Dr. Xavier Mayali
Research Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division
Staff Profile
Investigating algal-bacterial interactions with stable isotope probing and NanoSIMS
Tuesday, March 26
12 PM
AHF 153 (Torrey Webb Room)
Abstract: One of my primary research interests is how interactions between heterotrophic bacteria and eukaryotic algae control elemental cycling and primary productivity. This has implications in natural ecosystems (lakes and oceans) as well as engineered phototrophic systems such as photobioreactors and outdoor algal ponds. I use combinations of laboratory and field studies and methods such as 16S rRNA microbial community characterization, genomics, proteomics, and stable isotope probing combined with NanoSIMS to investigate these interactions. I will first describe how NanoSIMS-based approaches allow an unprecedented ability to quantify microbial anabolic activities at the single-species and single cell level in order to test hypotheses about microbial identity and function. I will then present several past and ongoing studies where this approach has been used to investigate microbial processing of algal-derived organic matter, climate impacts on transfer between algae and bacteria, and bacterial impacts on cell-specific algal growth.
Monday, March 25, 2019
MCB Colloquium Series | Dr. Kang Shen
Dr. Kang Shen
Professor of Biology and Pathology, Stanford University
Lab Website
How genetic and developmental programs instruct neuronal function in C. elegans
Friday, March 29
12 PM
RRI 101
Abstract: Polymodal sensory neurons enhance coding capacity and are found in diverse animals. However, it is not well understood how a single neuron senses, processes and generates two neuronal outcomes. Here we describe the mechanism by which the C. elegans PVD neurons sense both external touch and proprioceptive stimuli. These two modalities are detected by distinct mechanosensitive ENaC channels, which trigger distinct cellular responses. While harsh touch activates PVD’s downstream command interneurons through its axon, proprioceptive stimuli act through a novel trimeric sensor composed of DEL-1, UNC-8 and MEC-10 to induce dendritic release of a neuropeptide NLP-12. NLP-12 directly modulates neuromuscular junction activity through its receptor on motor axons, setting muscle tone and movement vigor. These results suggest that the same neuron can simultaneously use both its axon and dendrites as output apparatus to drive distinct outcomes.
Professor of Biology and Pathology, Stanford University
Lab Website
How genetic and developmental programs instruct neuronal function in C. elegans
Friday, March 29
12 PM
RRI 101
Abstract: Polymodal sensory neurons enhance coding capacity and are found in diverse animals. However, it is not well understood how a single neuron senses, processes and generates two neuronal outcomes. Here we describe the mechanism by which the C. elegans PVD neurons sense both external touch and proprioceptive stimuli. These two modalities are detected by distinct mechanosensitive ENaC channels, which trigger distinct cellular responses. While harsh touch activates PVD’s downstream command interneurons through its axon, proprioceptive stimuli act through a novel trimeric sensor composed of DEL-1, UNC-8 and MEC-10 to induce dendritic release of a neuropeptide NLP-12. NLP-12 directly modulates neuromuscular junction activity through its receptor on motor axons, setting muscle tone and movement vigor. These results suggest that the same neuron can simultaneously use both its axon and dendrites as output apparatus to drive distinct outcomes.
Monday, March 18, 2019
Be a Science Fair judge
Episcopal School of Los Angeles is currently hosting a middle school science fair next Thursday (March 21st) from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and are in need of outside science judges.
The judges would receive a $100 honorarium, a free meal prepared by our team of chefs, and an opportunity to add outreach to their resume. The Episcopal school of Los Angeles is a private school but almost half of the overall tuition revenue is funded by need based financial aid. Many of the students receive full financial support and the mission of the school is to have classrooms that fully reflect the diversity of Los Angeles.
The school is located near Los Feliz. If there is anyone is interested (or several people who are interested), please e-mail Clayton Houck. We will have in total about 5 judges.
The judges would receive a $100 honorarium, a free meal prepared by our team of chefs, and an opportunity to add outreach to their resume. The Episcopal school of Los Angeles is a private school but almost half of the overall tuition revenue is funded by need based financial aid. Many of the students receive full financial support and the mission of the school is to have classrooms that fully reflect the diversity of Los Angeles.
The school is located near Los Feliz. If there is anyone is interested (or several people who are interested), please e-mail Clayton Houck. We will have in total about 5 judges.
Merit Award for Current Doctoral Students - USC Women in Science & Engineering
The Merit Award for Current Doctoral Students is offered to current Ph.D. students at USC who demonstrate exceptional work in their field. Two candidates will be chosen from the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and two from the Viterbi School of Engineering. Candidates are nominated by the faculty. Each one-year WiSE Fellowship carries a stipend of $1,500. To be eligible for the Merit Awards students must plan to be enrolled full-time for both the upcoming Fall and Spring semesters, be in at least their fourth year of study or passed their qualifying exams, and be funded by a 50%-time research assistantship, teaching assistantship, or fellowship during that period. Expected date of graduation should not be earlier than the spring semester.
Deadline: April 1 to Doug Burleson
Award Amount: $1,500.
Application Form: PhD Merit Award Application Form (Application Guidelines)
Purpose:
The purpose of the WiSE Merit Award is to provide advanced doctoral students with an opportunity to be recognized for their achievements. Surveys have shown that the attrition rate of female doctoral students is significantly higher than that of male doctoral students. The WiSE Program hopes this fellowship will provide support and motivation to students on an academic trajectory who demonstrate dedication to increasing the representation of women in science and engineering.
Selection Criteria:
The WiSE Committee will evaluate the excellence of the candidate’s research, the trajectory of improvement, and any other personal/professional attributes that demonstrate how the Merit Award may encourage the candidate to pursue a career in science and engineering.
Deadline: April 1 to Doug Burleson
Award Amount: $1,500.
Application Form: PhD Merit Award Application Form (Application Guidelines)
Purpose:
The purpose of the WiSE Merit Award is to provide advanced doctoral students with an opportunity to be recognized for their achievements. Surveys have shown that the attrition rate of female doctoral students is significantly higher than that of male doctoral students. The WiSE Program hopes this fellowship will provide support and motivation to students on an academic trajectory who demonstrate dedication to increasing the representation of women in science and engineering.
Selection Criteria:
The WiSE Committee will evaluate the excellence of the candidate’s research, the trajectory of improvement, and any other personal/professional attributes that demonstrate how the Merit Award may encourage the candidate to pursue a career in science and engineering.
WiSE Mentorship Program
Applications due Friday, March 29
Are you a graduate student interested in being a mentor to first year WiSE graduate students? Apply to be a mentor in WiSE’s Mentorship Program! Through fun activities organized by WiSE, mentors will ease their mentee’s transition by providing her with valuable insight about graduate school and life at USC. For the application, click here.
Are you a graduate student interested in being a mentor to first year WiSE graduate students? Apply to be a mentor in WiSE’s Mentorship Program! Through fun activities organized by WiSE, mentors will ease their mentee’s transition by providing her with valuable insight about graduate school and life at USC. For the application, click here.
Monday, March 4, 2019
20th Annual BioResearch Product Faire
USC Health Sciences Campus, Pappas Quad
When: Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019
Where: Pappas Quad
Time: 10 AM - 2:30 PM
Stop by the event to:
* Network with other Researchers
* View Product Demonstrations
* Connect with Industry Experts
* Discover New Research Tools
* Learn Troubleshooting Skills
* Hear About Laboratory Services
* Learn about Career Opportunities
Using the right tools for your research saves you time at the bench.
**THIS EVENT IS FREE TO ATTEND & INCLUDES AN EXTENSIVE BUFFET OF
REFRESHMENTS**
Visit the link below to find
* A list of exhibitors
* A link to pre-register online (Save time by pre-registering online! If you pre-register, please be sure to print and bring your registration form with you!)
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.biotech-2Dcalendar.com_showinfo_poster.php-3FshowCode-3DUSC19S-23&d=DwIFAw&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=RtxlM6yx4AGZYYBNil6J3hLi81Gtr7JES1hpJghr1mc&m=gKlrdU9DVbhTNFNs4Kj8ERddFm88aCYbMbQlCU-Hjfk&s=yBkX_lZQvsK9t-W1VtMenswa0g93_2Zh14oryWQgoME&e=
When: Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019
Where: Pappas Quad
Time: 10 AM - 2:30 PM
Stop by the event to:
* Network with other Researchers
* View Product Demonstrations
* Connect with Industry Experts
* Discover New Research Tools
* Learn Troubleshooting Skills
* Hear About Laboratory Services
* Learn about Career Opportunities
Using the right tools for your research saves you time at the bench.
**THIS EVENT IS FREE TO ATTEND & INCLUDES AN EXTENSIVE BUFFET OF
REFRESHMENTS**
Visit the link below to find
* A list of exhibitors
* A link to pre-register online (Save time by pre-registering online! If you pre-register, please be sure to print and bring your registration form with you!)
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.biotech-2Dcalendar.com_showinfo_poster.php-3FshowCode-3DUSC19S-23&d=DwIFAw&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=RtxlM6yx4AGZYYBNil6J3hLi81Gtr7JES1hpJghr1mc&m=gKlrdU9DVbhTNFNs4Kj8ERddFm88aCYbMbQlCU-Hjfk&s=yBkX_lZQvsK9t-W1VtMenswa0g93_2Zh14oryWQgoME&e=
External Fellowship writing workshop for early career PhD students
WiSE is gauging interest for a writing workshop in the late Spring and early Fall for eligible WiSE graduate students interested in applying for one of the upcoming external fellowships e.g. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program.
The workshops are intended to review the application components in depth, help participants brainstorm and write their statements, and facilitate peer and faculty review of the finished materials. The workshops will be designed to accommodate the schedules of participants during each semester.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out this short interest survey by next Wednesday, March 6. A follow-up email will be sent to with more information.
The workshops are intended to review the application components in depth, help participants brainstorm and write their statements, and facilitate peer and faculty review of the finished materials. The workshops will be designed to accommodate the schedules of participants during each semester.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out this short interest survey by next Wednesday, March 6. A follow-up email will be sent to with more information.
PhD Achievement Awards
To recognize our current PhD students’ academic professional development, the Graduate School will provide USC PhD Achievement Awards for students with exceptional academic profiles. Six awards of $3,000 will be made to students from across the university. Each recipient’s primary faculty advisor will receive a $500 USC Graduate School PhD Mentoring award. Each USC PhD program may nominate one candidate.
Current students from every PhD program at USC are eligible. The award is for exceptional achievement as a USC PhD student. The student’s overall profile as a doctoral candidate may include such elements as significant publications as the sole or primary author; job offers that signal the outstanding quality of the student’s doctoral work; major awards in a broadly conceived field; and other markers of excellence appropriate to the student’s field.
Departmental nominators will be asked to submit applications with the following information:
Submissions will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary faculty committee. Recipients of the USC PhD Achievement Awards will be invited to lead the column of PhD graduates at the university commencement.
Current students from every PhD program at USC are eligible. The award is for exceptional achievement as a USC PhD student. The student’s overall profile as a doctoral candidate may include such elements as significant publications as the sole or primary author; job offers that signal the outstanding quality of the student’s doctoral work; major awards in a broadly conceived field; and other markers of excellence appropriate to the student’s field.
Departmental nominators will be asked to submit applications with the following information:
- A statement by the student describing her or his academic vision – what s/he has achieved and hopes to achieve in terms of an academic contribution to the relevant field (up to 500 words)
- Documentation for publications, awards, job offers, other achievements
- A letter of nomination from the student’s academic advisor or other faculty member who can put the student’s work into the broader context of the given field
- A copy of the student’s most recent curriculum vitae and transcript
- Sign-offs from the department chair and dean of the school supporting the nomination.
- Contact and general academic information for the nominee and primary faculty advisor
Submissions will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary faculty committee. Recipients of the USC PhD Achievement Awards will be invited to lead the column of PhD graduates at the university commencement.
PhD Achievement Signature P... by on Scribd
MCB Colloquium Series | Francesca Storici, Ph.D.
Francesca Storici, PhD
Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences
Lab Website
Mechanisms of RNA-mediated genomic stability and instability
Abstract: Can genetic information flow from RNA to DNA in a more general fashion than anticipated? We uncovered that RNA serves as template to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in budding yeast. We found that transfer of genetic information from RNA to DNA occurs with an endogenous generic transcript, and is thus a more common mechanism than previously anticipated. Our results suggest that transcript RNA, like non-coding RNA, may have a significant role in genome stability and genome modification, much more prominent than previously anticipated.
DNA is heavily ‘contaminated’ with RNA! We recently developed a technique, ribose-seq, to map ribonucleotides (rNMPs) present in genomic DNA. We have also implemented a new software, Ribose-Map, as an easy bioinformatics toolkit for the analysis of ribose-seq data. In studies using genomic DNA from yeast cells, we found that rNMPs are widespread but not randomly distributed in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. We revealed specific strand bias incorporation and hotspots. By exploring the location and distribution of rNMPs in DNA of many cell types, we may begin to understand the role that rNMPs play in genome instability and, ultimately, disease.
Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences
Lab Website
Mechanisms of RNA-mediated genomic stability and instability
Friday, March 8, 2019
12 PM
RRI 101Abstract: Can genetic information flow from RNA to DNA in a more general fashion than anticipated? We uncovered that RNA serves as template to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in budding yeast. We found that transfer of genetic information from RNA to DNA occurs with an endogenous generic transcript, and is thus a more common mechanism than previously anticipated. Our results suggest that transcript RNA, like non-coding RNA, may have a significant role in genome stability and genome modification, much more prominent than previously anticipated.
DNA is heavily ‘contaminated’ with RNA! We recently developed a technique, ribose-seq, to map ribonucleotides (rNMPs) present in genomic DNA. We have also implemented a new software, Ribose-Map, as an easy bioinformatics toolkit for the analysis of ribose-seq data. In studies using genomic DNA from yeast cells, we found that rNMPs are widespread but not randomly distributed in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. We revealed specific strand bias incorporation and hotspots. By exploring the location and distribution of rNMPs in DNA of many cell types, we may begin to understand the role that rNMPs play in genome instability and, ultimately, disease.
MEB Seminar Series | Mark Huntley, Ph.D.
Mark Huntley, Ph.D.
Visiting Scholar, Cornell University, Dept. of Biological & Environmental Engineering
Research Profile
Reversing Climate Change Within a Generation – the Pivotal Role of Algae
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
12 PM
AHF 153 (Torrey Webb Room)
Visiting Scholar, Cornell University, Dept. of Biological & Environmental Engineering
Research Profile
Reversing Climate Change Within a Generation – the Pivotal Role of Algae
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
12 PM
AHF 153 (Torrey Webb Room)
ABSTRACT - Reversing Climat... by on Scribd
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