GGA Winter Welcome Social Join us for cocoa, coffee, cookies and community! Monday, January 12 at 1:30 pm in Stephens Room (3503 Thomas Hall). There will not be a Zoom component for this gathering.
“On the Surface … “ : Transmembrane Protein Codes that Direct Synapse Formation and Function in the Brain Tim Mosca, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Thomas Jefferson University Abstract The Mosca Lab studies, broadly, how synapse organization arises in the brain and how that organization enables behavior. We study the Drosophila olfactory system, taking in…
Olfactory system tied with whole-body metabolism: CRISPR editing, nanoparticle targeting, and GLP-1 agonist treatments Debra Ann Fadool, Distinguished Research Professor, Program in Neuroscience & Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University Abstract An obesogenic environment can cause loss of olfactory sensory neurons and dysfunction in olfactory coding of electrical information. The olfactory system is presented with…
Conserving genetic diversity of at-risk species across the data-availability spectrum Brenna Forester, Endangered Species Biologist at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Abstract Genetic data have been used for decades in conservation, including for the identification and recovery of species assessed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Technological advances have made much larger genomic datasets…
Annual GG Scholars Poster Session 2025 - 2026 Cohort Come out and support the GG Scholars as they showcase their posters! This is a great opportunity to provide feedback (after the session) to help our next generation of scientists improve their poster design and poster pitch. GG Scholars Poster Session Survey Presenters: Rachel Simoes -…
Synthetic transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene circuits for reprogramming plant metabolism Mauricio Antunes, Associate Professor at the University of North Texas Abstract Plant metabolism provides an extraordinary source of natural products that benefit humans in a variety of ways. Of special interest are biosynthetic pathways that are grouped into what is known as specialized (or secondary)…
Genomics to Behavior: Studies of Drosophila Complex Behavior Michelle Arbeitman, Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience at Florida State University Abstract Complex reproductive behaviors in Drosophila are directed by sex-specific transcription factors. The male-specific Fruitless (Fru) transcript factors play a central in establishing the neural potential for male reproductive behaviors. My laboratory has used several…
Mechanisms of regulating histone tail binding in the context of the nucleosome Catherine A. Musselman, Associate Professor at University of Colorado Anschutz Abstract Histone tails are critical in the regulation of chromatin structure. They harbor a plethora of post-translational modifications (PTMs), and it has been proposed that patterns of PTMs form localized ‘codes’. Recognition of…
Cell Cycle Plasticity and the Narrow Path of Escape Jeremy Purvis, Professor and Associate Chair for Education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Abstract The canonical, four-phase model of the cell cycle has dominated our thinking for over seventy years. This model is still useful but falls woefully short of capturing the sophisticated…
A Science Journey Hashem Akhavan-Tafti, President and CSO of AhuraTech, LLC and Co-Founder of 1 for 2 Education Foundation Abstract The company founder and President, Hashem Akhavan-Tafti, Ph.D., was formerly the Vice President of Research for Beckman Coulter’s Immunoassay and Molecular Diagnostics Business Group. Hashem managed a multi-disciplinary team of research scientists in the discovery…
Statistical modeling of causal triples: genetic effects on coronavirus disease via immune mediators William Valdar, Professor of Genetics, Adjunct Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Abstract Severe disease following infection with SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-2 is driven in part by genetically regulated immune responses that promote lung injury. In…
Join us in bookending the Spring 2026 semester at a GGA faculty gathering with pizza provided! The event is in-person only. Stephens Room (3503 Thomas Hall).