BMB Weekly #4: January 24, 2025

 

Three BMB professors recognized at 2024 NatSci Awards Featuring Ben Orlando, Robert Last, and Robert Hausinger. Read the full article here.

 

 

Ryan Sheldon from Van Andel Institute will be presenting "Observer effects of metabolite extraction in metabolomics".

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

The Spring BMB Seminar Series will run through April 24, 2025. 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.

 

Discussions will be framed around a main presentation given by Dr. Greg Swain, or by other individuals from key units across campus. The purpose for these workshops is to help students better understand the importance of responsible behavior, learn about proper research and creative activity practices, and connect to important regulatory and information offices across the MSU campus. Each topic is paralleled by a CITI lesson such that a student could pair an online module with a discussion session. Learn more and register here.

The Office of Bioscience Postdoctoral Affairs at UCLA invites you to apply to UCLA Bio-Launch, a recruitment initiative for bioscience researchers. This program includes professional development workshops, networking opportunities, and a faculty matching service. Learn more and apply here.

The write-ins are hosted and facilitated to provide writers with an opportunity to write in a shared writing space where other writers are present, and a writing center consultant/staff member is present to provide consultations for writers who would like to have a consultation appointment during the session. Learn more and register here.

This workshop focuses on approaches to interdisciplinary collaborative processes. Workshop participants will gain familiarity with theories and methodologies central to interdisciplinary collaborative process; practice activities that can support collaborative communication, learning, integration, and problem solving; and reflect on how these practices can inform their own work.

Drawing from design research, interdisciplinary studies, theatre and improvisation, and the science of team science, we will explore concepts including boundary work and boundary objects, perspective taking and empathy, power dynamics, infrastructure and systems, reflexivity, and mindfulness. Please come willing to play as we call upon all our faculties – body, brain, and imagination – to interrogate collaborative processes and our roles in them. 

Participation in this workshop is suggested for anyone interested in applying for CIRCLE’s Interdisciplinary Seed Grants. Participation in previous CIRCLE workshops is not required. Learn more and register here.

COGS invites you to come on out and explore with your graduate and professional student peers as we tour one of MSU’s points of pride! Join us for a fun and informative look at Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). Event is free. Learn more and register here.

The COGS 17th Annual Graduate Academic Conference (GAC)  is a unique forum for graduate & professional students to gain experience communicating their research to a non-specialized audience. As a presenter, you will benefit from constructive feedback from our judges (MSU Alums from wide ranging backgrounds), helping you fine tune your communication skills. Network with your peers across disciplines as well as with your audience of judges and other interested professionals attending the conference! Learn more and submit an abstract here.

 

 

This award is named in honor of Arthur C. Neish (1916-1973). In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Dr. Neish was a pioneer in the synthesis and use of radiolabeled precursors and was one of the major contributors to knowledge of plant natural product biosynthetic pathways (Romeo, J.T. 2000. Forward. Recent Advances in Phytochemistry 34:viii.). He was a dedicated mentor of young scientists and has been recognized by having the young investigator award named after him. The Neish Young Investigator Awards were first bestowed in 1999 at the PSNA meeting in Montreal, Canada.

The Neish awards support young investigators as featured speakers at annual meetings, providing an important professional and career development opportunity for young investigators. It also enriches diverse participation in the PSNA, while supporting a diversity of topics. There is no application or self-nomination procedure, as this award is by nomination only. We encourage nominations of people from diverse backgrounds. Learn more and submit a nomination here.

The Plant Journal (TPJ)-PSNA Early Career Award recognizes research excellence by outstanding postdoctoral researchers and research scientists in academic, research and government institutions with a preference for early career individuals who are ready to start an independent position and can engage with PSNA for the advancement of phytochemical research field. We encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds. Learn more and submit an application here.

The Plant Resilience Institute (PRI) is excited to announce the launch of its 2025 PRI Seed Grant Program, a funding opportunity designed to support innovative research projects that advance plant resilience. This program is open to all graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at Michigan State University, providing up to $10,000 in funding for projects spanning 18 months.

Building on the success of prior initiatives, the PRI Seed Grant Program aims to foster high-risk, high-reward research that promotes collaboration across laboratories. Key Information for Applicants:

• Deadline: Proposals must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on March 1, 2025.
• Funding Amount: Applicants can request up to $10,000.
• Review Process and Notifications: Applications will be evaluated by the Seed Grant Committee. Decisions will be communicated by the end of March 2025.

A list of previously funded projects here, and full details about the program and application process are available here. For questions about the application process, please contact Gaëlle Cassin-Ross (cassin@msu.edu).

 

We are excited to invite you to participate in the furniture selection process for the new Plant and Environmental Sciences Building (PESB). Your input is essential to help shape spaces that meet everyone's needs. The event will take place at the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility, 4th floor (624 Red Cedar Rd.), from Friday, January 17th through Friday, January 31st, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. You’ll have the opportunity to test furniture options and provide feedback through a quick and easy online survey, which should only take 20–30 minutes. Learn more here.

A variety of exciting and educational opportunities will be offered to the MSU community in celebration of the legacy of Dr. King and historical events that took place in our nation and on our campus. MLK questions can be directed to Leah Ball. Contacts for individual events are also listed in the calendar. Learn more here.

Nominations are now open for the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee’s Arabidopsis Community Awards! Nominate your colleagues, trainees, or yourself to recognize excellence in the Arabidopsis community in three award categories:

1. P. N. Benfey Arabidopsis Community Lifetime Achievement
2. Dissemination of Arabidopsis Knowledge (early & later career awards)
3. Excellence in Supporting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging in the Arabidopsis Community (early & later career awards)

Learn more and submit a nomination 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 Center for Statistical Training and Consulting will be interviewing applicants for Research Assistant (RA) positions to start in Summer 2025 (05/16/2025-08/15/2025) or in Fall 2025 (08/16/2025-12/31/2025) with possible continuation into future semesters. These RA positions are an excellent opportunity for students to get experience with applying statistical methods to interesting research topics, developing consulting skills, learning from experienced mentors, expanding your professional network, and add some collaborative papers to your resume. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

This is a temporary or an on-call position. Provides professional support. Responsibilities may include general business, science, medical, agricultural or other professional support functions.

Unit Position Summary:

• Investigate plant gene expression regulation 
• Order supplies, assist in general lab organization, prepare media and solutions, perform experiments following lab protocols, document the results
• Develop research maturity and independence while actively collaborating and communicating with other members of the lab
• Participate in lab meetings and other lab activities

Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

 

Ellison, E. L., Zhou, P., Chu, Y. H., Hermanson, P., Gomez-Cano, L., Myers, Z. A., Abnave, A., Gray, J., Hirsch, C. N., Grotewold, E., & Springer, N. M. (2025). Transcriptome profiling of maize transcription factor mutants to probe gene regulatory network predictions. G3 (Bethesda, Md.), 15(1), jkae274. https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkae274

Hawkins, C., Xue, B., Yasmin, F., Wyatt, G., Zerbe, P., & Rhee, S. Y. (2025). Plant Metabolic Network 16: expansion of underrepresented plant groups and experimentally supported enzyme data. Nucleic acids research, 53(D1), D1606–D1613. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkae991

Won, T. H., Arifuzzaman, M., Parkhurst, C. N., Miranda, I. C., Zhang, B., Hu, E., Kashyap, S., Letourneau, J., Jin, W. B., Fu, Y., Guzior, D. V., JRI Live Cell Bank, Quinn, R. A., Guo, C. J., David, L. A., Artis, D., & Schroeder, F. C. (2025). Host metabolism balances microbial regulation of bile acid signalling. Nature, 10.1038/s41586-024-08379-9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08379-9

Ying S. (2025). Get the Ball Rolling: Update and Perspective on the Role of Chloroplast Plastoglobule-associated Protein under Abiotic Stress. Journal of experimental botany, eraf011. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf011

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 58, No.4