Biology Seminar Series

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2024

February 1

Juergen Polle, “Microalgal Metabolism from a systems perspective”

February 8

Saurabh Agarwal, St. John’s University, “Deciphering the Epigenetic Mechanisms in Neuroblastoma Cancer Stem Cells: A Targeted Therapeutic Approach”
Host: Shaneen Singh, joint with BCCC- CURE

March 14

Deren Eaton, Columbia University, “Diversity and Divergence across Geographic and Genomic Scales”
Host: Tony Wilson

March 28

Mara Schvarzstein, “Understanding abnormal and uncommon patterns of chromosome inheritance and their outcomes”

April 4

Jessica Seeliger, Stony Brook University, “Opening Up the Envelope: Reading Out Mysterious Membrane Machinery in the Human Pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Host: Mariana Torrente, Joint with Chemistry

April 11

Nina Naghshineh, Fordham University, Looking beyond composition: Structural reorganization of the Plethodon cinereus cutaneous microbiome across an urbanization gradient
Host: TR Muth

May 2

Jason Lewis, Memorial Sloan Kettering, “Theranostics – Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment”
Host: Mariana Torrente; Joint with Chemistry

May 9

Jorge A. Garcés, Exact Sciences
Host: Phillip Staniczenko

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2023

October 5

Nicolas Biais, Sorbonne University, “MechanoMicroPhysiology: Of Molecules, Forces and Growth (or not)”
Host: Tony Wilson

October 20

Carmen Melendez, Hunter College, CUNY, “Mechanobiology of Myelin Formation and Repair”
Host: Mariana Torrente; Joint with Chemistry

November 2

Jamie Wong, Tisch MS Research Center, “Cerebrospinal fluid- mediated disease mechanisms in primary progressive multiple sclerosis”
Host: Tony Wilson

November 9

Peter Lipke, “The role of Brooklyn College in Functional Amyloid Research”

December 1

Robert G. Roeder, The Rockefeller University, “Transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in animal cells”
Host: Murat Cevher; Joint with BCCC- CURE

December 7

Brian Giebel, CUNY ASRC, “A microbial tale – What can microbes tell us about plastics in soil?”
Host: TR Muth

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2023

February 16

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

February 23

Debyani Chakravarty, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
“Clinical Cancer Genomics and Precision Oncology at MSK”
Host: Professor Maria Contel

March 2

David Spector, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
“Targeting Long Non-Coding RNAs to Impact Breast Cancer Progression
Host: Professor Anjana Saxena

March 30

Leora Yetnikoff, College of Staten Island (CUNY)
Host: Professor Paul Forlano

April 20

Yuko Ota, University of Maryland
“The Evolutionary Origins of Cell-Mediated Immunity”
Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson

May 4

Jesse Delia, American Museum of Natural History
“Biological Transparency in Glassfrogs”
Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson

May 11

Andriele Silva, Brooklyn College
Host: Associate Professor Shaneen Singh

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2022

September 15

David Spector, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Gavin Lecture in Cell & Molecular Biology: Targeting long non-coding RNAs to impact breast cancer progression
Host: Anjana Saxena

October 6

Andy Bass, Cornell University, Schreibman Lecture in Integrative Biology: Saying the right thing at the right time: Lessons from‘singing’ fish
Host: Paul Forlano

November 10

Tom Fox, Fox & Associates, “Applying science and public activism: Trying to make good things happen”
Host: Tony Wilson

December 1

Cristiano Dios, New Jersey Institute of Technology, “Atomic insights into amyloid-induced membrane damage”
Host: Shaneen Singh

December 8

Noah Rose, Princeton University, “The origin and spread of specialization on humans in the dengue and Zika mosquito Aedes aegypti”
Host: Tony Wilson

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2021

The seminar series is organized by Assistant Professor Phillip P.A. Staniczenko.

September 2

Ron Maughan, University of St. Andrews
“Sports nutrition and exercise metabolism—An historical perspective”
Originally presented: March 8, 2016

September 9

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

September 21

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

September 30

Dr. Charles M. Rice, The Rockefeller University
“Viruses: Biology’s quick and undead”
Originally presented: December 28, 2004

October 7

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

October 14

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

October 21

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”

October 28

Dr. Iain Couzin, University of Konstanz
“Collective sensing and decision-making in animal groups”
Originally presented: March 2018

November 4

Dr. Allison Barner, Colby College
“Scaling community ecology for prediction in a changing world”
Originally presented: September 2017

November 11

American Museum of Natural History
“Six Extinctions in Six Minutes”
Originally presented: December 2015

November 18

Dr. John Perlin, University of California-Santa Barbara
“Science Knows No Gender? Eunice Foote”
Originally presented: May 17, 2018

December 2

Dr. Gerald S. Shadel, Salk Institute for Biological Students
“The ‘Age’ of Mitochondria”
Originally presented: February 19, 2020

December 9

Prof. Shahana Mahajan, Hunter College
“Riluzole as a potential therapeutic agent for metastatic osteosarcoma”
Originally presented: December 9, 2021

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—spring 2022

February 10

E.O. Wilson, deceased 2021
“Of Ants and Men”
Originally presented: 2015

February 17

Hasok Chang, University of Cambridge
“Who cares about the history of science?”
Originally presented: May 10, 2016

February 24

Ivan Oransky, MD, Retraction Watch
“Retractions, Post-Publication Peer Review, and Fraud: Scientific Publishing’s Wild West”
Originally presented: February 15, 2017

March 3

Ben Goldacre, University of Oxford
“Bad Science!”
Originally presented: September 29, 2015

March 10

John Ioannidis, Stanford University
“Evidence-Based Public Health”
Originally presented: February 25, 2021

March 17

Cynthia Sears, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
“The Origin and Impact of the Microbial World Around Us”
Originally presented: October 14, 2020

March 24

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

March 31

Pankaj Mehta-Boston University and Josh Goldford-MIT
“Introduction to ecological models for microbiomes”
Originally presented: December 2, 2020

April 7

James D. Murray-Princeton University
“Mathematical biology, past present and future”

April 14

National Parks Service
“National Parks in the History of Science”

April 28

Real Science
“Why Hybrid Animals May Take Over the North”
Originally presented: 2021

May 5

The Economist
“Mining the deep sea: the true cost to the planet”
Originally presented: October 14, 2020

May 12

Natalie Batalha, University of California-Santa Cruz
“The Legacy of Kepler & the Bright Future of Webb”
Originally presented: December 16, 2021

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2020

The seminar series is organized by Assistant Professor Phillip P.A. Staniczenko.

September 10

Victoria Braithwaite, Penn State University
“Do fish feel pain and why does it matter?”
Originally presented: November 27, 2016

September 17

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

September 24

Georgina Mace, University College London
“Looking Forwards Not Backwards: Biodiversity Conservation in the 21st Century”
Originally presented: August 18–23, 2013

October 1

Steward Pickett, Cary Institute and Timon McPhearson, Urban Systems Lab
“Urban Resilience: Why Ecology Matters”
Originally presented: February 6, 2019

October 8

Bonnie Bassler, Princeton University
“Cell-Cell Communication in Bacteria via Quorum Sensing”

October 15

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

October 22

Howard Berg, Harvard University
“Marvels of Bacterial Behavior—History & Physics of Bacterial Motion”

October 29

Lydia Villa-Komaroff, California State University
“How I Became a Scientist”
Originally presented: September 2011

November 5

Siddhartha Mukherjee, Columbia University
“The Power Of Genes, And The Line Between Biology And Destiny”
Originally presented: May 15, 2016

November 12

Catherine Feuillet, Bayer CropScience
“Next generation wheat genome sequencing”
Originally presented: July 22–25, 2019

November 19

Elizabeth Hoover, Brown University
“Seed Sovereignty and ‘Our Living Relatives’ in Native American Community Farming and Gardening”
Originally presented: March 2, 2020

December 3

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

December 9

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

December 10

William Li, MD
“Can we eat to starve cancer?”
Originally presented: February 2010

December 11

Sudharma Banerjee, Brooklyn College
“Nucleolin Phosphorylation Profile During The Cellular Response To Stress”
Originally presented: December 11, 2020

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—spring 2021

February 4

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

February 11

Tristram Wyatt, University of Oxford
“Success of the Smelliest? The Search for Human Pheromones”
Originally presented: June 9, 2015

February 18

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

February 25

Mohammed AlQuraishi, Columbia University
“End-to-end differentiable learning of protein structure”
Originally presented: March 6, 2019

March 4

Nancy Kanwisher, MIT
“Functional imaging of the human brain: A window into the organization of the human mind”
Originally presented: June 19, 2019

March 11

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

March 18

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

March 25

Jeff Errington, FMedSci FRS, The University of Sydney
“Bacterial cell walls, antibiotics and the origins of life”
Originally presented: March 17, 2015

April 8

Eric Green, US National Human Genome Research Institute-NIH
“The Past, Present and Future of the Human Genome Project”
Originally presented: October 22, 2020

April 15

Gillian Bowser, National Park Service
“Acadia to Zion: Understanding Our National Parks”

April 22

Karen Mock, Utah State University
“Triploidy in western aspen”
Originally presented: October 17, 2013

April 29

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

May 6

Marianne Krasny, Cornell University
“Civic Ecology: Greening as urban social-ecological innovation”
Originally presented: February 2, 2013

May 11

Dr. Sarah Bridle, University of Manchester
“Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air”
Date: May 11, 2021

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2019*

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.

September 12

Luis Santos, Icahn School of Medicine
“Cell mechanics in stem cell differentiation and cancer immunotherapy”
Host: Nicolas Biais

September 19

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

September 26

Allyson Friedman, Hunter College (CUNY)
“The role of estrogen on dopaminergic regulation of social behavior”
Host: Paul Forlano

October 3

Paul Maderson, Brooklyn College
“Avian feathers: Avatars of contemporary biology”
Host: Tony Wilson

October 10—Dan Eshel, Two Trees Dedication Ceremony

Ray Gavin, Brooklyn College
“Dan Eshel: A remembrance”
Host: Ray Gavin, Professor Emeritus

October 17

Maria Tosches, Columbia University
“Evolution of cell types and circuits in the vertebrate forebrain”
Host: Tony Wilson

October 24

Monica Trujillo, Queensborough Community College (CUNY)
“The role of an intramembrane protease in Streptomyces coelicolor”
Host: Shaneen Singh

October 31

Susan Perkins, American Museum of Natural History
“Hosts, hemoglobin, and hotspots: Comparative biology of malaria parasites”
Host: Tony Wilson

November 7—Schreibman Lecture in Integrative Biology**

Yonathan Zohar, University of Maryland
“Fish reproductive biology: A journey between hormones, genes, functions and aquaculture”
Host: Paul Forlano

November 14

Mark Emerson, City College (CUNY)
“Illuminating the developmental origins of color vision”
Host: Amy Ikui

November 21

Scott Holmes, Wesleyan University
“Linkers and variants: Histones, gene expression, and chromosome condensation in yeast”
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

November 28

No Seminar—College Closed

December 5

Amy MacQueen, Wesleyan University
“TBA”
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

December 12

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.

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2020*

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.

January 30

Dominic Evangelista, Brooklyn College
“Phylogenetics of the strange and unknown”
Host: Tony Wilson

February 6

Sviatoslav Bagriantsev, Yale University
“Cellular and molecular basis of mechanosensory specialization”
Host: Theodore Muth

February 13

Jasna Brujic, New York University
“Imitating protein folding with soft matter”
Host: Nicolas Biais

February 20

Soni Lacefield, Indiana University
“Spindle checkpoint regulation of meiosis”
Host: Jasmin Phillip (Ikui Lab)

February 27

Simon Garnier, New Jersey Institute of Technology
“We the Swarm: Lessons in problem-solving from tiny brains and neuron-less creatures”
Host: Tony Wilson

March 5—Friedman Lecture (Department of Chemistry)

Hilal Lashuel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
“Protein misfolding and aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases”
Host: Mariana Torrente

Campus Shutdown (COVID-19)—Virtual Seminar Series (March 13–May 28)

March 26

Francois Jacob, Institut Pasteur
“A life in science: The central dogma and gene regulation”

April 2

Peter Piot, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
“Are we ready for the next pandemic?”

April 9

Jennifer Doudna, UC Berkeley
“Genome editing with CRISPR-Cas systems: Challenges and opportunities”

April 16

May-Britt Moser, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
“Space, time and memory in the brain”

April 23

Sydney Brenner, Salk Institute
“A life in science: A conversation”

April 30

Michael Lynch, Arizona State University
“Mutation, drift, and the origin of subcellular features”

May 7

Paul Nurse, Francis Crick Institute
“Understanding the cell cycle”

May 14

Richard Feynman, California Institute of Technology
“The pleasure of finding things out”

May 26—Virtual Graduation and Two Trees Lecture**

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

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 Professor Dan Eshel’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2018*

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.

September 6

No Seminar

September 13

No Seminar—Department Meeting

September 20

Enrique Rojas, New York University
“Mechanical biology of microbes”
Host: Peter Lipke

September 27—Schreibman Lecture in Integrative Biology**

David Crews, University of Texas
“We have soiled our nest: Now what?”
Host: Paul Forlano

October 4

Andrea Simmons, Brown University
“Scene analysis in echolocation”
Host: Kelsey Hom (Forlano Lab)

October 11

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

October 18

Rob DeSalle, American Museum of Natural History
“Troublesome science: Genomics and race”
Host: Tony Wilson

October 25

Steve Klotz, University of Arizona
“Innate immune responses and human fungal infections”
Host: Peter Lipke

November 1

John Sparks, American Museum of Natural History
“Evolution and function of bioluminescence and biofluorescence in marine fishes”
Host: Tony Wilson

November 8—Shirlanna Alexis Memorial Seminar

Soledad Sosa, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
“Illuminating how tumor cell dormancy works: Relevance to metastasis“
Host: Tony Wilson

November 15

Esteban Mazzoni, New York University
“Chromatin and transcriptional states during cell differentiation”
Host: Nicolas Biais

November 22

No Seminar—College Closed

November 29

Lei Xie, Hunter College
“A systematic view of biomolecular recognition”
Host: Shaneen Singh

December 6

Shahrina Chowdhury, Brooklyn College
“Sociality and stress in female chacma baboons in South Africa”
Host: Catherine McEntee

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.

Shirlanna Alexis Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2019*

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.

January 31

Jasna Brujic, New York University
“Programming colloidal architectures”
Host: Nicolas Biais

February 7

Christopher Blair, City Tech
“Using reptiles as models for understanding evolutionary patterns and processes in the New World”
Host: Tony Wilson

February 14

Paul Feinstein, Hunter College
“MouSensor: A platform to decode the sense of smell”
Host: Nicolas Biais

February 21

Berk Aykut, New York University
“Mechanical Forces in Cancer and Infectious Diseases”
Host: Anjana Saxena

February 28—Gavin Lecture in Cell and Molecular Biology**

Erich Jarvis, Rockefeller University
“Molecular convergence in brain regions for song-learning in birds and spoken-language in humans”
Host: Peter Lipke

March 7

Michael Mandel, Brooklyn College
“Building machine listeners, with data and inspiration from humans”
Host: Tony Wilson

March 14

Paula Checchi, Marist College
“Maintenance of Genome Integrity by Mi2″
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

March 21

Tony Wilson, Brooklyn College
“Father as mother: What we can learn from animals”
Host: Nicolas Biais

March 28

Sevinc Ercan, New York University
“Chromosome condensation and gene regulation in C. elegans“
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

April 4

Holger Sonderman, Cornell University
“Friending and unfriending: Controlling reversible attachment in bacterial social networks”
Host: Nicolas Biais

April 11

Kristie Rupp, Brooklyn College
“Obesity throughout the lifespan: Addressing childhood obesity in adults”
Host: Jimiane Ashe (Wilson Lab)

April 18

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

April 25

No Seminar—College Closed

May 2

Chris Mason, Weill Cornell Medicine
“TBA”
Host: Tony Wilson

May 9—Two Trees Lecture**

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

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 Professor Ray Gavin’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.
*** In recognition of Professor Dan Eshel’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2017*

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.

September 14

Oliver Griffith, Yale University
“Evolution of the placenta: A tale of the first contact between mother and baby”
Host: Tony Wilson

September 19—Schreibman Lecture in Integrative Biology**

Scott Edwards, Harvard University
“Genomic drivers of evolutionary change: micro- and macro-evolutionary examples across the avian tree of life”
Host: Tony Wilson

September 28

Pablo Meyer, IBM Research
“Non-genetic origins of bacterial metabolic regulation and cell death”
Host: Nicolas Biais

October 5

Robert Froemke, New York University
“Oxytocin, maternal behavior, and synaptic plasticity”
Host: Paul Forlano

October 12

Dario Palmieri, Ohio State University
“Anti-NCL immunoagents for cancer therapy”
Host: Anjana Saxena

October 19

Scott Juntti, University of Maryland
“Identifying neural pathways in the social brain: Insights from cichlid fish genetics”
Host: Tony Wilson

October 26

Charlene Forest, Brooklyn College
“The discovery of the first gamete fusion protein and my very tiny role in understanding fertilization”
Host: Tony Wilson

November 2

Ellen Hsu, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
“Immunoglobulin gene expression in the shark (compared to everybody else)”
Host: Tony Wilson

November 9

Sylvie Deborde, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
“Schwann cells facilitate cancer cell invasion”
Host: Nicolas Biais

November 16

Nicholas Farrell, Virginia Commonwealth University
“Platinum anti-cancer drugs: Current status and new targets”
Host: Maria Contel (Chemistry)

November 23

No Seminar—Conversion Day

November 30

Marcie Marston, Roger Williams University
“TBA”
Host: Jeremy Draghi

December 7

Patrizia Casaccia, Advanced Science Research Center, CUNY
“TBA”
Host: Shaneen Singh

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 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.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2018*

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.

February 1

Joshua Shaevitz, Princeton University
“Self-driven phase transitions in living matter”
Host: Nicolas Biais

February 8

Shana Elbaum, Advanced Science and Research Center, CUNY
“From fluids to fibers: Liquid phase separation and neurodegeneration”
Host: Anjana Saxena

February 15

Alexandra Zidovska, New York University
“The ‘self-stirred’ genome: Bulk and surface dynamics of the chromatin globule”
Host: Kelly Eckenrode (Biais Lab)

February 22

Reserved for Biology Search

March 1

Reserved for Biology Search

March 8

Reserved for Biology Search

March 15

Ankur Dalia, Indiana University
“Molecular dissection of natural transformation and exploiting it as a genetic tool to study Vibrio species”
Host: Jeremy Draghi

March 22

Malin Pinsky, Rutgers University
“Life in a giant water bath: Consequences for ecological dynamics in the ocean”
Host: Tony Wilson

March 29

Andrés Bendesky, Columbia University
“The genetics and neurobiology of parental care evolution”
Host: Tony Wilson

April 5

No Seminar—College Closed

April 12

Annegret Falkner, New York University
“Appetite for destruction: Neural circuits for aggressive motivation and action”
Host: Jon Perelmuter (Forlano Lab)

April 19

Sean Brady, Rockefeller University
“Natural products from uncultured bacteria”
Host: Tony Wilson

April 26

Cheryl Hayashi, American Museum of Natural History
“Diversification of spider silks: Evolutionary and functional perspectives”
Host: Tony Wilson

May 3—Gavin Lecture in Cell and Molecular Biology**

Peter Satir, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
“Exploring ciliary nanobiology in health and disease”
Host: Nicolas Biais

May 10—Two Trees Lecture***

Iqra Nadeem (Saxena Lab) & Huda Yousuf (Torrente Lab)
Hosts: Jeremy Draghi, Theodore Muth

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 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.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2016*

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.

September 1

James Curley, Columbia University
“Social dynamics of mouse dominance hierarchies”
Host: Tony Wilson

September 8

Juan Marcos Alarcon, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
“Experience-dependent modulation of hippocampal circuits”
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

September 15

David Zusman, UC Berkeley
“Uncovering the mystery of gliding motility in the bacterial predator, Myxococcus xanthus”
Host: Nicolas Biais

September 22

Mariana Torrente, Brooklyn College
“Epigenetics in neurodegenerative disease: The missing piece of the puzzle?”
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

September 29

Molly Schumer, Columbia University
“Hybridization shapes the evolutionary history of swordtail fish”
Host: Tony Wilson

October 6

No seminar—Conversion Day

October 13

No seminar—Departmental faculty meeting

October 20

Mark Siegal, New York University
“Variability and robustness: Lessons from single-cell traits in yeast”
Host: Jeremy Draghi

October 27

No Biology seminar

November 3

Michael Long, NYU Medical School
“How does the brain generate behavioral sequences?”
Host: Paul Forlano

November 10

Amy Ikui, Brooklyn College
“Evolution of DNA replication machineries”
Host: Tony Wilson

November 17

Amar Klar, National Cancer Institute
“Selective chromatid segregation mechanism of fission yeast explains development in higher organisms
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

November 24

No seminar—College closed

December 1

Paul Turner, Yale University
“Virus adaptation (or not) to environmental change”
Host: Jeremy Draghi

December 8

Anuradha Janakiraman, City College
“Structural and functional insights into the regulation of bacterial cytokinesis”
Host: Nicolas Biais

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 Professor Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and adviser.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2017*

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.

February 16—Schreibman Lecture in Integrative Biology**

Frances Champagne, Columbia University
“Brain development, epigenetics, and the exposome”
Host: Tony Wilson

February 23

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

March 2

Erika Crispo, Pace University
“Nature versus nurture, and life at the extreme: How do African cichlid populations respond to hypoxia?”
Host: Tony Wilson

March 9

TBA
TBA
Host: TBA

March 16

Nicolas Biais, Brooklyn College
“Superheroes and supervillains of the human microbiota: An introduction to mechano-micro-biology”
Host: Tony Wilson

March 23

Raul Perez-Jimenez, CIC nanoGUNE
TBA
Host: Nicolas Biais

March 30

Joe Ramos, University of Hawaii
“RSK2 promotes invasive signaling through coordinated control of integrin adhesion and Rho GTPases”
Host: Maria Contel (Chemistry)

April 6

Mara Schvarzstein, Brooklyn College
“Chromosome and centrosome inheritance”
Host: Tony Wilson

April 13

No seminar—College closed

April 20

No seminar—Conversion Day

April 27

Hironori Funabiki, Rockefeller University
“When DNA meets the cytoplasm”
Host: Amy Ikui

May 4—Gavin Lecture in Cell and Molecular Biology***

Lucy Shapiro, Stanford University
“The 3-D architecture of cell cycle regulation”
Host: Nicolas Biais

May 10—Friedman Lecture in Chemistry (Tanger Auditorium)

Scott Miller, Yale University
“TBA”
Host: Ryan Murelli (Chemistry)

May 11

Zaid McKie-Krisberg, Brooklyn College
“A systems biology study of carbon utilization and metabolic regulation in green algae”
Host: Juergen Polle

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 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.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2015*

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.

SeptEMBER 3

Debashish Bhattacharya, Rutgers University
“Evolution of photosynthetic organelles in the distant and not so distant past”
Host: Shaneen Singh

SeptEMBER 10

No seminar—College closed

SeptEMBER 17

Jens Rister, New York University
“Color vision in Drosophila: Single base pairs matter”
Host: Qi He

SeptEMBER 24

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

OctOBER 1

Alicia Melendez, Queens College (CUNY)
“Autophagy in development and aging”
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

OctOBER 8

Nate Sawtell, Columbia University
“Neural circuit mechanisms from distinguishing self from other: Insights from electric fish”
Host: Jonathan Perelmuter (Forlano Lab)

OctOBER 15

Frederick Cross, Rockefeller University
“The genetics of green cell cycle control”
Host: Amy Ikui

OctOBER 22

Eimear Kenny, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
“Population genetics in the era of precision medicine”
Host: Frieda Benun (Wilson Lab)

OctOBER 29

Michael Sheetz, MBI Singapore/Columbia University
“Cells pinch their environment to grow or die”
Host: Nicolas Biais

NovEMBER 5

Nolwenn Dheilly, SUNY Stony Brook
“Microorganisms as drivers of host-parasite interactions”
Host: Tony Wilson

NovEMBER 12

Meng-Fu Brian Tsou, Memorial Sloan Kettering
“Spatial control of vertebrate ciliogenesis”
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

NovEMBER 19—Schreibman Lecture in Integrative Biology**

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

NovEMBER 26

No seminar—College closed

DecEMBER 3

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

DecEMBER 10

Peter Tessier, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
“Improved methods for designing and evolving antibodies”
Host: Peter Lipke

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 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.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2016*

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.

February 4

Thierry Emonet, Yale University
“The functional consequences of non-genetic diversity in cellular navigation”
Host: Nicolas Biais

February 11

Zemer Gitai, Princeton University
“Feel the force: How mechanics affect bacterial colonization and virulence”
Host: Nicolas Biais

February 18

Matteo Avella, National Institutes of Health
“Molecular mechanisms of vertebrate fertilization”
Host: Tony Wilson

February 25

Gal Haspel, New Jersey Institute of Technology
“Neurobiology of C. elegans locomotion: Connectivity, activity, and recovery from injury”
Host: Paul Forlano

March 3

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)

March 10

Martin Flajnik, University of Maryland
“The emergence of adaptive immunity”
Host: Tony Wilson

March 17

Karen Schindler, Rutgers University
“Protein kinase signaling control of meiosis I in mouse oocytes”
Host: Mara Schvarzstein

March 24

David Schoppik, Langone Medical Center NYU
“Towards understanding the neural basis of postural development”
Host: Paul Forlano

March 31

Xin Li, NYU College of Dentistry
“Metformin—Cancer prevention and beyond”
Host: Anjana Saxena

April 7

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

April 14

Mandë Holford, Hunter College
“Venomics: An integrated approach for investigating venom evolution in marine snails”
Host: Tony Wilson

April 21

Judith Berman, Tel Aviv University
“Ploidy gymnastics and the rapid acquisition of new traits”
Host: Peter Lipke

April 28

No seminar—College closed

May 5—Gavin Lecture in Cell and Molecular Biology**

George Langford, Syracuse University
“Molecular motors are key to a healthy brain”
Host: Nicolas Biais

May 12

Darcy Kelley, Columbia University
“Sex and songs: Modifying neural circuits across evolution”
Host: Nicolas Biais

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 Professor Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and adviser.
** In recognition of Professor Ray Gavin’s contributions as teacher, scientist, and mentor.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2014*

All events will be held on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension.

The seminar series is organized by Associate Professor Tony Wilson.

SeptEMBER 4

Ntino Krampis, Hunter College (CUNY)
“Cloud BioLinux: Pre-configured and on-demand bioinformatics computing for genomics and beyond”
Host: Professor Jim Nishiura

SeptEMBER 11

Louise Kuhn, Columbia University
“Challenges in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa”
Host: Dr. Laura Munteanu

SeptEMBER 18

Olorunseun Ogunwobi, Hunter College (CUNY)
“Circulating tumor cell biology in cancer metastasis”
Host: Professor Anjana Saxena

SeptEMBER 25

No seminar—College closed

OctOBER 2

Joe Pickrell, New York Genome Center
“Making inferences about human history using genomic data”
Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson

OctOBER 9

Richard Ikegami, UC Berkeley
“Navigation of neurons within bundles”
Host: Professor Mara Schvarzstein

OctOBER 16

Sanjai Kumar, Queens College (CUNY)
“Development of a cell-active and non-basic inhibitory agent of Cathepsin L”
Host: Professor Shaneen Singh

OctOBER 23

Frank Burbrink, College of Staten Island (CUNY)
“The processes that drive diversification and community assemblages in snakes”
Host: Professor Jennifer Basil

OctOBER 30

Nick Santangelo, Hofstra University
“Social dynamics of a monogamous biparental fish and potential neuropeptide mechanisms”
Host: Professor Paul Forlano

NovEMBER 6

Daniel Kronauer, Rockefeller University
“Social evolution and behavior in the clonal Raider Ant“
Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson

NovEMBER 13

Kari Lavalli, Boston University
“Predator adaptations by decapod crustaceans”
Host: Professor Jennifer Basil

NovEMBER 20

Prabodhika Mallikaratchy, Lehman College (CUNY)
“Oligonucleotide therapeutics for human lymphoma and leukemia”
Host: Professor Anjana Saxena

November 27

No seminar—College closed

DecEMBER 4

Kevin Gardner, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center
“Nature’s switches: Environmentally-sensitive protein/protein interaction domains”
Host: Professor Peter Lipke

DecEMBER 11

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.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2015*

All events will be held on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension.

The seminar series is organized by Associate Professor Tony Wilson.

FebRUARY 5

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

FebRUARY 12

No seminar—College closed

FebRUARY 19

Faculty Search Candidate—TBA

FebRUARY 26

Faculty Search Candidate—TBA

MarCH 5

Faculty Search Candidate—TBA

MarCH 12

Faculty Search Candidate—TBA

MarCH 19

Judith Yanowitz, Magee-Womens Research Institute
“Checks and balances for crossover formation”
Host: Assistant Professor Mara Schvarzstein

MarCH 26

Dustin Rubinstein, Columbia University
“Coping with environmental uncertainty: Integrating behavior and mechanism”
Host: Associate Professor Tony Wilson

AprIL 2

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

AprIL 9

No seminar—College closed

AprIL 16

Gregory Boel, Columbia University
“Large-scale protein expression dataset identifies mRNA features regulating translation and post-transcriptional mRNA levels”
Host: Assistant Professor Nicolas Biais

AprIL 23

Tim Stearns, Stanford University
“Centrosomes, cilia, and the evolution of the tubulin superfamily”
Host: Assistant Professor Mara Schvarzstein

AprIL 30

Kathleen Scotto, Rutgers University
“A new role for the ABCG2 drug transporter: Regulation of autophagy”
Host: Assistant Professor Anjana Saxena

May 7

David Dubnau, Rutgers University
“Many are called, few are chosen: Stochastic decisions in bacterial development”
Host: Assistant Professor Nicolas Biais

May 14

James Gregory, Mount Sinai Medical Center
“Engineering proteins for basic and translational research”
Host: Professor Juergen Polle

* In memory of Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist and adviser.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Fall 2013*

All events will be held on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension.

The series is organized by Assistant Professor Paul M. Forlano.

AugUST 29

Dr. Dan McCloskey, College of Staten Island (CUNY)
“Neural Correlates of Social Behavior in the Naked Mole Rat”
Host: Paul Forlano

SeptEMBER 12

Dr. James Liao, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida
“The Biomechanics and Sensory Biology of Fish Swimming”
Host: Paul Forlano

SeptEMBER 19

Dr. Luis Martinez Torres, Long Island University
“Impact of Methamphetamine in Infection and Immunity”
Host: Peter Lipke

SeptEMBER 26

Dr. Jason Dictenberg, Hunter College (CUNY)
“Role of RNA Binding Proteins in Activity Dependent mRNA Transport and Translation”
Host: Paul Forlano

OctOBER 3

Dr. Kari Lavalli, Boston University
“Adaptations of Decopods to Predators: A Review”
Hosts: Jennifer Basil and Frank Grasso

OctOBER 10

Dr. Jon Horvitz, City College (CUNY)
“Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine and Habit Learning”
Host: Paul Forlano

OctOBER 17

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

OctOBER 31

Dr. Sunny Scobell, Brooklyn College (CUNY)
“Hormonal Mediation of Male Pregnancy and Female Aggression in a Sex Role Reversed Pipefish”
Host: Tony Wilson

NovEMBER 7

Dr. Davida Smyth, City Tech (CUNY)
“Using Staphylococcus aureus as a Model Organism for Studying Bacterial Adaptation and Evolution”
Host: Theodore Muth

NovEMBER 14

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

NovEMBER 21

Dr. Victoria Luine, Hunter College (CUNY)
“Memory Enhancement by Estrogens: Role of Dendritic Spines”
Host: Paul Forlano

DecEMBER 5

Dr. Lars Dietrich, Columbia University
“How to Prevent Suffocation in a Bacterial Colony”
Host: Nicolas Biais

DecEMBER 12

Dr. Jason Munshi-South, Fordham University
“Landscape Genomics of NYC Wildlife”
Host: Paul Forlano

* In memory of Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist and adviser.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2014*

All events will be held on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension.

The series is organized by Assistant Professor Paul M. Forlano.

JanUARY 30

Idan Efroni, New York University
“Mechanisms of Root Regeneration”
Host: Associate Professor Theodore Muth

FebRUARY 6

Faculty search candidate
TBA

FebRUARY 13

Faculty search candidate
TBA

FebRUARY 20

No seminar—Monday schedule

FebRUARY 27

Faculty search candidate
TBA

March 6

Assistant Professor Daphne Soares, University of Maryland
“Neural Adaptation to Extreme Environments”
Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano

March 13

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

March 20

Melissa Caras, New York University
“Hormonal Modulation of Auditory Processing in a Seasonally Breeding Songbird”
Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano

March 27

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

April 3

Dr. Herbert Tanowitz, Albert Einstein Medical School
“Chagas Disease in New York City”
Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano

April 10

Dr. Vladimir Pelicic, Imperial College London
“Specific DNA-Binding Pilins as Modulators of Horizontal Gene Transfer”
Host: Assistant Professor Nicolas Biais

April 17

No seminar—spring break

April 24

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

May 1

Assistant Professor Shira Ninio, Drexel University
“Biofilm Formation and Regulation in the Pathogen Legionella Pneumophila”
Host: Associate Professor Theodore Muth

May 8

Assistant Professor Kathleen Lynch, Hofstra University
“Flexibility in Mate Choice: Inside the Brain of Fickle Females”
Host: Assistant Professor Paul Forlano

May 15

Professor Kari Lavalli, Boston University
“Adaptations of Decapods to Predators: A Review”
Host: Associate Professor Jennifer Basil / Associate Professor Frank Grasso

* In memory of Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist and adviser.

Priscilla F. Pollister Biology Seminar Series—Spring 2013*

All events will be held on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension.

The series is organized by Assistant Professor Paul M. Forlano.

JanUARY 31

Dr. Derrick Brazill, Hunter College (CUNY)
“Of Mice and Men: A Tale of Two Viruses”
Host: Luis Quadri

FebRUARY 7

Dr. Holly Colognato, SUNY Stonybrook
“Thinking Outside the Cell: The Role of Extracellular Matrix in Modulating Nervous System Development and Repair”
Host: Paul Forlano

FebRUARY 14

Job Candidate
Title: TBA
Host: TBA

FebRUARY 21

Job Candidate
Title: TBA
Host: TBA

FebRUARY 28

Job Candidate
Title: TBA
Host: TBA

MarCH 7

Dr. Maryam Bamshad, Lehman College (CUNY)
“The Prairie Vole: A Model for Understanding the Biology of Social Monogamy”
Host: Paul Forlano

MarCH 14

Cho Tan Lipke Lab, CUNY Graduate Center
“Functional Amyloids: Mechanosensors in Yeast Adhesins”
Host: Peter Lipke

MarCH 21

Dr. David Lahti, Queens College (CUNY)
“Learned Behaviors Still Evolve: Lessons From Birds”
Host: Paul Forlano

AprIL 11

Dr. Eunsoo Kim, AMNH
“Endosymbiosis and the Evolution of Green Algae”
Host: Juergen Polle

AprIL 18

Dr. Carolyn Pytte, Queens College (CUNY)
“Lateralization of Adult Neurogenesis Serves Learning and Memory”
Host: Paul Forlano

AprIL 25

Dr. David Deitcher, Cornell University
“Knockdown of FoxP in Drosophila Reveals an Essential Role in Motor Behaviors”
Host:Paul Forlano

May 2

TBA
Host: TBA

May 9

Dr. Robert Ranaldi, Queens College (CUNY)
“Neurobiology Underlying Reward-Related Learning”
Host: Paul Forlano

May 16

Dr. Dan McCloskey, College of Staten Island (CUNY)
“Neural Correlates of Social Behavior in the Naked Mole Rat”
Host: Paul Forlano

* In memory of Priscilla F. Pollister’s contributions as teacher, scientist and adviser.