Department of Biology
Department of Biology

GSPA Newsletter - September 2022

Welcome back, GSPA meeting, and Events

September Newsletter

Greetings from the Biology GSPA! In this monthly newsletter, we have highlighted some of the recent accomplishments among members of the department and advertised some exciting events coming up in September.

Department Happenings:

Congratulations to Tyler Wittman (Cox lab), whose paper was accepted in the Journal of Experimental Zoology called “Experimental removal of nematode parasites increases growth, sprint speed, and mating success in brown anole lizards.”

Congratulations to Yang Yu (Bergland lab), who got his manuscript accepted at Evolution, the title of the paper is "Distinct signals of clinal and seasonal allele frequency change at eQTLs in Drosophila melanogaster"
 
Have an announcement you'd like featured in the October newsletter? Contact Roberta Onoharigho

September Events:

* GSPA Meeting: Thursday, Sept. 1st, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, PLSB 403 
Join us for our first public forum meeting of the semester! Snacks provided! This month, our discussion topic will focus on teaching in the department. Come and 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.

* GRIT Meeting: Thursday, September 1st 3:30 - 4:30pm, Zoom
GRIT will be having its first general body meeting. Please join us virtually with the Zoom link. Meeting ID: 972 5196 3550; Passcode: glia

* T-Shirt design contest: Sept. 1st - 30th
A design contest for a new T-shirt and a mug, separately, is ongoing, and the public will vote on their favorite designs! Here are some further specifications for the designs. The winner of the T-shirt design contest will get a free T-shirt; the winner of the mug design contest will get a free mug with their design on it.

* Social Gatherings: 
Fridays After 5 Concert: Friday, Sept. 2nd, 5:30 pm, Ting Pavilion, Downtown
Hit the downtown and enjoy a free concert with other bio grads and postdocs! Convene outside the Paramount Theater at 5:30 pm and walk into the concert together. Email Clara Roeder if you need a ride. 

GSPA Welcome Picnic: Wednesday, Sept. 7th, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Pavilion X
Enjoy catering from Roots Natural Kitchen and Moe's Original Barbecue as we welcome new faces in the Biology Department and celebrate being back on Grounds for the fall! Please RSVP by Friday, September 2nd, 2022. All are welcome! 

GBS + WIMS FIELD DAY: Saturday, September 10th, 10:00 am The Park (North Grounds)
Join GBS and WIMS at for Field Day! Come with your friends to play sports and socialize with your fellow grad students. Water and soda will be provided, but best bring your own water as well to ensure you stay hydrated. 

GSPA Social Hour: Wednesday, Sept. 28th (Time and location: TBD)
Keep an eye out for an announcement about the social hour, open to all postdocs and graduate students!

* September Friday Seminar: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, Hybrid - Gilmer 390 & Zoom

Sept. 2 - Speaker: Dr. Veronica Galvan Hart (Co-Director, Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center)
Title: Mapping molecular pathways that link aging to Alzheimer’s disease 
Host: Prof. George Bloom
Sept. 9 - N/A

Sept. 16 - Speaker: Dr. Tiffany Schmidt; Host: Prof. Ignacio Provencio

Sept. 23 - Speaker: Dr. Lisa Beutler; Host: Prof. Ali Guler

Sept. 30 - Speaker: Dr. Samuel Wu; Host: Prof. Xiaorong Liu

* Recurring Event:
Coffee Hour: Wednesday, 2:30 pm - 3:30pm, 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!
 

Have an event to advertise in an upcoming newsletter? Contact Roberta Onoharigho

Career Development Opportunities

Research Computing (RC) Fall Education Series, Pt 1
RC staff are teaching a series of virtual workshops this fall through the UVA libraries that are open to all researchers. Space is limited, so register today! Topics include: