GGA

Nanopore sequencing may explain the origin of nucleic acids David Deamer, University of California, Santa Cruz Video Abstract Were nucleic acids invented by primitive forms of life? The alternative is that non-enzymatic polymerization synthesized nucleic acids before life began. I will describe a series of reactions driven by wet-dry cycles that are ubiquitous in freshwater…

Honoring Bruce Weir: A Career-Spanning Symposium Bruce Weir, Former Director of the Bioinformatics Research Center Join us for a special retirement symposium for Bruce Weir, a long-time faculty member and former director of the Bioinformatics Research Center at NC State. This symposium, recognizing Weir’s contributions to Statistical Genetics and Bioinformatics at NC State, will feature…

To kick-off a new semester of the Genetics and Genomics Seminar series, we are inviting our cohorts of GGA students to give 5-minute Flash Talks about their research. Join us in Stephens Room (3503 Thomas Hall) to hear about the exciting, innovative research of the students of the GGA community. Immediately after the Flash Talks…

Navigating Opportunities in Industrial Biotechnology Kevin Donohue, Head of Bioinformatics, Global Seeds Research, Syngenta Abstract Choosing a career path in industrial agricultural biotechnology can be an exciting journey that can take many different directions. My experience beginning with graduate research at NCSU in the Department of Entomology was foundational to how I approached decisions throughout…

Jointly modeling the effects of evolutionary processes on genomic variation Parul Johri, Assistant Professor of Biology and Genetics at UNC Chapel Hill Abstract Population genomic inference currently assumes that all segregating mutations are neutral and does not account for the effects of selection across the genome, which is problematic when modeling genomic variation in species…

Speciation and the Evolution of Mate Choice in Plants Robin Hopkins, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University Abstract Speciation results from the buildup of reproductive barriers that decrease gene flow between diverging lineages. Understanding the evolutionary forces underlying this accumulation of reproductive isolation (RI) is fundamental to explaining the formation of biodiversity.…