Graduate Studies
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Through the Administrative Office email diretoryThursday Physiologicals
This seminar series allows communication of proposed research or recent results to the P&B graduate group. Participation is compulsory for Physiology & Biochemistry students, and all members of the department are welcome as guests. The talks are held each Thursday at 12:30 on ZOOM in the Kresge Building Room K 103. A reminder and link will be sent each Thursday morning.
Contact Brent Sinclair for further information.
The schedule for the upcoming talks is below.
April 18, 2024
Arani Cuevas-Sanchez: Untangling the cues for freeze tolerance acclimation
G. veletis requires three environmental cues to become freeze tolerant, but why? This proposal talk will introduce methods that may help us begin understanding the role of environmental cues in shifting physiological processes.
Lorena Yeung: Deciphering the Role of Cytochrome P450s in Soybean Aliphatic Suberin Biosynthesis
Aliphatic suberin is a key component for partial resistance in soybean; however, many key enzymes invovled in it's biosynthesis remain uncharacterized. My research employ molecular and genome-editing tools to understand the roles of CYPs in soybean aliphatic suberin biosynthesis.
April 11, 2024
Olaide Ajibola: Nutritional Composition and Biological Properties of three Selected Edible Functional Mushroom Species
Knowledge of mycochemical profile of these mushrooms can be utilized as a data-driven decision support tool in the development of novel functional products and optimization of green valorization processes.
April 4, 2024
Betty Paton: Characterizing vision in freeze-tolerant crickets
How do freeze-tolerant crickets ensure the delicate tissue of the compound eye doesn’t turn into eyes-cream? My objective is to characterize how freezing and thawing affects the eye of the spring field cricket Gryllus veletis.
Andrew Rabas: Two Spores are Deadlier than One: Interplay of Fusarium solani and Ilyonectria mors-panacis in Ginseng Root Rot
Ginseng cultivation is affected by ginseng replant disease (GRD) mainly due to the fungal root rot pathogen Ilyonectria mors-panacis (Imp). I'm studying the interaction between another root pathogen found in ginseng garden soil and Imp to see if it enhances disease symptoms in ginseng.
Elham Momeny: Extraction, partial purification, identification and characterization of lysosomal proteases from Newfoundland marine sources
Due to the climate conditions in the Newfoundland region, enzymes derived from marine organisms have distinct biochemistry. This study focuses on marine-based lysosomal proteases with medicinal and industrial applications.
March 21, 2024
Mika Little: Investigating the contribution of different damping systems in spider leg joints
Spider legs contain systems that contribute to damping, the dissipation of energy over time, which is important for receiving vibration signals. I am investigating how much each system contributes to overall damping in the leg joints on Black Widow spiders.
Lauren Rego: Posttranslational modifications of mitochondrial proteins in hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrels
Thirteen-lined ground squirrels oscillate between two physiological states during hibernation: torpor and interbout euthermia. My research investigates posttranslational modifications as a potential driving force in changes to mitochondrial metabolism between these two states.
March 7, 2024
Jessica Sinka: Building Suberin: Timing is Everything but a Strong Foundation helps too
Suberin has two distinct domains: (1) phenolic (2) aliphatic. My data supports the phenolic domain being made first. Today we will explore the dynamics of carbon sharing between suberin domains and the importance of the phenolic domain.
February 15, 2024
Stefane Saruhashi: How do frozen crickets maintain mitochondrial function?
Freezing compromises mitochondrial function in insects, yet mitochondria are robust against ice formation in freeze-tolerant crickets. Here we describe the changes in mitochondrial morphology and function that occur with freeze tolerance acquisition and freezing.
February 8, 2024
Alexander Harrison: Tetranychus urticae metabolic responses to Arabidopsis thaliana defensive phenylpropanoids
Arabidopsis phenylpropanoids offer a large family of secondary metabolites with uncharacterized roles in plant-spider mite interactions. My goal is to determine how mites respond to phenylpropanoid exposure on a metabolic level.
Kathryn Lamoureux: The effect of copper-induced oxidative stress on symbiosis between model legume Lotus japonicus and Mesorhizobium loti
Legumes fix nitrogen with the help of symbiotic rhizobia. Excess copper causes stress in plants and reduces nodulation. I hypothesize that copper-induced oxidative stress is a mechanism for the breakdown of legume-rhizobia symbiosis.
February 1, 2024
Hossein Asgari: Variation in kinematics of black widow spider legs during locomotion.
Irregularity of black widow cobwebs makes the task of locomotion complex for them. It's been hypothesized that they use their front legs as "feelers". I test this hypothesis by studying their leg movements during locomotion.
Eric Fordjour: The methods of manufacturing Nano-Bio Liquid Fertilizer from chaga mushrooms.
The work establishes a protocol for industrial manufacturing of the organic nano-bio liquid fertilizer from Chaga mushroom, defined by its size and optical analysis. Indicating potential for sustainable use for crop production.
Le Anh Minh Nguyen: A multimodal analytical approach is important in accurately assessing terpene composition in edible essential oils
Current workflow of terpen analysis is single, which can lead to missing some important terpenes of samples. I showed that more than one method is necessary to get more accurate and complete terpene profile of essential oils.
January 25, 2024
Grace Callahan: Applications of lipid bioinformatics in assessing environmental stress, skin health, and brain health.
The advancement of lipidomics tools could act as a guide for decision making in assessing environmental stress response, the innovation of novel products, and validation of health benefits in improving skin and brain health.
Mina Esfandiari: The role of Peroxidase genes in suberin assembly in potato.
Suberin is a polymer of phenolic and aliphatic domains deposited in the cell wall. Peroxidase genes polymerize polyphenolic domain. I will knockdown these genes in potato to understand their role in suberin assembly.
Amalie Hutchinson: The physiology of torpor in ruby-throated hummingbirds
No more information.
Date | Speakers |
Thursday 8 February | Alexander Harrison, Kathryn Lamoureux |
Thursday 15 February | Stefane Saruhashi |
Thursday 22 February (no seminars) | Reading week |
Thursday 29 February | Anka Colo, Kyle Hendricks |
Thursday 7 March | Jessica Sinka |
Thursday 14 March | Brynne Duffy |
Thursday 21 March | Mika Little, Lauren Rego |
Thursday 28 March | Yanira Jiménez Padilla |
Thursday 4 April | Betty Paton, Andrew Rabas |
Thursday 11 April | Olaide Ajibola (special virtual performance) |
Thursday 18 April | Arani Cuevas-Sanchez, Lorena Yeung |