Biology Department Events
List of Recent Biology Department Seminars and Events (2019-present)
April 11, 2022
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Alaa Telchy, North Carolina Central University
Topic: The Proximal and Distal Regulatory Effect of MraZ, a Cell Division and Cell Wall Synthesis Protein in Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Host: Dr. Adreinne D. Smith
March 28, 2022
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Dennis O. Adeegbe, PhD, University of South Florida
Topic: Regulatory T cells (Tregs)
Host: Dr. Simone M. Smith
March 21, 2022
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Tomar Ghansah, PhD, University of South Florida
Topic: The Role of SHIP-1 in the Modulations of Immunosuppression
Host: Dr. Simone M. Smith
February 28, 2022
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Mark A. Phillips, PhD, Oregon State University
Topic: Genetics of Adaptation in Sexually Reproducing Populations
Host: Dr. Joseph L. Graves, Jr.
February 21, 2022
SPIRE Scholars Day, Part 2
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Seth O'Conner, PhD, UNC-Chapel Hill (SPIRE Fellow)
Topic: Targeting gene regulatory regions with CRISPR in Arabidopsis thaliana
Kayt Scott, PhD, UNC-Chapel Hill (SPIRE Fellow)
Topic: Rabulous Gonads: membrane trafficking in the gonad stem cell niche
Host: Dr. Roy Coomans
February 14, 2022
SPIRE Scholars Day, Part 1
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Grace Hamilton, PhD, UNC-Chapel Hill (SPIRE Fellow)
Topic: Divisions, decisions: The septin cytoskeleton in the unconventional cell divisions of a model black fungus
Juvenal Lopez, PhD, UNC-Chapel Hill (SPIRE Fellow)
Topic: Understanding bacteria-killing machines
Host: Dr. Roy Coomans
February 7, 2022
Summer Student Research Showcase
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Jaela Melton, Summer Research Student at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Topic: The Role of UBR4:E3 Ligase N-Recognin in Human Body Systems
Anjali Kumari, Summer Research Student at Altria Group, Inc.
Topic: Systems Tox Assessment to Investigate Gene Expression Changes and Disease Correlation following 3R4F and Test Red Exposure in C57BL/6 Mice
November 22, 2021
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Nathaniel A. Hathaway, PhD, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Topic: Chemically Controlling Chromatin
Host: Dr. Checo J. Rorie
November 15, 2021
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Paul E. Turner, PhD, Yale University
Topic: Leveraging evolutionary trade-offs and phage selection pressure to reduce bacterial pathogenicity
Host: Dr. Joseph L. Graves, Jr.
November 1, 2021
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Derrick Rowe, J.D., Ph.D.
Topic: Alternative Careers in Science: Patent Law
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
October 25, 2021
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Martha A. Alexander-Miller, Ph.D., Wake Forest School of Medicine
Topic: Protecting everyone: Developing vaccines that work across the population
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
October 4, 2021
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Elizabeth Canning, Ph.D., Washington State University
Topic: Cultivating Growth Mindset Environments
Host: Dr. Kelsie Bernot
September 27, 2021
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Ariel Williams, Ph.D., National Human Genome Research Institute
Topic: Novel Interleukins Contribute to Lipid and Glucose Dysregulation in African Americans with T2D
Host: Dr. Patrick M. Martin
September 20, 2021
Summer Student Research Showcase
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Chanell Mangum, Summer Research Student at Harvard University and the Broad Institute
Topic: Spatially resolved transcriptome methods to understand the microenvironment of lymphomas
Rachel Richards, Summer Research Student at Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Topic: TNF signaling promotes effective restriction of Legionella infection in human macrophages
Lauren Thomas, Summer Research Student at University of Virginia School of Medicine
Topic: Neuroscience Undergraduate Research Internship
September 13, 2021
Summer Student Research Showcase
Monday, 12:00 pm, Department Seminar
Nia Hammett, Summer Research Student at University of Massachusetts Medical School
Topic: The role of Ms4A1 genes in the mouse olfactory system
Colette Haynie, Summer Research Student at Georgetown University
Topic: Cultivating Opportunity and Realizing Excellence (CORE) Fellowship
Korwen Mouzon, Summer Research Student at Wake Forest School of Medicine
Topic: Validation of hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth inhibition using amplitude-modulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields in 12-well plates
April 26, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Eric Gomez, PhD, BridgeBio
Topic: Career opportunities in biotech for students and faculty partnering with biotech to translate research
Host: Dr. Checo J. Rorie
April 19, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Gilead Sciences: Richard Polniaszek, PhD; Joshua Dunetz, PhD; Reuben Ingram, B.S.; Sonya Okuwa, MBA; Larrishia Stanley, MHR, PHR; and Vahid Zia, PhD
Topic: Interested in a Career in Drug Development? Come Get Advice on How it is Done!
Host: Dr. Joseph L. Graves, Jr.
April 12, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Phil Cole, PhD; Harvard University
Topic: AKTivation Mechanisms
Host: Dr. Robert Newman
April 5, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Leonard L. Williams, PhD; UNC Center for Excellence in Post Harvest Technologies
Host: Dr. Jenora Waterman
March 22, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Gilead Sciences: Richard Polniaszek, PhD; Joshua Dunetz, PhD; Reuben Ingram, B.S.; Sonya Okuwa, MBA; Larrishia Stanley, MHR, PHR; and Vahid Zia, PhD
Topic: Interested in a Career in Drug Development? Come Get Advice on How it is Done!
Host: Dr. Joseph L. Graves, Jr.
March 15, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Malcolm M. Moses, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Topic: Sex Differentiation: Establishing a Gene Regulatory Network for Müllerian Duct Regression
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
March 8, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Topic: Bridging the Gap, Faculty-Student Forum
Host: Tri-Beta Executive Board
March 1, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Ana Clara Bobadilla, PhD, University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy
Topic: Seeking of Natural and Drug Rewards in the Nucleus Accumbens Core
Host: Dr. Reginald Cannady
February 22, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Amy Pomeroy, PhD
Topic: Using computational approaches to simulate cancer clinical trials
Leila Reyes Ruiz, PhD
Topic: Phenotypic heterogeneity in the human pathogen Clostridioides difficile
Host: Dr. Roy Coomans
February 8, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Tori Hoskins, PhD
Topic: Exploring the role of Sas5 in yeast genome regulation
Markus Nevil, PhD
Topic: Epigenetic control of animal DNA replication timing
Joey Reustle, PhD
Topic: Life amongst and within Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica)
Host: Dr. Roy Coomans
February 1, 2021
Monday, 12:30 pm, Department Seminar
Robert H. Newman, PhD, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Checo J. Rorie, PhD, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Topic: Applying for Summer Internships
November 9, 2020
Monday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Judette Louis, MD, MPH, University of South Florida (Tampa)
Topic: Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Maternal Morbidity: Pregnancy as a Window to Cardiovascular Health
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
November 2, 2020
Monday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Joseph Davis, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Topic: Visualizing Molecular Machines in Motion
Host: Dr. Misty Thomas
October 19, 2020
Monday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Veronica Segarra, DDS, PhD, University of North Carolina
Topic: A Role for Clathrin in Autophagy
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
October 12, 2020
Monday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Lisa Limeri, PhD, University of Georgia
Topic: What do students think about intelligence, how do we know, and why does it matter?
Host: Dr. Kelsie Bernot
October 5, 2020
Monday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, DDS, PhD, University of North Carolina
Topic: Viral Molecular Pathogenesis in Oral Disease
Host: Dr. Liesl Jeffers-Francis
September 28, 2020
Monday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Elli Theobald, PhD; University of Washington
Topic: Student Achievement and Ways to Disrupt Educational Inequities in Science
Host: Dr. Kelsie Bernot
November 20, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Mariyah Pressley, University of Southern Florida
Topic: Pseudohypoxia: Exploring Facultative and Constitutive Strategies in Cancer Cells in Response to Cycling Hypoxia
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
November 13, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Dr. Nora Franceschini, UNC-Chapel Hill
Topic: Genome-wide Association Analyses of Kidney Traits in Selected Populations
Host: Dr. Scott Harrison
November 6, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Dr. Steven Kridel, Wake Forest University
Topic: Wake Forest Summer Research and Graduate School Opportunities
Host: Dr. Perpetua Muganda
October 30, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Dr. Christopher A. Abdullah, UNC-Chapel Hill (SPIRE Fellow)
Topic: The Role of SRC Kinase in Estrogen Receptor-positive Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Tumor Growth
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
October 9, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Dr. Christie Ojiaku, Charles River Associates
Topic: Beyond Academia: Finding and landing alternative career opportunities with an advanced degree in the sciences
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
October 2, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Department of Biology MARC Program, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Lauryn A. Chadwick presents - "The Effects of Perfluorooctanoic Acid on E. coli"
Endia J. Fletcher presents - "Using Label-Free Multimodal Non-linear Optical Imaging to Assess Drug-Toxicity"
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
September 25, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Olusola Jeje, Applied Science and Technology PhD student
Topic: Evolution of Iron (III) and bacteriophage selection in Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655: Consequences on antimicrobial resistance and prospects for phage therapy
Host: Dr. Liesl Jeffers-Francis
September 18, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Summer Undergraduate Internship Showcase, Department of Biology MARC Program, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Kailyn M. Price presents - "Exploring principles of public service at the intersection of STEM and policy for undergraduates"
Kelyah M. Spurgeon presents - "Attenuation of the Staphylococcus aureus Strain 502A: Deletion of Alpha-hemolysin"
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
September 11, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Summer Undergraduate Internship Showcase, Department of Biology MARC Program, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Maria Ford presents - "Evaluating the antibody response elicited by Nano-11-based swine influenza intranasal vaccine for pigs"
Synphane Gibbs presents - "Examining the Effects of MrgprB4+ Neuron Optogenetic Activation on Reward Behavior and Pup Vocalizations"
Host: Dr. Simone Smith
April 17, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Anuoluwapo Odelade, Biology Masters Graduate Student, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Topic: mRNA expression of iron-responsive and oxidative stress genes in experimentally evolved iron-resistant Escherichia coli
Host: Dr. Jian Han
April 3, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Topic: Bridging the Gap, Faculty-Student Forum
Host: Tri-Beta Executive Board
March 27, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Dr. MD A. Motaleb, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University
Topic: Periplasmic Flagellar Assembly and Regulation of Motility in Pathogenesis of the Lyme Disease Spirochete
Host: Dr. Misty Thomas
March 20, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Daniela Chala Garcia, Biology Masters Graduate Student, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Topic: Identification of Complete Sequences and Potential Oncogenic Functions of Novel EBV MicroRNAs Up-regulated in Breast Cancer
Host: Dr. Perpetua Muganda
February 27, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Room 128
UNC SPIRE Scholars
Speakers and Topics:
Dr. Whitney Edwards, Identifying the TBX20 Interactome During Cardiac Development
Dr. Justin Watkins, The Hormonal and Redox Control of Guard Cell Signaling
Dr. Kelsey Kean, Understanding Recognition of Methylated Lysine by Histone Reader Proteins
Host: Dr. Roy Coomans
February 20, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Room 128
UNC SPIRE Scholars
Speakers and Topics:
Dr. Sonia Laurie, Epigenetic Regulation of Immune Cell Plasticity: Reprogramming Innate Lymphoid Cell Function and Fate
Dr. Justin Baumann, Impacts of Anthropogenic Stress Across Environmental Gradients on Caribbean Coral Reefs
Dr. Sheldon Lawrence, Using Arabidopsis thaliana to Investigate the Role of Thimet Oligopeptidases in Plant Defense
Host: Dr. Roy Coomans
February 13, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Dr. Ronald Baynes, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Topic: Role of Quantitative Pharmacology/Toxicology in Chemical Risk Assessment and Chemical/Drug Food Safety
Host: Dr. Checo Rorie
January 30, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Dr. Radiah Minor, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Topic: Promoting Health and Modulating Immune Responses through Dietary Supplements and Functional Foods: Studies in rodents and swine
January 23, 2019
Wednesday, 12 - 1 pm, Department Seminar
Barnes Hall Auditorium
Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor, University of Pennsylvania
Topic: Genetic and Behavioral Dissection of Pain Neural Circuits
Host: The Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Program
