Greetings from the Biology GSPA! In this monthly newsletter, we're featuring accomplishments from the Biology Department, announcing exciting March events, and highlighting some thrilling events coming up in April!
Department Happenings:
Grad students (Xiaomu Zhang, Pramod Khadka, Israel Agorsor, and Phil Tubergen), together with undergraduates (Conor Tembe and Brian Kagel) from the Danna Lab, have recently published two papers titled:
i) "Elicitor-induced plant immunity relies on amino acids accumulation to delay the onset of bacterial virulence" PMID: 36715647
ii) "The Arabidopsis LHT1 Amino Acid Transporter Contributes to Pseudomonas simiae-Mediated Plant Growth Promotion by Modulating Bacterial Metabolism in the Rhizosphere" PMCID: PMC9867026
Abbas Ghaddar (first author) and Swarup Mishra (second author) from the O'Rourke Lab have a paper published in Current Biology titled: "Increased alcohol dehydrogenase 1 activity promotes longevity." https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1gcJ23QW8S2PR8
Congratulations to Abbas Ghaddar from the O'Rourke Lab who was offered a postdoctoral position at his top-choice lab: Dr. Jeff Tabor’s Lab of Synthetic Biology. We are very proud to send such an accomplished student!
GSPA is selling Bio T-shirts! See the link for the design. The number of shirts we have is limited; we are selling them on a first-come, first-served basis, and also based on the attached form. Payment is required on the day you pick up the shirt. Robert Porter will be in PLSB 438 on March 1st from 10 AM -12 PM, and March 2nd from 12 PM - 2 PM to sell them! All proceeds go to the GSPA Research/Travel fund. Any questions can be sent to Robert Porter. Thank you!
March Events:
* Bio Bird Walk: Thursday, March 2nd, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
GSPA is hosting a leisurely walk along the trails at O-Hill. Meet in the courtyard between Gilmer and Chemistry at 11:30 AM if you would like to join us! If it is raining hard we'll meet in the foyer of Gilmer outside Room 390, and I will lead a different bird-related activity.
* Official Onsite Grad Recruitment: Tuesday, March 14th
The biology department will be having its first official onsite grad recruitment event (since 2020!). The recruits will be arriving Monday the 13th and have the evening to themselves to check in to the hotel and explore on their own. These students have already been offered, so it’s a little different than past recruitments. There are no interviews, this is just to let them get a sense of what UVA Biology is really like! Please sign up to volunteer to help with graduate recruitment. If you participate, you are included in both the breakfast and lunch in Gilmer 490!
The general schedule will be:
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Morning Session: 9 AM - 10 AM, Breakfast - Gilmer 490 (if you signup, please come to breakfast!)
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Lab visits: 10 AM - 11 AM and 11AM -12 PM
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Lunch: Gilmer 490 (if you signup, please come to lunch!)
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Lab visits: 1 PM - 2 PM and 2 PM - 3 PM
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Individual appointments, free time, or a tour (if asked): 3 PM - 4 PM
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Departmental Dinner: Three Notch’d, 6 PM - 9 PM
* Friday Seminar: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Hybrid - Gilmer 390 & Zoom
March 3rd - Speaker: Dr. Horacio de la Iglesia, University of Washington
Talk title: "How the sun and the moon keep us awake."
Host: Dr. Tracy Larson
March 10th - Speaker: Dr. Veronia di Stilio, University of Washington
Host: Dr. David Parichy
March 17th - Speaker: Dr. Ariel Kahrl, Hamilton College
Fleming award talk titled: "900 million years of sperm evolution"
March 24th - Speaker: Dr. Paul Turner, Yale University
March 31st - No seminar scheduled
* Recurring Event:
Coffee Hour: Wednesday, 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM, PLSB 4th Floor Balcony
Take a break from your desk for coffee and afternoon snacks with your fellow biologists. All are welcome, just bring your own mug!
Looking Ahead!
* GSPA Meeting: Monday, April 3rd, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Gilmer 400
Join us for our April public forum meeting! Snacks are provided! Come share your questions, concerns, and ideas about how we can improve department life, both academically and socially. If there are anonymous concerns you would like to share ahead of the meeting, please fill out this form.
* Bio Talent Show: Thursday, April 13th, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Gilmer 490
GSPA is hosting a talent show. Sherrie Jones, Ray Lam, and Barry Condron as guest judges. All talents (and un-talents) are welcome, from good singing to bad juggling. This is open to all members of the biology department. Food and refreshments will be provided! Sign up!
* Biology Postdoc Seminar: Friday, April 14th, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Gilmer 390
GSPA will be hosting the Spring 2023 Biology Seminar Series to spotlight the accomplishments of three of the department’s postdocs. To apply, please email Victor DePiero your name, the lab you’re in, and a 150-200 word abstract describing your research. If you have postdocs in your lab, please encourage them to apply!
Have an event you'd like included in the April newsletter? Contact Roberta Onoharigho
EXPAND Fellowship:
Applications are available on the EXPAND website and are due on March 20, 2023.
One-year, non-renewable fellowships are available to current 3rd year life sciences graduate students. Student eligibility is detailed in the application. Those selected will be expected to add a co-mentor during their fellowship term, as well as complete a 4- to 6-week internship.
Have a question or concern that you would like to see addressed by GSPA? Please use this form to submit anonymous feedback.