Academics
Admissions & Aid
Student Life
About
Info For
Seminars will be held at 12:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension unless stated otherwise. E-mail the seminar organizer, Phillip Staniczenko, if you would like to be added to the seminar distribution list.
Chase Budell, Simons Electron Microscopy Center “Of Robots and Lasers: The Spotiton Grid Preparation Device and Its Contribution to the Field of Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryoEM) Host: Professor Luis Quadri
Debyani Chakravarty, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center “Clinical Cancer Genomics and Precision Oncology at MSK” Host: Professor Maria Contel
David Spector, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory “Targeting Long Non-Coding RNAs to Impact Breast Cancer Progression Host: Professor Anjana Saxena
Leora Yetnikoff, College of Staten Island (CUNY) Host: Professor Paul Forlano
Yuko Ota, University of Maryland “The Evolutionary Origins of Cell-Mediated Immunity” Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson
Jesse Delia, American Museum of Natural History “Biological Transparency in Glassfrogs” Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson
Andriele Silva, Brooklyn College Host: Associate Professor Shaneen Singh
The seminar series is organized by Dr. Phillip P.A. Staniczenko.
Ron Maughan, University of St. Andrews “Sports nutrition and exercise metabolism – An historical perspective” Originally presented: March 8, 2016
Sir Paul Nurse, FRS, Nobel Prize Winner, former President of the Royal Society and Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute “The great ideas of biology” Originally presented: February 8, 2010
Dr. Alison Pearn, University of Cambridge “Darwin in public and private” Originally presented: July 2, 2015
Dr. Melissa Brown, Stanford University “Darwin’s Legacy | Lecture 7” Originally presented: November 3, 2008
Dr. Charles M. Rice, The Rockefeller University “Viruses: Biology’s quick and undead” Originally presented: December 28, 2004
Drs. Keith Wailoo-Princeton University, John Grabenstein-Vaccine Dynamics, Paul Offit-Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Diane Wendt-National Museum of American History “Racing for Vaccines” Originally presented: January 27, 2021
Crystal Emery, Founder & CEO, URU The Right To Be; Alicia Torres, Senior Director Communication Science and Hispanic Outreach, Child Trends; Stephen White, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Business Development, and External Affairs, Center of Science and Industry; moderated by Elyse Aurbach, University of Michigan “Public Engagement During a Pandemic: Lessons from the Frontlines” Originally presented: February 5, 2021
Sarrah Hussain and Viola Yu-medical illustrators, Lehigh University “The Brain Visualization Project”
Natalie Intven-medical illustrator “Careers in Science: Medical Illustrator”
Peter Trusler-paleo illustrator “The Artist: Peter Trusler”
Catherine Wardrop-botanical illustrator “My Big Tomorrow-Botanical Illustrator”
Dr. Iain Couzin, University of Konstanz “Collective sensing and decision-making in animal groups” Originally presented: March 2018
Dr. Allison Barner, Colby College “Scaling community ecology for prediction in a changing world” Originally presented: September 2017
American Museum of Natural History “Six Extinctions in Six Minutes” Originally presented: December 2015
Dr. John Perlin, University of California-Santa Barbara “Science Knows No Gender? Eunice Foote” Originally presented: May 17, 2018
Dr. Gerald S. Shadel, Salk Institute for Biological Students “The ‘Age’ of Mitochondria” Originally presented: February 19, 2020
Prof. Shahana Mahajan, Hunter College “Riluzole as a potential therapeutic agent for metastatic osteosarcoma” Originally presented: December 9, 2021
E.O. Wilson, deceased 2021 “Of Ants and Men” Originally presented: 2015
Hasok Chang, University of Cambridge “Who cares about the history of science?” Originally presented: May 10, 2016
Ivan Oransky, MD, Retraction Watch “Retractions, Post-Publication Peer Review, and Fraud: Scientific Publishing’s Wild West” Originally presented: February 15, 2017
Ben Goldacre, University of Oxford “Bad Science!” Originally presented: September 29, 2015
John Ioannidis, Stanford University “Evidence-Based Public Health” Originally presented: February 25, 2021
Cynthia Sears, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine “The Origin and Impact of the Microbial World Around Us” Originally presented: October 14, 2020
Amy Rasley, Wei He, Matthew Coleman-Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Erin McKay-high school science teacher “Building biologically inspired nano-bots” Originally presented: February 25, 2017
Pankaj Mehta-Boston University and Josh Goldford-MIT “Introduction to ecological models for microbiomes” Originally presented: December 2, 2020
James D. Murray-Princeton University “Mathematical biology, past present and future”
National Parks Service “National Parks in the History of Science”
Real Science “Why Hybrid Animals May Take Over the North” Originally presented: 2021
The Economist “Mining the deep sea: the true cost to the planet” Originally presented: October 14, 2020
Natalie Batalha, University of California-Santa Cruz “The Legacy of Kepler & the Bright Future of Webb” Originally presented: December 16, 2021
Victoria Braithwaite, Penn State University “Do fish feel pain and why does it matter?” Originally presented: November 27, 2016
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab and The All We Can Save Project “The Future of Ocean Conservation” Originally presented: July 26, 2019
Georgina Mace, University College London “Looking Forwards Not Backwards: Biodiversity Conservation in the 21st Century” Originally presented: August 18-23, 2013
Steward Pickett, Cary Institute and Timon McPhearson, Urban Systems Lab “Urban Resilience: Why Ecology Matters” Originally presented: February 6, 2019
Bonnie Bassler, Princeton University “Cell-Cell Communication in Bacteria via Quorum Sensing”
Göran K. Hansson, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Claes Gustafsson, Chairman of the Nobel Committee “Announcement of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry” Originally presented: October 7, 2020
Howard Berg, Harvard University “Marvels of Bacterial Behavior — History & Physics of Bacterial Motion”
Lydia Villa-Komaroff, California State University “How I Became a Scientist” Originally presented: September 2011
Siddhartha Mukherjee, Columbia University “The Power Of Genes, And The Line Between Biology And Destiny” Originally presented: May 15, 2016
Catherine Feuillet, Bayer CropScience “Next generation wheat genome sequencing” Originally presented: July 22-25, 2019
Elizabeth Hoover, Brown University “Seed Sovereignty and ‘Our Living Relatives’ in Native American Community Farming and Gardening” Originally presented: March 2, 2020
Pardis Sabeti-Harvard University, Kizzmekia Corbett-National Institutes of Health (NIH) Vaccine Research Center, and Dr. Lynne Richardson-Mt. Sinai’s Institute for Health Equity Research “COVID-19: Vaccines, Testing, and the Science Behind the Cure” Originally presented: July 8, 2020
Paul Thomas, University of Southern California “An in-silico comparative study into the genome structure of several strains within the species Scenedesmus obliquus” Originally presented: December 9, 2020
William Li, MD “Can we eat to starve cancer?” Originally presented: February 2010
Sudharma Banerjee, Brooklyn College “Nucleolin Phosphorylation Profile During The Cellular Response To Stress” Originally presented: December 11, 2020
Richard Dawkins, Oxford University “Growing up in the Universe” Originally presented: December 1991
Alice Roberts and Aoife McLysaght, Royal Institution “Where Do I Come From?” Originally presented: December 2018
Tristram Wyatt, University of Oxford “Success of the Smelliest? The Search for Human Pheromones” Originally presented: June 9, 2015
Dana Pe’er, Stanford University “Data-Driven Approach to Biology” Originally presented: September 25, 2015
Sylvia Plevritis “Better cancer treatment through data” Originally presented: July 30, 2019
Mohammed AlQuraishi, Columbia University “End-to-end differentiable learning of protein structure” Originally presented: March 6, 2019
Nancy Kanwisher, MIT “Functional imaging of the human brain: A window into the organization of the human mind” Originally presented: June 19, 2019
Anita Bhattacharyya, University of Wisconsin-Madison “Skin Cells and Stem Cells to Study Down Syndrome” Originally presented: March 21, 2014
Elain Fuchs, The Rockefeller University “Skin Stem Cells: Their Biology and Promise for Regenerative Medicine” Originally presented: December 2017
Brinda K. Rana, PhD, University of California-San Diego “Twins in Space: The Effects of Space Travel on Humans — Research on Aging” Originally presented: July 12, 2017
Jeff Errington, FMedSci FRS, The University of Sydney “Bacterial cell walls, antibiotics and the origins of life” Originally presented: March 17, 2015
Eric Green, US National Human Genome Research Institute-NIH “The Past, Present and Future of the Human Genome Project” Originally presented: October 22, 2020
Gillian Bowser, National Park Service “Acadia to Zion: Understanding Our National Parks”
Karen Mock, Utah State University “Triploidy in western aspen” Originally presented: October 17, 2013
Rebecca Eisen, PhD-Center for Disease Control; Christopher Paddock, MD-Center for Disease Control; Gregory Ebel, ScD-Colorado State University; Bobbi Pritt, MD, MSc, DTM&H-Mayo Clinic “Emerging Tickborne Diseases” Originally presented: March 21, 2017
Marianne Krasny, Cornell University “Civic Ecology: Greening as urban social-ecological innovation” Originally presented: February 2, 2013
Dr. Sarah Bridle, University of Manchester “Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air” Date: May 11, 2021
All events will be held on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension.
The seminar series is organized by Tony Wilson.
Luis Santos, Icahn School of Medicine “Cell mechanics in stem cell differentiation and cancer immunotherapy” Host: Nicolas Biais
Peter Lipke, Brooklyn College “Using the force for good and evil: Force-induced amyloids make biofilms and beer, and redirect innate immunity” Host: Qi He
Allyson Friedman, Hunter College (CUNY) “The role of estrogen on dopaminergic regulation of social behavior” Host: Paul Forlano
Paul Maderson, Brooklyn College “Avian feathers: Avatars of contemporary biology” Host: Tony Wilson
Ray Gavin, Brooklyn College “Dan Eshel: A remembrance” Host: Ray Gavin, Professor Emeritus
Maria Tosches, Columbia University “Evolution of cell types and circuits in the vertebrate forebrain” Host: Tony Wilson
Monica Trujillo, Queensborough Community College (CUNY) “The role of an intramembrane protease in Streptomyces coelicolor” Host: Shaneen Singh
Susan Perkins, American Museum of Natural History “Hosts, hemoglobin, and hotspots: Comparative biology of malaria parasites” Host: Tony Wilson
Yonathan Zohar, University of Maryland “Fish reproductive biology: A journey between hormones, genes, functions and aquaculture” Host: Paul Forlano
Mark Emerson, City College (CUNY) “Illuminating the developmental origins of color vision” Host: Amy Ikui
Scott Holmes, Wesleyan University “Linkers and variants: Histones, gene expression, and chromosome condensation in yeast” Host: Mara Schvarzstein
No Seminar—College Closed
Amy MacQueen, Wesleyan University “TBA” Host: Mara Schvarzstein
Alison Pischedda, Barnard College “How does sexual conflict affect different components of male fitness?” Host: Tony Wilson
Departmental seminars are made possible through the generous support of Brooklyn College alumni and supporters. Contributions to the Biology Seminar Fund are accepted through the Brooklyn College Foundation.
* In memory of Shirlanna Alexis ’10, whose commitment to scientific research and academic curiosity is an inspiration to scientists young and old. ** In recognition of Distinguished Professor Martin P. Schreibman’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
Dominic Evangelista, Brooklyn College “Phylogenetics of the strange and unknown” Host: Tony Wilson
Sviatoslav Bagriantsev, Yale University “Cellular and molecular basis of mechanosensory specialization” Host: Theodore Muth
Jasna Brujic, New York University “Imitating protein folding with soft matter” Host: Nicolas Biais
Soni Lacefield, Indiana University “Spindle checkpoint regulation of meiosis” Host: Jasmin Phillip (Ikui Lab)
Simon Garnier, New Jersey Institute of Technology “We the Swarm: Lessons in problem-solving from tiny brains and neuron-less creatures” Host: Tony Wilson
Hilal Lashuel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology “Protein misfolding and aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases” Host: Mariana Torrente
Francois Jacob, Institut Pasteur “A life in science: The central dogma and gene regulation”
Peter Piot, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine “Are we ready for the next pandemic?”
Jennifer Doudna, UC Berkeley “Genome editing with CRISPR-Cas systems: Challenges and opportunities”
May-Britt Moser, Norwegian University of Science and Technology “Space, time and memory in the brain”
Sydney Brenner, Salk Institute “A life in science: A conversation”
Michael Lynch, Arizona State University “Mutation, drift, and the origin of subcellular features”
Paul Nurse, Francis Crick Institute “Understanding the cell cycle”
Richard Feynman, California Institute of Technology “The pleasure of finding things out”
Miar Elaskandrany, Saxena Laboratory / NYU School of Medicine “Fungal dysbiosis in pancreatic tumorigenesis: Is anti-fungal cancer therapeutics on the horizon?” Meriem Guettatfi, Garcia-Sherman / Lipke Laboratory “Effect of TTR on Candida albicans biofilm formation” Hosts: Cat McEntee, Theodore Muth, Anjana Saxena
* In memory of Shirlanna Alexis ’10, whose commitment to scientific research and academic curiosity is an inspiration to scientists young and old. ** In recognition of Professor Dan Eshel’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
No Seminar
No Seminar—Department Meeting
Enrique Rojas, New York University “Mechanical biology of microbes” Host: Peter Lipke
David Crews, University of Texas “We have soiled our nest: Now what?” Host: Paul Forlano
Andrea Simmons, Brown University “Scene analysis in echolocation” Host: Kelsey Hom (Forlano Lab)
Peter Groffman, Advanced Science Research Center/Brooklyn College “Shooting at a moving target: Evaluating ecosystem response to extreme events in a changing world” Host: Theodore Muth
Rob DeSalle, American Museum of Natural History “Troublesome science: Genomics and race” Host: Tony Wilson
Steve Klotz, University of Arizona “Innate immune responses and human fungal infections” Host: Peter Lipke
John Sparks, American Museum of Natural History “Evolution and function of bioluminescence and biofluorescence in marine fishes” Host: Tony Wilson
Soledad Sosa, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai “Illuminating how tumor cell dormancy works: Relevance to metastasis“ Host: Tony Wilson
Esteban Mazzoni, New York University “Chromatin and transcriptional states during cell differentiation” Host: Nicolas Biais
Lei Xie, Hunter College “A systematic view of biomolecular recognition” Host: Shaneen Singh
Shahrina Chowdhury, Brooklyn College “Sociality and stress in female chacma baboons in South Africa” Host: Catherine McEntee
* In memory of Shirlanna Alexis ‘ 10, whose commitment to scientific research and academic curiosity is an inspiration to scientists young and old. ** In recognition of Distinguished Professor Martin P. Schreibman’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
Jasna Brujic, New York University “Programming colloidal architectures” Host: Nicolas Biais
Christopher Blair, City Tech “Using reptiles as models for understanding evolutionary patterns and processes in the New World” Host: Tony Wilson
Paul Feinstein, Hunter College “MouSensor: A platform to decode the sense of smell” Host: Nicolas Biais
Berk Aykut, New York University “Mechanical Forces in Cancer and Infectious Diseases” Host: Anjana Saxena
Erich Jarvis, Rockefeller University “Molecular convergence in brain regions for song-learning in birds and spoken-language in humans” Host: Peter Lipke
Michael Mandel, Brooklyn College “Building machine listeners, with data and inspiration from humans” Host: Tony Wilson
Paula Checchi, Marist College “Maintenance of Genome Integrity by Mi2″ Host: Mara Schvarzstein
Tony Wilson, Brooklyn College “Father as mother: What we can learn from animals” Host: Nicolas Biais
Sevinc Ercan, New York University “Chromosome condensation and gene regulation in C. elegans“ Host: Mara Schvarzstein
Holger Sonderman, Cornell University “Friending and unfriending: Controlling reversible attachment in bacterial social networks” Host: Nicolas Biais
Kristie Rupp, Brooklyn College “Obesity throughout the lifespan: Addressing childhood obesity in adults” Host: Jimiane Ashe (Wilson Lab)
Neville Sanjana, NY Genome Center “New frontiers for pooled screens: Finding regulatory elements in the noncoding genome and capturing multi-cell interactions” Host: Qi He
Chris Mason, Weill Cornell Medicine “TBA” Host: Tony Wilson
Aneesa Valentine, Biais Laboratory “Elucidating a role for physical force in Neisseria gonorrhoeae biofilm development and antibiotic resistance” Joseph Arguelles, Singh Laboratory “Structural analysis of venom peptide of Leptopilina heterotoma, generalist parasitoid of Drosophila, reveals prevalence of heparin-binding motif within the knottin protein family” Hosts: Jeremy Draghi, Theodore Muth
* In memory of Shirlanna Alexis’ 10, whose commitment to scientific research and academic curiosity is an inspiration to scientists young and old. ** In recognition of Professor Ray Gavin’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor. *** In recognition of Professor Dan Eshel’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
Oliver Griffith, Yale University “Evolution of the placenta: A tale of the first contact between mother and baby” Host: Tony Wilson
Scott Edwards, Harvard University “Genomic drivers of evolutionary change: micro- and macro-evolutionary examples across the avian tree of life” Host: Tony Wilson
Pablo Meyer, IBM Research “Non-genetic origins of bacterial metabolic regulation and cell death” Host: Nicolas Biais
Robert Froemke, New York University “Oxytocin, maternal behavior, and synaptic plasticity” Host: Paul Forlano
Dario Palmieri, Ohio State University “Anti-NCL immunoagents for cancer therapy” Host: Anjana Saxena
Scott Juntti, University of Maryland “Identifying neural pathways in the social brain: Insights from cichlid fish genetics” Host: Tony Wilson
Charlene Forest, Brooklyn College “The discovery of the first gamete fusion protein and my very tiny role in understanding fertilization” Host: Tony Wilson
Ellen Hsu, SUNY Downstate Medical Center “Immunoglobulin gene expression in the shark (compared to everybody else)” Host: Tony Wilson
Sylvie Deborde, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center “Schwann cells facilitate cancer cell invasion” Host: Nicolas Biais
Nicholas Farrell, Virginia Commonwealth University “Platinum anti-cancer drugs: Current status and new targets” Host: Maria Contel (Chemistry)
No Seminar—Conversion Day
Marcie Marston, Roger Williams University “TBA” Host: Jeremy Draghi
Patrizia Casaccia, Advanced Science Research Center, CUNY “TBA” Host: Shaneen Singh
* In memory of Professor Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and adviser. ** In recognition of Distinguished Professor Martin P. Schreibman’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
Joshua Shaevitz, Princeton University “Self-driven phase transitions in living matter” Host: Nicolas Biais
Shana Elbaum, Advanced Science and Research Center, CUNY “From fluids to fibers: Liquid phase separation and neurodegeneration” Host: Anjana Saxena
Alexandra Zidovska, New York University “The ‘self-stirred’ genome: Bulk and surface dynamics of the chromatin globule” Host: Kelly Eckenrode (Biais Lab)
Reserved for Biology Search
Ankur Dalia, Indiana University “Molecular dissection of natural transformation and exploiting it as a genetic tool to study Vibrio species” Host: Jeremy Draghi
Malin Pinsky, Rutgers University “Life in a giant water bath: Consequences for ecological dynamics in the ocean” Host: Tony Wilson
Andrés Bendesky, Columbia University “The genetics and neurobiology of parental care evolution” Host: Tony Wilson
Annegret Falkner, New York University “Appetite for destruction: Neural circuits for aggressive motivation and action” Host: Jon Perelmuter (Forlano Lab)
Sean Brady, Rockefeller University “Natural products from uncultured bacteria” Host: Tony Wilson
Cheryl Hayashi, American Museum of Natural History “Diversification of spider silks: Evolutionary and functional perspectives” Host: Tony Wilson
Peter Satir, Albert Einstein College of Medicine “Exploring ciliary nanobiology in health and disease” Host: Nicolas Biais
Iqra Nadeem (Saxena Lab) & Huda Yousuf (Torrente Lab) Hosts: Jeremy Draghi, Theodore Muth
* In memory of Professor Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and adviser. ** In recognition of Professor Ray Gavin’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor. *** In recognition of Professor Dan Eshel’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
James Curley, Columbia University “Social dynamics of mouse dominance hierarchies” Host: Tony Wilson
Juan Marcos Alarcon, SUNY Downstate Medical Center “Experience-dependent modulation of hippocampal circuits” Host: Mara Schvarzstein
David Zusman, UC Berkeley “Uncovering the mystery of gliding motility in the bacterial predator, Myxococcus xanthus” Host: Nicolas Biais
Mariana Torrente, Brooklyn College “Epigenetics in neurodegenerative disease: The missing piece of the puzzle?” Host: Mara Schvarzstein
Molly Schumer, Columbia University “Hybridization shapes the evolutionary history of swordtail fish” Host: Tony Wilson
No seminar—Conversion Day
No seminar—Departmental faculty meeting
Mark Siegal, New York University “Variability and robustness: Lessons from single-cell traits in yeast” Host: Jeremy Draghi
No Biology seminar
Michael Long, NYU Medical School “How does the brain generate behavioral sequences?” Host: Paul Forlano
Amy Ikui, Brooklyn College “Evolution of DNA replication machineries” Host: Tony Wilson
Amar Klar, National Cancer Institute “Selective chromatid segregation mechanism of fission yeast explains development in higher organisms Host: Mara Schvarzstein
No seminar—College closed
Paul Turner, Yale University “Virus adaptation (or not) to environmental change” Host: Jeremy Draghi
Anuradha Janakiraman, City College “Structural and functional insights into the regulation of bacterial cytokinesis” Host: Nicolas Biais
* In memory of Professor Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and adviser.
Frances Champagne, Columbia University “Brain development, epigenetics, and the exposome” Host: Tony Wilson
Joao Xavier, Memorial Sloan Kettering “Microbiome ecology explains how gut microbes protect their host against infections: Studies with bone marrow transplant patients” Host: Nicolas Biais
Erika Crispo, Pace University “Nature versus nurture, and life at the extreme: How do African cichlid populations respond to hypoxia?” Host: Tony Wilson
TBA TBA Host: TBA
Nicolas Biais, Brooklyn College “Superheroes and supervillains of the human microbiota: An introduction to mechano-micro-biology” Host: Tony Wilson
Raul Perez-Jimenez, CIC nanoGUNE TBA Host: Nicolas Biais
Joe Ramos, University of Hawaii “RSK2 promotes invasive signaling through coordinated control of integrin adhesion and Rho GTPases” Host: Maria Contel (Chemistry)
Mara Schvarzstein, Brooklyn College “Chromosome and centrosome inheritance” Host: Tony Wilson
Hironori Funabiki, Rockefeller University “When DNA meets the cytoplasm” Host: Amy Ikui
Lucy Shapiro, Stanford University “The 3-D architecture of cell cycle regulation” Host: Nicolas Biais
Scott Miller, Yale University “TBA” Host: Ryan Murelli (Chemistry)
Zaid McKie-Krisberg, Brooklyn College “A systems biology study of carbon utilization and metabolic regulation in green algae” Host: Juergen Polle
* In memory of Professor Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and adviser. ** In recognition of Distinguished Professor Martin P. Schreibman’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor. *** In recognition of Professor Ray Gavin’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
Debashish Bhattacharya, Rutgers University “Evolution of photosynthetic organelles in the distant and not so distant past” Host: Shaneen Singh
Jens Rister, New York University “Color vision in Drosophila: Single base pairs matter” Host: Qi He
Adam Parris, Sustainability and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay “Mapping resilience not risk: Turning the tide in New York City and Jamaica Bay” Host: Tony Wilson
Alicia Melendez, Queens College (CUNY) “Autophagy in development and aging” Host: Mara Schvarzstein
Nate Sawtell, Columbia University “Neural circuit mechanisms from distinguishing self from other: Insights from electric fish” Host: Jonathan Perelmuter (Forlano Lab)
Frederick Cross, Rockefeller University “The genetics of green cell cycle control” Host: Amy Ikui
Eimear Kenny, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai “Population genetics in the era of precision medicine” Host: Frieda Benun (Wilson Lab)
Michael Sheetz, MBI Singapore/Columbia University “Cells pinch their environment to grow or die” Host: Nicolas Biais
Nolwenn Dheilly, SUNY Stony Brook “Microorganisms as drivers of host-parasite interactions” Host: Tony Wilson
Meng-Fu Brian Tsou, Memorial Sloan Kettering “Spatial control of vertebrate ciliogenesis” Host: Mara Schvarzstein
Paul Forlano, Brooklyn College / CUNY Graduate Center “Steroids, brain monoamines and auditory-driven social behavior: Insights from a vocal fish with alternative reproductive tactics” Host: Jennifer Basil
Gregory O’Mullan, Queens College (CUNY) “Sewage and stormwater pollution to the Hudson River Estuary: Microbial connections of sediment, water, and air” Host: Tony Wilson
Peter Tessier, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute “Improved methods for designing and evolving antibodies” Host: Peter Lipke
* In memory of Professor Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist and adviser. ** In recognition of Distinguished Professor Martin P. Schreibman’s contributions as teacher, scientist and mentor.
Thierry Emonet, Yale University “The functional consequences of non-genetic diversity in cellular navigation” Host: Nicolas Biais
Zemer Gitai, Princeton University “Feel the force: How mechanics affect bacterial colonization and virulence” Host: Nicolas Biais
Matteo Avella, National Institutes of Health “Molecular mechanisms of vertebrate fertilization” Host: Tony Wilson
Gal Haspel, New Jersey Institute of Technology “Neurobiology of C. elegans locomotion: Connectivity, activity, and recovery from injury” Host: Paul Forlano
Eric Fortune, New Jersey Institute of Technology “The sum is greater than the parts: Emergent properties of social behavior in fish and birds” Host: Zack Ghahramani (Forlano Lab)
Martin Flajnik, University of Maryland “The emergence of adaptive immunity” Host: Tony Wilson
Karen Schindler, Rutgers University “Protein kinase signaling control of meiosis I in mouse oocytes” Host: Mara Schvarzstein
David Schoppik, Langone Medical Center NYU “Towards understanding the neural basis of postural development” Host: Paul Forlano
Xin Li, NYU College of Dentistry “Metformin—Cancer prevention and beyond” Host: Anjana Saxena
Greg Petsko, Weill Cornell Medical College (Friedman Lecture, Chemistry) “Targeting protein trafficking for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease” Location: Tanger Auditorium (150 Library) Host: Ryan Murelli
Mandë Holford, Hunter College “Venomics: An integrated approach for investigating venom evolution in marine snails” Host: Tony Wilson
Judith Berman, Tel Aviv University “Ploidy gymnastics and the rapid acquisition of new traits” Host: Peter Lipke
George Langford, Syracuse University “Molecular motors are key to a healthy brain” Host: Nicolas Biais
Darcy Kelley, Columbia University “Sex and songs: Modifying neural circuits across evolution” Host: Nicolas Biais
* In memory of Professor Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and adviser. ** In recognition of Professor Ray Gavin’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
The seminar series is organized by Associate Professor Tony Wilson.
Ntino Krampis, Hunter College (CUNY) “Cloud BioLinux: Pre-configured and on-demand bioinformatics computing for genomics and beyond” Host: Professor Jim Nishiura
Louise Kuhn, Columbia University “Challenges in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa” Host: Dr. Laura Munteanu
Olorunseun Ogunwobi, Hunter College (CUNY) “Circulating tumor cell biology in cancer metastasis” Host: Professor Anjana Saxena
Joe Pickrell, New York Genome Center “Making inferences about human history using genomic data” Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson
Richard Ikegami, UC Berkeley “Navigation of neurons within bundles” Host: Professor Mara Schvarzstein
Sanjai Kumar, Queens College (CUNY) “Development of a cell-active and non-basic inhibitory agent of Cathepsin L” Host: Professor Shaneen Singh
Frank Burbrink, College of Staten Island (CUNY) “The processes that drive diversification and community assemblages in snakes” Host: Professor Jennifer Basil
Nick Santangelo, Hofstra University “Social dynamics of a monogamous biparental fish and potential neuropeptide mechanisms” Host: Professor Paul Forlano
Daniel Kronauer, Rockefeller University “Social evolution and behavior in the clonal Raider Ant“ Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson
Kari Lavalli, Boston University “Predator adaptations by decapod crustaceans” Host: Professor Jennifer Basil
Prabodhika Mallikaratchy, Lehman College (CUNY) “Oligonucleotide therapeutics for human lymphoma and leukemia” Host: Professor Anjana Saxena
Kevin Gardner, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center “Nature’s switches: Environmentally-sensitive protein/protein interaction domains” Host: Professor Peter Lipke
Ivaylo Ivanov, Columbia University “How gut microbes orchestrate the immune system” Host: Professor Nicolas Biais
* In memory of Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist and adviser.
Peter McKenney, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center “Fight microbes with microbes: Bile acid metabolism by gut microbiota mediates resistance against multiple hospital-acquired pathogens” Host: Associate Professor Theodore Muth
Faculty Search Candidate—TBA
Judith Yanowitz, Magee-Womens Research Institute “Checks and balances for crossover formation” Host: Assistant Professor Mara Schvarzstein
Dustin Rubinstein, Columbia University “Coping with environmental uncertainty: Integrating behavior and mechanism” Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson
James Borowiec, NYU Langone Medical Center “Preventing genomic instability: Recruiting breast cancer tumor suppressors to damaged DNA for DNA repair” Host: Assistant Professor Anjana Saxena
Gregory Boel, Columbia University “Large-scale protein expression dataset identifies mRNA features regulating translation and post-transcriptional mRNA levels” Host: Assistant Professor Nicolas Biais
Tim Stearns, Stanford University “Centrosomes, cilia, and the evolution of the tubulin superfamily” Host: Assistant Professor Mara Schvarzstein
Kathleen Scotto, Rutgers University “A new role for the ABCG2 drug transporter: Regulation of autophagy” Host: Assistant Professor Anjana Saxena
David Dubnau, Rutgers University “Many are called, few are chosen: Stochastic decisions in bacterial development” Host: Assistant Professor Nicolas Biais
James Gregory, Mount Sinai Medical Center “Engineering proteins for basic and translational research” Host: Professor Juergen Polle
The series is organized by Assistant Professor Paul M. Forlano.
Dr. Dan McCloskey, College of Staten Island (CUNY) “Neural Correlates of Social Behavior in the Naked Mole Rat” Host: Paul Forlano
Dr. James Liao, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida “The Biomechanics and Sensory Biology of Fish Swimming” Host: Paul Forlano
Dr. Luis Martinez Torres, Long Island University “Impact of Methamphetamine in Infection and Immunity” Host: Peter Lipke
Dr. Jason Dictenberg, Hunter College (CUNY) “Role of RNA Binding Proteins in Activity Dependent mRNA Transport and Translation” Host: Paul Forlano
Dr. Kari Lavalli, Boston University “Adaptations of Decopods to Predators: A Review” Hosts: Jennifer Basil and Frank Grasso
Dr. Jon Horvitz, City College (CUNY) “Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine and Habit Learning” Host: Paul Forlano
Dr. Andreas Kottmann, City College (CUNY) “Exploring the Function of the Morphogen Sonic Hedgehog When Expressed in Mature Neurons: Extending Spemann’s Organizer Principle to the Regulation of Cognitive Processes and neurogenesis in the Adult” Host: Paul Forlano
Dr. Sunny Scobell, Brooklyn College (CUNY) “Hormonal Mediation of Male Pregnancy and Female Aggression in a Sex Role Reversed Pipefish” Host: Tony Wilson
Dr. Davida Smyth, City Tech (CUNY) “Using Staphylococcus aureus as a Model Organism for Studying Bacterial Adaptation and Evolution” Host: Theodore Muth
Dr. Uri Hershberg, Drexel University “Germline Amino Acid Diversity in B cell Receptors Is a Good Predictor of Somatic Selection Pressures in the Immune System” Host: Theodore Muth
Dr. Victoria Luine, Hunter College (CUNY) “Memory Enhancement by Estrogens: Role of Dendritic Spines” Host: Paul Forlano
Dr. Lars Dietrich, Columbia University “How to Prevent Suffocation in a Bacterial Colony” Host: Nicolas Biais
Dr. Jason Munshi-South, Fordham University “Landscape Genomics of NYC Wildlife” Host: Paul Forlano
Idan Efroni, New York University “Mechanisms of Root Regeneration” Host: Associate Professor Theodore Muth
Faculty search candidate TBA
No seminar—Monday schedule
Assistant Professor Daphne Soares, University of Maryland “Neural Adaptation to Extreme Environments” Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano
Professor Jacqueline Webb, University of Rhode Island “The Mechanosensory Lateral Line System of Teleost Fishes: Functional Adaptations and Developmental Explanations” Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano
Melissa Caras, New York University “Hormonal Modulation of Auditory Processing in a Seasonally Breeding Songbird” Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano
Professor Kathleen Axen, Brooklyn College “Does Fat Intake Alter Hepatic Lipogenesis? A Tale of High-fat Diets, Insulin Resistance and Fatty Liver” Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano
Dr. Herbert Tanowitz, Albert Einstein Medical School “Chagas Disease in New York City” Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano
Dr. Vladimir Pelicic, Imperial College London “Specific DNA-Binding Pilins as Modulators of Horizontal Gene Transfer” Host: Assistant Professor Nicolas Biais
No seminar—spring break
Professor Sheryl Smith, SUNY Downstate “Alpha4-beta-delta GABA-A Receptors Play a Role in Altering Mood and Cognition During Adolescence” Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano
Assistant Professor Shira Ninio, Drexel University “Biofilm Formation and Regulation in the Pathogen Legionella Pneumophila” Host: Associate Professor Theodore Muth
Assistant Professor Kathleen Lynch, Hofstra University “Flexibility in Mate Choice: Inside the Brain of Fickle Females” Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano
Professor Kari Lavalli, Boston University “Adaptations of Decapods to Predators: A Review” Host: Associate Professor Jennifer Basil / Associate Professor Frank Grasso
Dr. Derrick Brazill, Hunter College (CUNY) “Of Mice and Men: A Tale of Two Viruses” Host: Luis Quadri
Dr. Holly Colognato, SUNY Stonybrook “Thinking Outside the Cell: The Role of Extracellular Matrix in Modulating Nervous System Development and Repair” Host: Paul Forlano
Job Candidate Title: TBA Host: TBA
Dr. Maryam Bamshad, Lehman College (CUNY) “The Prairie Vole: A Model for Understanding the Biology of Social Monogamy” Host: Paul Forlano
Cho Tan Lipke Lab, CUNY Graduate Center “Functional Amyloids: Mechanosensors in Yeast Adhesins” Host: Peter Lipke
Dr. David Lahti, Queens College (CUNY) “Learned Behaviors Still Evolve: Lessons From Birds” Host: Paul Forlano
Dr. Eunsoo Kim, AMNH “Endosymbiosis and the Evolution of Green Algae” Host: Juergen Polle
Dr. Carolyn Pytte, Queens College (CUNY) “Lateralization of Adult Neurogenesis Serves Learning and Memory” Host: Paul Forlano
Dr. David Deitcher, Cornell University “Knockdown of FoxP in Drosophila Reveals an Essential Role in Motor Behaviors” Host:Paul Forlano
TBA Host: TBA
Dr. Robert Ranaldi, Queens College (CUNY) “Neurobiology Underlying Reward-Related Learning” Host: Paul Forlano
