R. A., Heck, M., Lowry, D. B., Mittler, R., Muday, G., Mukankusi, C., Nelson, A. D. L., Restrepo, S., Rouached, H., Seki, M., Walker, B., Way, D., … Weber, A. P. M. (2024). Resilient plants, sustainable future. Trends in plant science, S1360-1385(24)00302-9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.11.001

Suwayyid, F., & Wei, G. W. (2024). Persistent Mayer Dirac. Journal of physics. Complexity, 5(4), 045005. https://doi.org/10.1088/2632-072X/ad83a5

 

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 57, No.49