Biology Seminar Series

Seminars start at 12 noon, with refreshments at 11:45.
Unless otherwise noted, seminars are held in the Bruggeman Room, 2nd floor of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

January 14: Y-M Huang (Rensselaer Graduate Student)
January 28: D. Papandrea, W. Chen (Rensselaer Graduate Students)
February 4: Z. Wang, X. Wang (Rensselaer Graduate Students)
February 11: Peter Tessier (RPI)
February 18: Steve Farber (Carnegie Institute)
March 3: Sally Temple (Albany Medical College)
March 17: Gian Garriga (UC Berkeley) “Membrane Trafficking of Wnt Signaling Components in the Regulation of Neural Polarity”
March 24: Brad Yoder (University of Alabama) “Molecular and Cellular Insights into the Ciliopathies: From Extra Toes to Obesity”
March 31: Bulent Yener (RPI) "Graphs and Hypergraphs in System Biology and Beyond"
April 7: P. Bryant Chase (Florida State University) “From Calcium Control to the Heart to Cardiomyopathy”
April 14: Kevin O’Connell (NIH/NID) “Controlling Centrosome Size and Duplication in the C Elegans Germ Line”
April 21: Susan Singer (Carleton College) “Comparative and Genomic Approaches to Understanding Flowering Legumes”

News

2008 Undergraduate Research Forum and Awards

The 2008 Undergraduate Research Forum & Awards was held on March 21, naming three winners each in the applied and theoretical categories.

Closing the Stem Cell Gap

It has been nearly 40 years since stem cells were discovered by a group of Canadian scientists and less than a decade since scientists have been able to study them outside the human body. Today, scientists around the world are studying these special cells to develop life-saving medical therapies, regenerative medicine, and new technology. A growing number of Rensselaer scientists and engineers are looking at stem cells in new and potentially revolutionary ways. Their goal is to provide new technology and a better scientific understanding of how and why the unique cells function in such special and important ways.

Renowned Scientist To Join Rensselaer Biocomputation and Bioinformatics Group

George Makhatadze is a designer. But instead of expensive jeans and haute handbags, he is creating custom proteins that could improve everything from medication to detergent. Makhatadze is bringing his expertise in biology, chemistry, and computation to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a chaired professor in the Biocomputation and Bioinformatics research constellation.

Nanoscience Expert and Experienced Academic To Head Rensselaer Biology Department

Susan P. Gilbert, a renowned expert in cell biology, biophysics, and nanoscience, will join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as the head of the Biology Department on Sept. 1, 2007. Gilbert joins the Rensselaer faculty after 12 years at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Yin and Yang of Alzhiemer’s Disease

Chunyu Wang, assistant professor of biology, is challenging current thinking on the causes and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, offering a new hypothesis that could be the key to preventing this form of dementia. He has found that a specific imbalance between two peptides may be the cause of the fatal neurological disease that affects more than five million people in the United States.

Rensselaer Shares Classroom Technologies With Brazil

Visitors from Universidade Federal de Sao Joao del-Rei learn about Rensselaer's classroom technologies.

Cholera Pathogen Reveals How Bacteria Generate Energy To Live

Rensselaer researchers have discovered new details about how bacteria generate energy to live. In two recently published papers, the scientists add key specifics to the molecular mechanism behind the pathogen that causes cholera. The work could provide a better understanding of this pathogen, while also offering insight into how cells transform energy from the environment into the forms required to sustain life.

New Molecular Pathway Could Reveal How Cells Stick Together

Rensselaer researchers have found a new pathway by which cells change their adhesive properties. With a $1.4 million NIH grant, they plan to fill in the details behind how cells decide to stick to a surface.