BMB Weekly #5: January 31, 2025

 

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

 

 

Charles Hawkins from Michigan State University will be presenting "The Plant Metabolic Network: A Unified Resource for Plant Metabolism".

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.

 

Join us for MPS speaker Antje Heese from University of Missouri. The seminar will be held at 4:00 p.m. in room PLB 247.

Antje’s talk is titled “Never Walk Alone – Roles of Clathrin-coated Vesicles (CCV’s) in biotic and abiotic stress”. We would like to invite graduate students and postdocs to join the speaker for a lunch and discussion on Monday, February 3. 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 January 31, 2025 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.

The COGS Graduate Resource Series is a new initiative presented by the Graduate Welfare Committee of the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). Each session will connect graduate & professional students with vital campus resources through informal, expert discussions, providing insights, Q&A opportunities, and practical guidance for student success and well-being. Please see attached for full schedule! All sessions take place for 1 hour on scheduled Tuesdays, from 2-3PM EST. *Join meetings via Zoom. Please make sure to use your MSU Net ID to log in to each session! Learn more here and register here.

College students, get ready for a unique night out with the MSU Museum! Each month, we bring you a new theme with exciting activities to enjoy. This month, put on your most retro, rave-inspired outfits and join us for an unforgettable Techno Silent Disco! Dance the night away to electronic beats through wireless headphones, creating a club vibe only you and your friends can hear. When you’re ready for a break, explore the exhibition Techno: The Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music, and dive into other retro-themed activities. Tickets are free but limited, so reserve your spot! Learn more and register here.

Do you have questions regarding formatting your thesis or dissertation? Stop in during one of our help sessions to talk to Graduate School staff about any specific formatting questions you may have. These are walk-in sessions. No registration is required.

Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), Mid-Michigan Chapter, is having their Spring Semester General Body meeting on Tuesday, February 11th at 4:30pm in BPS 1420. You can learn more about GWIS, our upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and get free snacks! Register Here!

This workshop is focused on collaborative teaching and co-teaching within interdisciplinary courses and other learning experiences. We will provide tools for successful interdisciplinary teaching and practices that contribute to strong co-teaching collaborations. Our goal is for both new and seasoned interdisciplinary educators to move their own practices forward, emphasizing classroom and co-teaching practices. 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.

 

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).

 

MSU IT is offering a new Certification Pathways D2L Brightspace course for professional development. The Certification Pathways course helps MSU instructors, teaching assistants, instructional designers, and support staff enhance their teaching skills and integrate technology effectively. Participants can earn badges and certificates by completing workshops and quizzes. Available pathways include Crafting Course Content, Designing a Course, Creating Assessments, Engaging Students, and Providing an Inclusive Learning Environment. Enroll today to improve your courses and showcase your achievements on LinkedIn! Learn more and enroll 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.

 

 

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.5