Happening @ Michigan https://events.umich.edu/list/rss RSS Feed for Happening @ Michigan Events at the University of Michigan. Faculty Candidate: NeuroImmunObesity (January 17, 2017 11:45am) https://events.umich.edu/event/36705 36705-5787604@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 11:45am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Rich Hume

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 13 Jan 2017 12:01:51 -0500 2017-01-17T11:45:00-05:00 2017-01-17T12:45:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Faculty Candidate: Cortical circuits for touch perception (January 19, 2017 11:45am) https://events.umich.edu/event/36707 36707-5787606@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, January 19, 2017 11:45am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Sara Aton

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 08 Dec 2016 10:15:24 -0500 2017-01-19T11:45:00-05:00 2017-01-19T12:45:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar Understanding diversification through development: case studies of Drosophila reproduction and monarch butterfly migration (January 19, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36982 36982-6102514@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, January 19, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Consideration of trait development can advance studies into the genetic basis of phenotypic variation and illuminate mechanisms that promote or constrain biodiversity. I will overview my work on two different instances of using development to understand phenotypic evolution: ovariole number in Drosophila and migration in the monarch butterfly. I found that developmental complexity has influenced ovariole number diversification and that the same developmental pathway can link both phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary diversification of ovariole number in Drosophila lineages. More recently, I have been working towards establishing the monarch butterfly as a model to study the molecular genetic ‘design’ of migration and how this influences the evolution of the migration strategy. I will describe experiments in which we leverage natural variation in migration capability to take a comparative developmental approach to identify the genetic and environmental basis of monarch migration.

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 18 Jan 2017 12:06:20 -0500 2017-01-19T16:00:00-05:00 2017-01-19T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion monarch butterflies
Science As Art Contest (January 20, 2017 9:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/34752 34752-4987282@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, January 20, 2017 9:00am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Science Learning Center

University of Michigan undergraduate students are invited to submit artwork expressing a scientific principle(s), concept(s), idea(s), process(es), and/or structure(s). The artwork may be
visual, literary, musical, video or performance based. A juried panel using criteria based on both scientific and artistic considerations will choose winning submissions.

]]>
Other Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:10:06 -0400 2017-01-20T09:00:00-05:00 2017-01-20T12:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Science Learning Center Other Science As Art
Interdisciplinary Instrumentation Lab Mixer No. 3, January 20, 2017 (January 20, 2017 3:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/37682 37682-6661486@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, January 20, 2017 3:30pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Michigan Institute for Research in Astrophysics

Interdisciplinary Instrumentation Lab Mixer #3
Friday January 20, 2017
3:30-5:30pm
Please note multiple locations:
3:30 Meet in 3245 Chemistry
Lab tours (See schedule below)
4:30 Refreshments and beverages in 3246 Randall

We invite UM Teaching and Research Faculty from across campus to attend the third Lab Mixer to highlight interdisciplinary research opportunities in instrumentation. This time we will visit two labs in Chemistry/Biophysics, one lab in Randall/Physics, then to 3246 Randall Lab (third floor fishbowl) for discussion to learn more about each other and possibly spark new ideas and collaborations (food and beverages will be served). If you ever wanted to know what is going on in the diverse UM labs behind closed doors, now is a chance to start learning.

We hope to see you there!

Schedule:
3:30 Meet in 3245 Chemistry Building
3:45-4:30 Brief Lab Tours:

1) Kevin Kubarych 4824 Chemistry Building
(Ultrafast optical and infrared spectroscopy using femtosecond pulsed lasers to record snapshots of the fastest molecular motions in chemistry)

2) Damon Hoff 4824 Chemistry
(Single Molecule Analysis in Real-Time (SMART) Center:Tools for single biomolecule microscopy and characterization (including TIRF and confocal fluorescence microscopy, AFM, and optical tweezers

3) Jeff McMahon 3214 Randall
(Technologies for measuring the Cosmic Microwave Background)

4:30–5:30 3246 Randall Laboratory. Food and beverages will be served.

This event is organized by::
-Jackie Li, Earth and Environmental Sciences
-Jeff McMahon, Physics
-John Monnier, Astronomy
-Nilton Renno, Climate and Space Sciences (CLaSP)
-Greg Tarle, Physics

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 17 Jan 2017 14:47:44 -0500 2017-01-20T15:30:00-05:00 2017-01-20T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Michigan Institute for Research in Astrophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Gasses and Gas Laws (January 23, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38027 38027-6847066@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, January 23, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

A first lecture on the properties of gasses will be presented. Aspects of gas pressure and measurement will be discussed. The origin of gas study and simple laws will be presented along with the combination of simple gas laws to generate the Ideal Gas Law. Problem solving related to gas problems and both applied and conceptual problem solving will also be discussed.
Christopher Nicholson (University of West Florida)

]]>
Other Mon, 23 Jan 2017 18:17:02 -0500 2017-01-23T16:00:00-05:00 2017-01-23T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
CANCELLED: EEB Thursday Seminar: Microbial community dynamics and function at micro-scales. (January 26, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36322 36322-5562273@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, January 26, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

In this talk I will present our work showing how ecological interactions control the assembly and function of microbial communities at micro-scales. Using model marine particles composed of a variety of biopolymers commonly found in the ocean, I will show how microbial interactions such as cross-feeding and social cheating control community dynamics, leading to rapid successions on particles, while decreasing the metabolic rate of the system by slowing down or even blocking the particle degradation process. Particle degradation slow-down occurs because of competition for space between primary degraders and cheaters or cross-feeders, which act as parasites. The results indicate that the rates of carbon cycling in the environment can be under direct control of community ecology processes that unfold at micro-scales. Finally, I will also discuss how communities that self-assemble on particles made of different substrates converge to a set of species that display ‘universal’ dynamics, which are independent of the substrate and instead driven by the ecological wiring of the community.

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Wed, 25 Jan 2017 10:43:52 -0500 2017-01-26T16:00:00-05:00 2017-01-26T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar marine bacteria
Acids Revisited: Structure, Strength & Species in Solution (January 30, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/37528 37528-6616567@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, January 30, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Rachel Barnard (University of Michigan)

]]>
Other Mon, 30 Jan 2017 18:17:54 -0500 2017-01-30T16:00:00-05:00 2017-01-30T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Artificial Photosynthesis with Particles (January 30, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/30590 30590-3591258@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, January 30, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

The identification of an artificial photosynthesis method to turn solar energy into globally usable amounts of fuel is considered one of the most important challenges today. Photochemical water splitting with particle-based systems has the greatest potential to achieve this goal. Currently, the development of such systems is limited by intrinsic materials issues and by an incomplete understanding of photochemical charge separation on the nanoscale. This talk will discuss these obstacles and present ways to overcome them using recent examples from the literature and from the author’s own laboratory.
Frank Osterloh (University of California, Davis)

]]>
Other Mon, 30 Jan 2017 18:17:53 -0500 2017-01-30T16:00:00-05:00 2017-01-30T05:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Hemoprotein engineering toward an artificial metalloenzyme and light harvesting system (January 31, 2017 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/37170 37170-6185919@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 3:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Inorganic
Koji Oohora (Osaka University)

]]>
Other Tue, 31 Jan 2017 18:16:55 -0500 2017-01-31T15:00:00-05:00 2017-01-31T16:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Electromagnetic Radiation (February 1, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/37416 37416-6534050@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 1, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Carol Ann Pitcairn (University of Michigan)

]]>
Other Wed, 01 Feb 2017 18:17:18 -0500 2017-02-01T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-01T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Comparative genomics reveals ecological drivers of plant diversification (February 2, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36323 36323-5562274@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 2, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

When adaptive evolution occurs rapidly it can leave little historical signature with which to trace and reconstruct evolutionary events. However, with the application of genome-scale data we now have unprecedented statistical power to investigate and tease apart even the most rapid cases of evolution, in the form of reconstructed demographic scenarios, or population and species divergences. Here, I will present two cases from flowering plants. First, demonstrating the role of interspecific reproductive interactions in driving diversification of Pedicularis in alpine communities of the Tibetan plateau; and second, demonstrating an association of climatic differences with phenotypic evolution during a radiation of Viburnum in neotropical cloud forests. In both cases, I apply new statistical models to restriction-site associated DNA (RAD-seq), and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of these approaches

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

Watch YouTube video: https://youtu.be/cZ-cwSsLokE

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 11 Apr 2017 10:04:53 -0400 2017-02-02T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-02T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar EatonPic
2nd Year Physical Chemistry Student Seminar (February 6, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38048 38048-6866183@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 6, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Allison Kelly, Alan McLean

]]>
Other Mon, 06 Feb 2017 18:17:11 -0500 2017-02-06T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-06T18:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Mechanistic and Electronic Structural Insights into the Metallobiochemistry of Nitrification (February 7, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/31414 31414-4260674@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, February 7, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and nitrate, is a key entry point for fixed nitrogen to return to the atmosphere as dinitrogen. Nitrification is the root of tremendous economic loss in agriculture as well as a major ecological hazard via nitrogenous eutrophication. Molecular details concerning the elementary, multi-electron chemical steps whereby ammonia is oxidized to hydroxylamine and ultimately to nitrite remain elusive. This may be attributable in part to the difficulty associated with accessing sufficient quantities of relevant enzymes for biophysical characterization. Nevertheless, such insights are attractive because they hold the promise of inspiring novel, green chemical methods for difficult bond activations and multi-electron transformations. This talk will describe our investigation of the crucial molecular steps of nitrification revealed through the application of rapid kinetics, spectroscopy, and electronic structure calculations. Key insights include the establishment of a direct link between nitrification and nitrous oxide pollution, the identification of important intermediates in hydroxylamine oxidation by both Fe, and a revision of the enzymatic steps involved in hydroxylamine oxidation. The seminar will conclude with reinterpretation of the electronic structure of high-valent copper–oxygen species toward rationalizing competence of these species for challenging E–H bond activations.
Kyle Lancaster (Cornell University)

]]>
Other Tue, 07 Feb 2017 18:17:14 -0500 2017-02-07T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-07T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Use of high precision mercury isotope ratio measurements to reveal details of the global mercury cycle (February 8, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38527 38527-7204567@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 8, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Joel Blum (University of Michigan)

]]>
Other Wed, 08 Feb 2017 18:17:23 -0500 2017-02-08T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-08T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Adventures in Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer: from C-H Bond Reactions to Electrocatalysis to Nanocrystals (February 9, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/30415 30415-3452061@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 9, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

A wide range of chemical processes proceed by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), from combustion to fuel cells to redox processes of minerals. This presentation will begin with fundamental studies of single reaction steps that involve transfer of one proton and one electron. Some of these reactions ‘look like’ transfer of a hydrogen atom, while in other reactions the electron and proton are quite separated in the reactants or products. The rate constants for many of these reactions, both organic and transition metal reactions, can be understood using a version of Marcus Theory. These PCET concepts are being used to develop and understand new electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction, and to provide new insights into the redox reaction chemistry of nanoscale oxide materials.
James Mayer (Yale University)

]]>
Other Thu, 09 Feb 2017 18:17:17 -0500 2017-02-09T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-09T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Thinking inside the box: community consequences of stage-structured populations (February 9, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36324 36324-5562275@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 9, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

A central challenge in community ecology is to understand the connection between biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems. The traditional approach in community ecology is based on the premise that predictions can be made by treating a species as a homogenous entity. However, no population is truly homogenous and individuals within a species often vary considerably in their ecology. By far the largest source of this functional variation between individuals stems from differences in size and ontogenetic stage. The unresolved question is how this functional variation within species affects the structure and functioning of natural ecosystems. Using a combination of experiments and theoretical studies I demonstrate that these changes in the ecology of individuals during their development have important consequences on the dynamic, structure and functioning of entire ecosystems and how they respond to natural or anthropogenic disturbances.

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Wed, 01 Feb 2017 10:32:56 -0500 2017-02-09T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-09T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar CommonWhitetailTexasEagle
pH, Weak Acids, and Buffers: A Sample Classroom Lecture (February 9, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/37529 37529-6616568@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 9, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Brian Brennan (Illinois Wesleyan University)

]]>
Other Thu, 09 Feb 2017 18:17:18 -0500 2017-02-09T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-09T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
2nd Year Physical Chemistry Student Seminar (February 13, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38049 38049-6866184@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 13, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Cody Aldaz, Shiba Dandpat, Lindsay Michocki, Yanming Wang

]]>
Other Mon, 13 Feb 2017 18:17:11 -0500 2017-02-13T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-13T18:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Medical School Inside Story talk with UM Medical School Admissions Director Carol Teener (February 15, 2017 5:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38416 38416-7172379@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 15, 2017 5:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program

Wednesday, 2/15, 5:00 pm-6:00 pm
Location: 1210 Chem

Registration Required: http://ttc.iss.lsa.umich.edu/undergrad/sessions/medschooltalk/

Do you have questions about medical school admissions? Get your answers straight from the inside!

UM Medical School Admissions Director Carol Teener will demystify medical school applications, expectations and reviews in her presentation on February 15.

We will provide index cards for students on which to write their questions, and Director Teener will answer as many as possible in the allotted hour.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 10 Feb 2017 10:23:53 -0500 2017-02-15T17:00:00-05:00 2017-02-15T18:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Unexpected responses of disease to global change (February 16, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36352 36352-5581492@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 16, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

With the threat of changing climate, species invasions, shifts in land use, and other anthropogenic changes, ecologists are increasingly concerned about the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. The common assumption is that environmental changes will facilitate disease spread and increase the risk to humans and species of agricultural and conservation concern. Yet most ecological processes are nonlinear, and the response of infectious diseases to environmental change is no exception. In this talk, I will explore two ways in which nonlinearities in disease transmission lead to unexpected responses of disease to environmental change: (1) pathogen spillover from exotic to native plant species, and (2) impacts of temperature on vector-borne disease transmission. To understand the importance of nonlinearity in these systems, I use mathematical models fit to empirical data. In both cases the field-parameterized models show, counter-intuitively, that environmental change does not necessarily lead to negative disease-mediated outcomes. In fact, the fungal pathogen is predicted to benefit the native grass species in competition with the invasive grass, and warm temperatures are expected to decrease malaria transmission in currently heavily-infected areas. These surprising results underscore the importance of integrating models and data to predict responses of disease to environmental change in nature.
Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

Watch YouTube video: https://youtu.be/gkHBUv3EGgA

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 11 Apr 2017 10:05:30 -0400 2017-02-16T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-16T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar Mordecai
Applying Stoichiometry to Real Reactions: Limiting Reactants and Yields (February 17, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/37530 37530-6616569@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, February 17, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Rebecca Peebles (Eastern Illinois University)

]]>
Other Fri, 17 Feb 2017 18:17:21 -0500 2017-02-17T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-17T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
MS-based approaches for the elucidation of nucleic acid higher-order structure and dynamics (February 17, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36938 36938-6064012@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, February 17, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

The discovery of ribozymes and riboswitches has keenly reasserted the critical role played by higher-order structure in determining the function of nucleic acid sequences that do not code for actual proteins. Mass spectrometry-based approaches can provide valuable information on base-pairing and long-range interactions, which define the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure of nucleic acids. We have been developing strategies based on high-resolution and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) mass spectrometry to investigate the structure-function relationships in non-coding viral RNA. We have demonstrated that the concerted application of footprinting and crosslinking methods can provide valid spatial constraints for modeling operations, leading to the solution of actual 3D structures. Top-down strategies can provide direct information about the position and strength of base-pairing interactions that stabilize higher-order structure. Putative structures are corroborated by IMS determinations that reveal the global topology of target RNA. These approaches constitute a valuable alternative for the investigation of systems that, owing to their large size and flexibility, are not directly amenable to classic high-resolution techniques employed in structural biology. Their implementation has been providing new insights into the processes of genome recognition, dimerization, and packaging of HIV-1 and other retroviruses, which have the potential of leading to the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
Daniele Fabris (University at Albany, State University of New York)

]]>
Other Fri, 17 Feb 2017 18:17:20 -0500 2017-02-17T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-17T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
2nd Year Physical Chemistry Student Seminar (February 20, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38050 38050-6866185@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 20, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Laura Camila Motta Medina, Sahil Chhabra, Ellen Mulvihill

]]>
Other Mon, 20 Feb 2017 18:17:01 -0500 2017-02-20T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-20T18:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Special Seminar: Dominance patterns of woody plants in the Madidi region (Bolivian Amazon and Andes) (February 20, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38088 38088-6885018@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 20, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The study of commonness patterns that include both local abundances and spatial distributions is a promising field for the floristic description of tropical forests. A major advance at this regard was the Oligarchy Hypothesis, which states that the same set of common species ('oligarchic species') dominates in different sites in tropical forests. This hypothesis places the focus of attention on the common components of these highly diverse systems, instead of on the rarity of most of its species. The seminar describes the hypothesis and the results of some research conducted in the Madidi region (Bolivia), one of the longest forested gradients in the world. The results indicate that regional connectivity and dispersal are important for oligarchic patterns. Although niche-based processes could shape oligarchies in the Amazon, maybe they are not so important in other systems like the Andean forests. Overall, the elevational gradient has a great impact on the extent at which oligarchic patterns can be detected, as well as on the extent of the dominance of the oligarchic species in those systems.

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 09 Feb 2017 11:56:35 -0500 2017-02-20T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-20T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar Madidi region
Warren Herb Wagner Guest Lecture in Plant Evolution: Mosaics, megabases, and matryoshki: a leaf-to-landscape perspective on the symbiotic renaissance (February 23, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36326 36326-5562276@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 23, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Abstract
We are fortunate to be living in one of the most exciting times in the history of symbiosis research: a true renaissance period in which ecological and evolutionary theory, organismal knowledge, and the dual powers of technology and computational biology are framing a new understanding of symbiotic interactions. From studies of diffuse coevolution and horizontal transmission to context- dependency, the -omics of interactions, and new evidence of nested symbioses, recent work is revisiting — and sometimes rewriting — the rules for how we think about 'the living together of unlike organisms.' In this presentation I will focus on one of earth's most prevalent symbioses — the association of endophytic fungi with photosynthetic organisms — to highlight (1) recent findings regarding ecological interactions at levels from leaves to landscapes; (2) new insights into mechanisms underlying plant-fungal associations from local to global scales; and (3) emergent questions, which together speak to the challenge, excitement, and promise that engage us across disciplines and organisms in the broader study of symbiosis.

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

Watch YouTube video: https://youtu.be/8nDTJ5KKdZE

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 11 Apr 2017 10:06:49 -0400 2017-02-23T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-23T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar Betsy Arnold and her dog
Biophysics Seminar: Professor James U. Bowie, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (February 24, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38214 38214-7012661@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, February 24, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Protein folding is a fundamental process of life with important implications throughout biology. Elaborate mechanisms exist to regulate and assist folding. Moreover, tens of thousands of mutations have now been associated with diseases and it is thought that most of these mutations affect protein folding and trafficking rather than function. Consequently, there has been an enormous effort over the years to understand how proteins fold. Essentially all of the effort has been directed at soluble proteins, however, and membrane proteins have been largely shunted aside. As a result it has usually only been possible to examine the folding and misfolding of biologically and medically interesting membrane proteins in qualitative terms. Quantitative and mechanistic studies have been restricted to a handful of model membrane proteins, in artificial systems, far from natural conditions. Our goal is to ultimately make folding studies of biologically interesting membrane proteins more routine. I will summarize the state of folding experiments with model membrane proteins like bacteriorhodopsin and then describe single molecule methods we are developing that we hope will allow us to examine the folding of complex human membrane proteins, and the causes of misfolding in disease states.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:21:50 -0500 2017-02-24T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-24T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar James Bowie
Development of Students' Chemical Thinking (February 27, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38426 38426-7178768@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 27, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Chemical thinking is the development and application of chemistry knowledge and practices with the primary intent of synthesizing, analyzing, and transforming matter for practical purposes. Scientifically literate individuals, as well as chemists, must rely on chemical thinking to address practical concerns, such as how to dispose of batteries, what containers are safe for storing different foods, and which fuels impart least damage to the planet. The Chemical Thinking framework is a discipline-specific nature of science theory. It defines the discipline of chemistry in such a way that the learning of chemistry and use of chemical thinking can be mapped and measured across a long educational span, from novice to advanced chemist, along six core questions that chemistry can answer. Three progress variables are defined in which sophistication is augmented as learning progresses: conceptual fluency, complexity of reasoning, and epistemological framing of problem spaces. The framework will be described, and examples will be drawn from empirical studies of one of the six core disciplinary questions of chemical thinking. A mapping of the chemical thinking landscape will be illustrated for the chemical identity question, “What is this substance?” Results from two other chemical thinking core questions will be briefly highlighted: chemical control, associated with the question, “How can chemical changes be controlled?” and benefits-costs-risks, associated with the question, “What are the consequences of using and producing matter?” Analysis reveals common patterns of thinking across these and other core concepts. Implications for teaching and learning will be discussed.
Hannah Sevian (University of Massachusetts, Boston)

]]>
Other Mon, 27 Feb 2017 18:16:55 -0500 2017-02-27T16:00:00-05:00 2017-02-27T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Characterizing Protein Glutathionylation in Response to Mitochondrial ROS (March 8, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/37991 37991-6821564@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 8, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Mitochondria are the central organelle for cellular metabolism while being an important source of ROS production.1 Importantly, mitochondrial ROS (mROS) are emerging as key pathophysiological molecules in cardiac cells as well as a broad cardiovascular system. The complex role of mROS is largely mediated by protein oxidative modifications, including glutathionylation that is a disulfide bond formation of protein cysteine residue with intracellular glutathione. Although several biochemical methods for identifying glutathionylation are available, individual approach has its own limitations. In order to identify and characterize protein glutathionylation, we recently developed a novel chemical method, namely clickable glutathione, that selectively detects glutathionylation in response to ROS. The central idea was to tag a ‘clickable’ functionality to glutathione by engineering glutathione synthetase (GS), a non-rate limiting enzyme in glutathione (γGlu-Cys-Gly) biosynthesis. With this approach, we analyzed glutathionylation of global and individual proteins in response to metabolic alteration that increases mROS production. Proteomic and biochemical analysis with our clickable glutathione approach led to identifying multiple target proteins of glutathionylation, including SMYD2 implicated in cardiac and skeletal muscle. In this talk, I will present our clickable glutathione approach, characterization of glutathionylation in metabolic alteration, and functional significance of SMYD2 glutathionylation in muscle.
Young-Hoon Ahn (Wayne State University)

]]>
Other Wed, 08 Mar 2017 18:16:51 -0500 2017-03-08T16:00:00-05:00 2017-03-08T17:15:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Applications of Innovative Synthesis in Medicinal Science (March 9, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38967 38967-7532135@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 9, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Organic
Joseph Tucker and Scott Bagley (Pfizer)

]]>
Other Thu, 09 Mar 2017 18:16:45 -0500 2017-03-09T16:00:00-05:00 2017-03-09T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Coexistence in diverse coflowering communities: importance of post-pollination interactions (March 9, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36327 36327-5562277@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 9, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

In the wild plants exist in multispecies groups and often share pollinators which can lead to exchange of pollen between different species. Interspecific pollen transfer leads to conspecific pollen loss and heterospecific pollen receipt, the latter of which leads to a unique suite of plant-plant interactions on the stigma. The question of how plant-pollinator interactions contribute to flowering plant communities has largely focused on plant traits that mediate pre-pollination interactions, and ignored the potential for traits that mediate these post-pollination processes. In this talk I describe how common and complex post-pollination interactions can be in the wild, especially in the diverse coflowering communities of the serpentine in California. I further explore the diverse effects of heterospecific pollen receipt on plant fitness, with a focus on understanding the traits that mediate this diversity. I put forward a hypothesis for the involvement of post-pollination interactions in plant species coexistence and test elements of it with data from the serpentine seep communities. By understanding the consequences of plant interactions via their shared pollinators we can better predict sustainability of natural flowering plant communities, as well as the consequences of disruption of these from global change, such as climate warming, invasive species, or pollinator decline.

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 21 Feb 2017 14:55:50 -0500 2017-03-09T16:00:00-05:00 2017-03-09T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar Ashman
A Contrasting Tale of Dynamics: How Cytoskeletal Filaments Make Bacteria Grow as Rods and Divide Them in Half (March 10, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33578 33578-4757505@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 10, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Anthony Vecchiarelli

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Wed, 01 Feb 2017 15:27:12 -0500 2017-03-10T12:15:00-05:00 2017-03-10T13:15:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Biophysics Seminar: Professor Adam W. Smith, University of Akron (March 10, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33251 33251-4710145@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 10, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

The plasma membrane is the boundary between a cell and its surroundings. At the membrane, cells present an array of protein receptors that process environmental cues. The spatial and temporal arrangement of these receptors is critical to function, but the forces driving this organization are not well understood. Membrane protein dimerization, for example, is a key regulator of many receptor pathways, but its role in others is still controversial or completely unknown. Assembly of receptor complexes upon ligand stimulation is central to many signaling pathways, but the kinetics and thermodynamics of the assembly process are still poorly understood. Lipids in the membrane have been hypothesized to play many structural and regulatory roles in receptor activation, but the details of the lipid-protein interface are still largely unexplored because of experimental difficulties. I will describe two ongoing projects in my group. In the first project we investigate membrane protein interactions in live cells using PIE-FCCS and related methods. These efforts have led to several key insights into the organization and activation mechanism of receptors like plexins, growth factor receptors, and visual photoreceptors. The second project is to resolve the details of lipid-protein coupling in model membranes to build a more complete picture of the chemical landscape that governs cell communication.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:20:32 -0500 2017-03-10T16:00:00-05:00 2017-03-10T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Adam W. Smith
Heterogeneous Chemistry in the Lower Atmosphere: From Pesticides to Particles (March 15, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/31415 31415-4260675@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 15, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

It is believed that chemistry on surfaces ("heterogeneous chemistry") in the lower atmosphere has significant impacts on both the uptake of gases from air as well as formation of new surface species and emission of products of these reactions into the atmosphere. While traditional surface science approaches have provided a wealth of information on some reactions relevant to the atmosphere, they are often not suited to studying reactions at one atmosphere in air in the presence of water vapor. As a result, this area remains one of the least understood aspects of atmospheric chemistry.

Studies from this laboratory on two heterogeneous systems using a variety of experimental techniques will be described. The first is the chemistry and photochemistry of thin films of neonicotinoid (NN) pesticides on surfaces. These pesticides have found increasing use since their introduction in 1991. Their presence in the environment has been associated with bee colony collapse, which has led to regulations in Europe and in some states in the U.S. such as Minnesota. However, assessments of toxicity typically only address the parent compound, and do not take into account transformations in the environment that can form more toxic products. We have used a combination of experiments and theory, in collaboration with the group of R. B. Gerber, to show that atmospheric reactions of the NNs on surfaces can indeed form more toxic products as well as N2O, a potent greenhouse gas, and to elucidate the mechanisms involved.
The second system is the reaction of solid dicarboxylic acids with gas phase amines. Knudsen cell and associated studies show that there is a distinct difference in reactivity and mechanisms for odd carbon compared to even carbon diacids, with the reactions of the odd carbon species forming ionic liquid layers on the surface. The implications for atmospheric reactions will be discussed.


Barbara Finlayson-Pitts (University of California, Irvine)

]]>
Other Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:16:50 -0400 2017-03-15T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-15T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Plant phylogenomics: comparative analyses of plant genes and genomes (March 16, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36328 36328-5562278@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 16, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Abstract
Phylogenetic frameworks for species relationships and gene families are becoming increasingly essential for organization and analysis of the avalanche of sequence data that has come with development of massively parallel sequencing technologies. Sequence clustering approaches such as OrthoMCL are providing approximations of gene families. Phylogenetic analyses of these gene family clusters are yielding improved understanding of species relationships and new insights into gene and genome evolution. I will illustrate the utility of low copy gene families for estimating species relationships and how resulting species tree inferences serve as a framework for inferring the evolution of multi-copy gene families and whole genomes. For example, a phylogenomic framework has been used to resolve the timing of known and previously unknown paleopolyploidy events in angiosperm history. Moreover, understanding the timing of paleopolyploidy events allows us to test hypothesized links between polyploidy, diversification and the origin of novel traits.

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Mon, 13 Feb 2017 16:14:59 -0500 2017-03-16T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-16T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar diagram
Developmental Regulation of DNA Replication and Cell Size (March 17, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33579 33579-4757506@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 17, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Laura Buttitta

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 02 Feb 2017 15:38:38 -0500 2017-03-17T12:15:00-04:00 2017-03-17T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar green microscopic image
Biophysics Seminar: Professor Rhiju Das, Stanford University (March 17, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33252 33252-4710146@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 17, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Dr. Das’s lab develops and tests high-resolution computational approaches for modeling and designing RNA molecules and their complexes. He will present recent work that includes near-atomic-accuracy models in community-wide structure prediction challenges and first blind tests for predicting the ‘nearest neighbor’ energies of RNA folding. Dr. Das will also describe recent progress in design of biomedically relevant RNA molecules through the Eterna massive open laboratory. This project couples a 100,000-player videogame to the lab’s massively parallel experimental tools.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 02 Mar 2017 16:13:30 -0500 2017-03-17T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-17T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Rhiju Das
Materials Student Seminar (March 17, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/39681 39681-8241162@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 17, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Monique Cook, Yingshuo Liu

]]>
Other Fri, 17 Mar 2017 18:16:58 -0400 2017-03-17T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-17T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Conformations and Dynamics of Protein Molecular Recognition (March 23, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/39682 39682-8241163@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 23, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Protein dynamics, the population of and interconversion among multiple states, are often evoked to explain function. The experimental characterization of protein dynamics to fully uncover their role however is challenged by both the spatial heterogeneity of proteins and the rapid interconversion of potentially important conformational states. Our group combines the inherent temporal resolution of linear and two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy with the spatial resolution afforded by site-selective incorporation of vibrational reporter groups that provide frequency-resolved absorptions to characterize rapidly occurring changes in local environments in proteins. I will share several vignettes about our application of this approach toward understanding the molecular recognition of protein systems: Src homology 3 domain recognition of proline-rich motifs, cytochrome P450cam regioselectivity, and plastocyanin recognition by cytochrome f. Our studies resolve rapid dynamics at specific locations in the proteins and implicate their involvement in function.
Megan Thielges (University of Indiana)

]]>
Other Thu, 23 Mar 2017 18:16:49 -0400 2017-03-23T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-23T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Bayesian phylogenetic methods for synthesizing paleontological and neontological data (March 23, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36329 36329-5562279@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 23, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Understanding macroevolutionary processes and evolution in deep time requires data from the fossil record. In recent years, advances in phylogenetic inference methods have provided ways to integrate fossil and extant taxa. These approaches allow simultaneous estimation of the divergence times and phylogenetic relationships of extant and fossil species, thus making full use of morphological and temporal data, rather than just molecular sequence data from living species. I will highlight our recent and ongoing work using the fossilized birth-death process to estimate species phylogenies and divergence times. Both simulation and empirical studies demonstrate how making full use of available fossil data and properly modeling lineage sampling and diversification improve estimates of species divergence times.

Sponsored by the U-M Museum of Zoology Theodore H. Hubbell Memorial Lectureship

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

Watch YouTube video: https://youtu.be/EEErKsKmv4g

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 11 Apr 2017 09:59:06 -0400 2017-03-23T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-23T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar phylogenetic tree
Taste Perception and Internal Nutrient Sensing in Drosophila (March 24, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33580 33580-4757508@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 24, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

The fly brain harbors a small subset of neurons capable of gluconeogenesis. These neurons express the critically important enzyme Glucose­6­Phosphatase (green), and a subset of them also express NPY, a neuropeptide implicated in feeding regulation, fat metabolism, and numerous other processes. Neural gluconeogenesis regulates glucose and glycogen levels in flies that experience starvation, revealing an novel mechanism of metabolic regulation of energy carriers.

Host: Monica Dus

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 09 Mar 2017 16:28:02 -0500 2017-03-24T12:15:00-04:00 2017-03-24T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar graphic showing micro image and chart of intercellular glucose levels over time
Biophysics Seminar: Professor Ned Wingreen, Princeton University (March 24, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33253 33253-4710147@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 24, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Abstract: Biologists have recently come to appreciate that eukaryotic cells are home to a multiplicity of non-membrane bound compartments, many of which form and dissolve as needed for the cell to function. These dynamical “liquid droplets” enable many central cellular functions – from ribosome assembly, to RNA regulation and storage, to signaling and metabolism. While it is clear that these compartments represent a type of separated phase, what controls their formation, how specific biological components are included or excluded, and how these structures influence physiological and biochemical processes remain largely mysterious. I will discuss recent experiments on phase separated droplets both in vitro and in vivo, and will present theoretical results that highlight a novel “magic number” effect relevant to the formation and control of two-component phase separated liquid droplets.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 14 Mar 2017 17:36:50 -0400 2017-03-24T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-24T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Ned S. Wingreen
Fluorinated bromodomains: Choosing the right halogen for small molecule discovery (March 24, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38903 38903-7435844@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 24, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Protein-protein interaction inhibitor discovery has proven difficult due to the large surface area and dynamic interfaces of proteins. To facilitate the early lead discovery rate, I will first describe a rapid protein-based 19F NMR method for detecting protein-ligand interactions by screening low complexity molecules (fragments) as well as higher complexity molecules. We label the aromatic amino acids with the highly sensitive fluorine atom, due to the high conservation of aromatic residues at protein interfaces. We have tested the sensitivity, accuracy, and speed of this method with the protein interaction domain of CBP, KIX, screening 508 small molecule fragments. In the second part of the talk, I will describe an extension and improvements in our method for the field of epigenetics targeting bromodomain-containing proteins Brd4, BrdT and BPTF. These studies have led to the discovery of some of the first selective ligands for the bromodomain BPTF and new submicromolar ligands for Brd4. Finally, I will address the synthesis, development, and application of two of our new chemical probes for studying epigenetic protein function, including a new role for BPTF regulation of the oncogene, c-Myc. The speed, ease of interpretation, and low concentration of protein needed for binding experiments affords a new method to discover and characterize both native and new ligands for bromodomains and may find utility in the study of additional epigenetic “reader” domains.
William Pomerantz (University of Minnesota)

]]>
Other Fri, 24 Mar 2017 18:16:41 -0400 2017-03-24T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-24T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Building Structural Complexity via Tandem Catalytic Transformations: Total Syntheses of Bioactive Macrolides and Terpenes (March 28, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/39598 39598-8149163@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, March 28, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

This talk will highlight elements of our recent efforts in developing novel strategies and methodologies for divergent and efficient synthesis of medicinally important natural products. Particular emphasis will be placed on two research projects. One will focus on our discoveries of tandem catalytic carbonylation reactions for the total syntheses of macrolides and spirocyclic natural products. In these syntheses, cheap and abundant carbon monoxide was used as a one-carbon linchpin to stitch relatively simple starting materials into complex structures, which significantly increased synthetic efficiency. The other one will focus on our recent synthesis of polycyclic diterpene molecules via tandem gold catalysis. Preliminary biological evaluations of some of our target molecules will be discussed as well.
Mingji Dai (Purdue University)

]]>
Other Tue, 28 Mar 2017 18:16:30 -0400 2017-03-28T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-28T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Methods and Strategies for Natural Product Synthesis (March 29, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/35424 35424-5224375@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Bond-forming processes that allow the controlled union of two or more molecular fragments with the simultaneous introduction of new stereochemical elements are especially powerful in the context of complex molecule synthesis. At the level of strategy, application of such transforms during synthetic planning allows for a rapid clearance of complexity and paves the way for the development of a maximally convergent synthesis. Within this context, my research group has been actively investigating a number of carbon–carbon bond forming reactions that have the capacity to convert simple starting materials into complex carbocyclic frameworks. In this lecture I will provide several case-studies from my laboratories that highlight the interplay between method development and target-directed synthesis.
Regan Thomson (Northwestern University)

]]>
Other Wed, 22 Mar 2017 06:16:29 -0400 2017-03-29T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-29T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Atmospheric Reactions at the Surfaces of Sea Spray Mimics (March 30, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/31417 31417-4260677@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 30, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Interfacial reactions between gases and aqueous solutions play an enormous role in our environment. From a microscopic perspective, this is because water molecules, ions, and organic surfactants at the surface of the solution are the first to interact with approaching gas-phase molecules. These “frontier” surface species can momentarily bind to incoming molecules and react with them or block their entry into solution. We can explore the dynamics of these collisions and reactions in vacuum using thick glycerol films and thin water microjets, which are narrower than a strand of hair. I will describe how these techniques can be used to map out the interfacial oxidation of Br- to Br2 by N2O5, catalyzed by ionic surfactants that serve as proxies for sea spray aerosols.
Gilbert Nathanson (University of Wisconsin)

]]>
Other Thu, 30 Mar 2017 18:16:44 -0400 2017-03-30T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-30T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Variation and selection of genes controlling ecologically important traits in nature (March 30, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36330 36330-5562280@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 30, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Although many studies provide examples of evolutionary processes such as balancing selection or deleterious polymorphism, the relative importance of these processes for phenotypic variation is unclear. To understand the evolutionary forces that influence variation in a wild relative of Arabidopsis, we are studying genes that control complex traits and fitness in nature. We performed a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) for ~100 traits, using sequenced genotypes from 430 populations across the species range. Among the significant results, we focus on a gene that is widely polymorphic and experiences heterogeneous selection among natural populations in the Rocky Mountains. Field experiments show that this polymorphism is influenced by fitness trade-offs in nature.

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 16 Mar 2017 15:37:21 -0400 2017-03-30T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-30T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar rainbows over mountain scene
Molecular Architecture of the Circadian Clock in Mammals (March 31, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33581 33581-4757509@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 31, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Sara Aton

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 09 Mar 2017 21:40:51 -0500 2017-03-31T12:15:00-04:00 2017-03-31T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar diagram of cell nucleus showing molecular architecture of circadian clock in cells
Biophysics Seminar: Professor Rama Ranganathan, UT Southwestern Medical Center (March 31, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33254 33254-4710148@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 31, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Abstract: Proteins can fold spontaneously into well-defined three-dimensional structures and can carry out complex biochemical reactions such as molecular recognition, catalysis, and allosteric communication. The precision required for these properties is somehow achieved while also preserving evolvability – the capacity for adaptive variation in response to ever-changing selection pressures. How are proteins built in Nature to support all of these properties? To address this question, we developed an approach (the statistical coupling analysis or SCA) for deducing the pattern of constraints on amino acid residues in proteins through statistical analysis of the evolutionary divergence of a protein family. This approach reveals a novel decomposition of proteins into sparse groups of co-evolving amino acids that we term “protein sectors”. The sectors comprise physically connected networks in the tertiary structure and can be modular – with different sectors in a single protein delivering different functional properties. Experiments in several protein systems demonstrate the importance of the sectors and importantly, the SCA information was shown to be necessary and sufficient to design functional artificial proteins without the use of any direct structural or chemical information. These results suggest that sectors are the conserved units of folding, function, and adaptability in natural proteins. We are now working on two key problems: (1) understanding the physical mechanisms underlying sectors, and (2) defining how the dynamics of the evolutionary process controls the emergence of this structural architecture in proteins.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Mon, 27 Mar 2017 09:40:19 -0400 2017-03-31T16:00:00-04:00 2017-03-31T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Rama Ranganathan
Effective Chemical and Enzymatic Methods to Globally Characterize Protein Glycosylation (April 5, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/39683 39683-8241164@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Protein glycosylation is ubiquitous in biological systems and essential for cell survival. Aberrant protein glycosylation is directly related to human disease, including cancer and infectious diseases, and glycoproteins contain a wealth of information related to developmental and disease statuses of cells. However, due to the low abundance of many glycoproteins and heterogeneity of glycans, it is extraordinarily challenging to comprehensively analyze glycoproteins in complex biological samples. Based on the common features of glycans, we have developed chemical and enzymatic methods to globally analyze protein glycosylation by mass spectrometry (MS). Glycoproteins located on the cell surface are especially interesting because they frequently regulate extracellular events. We specifically tagged surface glycoproteins for global and site-specific analysis. In combination with multiplexed proteomics, we quantified the dynamics of surface glycoproteins and measured their half-lives. Global analysis of protein glycosylation leads to a better understanding of glycoprotein functions and the identification of glycoproteins as disease biomarkers and drug targets.
Ronghu Wu (Georgia Institute of Technology)

]]>
Other Wed, 05 Apr 2017 18:16:39 -0400 2017-04-05T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-05T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Molecular evolutionary genetics of the “two rules of speciation” in Drosophila (April 6, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/36331 36331-5562281@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 6, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Speciation involves the gradual evolution of reproductive incompatibilities— including prezygotic incompatibilities that prevent the formation of species hybrids and intrinsic postzygotic genetic incompatibilities that render hybrids sterile or inviable. Two strong “rules of speciation” implicate a special role for sex chromosomes in the evolution of postzygotic genetic incompatibilities: Haldane’s rule, the observation that hybrids of the heterogametic (XY or ZW) sex preferentially suffer hybrid sterility and inviability; and the large X-effect, the observation that the X chromosome has a disproportionately large effect on hybrid sterility. Despite decades of effort, why the X chromosome plays a special role in speciation remains unclear. I will present results from our integrated genetic and genomic studies of speciation among the three closely related species of the Drosophila simulans species complex— D. simulans, D. sechellia, and D. mauritiana. Our high-resolution genetic mapping studies, speciation genomics analyses, and molecular identification of a new hybrid sterility gene enable new inferences about the molecular and evolutionary basis of the large X-effect and its consequences for speciation.

Light refreshments served at 4 p.m.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 24 Mar 2017 12:06:30 -0400 2017-04-06T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-06T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar Drosophila
StackPhos: From Structural Curiosity to Enantioselective Catalysis (April 6, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/35112 35112-5112859@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 6, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

The development of new chiral ligands for enantioselective catalysis continues to be an important research area as the products impact a broad range of disciplines driven by organic synthesis. Our group has been involved in designing chiral biaryl P,N-ligands that incorporate a 5-membered heterocycle into the biaryl backbone. This lecture will describe the design and implementation of StackPhos, an imidazole-based P,N-ligand with unique ligation properties and catalytic activity. Additionally, recent results from my laboratory on new ligand congeners and enantioselective transformations will be presented.
Aaron Aponick (University of Florida)

]]>
Other Thu, 06 Apr 2017 18:16:48 -0400 2017-04-06T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-06T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
The Mechanisms of Itch Sensation (April 7, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33582 33582-4757510@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, April 7, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Bo Duan

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 09 Mar 2017 21:35:06 -0500 2017-04-07T12:15:00-04:00 2017-04-07T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar microscopic image of stained proteins on neurons involved in itch
Biophysics Seminar: Professor Nicolas Fawzi, Brown University, Assistant Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology (April 7, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33255 33255-4710150@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, April 7, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Phase separation of RNA-binding proteins via multivalent interactions between aromatic/polar-rich disordered domains contributes to the formation of functional cytoplasmic granules and nuclear puncta, which have been shown to behave as liquids -- flowing, fusing, and returning to spherical shape -- within live cells. These domains have also been identified as the nucleators of cytoplasmic inclusions associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We use atomic resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy approaches to visualize low complexity domain structure and interactions along the pathway from monomer, to liquid-liquid phase separated state, to static aggregates and hydrogels. We show that the low complexity domains of RNA-binding protein Fused in Sarcoma (FUS LC, associated with ALS and FTD) and hnRNP A2 (associated with ALS and IBM) remain disordered even within liquid phase separated puncta (Burke et al. Molecular Cell, 2015). FUS LC also recruits unphosphorylated RNA-polymerase II C-terminal domain into the liquid phase separated state, adding a potential explanation for FUS LC transcriptional activation in cancer. Importantly, phase separation is reversible and is modulated by interaction with RNA, distinguishing these assemblies from static inclusions that can arise from missense mutations in the LC regions. In contrast, we show that liquid-liquid phase separation of TDP-43 is mediated in part by structured α-helical assembly and extension (Conicella et al. Structure, 2016). Some ALS-associated mutations disrupt helix-helix interaction inhibiting liquid-liquid phase separation while leading to enhanced aggregation. Our current work aims to evaluate the potential of post translational modification to alter assembly and hence disrupt pathological interactions of these disordered domains.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Mon, 20 Mar 2017 14:48:53 -0400 2017-04-07T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-07T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Nicolas FAwzi
Development of New Catalysts and Conjunctive Strategies for Stereoselective Organic Synthesis (April 13, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/39903 39903-8405600@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 13, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

This seminar will focus on our recent progress in developing new catalysts and strategies for chemical synthesis. Our group has a long-term interest in developing catalyst-controlled nucleophile addition processes that enable new approaches to stereoselective C–C bond construction. In this regard, the development of catalytic enantioselective reactions of boron-stabilized alkylmetals will be discussed. In addition, the design and development of electrophilic carbon(0) ligated rhodium(I) complexes for catalytic site- and enantioselective hydrofunctionalizations of olefins will be presented.
Simon Meek (University of North Carolina)

]]>
Other Thu, 13 Apr 2017 18:16:31 -0400 2017-04-13T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-13T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Special Seminar: Coping with environmental change: integrating behavior and mechanism (April 13, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/39818 39818-8382343@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 13, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

If organisms are to persist in the face of climate change, they must be able to deal not only with increasing temperatures, but also with greater climatic variation. I will discuss how living in social groups allows animals to cope with environmental uncertainty. Using comparative data across all birds, as well as empirical data from one species of cooperative breeder, I will demonstrate the many ways that environmental variation influences social living as well as the fitness benefits of being social. I will then highlight the physiological, epigenetic, and genetic responses that animals use to cope with naturally variable environments. Specifically, I will show how different components of the vertebrate stress response are shaped by different timescales of environmental variation, how environmental conditions during development influence DNA methylation of the stress hormone receptor, and how environmental change more broadly influences the evolution of that receptor. Together, these studies will illustrate the many ways that animals respond to and cope with environmental change.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/eqgU4K3jh-g

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 07 Jun 2017 16:17:31 -0400 2017-04-13T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-13T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion blue bird
Prevention and Treatment of Bacterial Infections (April 14, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33583 33583-4757511@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, April 14, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Lyle Simmons

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 06 Apr 2017 16:24:07 -0400 2017-04-14T12:15:00-04:00 2017-04-14T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar chemical diagram
B.I.G. Meeting: Labilization of the Cobalt-carbon Bond in Vitamin B12 Bound to Adenosyltransferase (April 14, 2017 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/40385 40385-8537885@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, April 14, 2017 3:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry



Greg Campanello (Lab of Prof. Ruma Banerjee)

]]>
Other Fri, 14 Apr 2017 18:16:19 -0400 2017-04-14T15:00:00-04:00 2017-04-14T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Biophysics Tour-a-Lab & Ice Cream Social! (April 14, 2017 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/40458 40458-8569433@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, April 14, 2017 3:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Tour two cutting-edge Biophysics labs, meet some Biophysics majors and talk to Biophysics faculty! Discover scientific research opportunities!

]]>
Other Mon, 10 Apr 2017 12:44:43 -0400 2017-04-14T15:00:00-04:00 2017-04-14T16:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Other Ice Cream Social Flyer
"On the Biosynthetic Mechanism Coupling Cell Growth to Division" (April 14, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33257 33257-4710151@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, April 14, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

While cells of a given type span a large range of sizes, most proteins and mRNA are maintained at constant, size independent, concentrations. This raises the question of how cells can achieve size-dependent signals coordinating growth and division. Recently, we showed that budding yeast size control results from cell size-independent synthesis of the cell cycle inhibitor Whi5 and size-proportional synthesis of the cell cycle activator Cln3. Larger cells have a higher ratio of cell cycle activator to inhibitor, which triggers division. This raised two key questions: (1) To what extent do individual genes’ expression deviate from constant concentration? (2) What are the molecular mechanisms that determine whether gene expression depends on cell size? To address these questions, we examined the yeast GFP-fusion library. We identified approximately 200 proteins whose abundance does not scale with cell size. Many of these genes are involved in membrane transport and DNA-templated processes, which do not scale proportionally with cell size. A targeted analysis of WHI5 and histone genes suggest cells employ both transcriptional control and protein degradation for coordinating gene expression with size. Thus, our work demonstrates a functional role for differential size-dependency of protein synthesis and gives insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms. We also discuss how these principles can be applied to understanding how growth and division are coupled in mammalian cells.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Wed, 05 Apr 2017 08:41:56 -0400 2017-04-14T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-14T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Jan Skotheim
Pathways Master's Seminar (April 18, 2017 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/40463 40463-8569436@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 2:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Hormone modulation of DNA demethylation: thyroid hormone receptors directly activate transcription of gadd45γ in Xenopus tadpole brain during metamorphosis
Mentor: Robert Denver

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Mon, 10 Apr 2017 17:15:33 -0400 2017-04-18T14:00:00-04:00 2017-04-18T16:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar frog
Mass spectrometry cleavable chemical strategies for protein interactions and protein modifications (April 18, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/38805 38805-7409911@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Protein-protein interactions and post-translational modifications (PTMs) are the major events which regulate signaling cascades in the cells. In disease states, these modification networks get altered disrupting normal cellular processes. Understanding the modifications of a particular cell or protein network in diseased and normal states will provide insight into the physiological and pathological processes of those diseases at a molecular level. The major challenge at this moment is the reliable identification and quantification of protein networks and post-translational lipid modifications in large-scale studies. PTM abundances are low, and their different structures require the development of new methods to suitably identify them with confidence in large-scales samples. A mass spectrometer is indispensable in proteomics research due to its sensitivity and speed. Chemistry-based approaches combined with mass spectrometry have become very popular due to their ability to enrich low abundance modifications; furthermore, different features can be implemented in the chemical probes so they can be confidently identified by mass spectrometry. In this regard, mass spectrometry cleavable strategies are also very popular because the modified peptides can be tracked by the signature mass generated in the mass spectra. This signature mass allows large-scale samples to be analyzed very efficiently. In this seminar, several chemical proteomics methods will be presented, which can be utilized for identifying large-scale protein-protein interaction networks and lipid modifications of proteins.


Saiful Chowdhury (University of Texas, Arlington)

]]>
Other Tue, 18 Apr 2017 18:16:09 -0400 2017-04-18T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-18T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Leveraging Chemistry for Biology and Therapy – New amination strategies to access biologically important molecules (April 19, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/35035 35035-5071356@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, April 19, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

This talk will present new amination strategies of exploiting heteroatom- nitrogen bonds as versatile and powerful precursors for C–H bonds and alkenes. These transformations allows for rapid and efficient syntheses of biologically and pharmacologically important nitrogen-containing molecules. Such synthetic efforts will converge with our longer-term goals of developing novel small-molecule probes for molecular labeling and new antipsychotics.
Qiu Wang (Duke University)

]]>
Other Wed, 19 Apr 2017 18:16:10 -0400 2017-04-19T16:00:00-04:00 2017-04-19T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Ribosome-associated Protein Quality Control (May 4, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/33809 33809-4789466@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, May 4, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Protein synthesis by the ribosome can fail for numerous reasons including faulty mRNA, insufficient availability of charged tRNAs and genetic errors. Premature arrest of protein synthesis within the open reading frame elicits a protective response that degrades the incomplete nascent chain. In this response, arrested 80S ribosomes are split into their large and small subunits, allowing assembly of the Ribosome Quality control Complex (RQC), which targets nascent chains for degradation. How the cell recognizes arrested nascent chains among the vast pool of actively translating polypeptides is poorly understood. We systematically examined translation arrest and modification of nascent chains in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to characterize the steps that couple arrest to RQC targeting. We propose that cells target arresting ribosomes and that this targeting event is a precondition for the RQC to engage the incomplete nascent chain and facilitate its degradation.
Onn Brandman (Stanford University)

]]>
Other Thu, 04 May 2017 18:16:06 -0400 2017-05-04T16:00:00-04:00 2017-05-04T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
B.I.G. Seminar: Testing the Push–Pull Hypothesis: Lewis Acid Augmented N2 Activation at Iron (May 5, 2017 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/40626 40626-8652392@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, May 5, 2017 3:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Jacob Geri (Szymczak Lab)

]]>
Other Fri, 05 May 2017 18:15:57 -0400 2017-05-05T15:00:00-04:00 2017-05-05T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Chembio Seminar (May 8, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/39753 39753-8290313@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, May 8, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Chembio
Ruma Banerjee (Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan)

]]>
Other Tue, 25 Apr 2017 12:16:15 -0400 2017-05-08T16:00:00-04:00 2017-05-08T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Chemistry-Biology Interface Symposium (May 12, 2017 9:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/40853 40853-8807870@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, May 12, 2017 9:00am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise nature's largest family of signaling receptors and regulate essentially every physiological process in animals. For many years GPCRs were thought to mediate ligand-dependent signaling only from the plasma membrane. I will discuss emerging evidence that receptors signal also from internal membranes and what we presently known about the functional significance of this 'inner life'.
Mark Von Zastrow (University of California, San Francisco)

]]>
Other Fri, 12 May 2017 18:16:10 -0400 2017-05-12T09:00:00-04:00 2017-05-12T16:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
B.I.G. Seminar: Metallacrowns-Based Innovative Materials and Supramolecular Devices (May 22, 2017 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/40627 40627-8652393@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, May 22, 2017 3:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Matteo Tegoni (University of Parma, Italy)

]]>
Other Mon, 22 May 2017 18:15:58 -0400 2017-05-22T15:00:00-04:00 2017-05-22T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Career Event for Graduate Students in Biophysics and Chemistry Related Disciplines (May 24, 2017 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41006 41006-8885962@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, May 24, 2017 12:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Clarence Anthony Jr, from the career center, will be giving a presentation on the current job markets for PhDs in biological disciplines. A light lunch will be provided.

]]>
Careers / Jobs Fri, 19 May 2017 13:39:30 -0400 2017-05-24T12:00:00-04:00 2017-05-24T14:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Careers / Jobs Event Flyer
Bristol-Myers Squibb 2017 Symposium (June 6, 2017 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/35337 35337-5193598@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, June 6, 2017 2:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Organic
John Hartwig(UC-Berkeley) , Tehshik Yoon(University of Wisconsin-Madison) , Dr. Ashvin Gavai(Bristol-Myers Squibb)

]]>
Other Tue, 06 Jun 2017 18:16:01 -0400 2017-06-06T14:00:00-04:00 2017-06-06T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
M-Sci student poster session (August 3, 2017 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/41912 41912-9489360@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, August 3, 2017 8:30am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Incoming freshman present the group research projects they worked on as part of their science gateway course​.

Image: Andrea Cruz

]]>
Exhibition Wed, 02 Aug 2017 14:34:37 -0400 2017-08-03T08:30:00-04:00 2017-08-03T10:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Exhibition Students doing field work.
3rd Annual Alumni -- Grad Student Networking Event (August 3, 2017 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41474 41474-9273877@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, August 3, 2017 2:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

All Chemistry alumni are invited!
RSVP at: http://myumi.ch/6e80m
In recent years, alumni of our Chemistry programs have come back to share advice with graduate students and postdocs about to embark on their own careers. Alumni have enjoyed meeting new students and reconnecting with their old lab mates. to an afternoon of

]]>
Reception / Open House Fri, 07 Jul 2017 08:58:43 -0400 2017-08-03T14:00:00-04:00 2017-08-03T18:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Reception / Open House aerial of campus with chem logo
Karle Symposium (August 4, 2017 8:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/41198 41198-9000133@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, August 4, 2017 8:00am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Organized by graduate students, the Isabella and Jerome Karle Symposium serves as a venue for sharing exciting research taking place within the Department of Chemistry.

]]>
Conference / Symposium Fri, 04 Aug 2017 13:04:12 -0400 2017-08-04T08:00:00-04:00 2017-08-04T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Conference / Symposium Research Posters
Associate Professor Matthew R. Chapman (September 8, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42537 42537-9609354@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 8, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Abstract:
Amyloid formation has a nefarious history. Linked to protein misfolding and cytotoxicity, amyloids are the hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. However, amyloid formation is not always bad. In fact, organisms spanning nearly every facet of cellular life produce ‘functional’ amyloids that contribute positively to cellular biology. Bacterial functional amyloids called curli are the major proteinaceous component of the extracellular matrix, and they help protect the cells during biofilm growth. Curli also provide a sophisticated suite of genetic and biochemical tools for understanding how cells coordinate and control amyloid formation. The major curli subunit is CsgA, which is highly amyloidogenic, although the cell has powerful mechanisms for discouraging intracellular CsgA amyloid formation. We have characterized several E. coli chaperones for their ability to deter CsgA amyloid formation, including two proteins that work specifically during curli biogenesis. These two proteins, called CsgC and CsgE, are periplasmic proteins with unique and potent anti-amyloid properties. The anti-amyloid properties of CsgC will be discussed. Interestingly, we found that CsgC also prevented amyloid formation by α-synuclein, the underlying cause of Parkinson’s disease. A common Q-X-G-X1/2-N-X5-Q motif was identified in CsgC client proteins, including α-synuclein. We are currently looking the anti-amyloid properties of a human protein called transthyretin (TTR) that shows remarkable structural homology to CsgC. When CsgA is co-incubated with either human TTR fibrillogenesis is inhibited. The biologic implementation of the TTR-CsgA interaction was assessed by observing the effect of TTR on amyloid-dependent biofilm formation by two different bacterial species using a pellicle forming assay. Biofilm formation was substantially inhibited by both the TTR tetramer and engineered monomer. Therefore, both TTR and CsgC behave as a chaperone-like proteins that discourage amyloid formation. It is possible that this phenomenon might be utilized to enhance antibiotic efficacy in infections associated with significant biofilm formation.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 01 Sep 2017 15:41:08 -0400 2017-09-08T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-08T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Matt Chapman
EEB Thursday Seminar: Coexistence in close relatives (September 14, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42282 42282-9593385@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, September 14, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Understanding coexistence of closely related species lies at the nexus of how historical and ecological factors govern patterns of biodiversity. The criteria determining local coexistence in close relatives have typically been, for ecologists, whether these species meet conditions of stable coexistence when competing for resources; in contrast, evolutionists often consider coexistence of close relatives from the perspective of complete reproductive isolation. Clearly, both of these conditions must be met, but for coexistence in ecologically and phenotypically similar close relatives to occur, species must overcome a diverse suite of challenges beyond just these. I present data from experiments and ideas on the ecology and evolution allowing coexistence in close relatives.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/WD_DWruWPN4

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:15:18 -0500 2017-09-14T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-14T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion pathways to coexistence of close relatives
"Nanoscale Architecture of the Human Kinetochore" and "Interplay between antibiotic efficacy and drug-induced lysis leading to enhanced biofilm formation at Sub-MICs" (September 15, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42538 42538-9609356@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 15, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

“Nanoscale Architecture of the Human Kinetochore”
Alex Kurkreja, Biophysics Doctoral Candidate
ABSTRACT: The human kinetochore is a multi-protein machine that binds ~20 spindle microtubules (MTs) to drive chromosome segregation during cell division. Although the biochemical bases of the functions that the kinetochore performs to segregate chromosomes are well-understood, defining the underlying mechanisms has proven to be challenging. This is because the kinetochore is highly complex in composition (hundreds of copies of eight protein components), and large in size (a ~200 nm diameter disk-shaped surface). To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying kinetochore functions, its spatial architecture must be defined. Specifically, the nanoscale architecture of its protein components relative to the 25 nm diameter of a MT, and sub-micron scale organization of ~20 such MT attachments over its ~200 nm wide surface must be determined to reveal how kinetochore components interact with one another, with regulatory proteins, and with the MT lattice. Here we investigate the nanoscale architecture of the human kinetochore using FRET microscopy. We initiated this analysis with the MT-binding Ndc80 complex, the linchpin of kinetochore-MT attachment, and the two parallel pathways that recruit it to the kinetochore. Our data elucidate the spatial architecture of the Ndc80 complex and how its two biochemical pathways organize the human kinetochore, establishing a foundation for defining a complete picture of its MT-binding machinery.
and

“Interplay Between Antibiotic Efficacy and Drug-Induced Lysis Leading to Enhanced Biofilm Formation at Sub-MICs”
Kelsey Hallinen, Biophysics Doctoral Candidate
ABSTRACT: We study E. faecalis biofilm formation at varying concentrations of antibiotic, using subminimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of antibiotics on all wild-type biofilms and higher concentrations on mixed populations of both sensitive and drug resistant strains. In this work, we investigate the effects of sub-MICs of ampicillin on the formation and extracellular matrix of E. faecalis biofilms. We found that total biofilm mass is increased over a narrow range of ampicillin concentrations before ultimately declining at higher concentrations. From our mixed population studies, we show that the degree of cooperation between resistant and sensitive cells can significantly alter large-scale properties of the biofilm, such as the ratio of sensitive to resistant cells and the statistical and architectural properties of cell-cell contact topologies.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 12 Sep 2017 10:54:45 -0400 2017-09-15T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-15T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Dow Chemical - Diversity and Inclusion Seminar (September 21, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41625 41625-9393306@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, September 21, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Cory Valente (Dow Chemical)

]]>
Other Thu, 21 Sep 2017 18:15:34 -0400 2017-09-21T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-21T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Mammal diversification in relation to dynamic landscapes (September 21, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42284 42284-9593388@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, September 21, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Topographically complex regions on land and in the oceans feature hotspots of diversity that reflect geological influences on ecological and evolutionary processes. Diversity across topographic gradients wax and wane over millions of years, tracking tectonic or climatic history. Neontological, paleontological, and geological data and approaches must be integrated to test alternative models of diversification along topographic gradients. I will present a case study of North American mammal diversity in relation to landscape history over the last 30 million years.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/V4tjNTZypzk

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:18:00 -0500 2017-09-21T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-21T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion small mammal looking out over mountain scene, art
Organelle Traffic and Synaptic Neuropeptide Release (September 22, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42644 42644-9622468@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 22, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Hosts: Cathy Collins & John Kuwada

Levitan is Professor and Vice Chair of Research,
Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 18 Aug 2017 12:13:50 -0400 2017-09-22T12:15:00-04:00 2017-09-22T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar diagram of dcvs on neuron
"Dynamic activation of RNA functions: Insights into ligand-dependent RNA regulation" (September 22, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42539 42539-9609357@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 22, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Abstract
RNA folds and balances between distinct conformational states for function. Riboswitches, a class of non-coding regulatory RNAs composed of a ligand-sensing domain and an expression platform, are known to control gene expression by folding into alternative conformations upon specific recognition of cellular cues. However, a molecular understanding of the dynamic interplay between the sensing domain and the expression platform that underlies riboswitch regulation remains elusive. Here, by developing and applying nucleic-acid-optimized chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) NMR spectroscopy, together with mutagenesis and functional measurements, we show that conformational kinetics of the riboswitch serves as a new layer of regulation, where ligand-dependent accessibility of a low-populated (~1%) and short-lived (~ 3ms) RNA state guides distinct co-transcriptional folding pathways to direct gene expression outcome. Our results provide an integrated molecular mechanism for transcriptional riboswitches and exemplify a new mode of ligand-dependent RNA regulation.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 12 Sep 2017 11:36:32 -0400 2017-09-22T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-22T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Qi Zhang
Elucidating Energy Storage in Soft Nanostructures through Versatile Electrochemistry (September 26, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/43043 43043-9699752@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

My group is interested in exploring the impact of structural and reactive heterogeneity in soft materials with the intention of discovering synergies at the nano and mesoscale that enhance properties of interest for energy storage applications. In my talk, I will discuss two emerging systems where nano-scale heterogeneity has an impact on macro-scale performance: novel redox active polymers (RAPs) for size selective flow batteries, and ultra-thin graphene electrodes. Highly soluble RAPs are new players in redox flow technologies, and as part of our collaboration with the Joint Center for Research Energy Storage (JCESR), we are exploring the opportunities that polymeric design offers for tuning their electrochemical performance. Likewise, graphene is an emerging material that offers new opportunities in contrast to bulk carbon due to its unique thickness-dependent electron and ion transfer behavior. In both cases, short range interactions between their components determine charge transfer and transport mechanisms, so it is essential to count with the right toolbox to elucidate their functioning. For this purpose, my group develops nano-electrochemical methods based on scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) that uniquely probe electronic and ionic processes in situ. Using these and other tools, we are starting to understand fundamental balances between electronic and ionic reactivity that we hope will have an impact on a various other applications for energy conversion and storage.

References:
[1] Barton, Z.J.; Rodríguez-López. Lithium Ion Quantification using Mercury Amalgams as In Situ Electrochemical Probes in Nonaqueous Media. Anal. Chem. 2014, 86, 10660-10667.
[2] Gavvalapalli, N.; Hui, J.; Cheng, K.; Lichtenstein, T.; Shen, M.; Moore, J.S.; Rodríguez-López. Impact of Redox Active Polymer Molecular Weight on the Electrochemical Properties and Transport Across Porous Separators in Non-Aqueous Solvents. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 16309-16316.
[3] Hui, J.; Burgess, M.; Zhang, J.; Rodríguez-López, J. Layer Number Dependence of Li+ Intercalation on Few-Layer Graphene and Electrochemical Imaging of Its Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Evolution. ACS Nano, 2016 , 10 , 4248-4257.


Joaquin Rodriguez-Lopez (University of Illinois)

]]>
Other Tue, 26 Sep 2017 18:15:34 -0400 2017-09-26T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-26T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar - Michigan's amazing "gene thieves": Evolution and ecology of unisexual (all female) Ambystoma salamanders (September 28, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42286 42286-9593395@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, September 28, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Unisexual (all female) Ambystoma salamanders reproduce using a “leaky” form of gynogenesis requiring the uptake of a spermatophore from a sympatric sexual male. This may trigger asexual egg development, or the sperm genome may be incorporated into the zygote, typically resulting in ploidy-elevated offspring. My research focuses on identifying the evolutionary benefits of this unique reproductive mode, which has allowed for the persistence of this lineage for six million years. I will discuss recent breeding trials we have conducted pairing unisexual females with blue-spotted salamander males either from their own pond or from a more distant pond. Females paired with local males produced more clutches overall, and a larger proportion of the eggs were viable. Genotyping revealed that a significantly higher proportion of these eggs included the paternal genome. The ability to flexibly adjust between sexual and asexual reproduction in a context-dependent manner might help explain the evolutionary success of this lineage.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/mXZ0cxZFsgk

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:19:12 -0500 2017-09-28T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-28T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion salamanders
Synthetic Applications of Enzyme-Inspired Catalysts (September 28, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41302 41302-9097454@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, September 28, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Our research program is focused on using nature as an inspiration for the development of novel catalytic tools for organic synthesis.  In the active site of enzymes, multiple metal centers often cooperate to lower the barrier to oxidative and reductive processes, thus enabling efficient catalysis in very challenging organic transformations.  Our group is designing and developing heterobimetallic catalysts where metal-metal interactions and cooperativity can lead to enhanced catalysis and novel transformations.  Our efforts have led to the development of Pd–Ti and Pt–Ti catalysts that display exceptional reactivity in allylic amination and cycloisomerization reactions respectively.  This seminar will describe our current efforts to develop chiral Ti–M complexes for enantioselective catalysis and heterobimetallic M–Ni complexes for nickel catalysis applications. In separate pursuits, we have also developed peptide-based multifunctional catalysts that enable enzyme-like cooperative catalysis.  The small peptide scaffold brings multiple non-natural catalysts into close proximity, enabling faster catalyst turnover, novel selectivity based on substrate binding and proximity, and the development of novel two-catalyst transformations. The development and use of these catalysts to achieve novel reaction rates and selectivity and for new reaction discovery will also be presented.






David Michaelis (Brigham Young University)

]]>
Other Thu, 28 Sep 2017 18:15:32 -0400 2017-09-28T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-28T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Folding Tissues: Cell-based Origami (September 29, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42645 42645-9622469@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 29, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Ann Miller

Martin is:
Associate Professor of Biology
Department of Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 18 Aug 2017 12:19:29 -0400 2017-09-29T12:15:00-04:00 2017-09-29T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar microscopic image of tissue
Pre-Doctoral Student - Quinton Skilling (September 29, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42540 42540-9609358@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 29, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Abstract: Memory formation and subsequent recall is vital for survival in animals. It has been shown that synaptic modifications by a discrete subset of neurons forms the initial basis of memory storage and leads to subsequent consolidation of those memories. However, little is known about how neural network dynamics impact memory storage and consolidation. My project focuses on linking the dynamical properties of neural networks to memory formation through analysis of in vivo mouse recordings and computational modeling. In mice, we have found that tracking fluctuations of functional network stability (FuNS) from pre- to post-memory training can be used to accurately predict consolidation of a fear memory. We observe that mouse neuronal activity resides near a critical point in a phase transition, a dynamical regime shown to be important computational feature of neural networks. Through modeling, we investigated the link between near-critical dynamics and subsequent formation and consolidation of memory. We observed an increase in FuNS only near a dynamical phase transition in a spiking neuron model, supporting the hypothesis that critical dynamics are important for memory consolidation. Further, we found that new memories can only be stored near a phase transition in an attractor neural network. In both cases, we observe long-range correlations increases in FuNS due to the introduction of a memory, indicating that the full network is participating in information processing. Taken together, these results indicate that critical dynamics provide a necessary substrate for systems consolidation of memory.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 26 Sep 2017 08:36:25 -0400 2017-09-29T16:00:00-04:00 2017-09-29T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Margaret Cheung: Molecular Underpinning of Postsynaptic Calmodulin-dependent Calcium Signaling (October 3, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45073 45073-10081475@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, October 3, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering

Calcium (Ca2+) is exquisitely utilized by a cell for transducing external stimuli through its gradient of extracellular (~1000 μM) and intracellular (~0.1 μM) concentration. A broad spectrum of Ca2+ signals are encoded by protein calmodulin (CaM) through specific binding with various targets regulating CaM-dependent Ca2+ signaling pathways in neurons. I will focus on binding between CaM and two specific targets, Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and neurogranin (Ng), as they antagonistically regulate CaM-dependent Ca2+ signaling pathways in neurons. I will show the impact of bound calmodulin (CaM)-target compound structure on the affinity of calcium (Ca2+) by integrating coarse-grained models and all-atomistic simulations with non-equilibrium physics. We discovered the molecular underpinnings of lowered affinity of Ca2+ for CaM in the presence of Ng by showing that the N-terminal acidic region of Ng peptide pries open the β-sheet structure between the Ca2+ binding loops particularly at C-domain of CaM, enabling Ca2+ release. In contrast, CaMKII peptide increases Ca2+ affinity for the C-domain of CaM by stabilizing the two Ca2+ binding loops. Through distinctive structural differences in the bound complexes of apoCaM-Ng13-49 and holoCaM-CaMKII, CaM’s affinity for Ca2+ is delineated by its progressive mechanism of target binding. I will discuss them in the context of evolution and in the crowded environment.

Bio: Margaret Cheung is an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Houston. She graduated from the National Taiwan University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and received her Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, San Diego.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 26 Sep 2017 11:26:18 -0400 2017-10-03T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-03T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering Workshop / Seminar MargaretCheung
MICDE seminar (October 3, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41618 41618-9385224@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, October 3, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Margaret Cheung

]]>
Other Tue, 03 Oct 2017 18:15:33 -0400 2017-10-03T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-03T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Organocatalyzed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (October 4, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/44846 44846-9992088@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, October 4, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Synthetic polymers have become indispensable to modern society. The development of living and controlled polymerization methodologies have enabled the synthesis of precise polymeric architectures with tailored polymer properties. This presentation will discuss catalyst design principles of organic photoredox catalysts for organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization driven by visible light. This polymerization methodology has been used to synthesize well-defined polymers with controlled composition and architectures.








Garret Miyake (Colorado State University)

]]>
Other Wed, 04 Oct 2017 18:15:32 -0400 2017-10-04T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-04T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Eating and not dying: How herbivores deal with plant toxins (October 5, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42290 42290-9593396@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 5, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

At every meal, animals that consume plants are faced with the prospect of being poisoned by naturally occurring toxins, i.e., plant secondary compounds, in plants. Little experimental work exists on the mechanisms that mammals employ to deal with plant toxins or how some species such as the koala or Stephen’s woodrat are capable of specializing on plants that contain high concentrations of toxins. To address this topic, we have been taking a “pharm-ecological” approach that integrates techniques and tools from various disciplines including ecology, behavior, genomics and biochemistry. We have discovered some of the surprising ways in which herbivores cope with toxic diets such as behavioral manipulation, symbioses with gut microbes, and liver enzymes with unexpected biochemical properties. I will highlight some recent results from my lab group in this presentation.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/v8VKSSDlJtY

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:20:55 -0500 2017-10-05T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-05T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion bryanticreo
Pain Regulation by Non-Neuronal Cells and Cancer (October 6, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42649 42649-9622471@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 6, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Bo Duan

Ru-Rong Ji
Professor, Department of Anesthesiology & Neurobiology
Duke University

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 18 Aug 2017 12:22:21 -0400 2017-10-06T12:15:00-04:00 2017-10-06T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Stereoselective Functionalization of Unsaturated Hydrocarbons (October 6, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41303 41303-9097455@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 6, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

The Tambar Group is interested in developing catalytic stereoselective reactions for the functionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons. We have developed a catalytic enantioselective allylic amination of unactivated alkenes via a [2,3]-rearrangement. In this method, a diimido-sulfur reagent serves as the source of nitrogen, and it reacts selectively with terminal alkenes through a hetero-ene reaction. The resulting ene adduct undergoes a Pd-catalyzed enantioselective [2,3]-rearrangement to generate chiral amines in high enantiomeric excess. Our approach is conceptually distinct from other enantioselective allylic amination strategies. The synthetic utility of our process is being explored by converting simple and inexpensive terminal alkenes into functional materials, such as the pharmaceutical drugs. Based on this chemistry, we have developed a copper-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation of unactivated alkenes to generate internal alkenes with high regioselectivity and E-selectivity. We have also discovered regioselective and diastereoselective aminoarylations and aminothiolations of 1,3-dienes. These results represent a general strategy for functionalizing unsaturated hydrocarbons with aromatic, aliphatic, and vinyl Grignard reagents. As an extension of our approach to the catalytic allylic functionalization of unactivated terminal alkenes, we recently pursued the more challenging problem of catalytic asymmetric allylic functionalization of internal alkenes. We have developed an enantioselective, regioselective, and E/Z selective allylic oxidation of unactivated internal alkenes via a catalytic asymmetric hetero-ene reaction with an imido-sulfur oxidant.










Uttam Tambar (UT Southwestern Medical Center)

]]>
Other Fri, 06 Oct 2017 18:15:40 -0400 2017-10-06T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-06T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Spectroscopic Insights into Molecular Processes in Atmospheric Aerosols (October 10, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/44972 44972-10021146@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Andrew Ault

]]>
Other Tue, 10 Oct 2017 18:16:01 -0400 2017-10-10T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-10T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar- Rabies control in Latin America: An oral vaccine for vampire bats (October 12, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42292 42292-9593397@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 12, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

In Central and South America, where subsistence and small-scale farming is commonplace, the loss of even a single farm animal can lead to dire consequences. Vampire bat-transmitted rabies creates a loss of an estimated $30M/yr in livestock mortality across the Americas. Typical control measures, such as the culling of bats or livestock immunization have proven ineffective, and sometimes counterproductive in halting rabies transmission. Bat culling is accomplished via a topical poison in gel form, which is spread through contact and grooming in the colony. With the success of the oral-rabies vaccine in North American raccoons and European foxes, a raccoon pox vectored rabies vaccine has been specifically developed for bats. To address the feasibility of such a vaccine, we field-tested a biomarker, thus simulating vaccine deployment, in four vampire bat colonies near Lima, Peru. Because understanding the within-colony contact network is vital for a successful vaccine, we also completed mark/recapture experiments with UV powder. Finally, we developed a novel model to simulate vaccine transmission within a colony. I will discuss these findings and yet unresolved issues towards implementing a successful rabies vaccine.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/Xj-UH5n0-sQ

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:22:58 -0500 2017-10-12T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-12T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion Bat receiving oral vaccine
Sorting in the Endosomal System (October 13, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42650 42650-9622475@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 13, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Ming Li

Christopher Burd, Ph.D.
Professor & Deputy Chair
Department of Cell Biology
Yale University School of Medicine

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 18 Aug 2017 12:29:37 -0400 2017-10-13T12:15:00-04:00 2017-10-13T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar diagram of golgi pathway
Professor Nikolay Dokholyan - Biochemistry and Biophysics - UNC School of Medicine (October 13, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42544 42544-9609361@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 13, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Abstract
We develop new optogenetic and chemogenetic tools to establish control of proteins and signaling cascades directly in living cells for direct interrogation of cellular networks, protein-protein interactions, and the roles of individual proteins in cellular life. To circumvent a fundamental difficulty of establishing such control, which is to go unnoticed by endogenous interaction partners of the target protein, we utilize allosteric sites that are coupled to the active sites. We install small “handles” into determined allosteric sites of the target protein that modulate its activity without affecting endogenous interactions and function. To modulate protein activity with light or a ligand, we utilize small naturally occurring LOV2 for light and artificially designed uniRapR for ligand, correspondingly. Upon irradiation or without the ligand, LOV2 or UniRapR are unstructured; without light or with the ligand, these domains are structured. Through allostery the structural order/disorder is coupled to the active site of the protein rendering it active/inactive. Hence, by light or a ligand we can access the activity of the protein through “invisible” handles installed at a distance from the active site. We demonstrate the utility of the chemogenetic and optogenetic approaches to protein regulation in a number of applications relevant to cellular motility.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 03 Oct 2017 10:55:30 -0400 2017-10-13T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-13T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Nikolay Dokholyan
Using Interfacial Science Coupled with Statistical Design for Product Development: Agrochemical Drift Control & Antimicrobial Gas Release (October 17, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45205 45205-10110351@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, October 17, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Understanding the role of interfacial science is critical in many application spaces to deliver products with improved performance. Two case studies involving interfacial science coupled with statistically designed experimental plans will be discussed. The first relates to agricultural spray solutions that address off-target spray due to reduction of small droplet formation. The proposed mechanism of sheet break-up is dependent on interfacial properties of the spray solution and the relationships between measured properties and the amount droplets with higher drift potential (d < 150 µm) will be discussed. The second case study consists of a reaction that occurs at or near the interface of two polymeric substrates to release the anti-microbial gas ClO2. Methods of quantifying gas release, controlling the kinetics of release, and efficacy of the gas at reducing the growth of mold (botrytis cinerea) on strawberry fruit will be discussed.
Adam Grzesiak (Dow Chemical)

]]>
Other Tue, 17 Oct 2017 18:15:32 -0400 2017-10-17T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-17T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
CM Theory Seminar | Quantum Dynamics with Statistical Effects and Statistical Models of Quantum Effects (October 19, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45345 45345-10164197@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 19, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

The capability of electronic structure to calculate the wavefunctions, and even dynamics of large systems has improved dramatically. This has put electronic structure into an uncomfortable regime where statistical effects become as important as the correlation problem. I will discuss our efforts to describe mixed-state electronic dynamics with density matrix equations of motion, and the applications of those theories to ultrafast experiments.

Realtime mean field theories such as RT-TDDFT and RT-TDHF dominate applications because of the speed required to access picosecond timescales. Yet TDHF and TDDFT are not accurate enough to properly model resonant driving, which is only one ingredient in ultrafast spectroscopy. In this talk I discuss a simple density-matrix equation of motion implemented as an approximation to RT-TDDFT, which excites properly on resonance. Based on this foundation I compare the non-equilibrium steady states of the correct DFT and a Markovian bath model, with essentially exact results coming from HEOM showing that TDDFT can be used to study driven ultrafast dynamics. I then discuss self-consistency in correlated corrections to TDDFT which have low cost and can be applied to large systems.

Statistical sampling of molecular geometries has become an equally important issue, although empirical density functionals, which are the most practical tools for exploring geometries, make an ambiguous mixture of quantum physics and statistical modeling. I will demonstrate purely statistical models of molecular structure, and show that in the near future it is likely that purely empirical models of the PES will have several appealing advantages over empirical hybrids. of quantum mechanical models with statistics.
John Parkhill (Notre Dame)

]]>
Other Thu, 19 Oct 2017 18:15:40 -0400 2017-10-19T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-19T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
CM Theory Seminar | Quantum Dynamics with Statistical Effects and Statistical Models of Quantum Effects (October 19, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45035 45035-10072842@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 19, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Physics

The capability of electronic structure to calculate the wavefunctions, and even dynamics of large systems has improved dramatically. This has put electronic structure into an uncomfortable regime where statistical effects become as important as the correlation problem. I will discuss our efforts to describe mixed-state electronic dynamics with density matrix equations of motion, and the applications of those theories to ultrafast experiments.

Realtime mean field theories such as RT-TDDFT and RT-TDHF dominate applications because of the speed required to access picosecond timescales. Yet TDHF and TDDFT are not accurate enough to properly model resonant driving, which is only one ingredient in ultrafast spectroscopy. In this talk I discuss a simple density-matrix equation of motion implemented as an approximation to RT-TDDFT, which excites properly on resonance. Based on this foundation I compare the non-equilibrium steady states of the correct DFT and a Markovian bath model, with essentially exact results coming from HEOM showing that TDDFT can be used to study driven ultrafast dynamics. I then discuss self-consistency in correlated corrections to TDDFT which have low cost and can be applied to large systems.

Statistical sampling of molecular geometries has become an equally important issue, although empirical density functionals, which are the most practical tools for exploring geometries, make an ambiguous mixture of quantum physics and statistical modeling. I will demonstrate purely statistical models of molecular structure, and show that in the near future it is likely that purely empirical models of the PES will have several appealing advantages over empirical hybrids. of quantum mechanical models with statistics.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 19 Oct 2017 18:16:45 -0400 2017-10-19T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-19T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Physics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: The influence of temperature, productivity and food resources on biodiversity and range shifts (October 19, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42293 42293-9593398@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 19, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Faunal and floral diversity are strongly correlated with climate. But whether the mechanistic climate-diversity link is direct through physiology, clade-scale ecological or evolutionary climatic affinities, or indirect through food resources and population sizes remains largely untested simultaneously. We assessed mammal diversity and population sizes, arthropod biomass, vegetation biomass, climate (temperature, precipitation) and productivity (NPP) across 32 sites spread among four elevational transects in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Structural equation modeling only detected support for a direct diversity-productivity relationship. In contrast, the indirect “more individuals hypothesis” mediated through productivity’s influences on food resources was not supported. This suggests that high productivity areas represent an optimal environment whether that is due to contemporary climatic sorting or deeper-time, evolutionary underpinnings of climate during diversification.
Due to the strong climate associations of most clades, the implications of climate change to fauna and flora on mountains are predicted to be dire. But the rush to assess species’ responses to anthropogenic climate change has underestimated the importance of interannual population variability. Using population simulations across a realistic, empirically-based gradient in population variability, the frequency and magnitude of population peaks and troughs greatly impact the accuracy of our climate change response measurements regardless of taxonomic group. Based on results for measurements of population decline, local extirpation, and range shifts, several types of studies of climate change responses are not encouraged and additional sampling regimes are suggested to overcome biases associated with interannual population fluctuations.

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Tue, 17 Oct 2017 12:00:35 -0400 2017-10-19T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-19T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion McCain
Stressed! How Plants Cope Through Dynamic Responses (October 20, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42679 42679-9622512@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 20, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Cora MacAlister

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 18 Aug 2017 16:16:08 -0400 2017-10-20T12:15:00-04:00 2017-10-20T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar plant growing in a box with a glass side so the roots are exposed
Assistant Professor Michael Cianfrocco - University of Michigan (October 20, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42545 42545-9609362@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 20, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Abstract: Cytoplasmic dynein is a minus-end-directed microtubule-based motor that couples ATP hydrolysis to force generation to move diverse cargos in cells. One of dynein’s conserved essential regulators is Lis1, a gene that is mutated in the brain developmental disease lissencephaly. Previous studies have shown that Lis1 regulates dynein by anchoring it to microtubules. Here we made the unexpected discovery that Lis1 can also act in an opposing manner to stimulate dynein to release from microtubules. Our work describes the molecular basis for these two mechanisms of Lis1 regulation. Using a combination of cryo-electron microscopy structural analysis and in vitro single molecule-assays we show that dynein’s nucleotide state dictates which mode of regulation Lis1 uses. Based on these mechanistic insights we propose a new model for the cell biological regulation of dynein by Lis1.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 17 Oct 2017 16:03:12 -0400 2017-10-20T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-20T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Michael Cianfrocco
Rebuilding ancient pathways: Model metalloenzymes for energy conversion (October 24, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/40107 40107-8470407@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

The impending energy crisis is one of the biggest challenges that scientists of today face. At the root of this problem lie the dual issues of limited fossil fuel supplies and rising CO2 levels, both of which threaten severe ecological damage. On a more pragmatic note, however, our entire society has been built around facile access to liquid fuels. Thus, any solution to this predicament requires an end product that can be easily assimilated into the current infrastructure.

In contrast to anthropogenic methods, nature has evolved diverse systems to carry out energy conversion reactions. Many, including metalloenzymes such as hydrogenase, carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, and acetyl coenzyme A synthase, can reversibly generate and oxidize small-molecule fuels such as hydrogen and CO. These processes are implicated in chemoautotrophic origins of life and play a key role in the metabolisms of ancient bacteria and archaea. However, while these enzymes are highly functional within their native environment, most are costly to isolate, sensitive to external conditions, and generally poorly suited for large-scale application. Additionally, the multimetallic active sites and auxiliary cofactors obscure distinguishing spectroscopic features and render detailed analyses challenging. As a result, the molecular mechanisms of catalysis remain relatively poorly understood, thwarting efforts to build biomimetic synthetic systems that act with the efficacy of native enzymes.

We have approached this problem from a metalloprotein engineering perspective. Azurin and rubredoxin are two of the most well studied proteins within the bioinorganic community. Both are robust platforms, known for their unique spectroscopic features and representative coordination geometries. By introducing non-native metals and redesigning the primary and secondary coordination spheres, we have been able to install novel activity into these simple electron transfer proteins. Recent results will be presented demonstrating catalytic hydrogen evolution, carbon dioxide fixation, and carbon monoxide activation in these repurposed bioinorganic scaffolds. Optical, vibrational, and magnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques have been used in conjunction with density functional theory calculations to probe the active-site structures across different states, with the intent of characterizing the catalytic mechanisms. These findings will be discussed in the context of identifying the fundamental principles underlying highly active native enzymes and applying those principles towards engineering effective model metalloproteins for energy conversion reactions.








Hannah Shafaat (Ohio State University)

]]>
Other Tue, 24 Oct 2017 18:15:36 -0400 2017-10-24T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-24T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Illuminating the single-cell biology of chemical signals in bacterial and immune cells (October 25, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/44181 44181-9891993@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, October 25, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

The current decade has seen several unexpected discoveries of nucleotide-based signals that control the autonomous behavior of bacterial and immune cells. The newfound signaling pathways may provide new ways to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens and to enhance the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy treatments. However, critical questions remain about the biochemistry of the signaling enzymes and cell biology of the signals themselves. Tackling these questions requires tracking nucleotide-based signaling molecules in the complex environment of the cell, which poses a difficult molecular recognition challenge.
My lab has taken a structure-based design coupled to high-throughput screening approach and was among the first to develop RNA-based fluorescent biosensors, or RBF biosensors, for live cell imaging. Our biosensors exhibit remarkable specificity and affinity for nucleotide-based signals, are the brightest to date in live cell imaging studies, and can be rationally reprogrammed to sense new ligands. In this seminar, I will present the design principles that enable effective allosteric coupling of ligand binding to fluorescence activation of a small molecule chromophore. We have demonstrated performing, in essence, in vivo biochemistry experiments to track dynamic effects of endogenous chemical cues and inhibitor compounds on enzyme activity in live bacteria. This approach has revealed a new strategy to combat antibiotic resistance. We also have applied these biosensors to make several biological discoveries, including a signaling pathway that regulates how some bacteria interact with redox reactive surfaces. Finally, I will describe another broad application for these biosensors, as novel high-throughput screening assays for promising enzyme targets in cancers and autoimmune diseases.




Ming Hammond (UC Berkeley)

]]>
Other Wed, 25 Oct 2017 18:15:43 -0400 2017-10-25T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-25T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Design and Redesign of Sustainable Engineered Nanomaterials (October 26, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/40779 40779-8750075@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 26, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Engineered nanoparticles are increasingly being incorporated into devices and products across a variety of commercial sectors – this means that engineered nanoscale materials will either intentionally or unintentionally be released into the ecosystem. The long-term goal of the presented work is to understand the molecular design rules that control nanoparticle toxicity using aspects of materials science (nanoparticle design, fabrication, and modification), analytical chemistry (developing new assays to monitor nanotoxicity), and ecology (monitoring how nanoparticles enter and accumulate in the food web through bacteria and how these nanoparticles influence bacterial function). Taken together, these data suggest that careful consideration of engineered nanoparticle surface chemistry will likely allow design of safe and sustainable nanoscale materials.






Christy Haynes (University of Minnesota)

]]>
Other Thu, 26 Oct 2017 18:15:39 -0400 2017-10-26T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-26T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Self- and species recognition in brood parasitic birds (October 26, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42294 42294-9593430@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 26, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Avian brood parasites have provided a long-standing and popular model system for the experimental analysis of self- and species-recognition, which are essential for most critical aspects of social behavior. Specifically, when faced with a nest containing own and foreign eggs, the foremost question is how individuals discriminate themselves (their own eggs) from others (foreign eggs) by utilizing each of their recognition system’s components: perception, cognition, and response. An overview of advances in the experimental analyses of hosts' egg rejection behaviors is presented here. Such studies provide detailed information for our understanding of the evolutionary impacts of parasitic birds on hosts’ cognitive processes and behavioral outcomes in the context of self- and species-recognition.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/-HhMUOx_aIg

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:24:57 -0500 2017-10-26T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-26T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion preview
Summer Research Opportunities in STEM (October 26, 2017 6:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45256 45256-10144522@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 26, 2017 6:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Science Learning Center

If you want to expand your research experience next summer, check out this workshop panel that will highlight a variety of research experiences available to you and other UM students. We will highlight UM and other domestic programs, as well as research abroad opportunities. Come join us and discover what great research opportunities await you!

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Sun, 01 Oct 2017 20:18:45 -0400 2017-10-26T18:00:00-04:00 2017-10-26T19:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Science Learning Center Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
A Neural Circuit that Regulates Cortical State and Enhances Plasticity (October 27, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42680 42680-9622513@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 27, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Sara Aton

Stryker is:
Professor
Center for Integrative Neuroscience
Departments of Physiology and Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 18 Aug 2017 16:21:22 -0400 2017-10-27T12:15:00-04:00 2017-10-27T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar diagram of responses in the brain when running vs stationary
Thesis defense: Spatial variation in niche attributes of an expanding generalist carnivore (October 27, 2017 1:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45069 45069-10081471@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 27, 2017 1:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

EEB graduate student, Shawn Colborn, defends his thesis.

]]>
Presentation Fri, 20 Oct 2017 08:44:26 -0400 2017-10-27T13:00:00-04:00 2017-10-27T14:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Presentation coyote camera trap image
Biophysics Doctoral Candidates - Jeff Folz, “Potassium Nanosensor for Photoacoustic Imaging” and Josh Karslake, "Uncovering Hidden Dynamics in Live-Cell Single Molecule Data with Bayesian Statistics" (October 27, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42546 42546-9609364@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 27, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Jeff Folz, “Potassium Nanosensor for Photoacoustic Imaging” ABSTRACTS: Potassium is one of the most abundant cations found in the body. It is of particular clinical interest due to its implications for cancer treatment. It has been shown that the necrotic core within a tumor can induce local, 5 to 10 fold increases in the potassium concentration, which has been shown to inhibit immune cell function. However, the development of this hyperkalemic state, including rate, extent, and distribution, are not characterized and have strong therapeutic implications. We developed a potassium nanosensor that is capable of performing as a functional photoacoustic contrast agent. The optode is based on the principle of Donnan exclusion in which a pH sensitive dye deprotonates when a potassium ionophore chelates a potassium ion. Our sensor is multimodal, and has been calibrated for absorption, fluorescence, and photoacoustic read-out modes over biologically relevant potassium concentrations: 1mM to 100mM for photoacoustics and 20mM to 1M for fluorescence. The sensor shows exquisite selectivity over common interfering ions, such as sodium, magnesium, and calcium. By introducing primary amines to the surface of the sensor, we have been able to functionalize and target the sensor, both passively through the Enhanced Permeability and Retention effect and actively via the attachment of the tumor-homing F3 peptide. The nanosensor has been applied to ex vivo samples, where it was demonstrated that tumor samples have a relatively large concentrations of potassium compared to healthy tissue.

and
Johsh Karslake, "Uncovering Hidden Dynamics in Live-Cell Single Molecule Data with Bayesian Statistics", ABSTRACT: Single-molecule imaging techniques localize and track individual molecules inside living cells with nanometer precision and millisecond timing; this capability has allowed researchers to investigate many open questions across biology. However, single-molecule image analysis is fundamentally limited by a priori model selection, parameter unidentifiability, and other supervisory biases. To address these issues, we have developed an analysis framework for Single-Molecule Tracking data based on nonparametric Bayesian inference. We have validated this method using realistic simulations and simple experimental systems and finally we extend our investigations to determine the model and dynamics of the membrane-bound keystone virulence protein TcpP in live Vibrio cholerae cells.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Wed, 25 Oct 2017 09:34:00 -0400 2017-10-27T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-27T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Synthetic Strategies to Optimize Photophysical and Photoredox Properties of Organometallic Complexes (October 31, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45461 45461-10189551@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, October 31, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes are well-known for their efficient triplet-state luminescence and excited-state redox chemistry. The Teets group has advanced the idea that the ancillary ligand(s) in these compounds can substantially alter the redox and photophysical properties, and this lecture highlights some work in this area. Postsynthetic modification strategies give rise to new structure types and have led to the discovery of efficient visible-light phosphors. Other ligand-design strategies produce compounds with efficient red or near-infrared phosphorescence, as well as a class of potent photoreductants which outperform state-of-the-art photosensitizers in photoinduced electron-transfer reactions.


Thomas Teets (University of Houston)

]]>
Other Tue, 31 Oct 2017 18:15:29 -0400 2017-10-31T16:00:00-04:00 2017-10-31T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
RNA structure heterogeneity (November 1, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45520 45520-10200818@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, November 1, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

RNA is unique among all biomolecules as it can be both information-storing and enzymatic. These features are tightly linked to its structure, in which base-pairing interactions give rise to a highly folded macromolecule. Indeed, in addition to the genetic code, which specifies the composition of proteins, we now know there is a secondary layer of information encoded in every transcript in the form of RNA structure that can regulate processes as diverse as splicing, localization, and translation efficiency. Our lab has developed approaches to probe RNA structure at single molecule and single nucleotide level, which are capable of detecting alternative RNA structures forming from the same underlying sequence. Application of these approaches to Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) reveals HIV-1 genomic RNA structure heterogeneity with novel functional implications.

Silvia Rouskin (MIT Whitehead Institute)

]]>
Other Wed, 01 Nov 2017 18:15:42 -0400 2017-11-01T16:00:00-04:00 2017-11-01T17:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Biomimetic nanotechnology for improved targeting and capturing of tumor cells (November 2, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/40500 40500-8580300@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 2, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Despite the ongoing fight against cancer, the debilitating disease remains the second most cause of death in the US. This presentation will highlight our current research in an effort to intervene cancer development through marriage of dendrimer chemistry, nanotechnology and biomimicry, focusing on 1) novel nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery and 2) biomimetic devices for effective detection and separation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).  For targeted drug delivery, we have developed a hybrid nanoparticle system integrating targeted poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers and poly(lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) nanoparticles. This unique design allowed us to combine the advantages of each nanocarrier, i.e., effective tissue penetration of dendrimers and prolonged circulation of PLA-PEG nanoparticles, in a controlled manner, providing a novel delivery platform.  Additionally, we have also found that the tumor penetration behaviors of nanoparticles are highly dependent upon the size, surface charge, and rigidity of the nanoparticles. For CTC capturing, we have developed a novel separation method using a biomimetic approach combined with nanotechnology. The biomimetic combination of dynamic rolling and multivalent binding via dendrimers significantly enhances the surface capture efficiency of target tumor cells by up to ~150 fold, compared to a surface with a single cancer cell marker such as aEpCAM. Recent clinical data obtained using our device will be also presented, which has shown the strong correlation between kinetic CTC profiles and clinical outcomes.  These results indicate that our CTC device with high sensitivity and specificity has great potential to be translated. 








Seungpyo Hong (University of Wisconsin)

]]>
Other Thu, 02 Nov 2017 18:15:33 -0400 2017-11-02T16:00:00-04:00 2017-11-02T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Host heterogeneities to infection shape the impact of climate change (November 2, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42295 42295-9593431@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 2, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Predictive models and experimental manipulations on climate changes and infectious diseases have primarily focused on how climate change can affect host exposure, such as the risk of infection and disease spread. However, host immunity to infections is an important source of variation among individuals and we need to take into account how this alters the way climate affects host-parasite interactions. Using a combination of long-term field observations, field and laboratory manipulations and mathematical modeling of a rabbit-helminth system, I explore whether heterogeneities in the host immune response exacerbate or suppress the impact of climate warming on the dynamics and persistence of two gastrointestinal helminths. Experimental trials and modelling simulations suggest that non-linearities in the system create complex interactions where climate impacts more heavily some hosts than others and at a specific time of the year.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/RYkxibeXeuE

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:26:58 -0500 2017-11-02T16:00:00-04:00 2017-11-02T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion TRL3carpet
Mechanisms Underlying DNA Polymerase Management in Bacteria (November 3, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42681 42681-9622514@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 3, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Lyle Simmons

Sutton is Professor, Department of Biochemistry
University of Buffalo

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 18 Aug 2017 16:26:32 -0400 2017-11-03T12:15:00-04:00 2017-11-03T13:15:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar diagram of dna polymerase
Biophysics Doctoral Students - Efrosini Artikis and Jeffrey Maltas (November 3, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42547 42547-9609365@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 3, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Efrosini Artikis, Biophysics Doctoral Candidate “Exploration of pH dependent NMR chemical shift perturbations in peptides and proteins”

Abstract: Abstract:
In studying pH-mediated biological processes, NMR is an optimal experimental approach as the sensitivity of NMR chemical shifts to both molecular composition and local environment allows for a comprehensive description of pH-dependent effects. Currently, empirical and semi-empirical chemical shift predictors are largely insensitive to extreme pH conditions and compute absolute shifts only at physiological pH. Aiming to better understand the manifestation of pH in these NMR observables, we utilize a combination of MD and DFT calculations for the ab initio computation of NMR chemical shift perturbations (CSP) of model tri-peptides. By altering the protonation state of the titratable residue present in the peptides, we are able to recapitulate pH effects observed in experimental NMR measurements. Furthermore, we employ a similar methodology to examine electrostatically driven interactions in proteins. We anticipate that the computation of the pH-dependent CSPs for these systems, will lead to a generalized protocol through which these observables may be computed for a variety of proteins involved in pH-mediated processes.

and

“Jeffrey Maltas, Biophysics Doctoral Candidate, “Collateral sensitivity in Enterococcus faecalis”

Abstract: Often when bacteria populations acquire resistance against an individual antibiotic, that resistance mechanism carries pleiotropic effects with it resulting in increased resistance or sensitivity to other antibiotics the population has yet to encounter. If these collateral sensitivity and resistance effects can be understood, and perhaps predicted, they can be a potent tool to slow down, or even reverse, the spread of antibiotic resistance. To date, the collateral sensitivity and resistance profiles and their molecular basis have only been studied in a few bacterial species and is unknown for Enterococcus faecalis. Here we present the collateral profile for 17 antibiotics to 68 independent populations of E. faecalis. By clustering these mutants using their collateral profiles we find that large collateral effects are predictable, while the more common, smaller collateral effects appear to be more random. Additionally, we highlight the time dependence of collateral effects for the first time in bacteria.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 31 Oct 2017 13:32:42 -0400 2017-11-03T16:00:00-04:00 2017-11-03T17:00:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
A Small Molecule Iron Transporter Promotes Iron Absorption and Hemoglobinization (November 7, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41836 41836-9483114@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, November 7, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Many diseases are caused by deficiencies of iron transport proteins that diminish transmembrane iron flux in distinct sites and directions. Because other iron transport proteins remain active, labile iron gradients build up across the corresponding protein-deficient membranes. We discovered the small molecule natural product, hinokitiol, can harness such gradients to restore iron transport into, within, and/or out of cells. The same compound promotes gut iron absorption in DMT1-deficient rats and ferroportin-deficient mice, as well as hemoglobinization in DMT1- and mitoferrin-deficient zebrafish. These findings illuminate a general mechanistic framework for small molecule-mediated site- and direction-selective restoration of iron transport. They also suggest that small molecules that mimic the function of missing protein transporters of iron, and possibly other ions, may have potential in treating human diseases.




Tony Grillo (UIUC)

]]>
Other Tue, 07 Nov 2017 18:15:27 -0500 2017-11-07T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-07T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Fragment Based Approach to Lactate Dehydrogenase A (LDHA) Inhibitors (November 8, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46523 46523-10526986@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry






Beth Knapp-Reed (GlaxoSmithKline)

]]>
Other Wed, 08 Nov 2017 18:15:29 -0500 2017-11-08T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-08T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
LSA Hack-A-Thon (November 8, 2017 7:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46143 46143-10398521@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 7:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Strategic Design for Year Two
#withDeanMartin & LSA SG

Get updated and participate in hands-on, solution-oriented design to achieve six of LSA’s diversity-related goals.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 24 Oct 2017 15:49:02 -0400 2017-11-08T19:00:00-05:00 2017-11-08T20:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
LSA Hack-A-Thon (November 8, 2017 7:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46097 46097-10390025@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 7:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

For more information or to sign up, visit: myumi.ch/lsadeiplan. Walk-ins are welcome. Pre-registration is optional but helps with organizers' planning.

In honor of the University-wide DEI Student Summit, LSA will work with students to design strategic models to inform the College for year two of our plan. Interested students are invited to join us for a “hack” session to respond to, critique and improve six concrete initiatives to achieve diversity-related goals.

Sign up for one – or more – hacks and then join us on November 8th for hands-on sessions. You'll work with peers to revise, comment on, or totally revamp these initiatives.

Dean Martin and other LSA representatives will be available to answer questions and chat starting at 6:30 p.m. Ready to challenge yourself and hack the LSA Strategic Plan?
_________________________________

Hack #1
Train the Trainer: Building Inclusive Classrooms
Challenge/Opportunity: LSA has over 1,200 faculty members and over 3,000 classes per term. Our plan is tailored to this reality. Create an online DEI training module for the faculty; incentivize them to use it.

Hack #2
Train your Peers: The 30 for 80 Model
Challenge/Opportunity: The 30 largest courses on campus reach close to 80% of the undergrad population. Create a flexible module for implicit bias training for use in these classes.

Hack #3
Challenge/Opportunity: We assessed the degree requirement and are continuing to implement changes, but we want more students to be involved. Help us to rethink the "Student Advisory Board" model; and create a user driven (aka student-centered, peer-to-peer) map of R&E courses to guide new LSA students in understanding the requirement and selecting courses.

Hack #4
Dialogue and Ideological Diversity: The Democracy in Action Model
Challenge/Opportunity: We increasingly live inside of ideological echo chambers and struggle to talk across differences. Hack the design of The Democracy in Action Fund.

Hack #5
Shift Campus Climate: Forming a Critical Mass
Challenge/Opportunity: It’s a big campus! LSA has over 17,500 undergraduates; not all of them are equally engaged. You probably can’t reach everyone. The key, we think, is creating critical mass. Hack the design of the LSA Inclusive Campus Corp.

Hack #6
optiMize Transfer Students: Building Bridges to U-M
Challenge/Opportunity: LSA has committed to increasing the number of transfer students to 1,200-1,300 per year. We want a major percentage from community colleges. We want to build “transfer bridges.” Hack the plan to use co-curricular orgs like optiMize to create them.

Questions? LSAhackathon@umich.edu

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Mon, 26 Feb 2018 14:03:56 -0500 2017-11-08T19:00:00-05:00 2017-11-08T20:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Workshop / Seminar Event poster
EEB Thursday Seminar: Microbial activity and assembly in the world's oldest desert (November 9, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42889 42889-9675065@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 9, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Microbes are ubiquitous on Earth, yet the drivers that regulate microbial activity and shape microbial diversity are not clear, particularly in dry ecosystems. I present work from the hyperarid Namib Desert, Namibia, a model dune system that has revealed overlooked controls on decomposition as well as unique dispersal vectors for microbes, like coastal fog. This provides a insight into how microbes survive under extreme water stress, and how we understand the ecology of the 40% of land surface occupied by drylands.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/ixTDJy6G26s

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:28:08 -0500 2017-11-09T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-09T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion SarahEvans
Getting Bacteria into Shape: Regulation of the Cell Wall Synthesis Machinery (November 10, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42682 42682-9622515@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 10, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Jim Bardwell

Thomas G. Bernhardt
Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology
HHMI-Simons Faculty Scholar
Harvard Medical School

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 18 Aug 2017 16:33:14 -0400 2017-11-10T12:15:00-05:00 2017-11-10T13:15:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar bacteria
Professor Eric D. Siggia - The Rockefeller University (November 10, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42549 42549-9609367@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 10, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Abstract: Stem cells are commonly grown on surfaces and when induced to differentiate show disorganized arrangements of fates. The simple process of spatial confinement and BMP4 or Wnt induction leads to a reproducible arrangement of extraembryonic and germ layer fates as a function of colony radius that mimics the proximal distal axis in the mammalian embryo. Fate is defined by distance from the colony boundary which can be hundreds of microns away. The stem cell colonies also form a radially localized primitive streak and exhibit gastrulation like movements. We have characterized the molecular events that control our radial patterns, which include receptor occlusion in apical-basal polarized colonies, and the production and diffusion of secreted inhibitors and secondary morphogens. Three dimensional culture, creates closed epithelia shell that resemble the postimplantation epiblast. They will spontaneously symmetry break into a primitive streak and a region resembling the anterior epiblast. This quantitative assay shows in a context very different from the embryo how the canonical signaling pathways, generate spatial patterns over large scales, but it also reveals cell biological aspects of signaling that are difficult to study in mammalian embryos.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 02 Nov 2017 12:55:58 -0400 2017-11-10T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-10T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Eric Siggia
Mechanisms regulating heme reduction and catalysis in NO synthase enzymes (November 14, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41304 41304-9097456@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry






Dennis Stuehr (Cleveland Clinic)

]]>
Other Tue, 14 Nov 2017 18:15:25 -0500 2017-11-14T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-14T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Spatiotemporal dynamics of antibiotic response in e. faecalis (November 16, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42929 42929-9685653@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 16, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Antibiotic resistance is among the most urgent threats to public health. In this talk, I will discuss our group’s ongoing efforts to understand how E. faecalis, a common source of nosocomial infections, responds to antibiotics across multiple length and time scales. First, I’ll describe recent experiments demonstrating that growth inhibition depends strongly on population density for many commonly used antibiotics, potentially leading to bistable treatment outcomes in a pharmacological model of antibiotic treatment. Perhaps more surprisingly, in the limit of high population densities, subinhibitory antibiotic concentrations can promote formation of biofilms--an effect that reflects a trade-off between antibiotic efficacy and the beneficial effects of cell lysis--while higher doses can shape the single-cell architecture of drug resistant communities. Finally, I’ll overview ongoing work combining laboratory evolution with mathematical modeling aimed at slowing resistance evolution using temporal sequences of antibiotics.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/Unt0dz_pGi8

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:29:11 -0500 2017-11-16T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-16T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion EEBfigure
On Discovery in Catalysis (November 16, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42097 42097-9548216@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 16, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

Catalysis is a key technology of our modern societies, since it allows for increased levels of selectivity and efficacy of chemical transformations. While significant progress can be made by rational design or engineered step-by-step improvements, many pressing challenges in the field require the discovery of new and formerly unexpected results. Arguably, the question “How to discover?” is at the heart of the scientific process.
In this talk, strategies and discoveries from the Glorius group will be discussed. Topics might involve art, the use of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) in different fields of catalysis and also photocatalysis.









Frank Glorius (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster)

]]>
Other Thu, 16 Nov 2017 18:15:24 -0500 2017-11-16T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-16T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
The RB Tumor Suppressor Pathway: E2F Functions in Development and Cancer (November 17, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42683 42683-9622516@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 17, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Host: Laura Buttitta

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Fri, 03 Nov 2017 10:53:00 -0400 2017-11-17T12:15:00-05:00 2017-11-17T13:15:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar expression patterns
Thesis Defense: Low Temperature Electrodeposition of Epitaxial Films of Covalent Semiconductors (November 17, 2017 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46674 46674-10581029@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 17, 2017 3:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry




Joshua Demuth (Advisor: Stephen Maldonado)

]]>
Other Fri, 17 Nov 2017 18:15:25 -0500 2017-11-17T15:00:00-05:00 2017-11-17T16:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Fall Organometallic Seminar Series (November 17, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46819 46819-10639517@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 17, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry




Ramón Gómez Arrayás (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

]]>
Other Fri, 17 Nov 2017 18:15:25 -0500 2017-11-17T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-17T18:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
No EEB Thursday Seminar today (November 23, 2017 4:10pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46948 46948-10703022@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 23, 2017 4:10pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

See you next week

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Mon, 20 Nov 2017 15:46:27 -0500 2017-11-23T16:10:00-05:00 2017-11-23T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Single Particle Microscopic and Spectroscopic Chemical Analysis of Primary and Secondary Aerosols (November 30, 2017 12:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46720 46720-10592238@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 30, 2017 12:30pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry






Amy Bondy (Advisor: Dr. Andrew Ault)

]]>
Other Thu, 30 Nov 2017 18:15:29 -0500 2017-11-30T12:30:00-05:00 2017-11-30T13:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Toward translational evolutionary biology using the lens of genomics (November 30, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/42931 42931-9685656@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 30, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The process by which bacterial populations evolve to adapt to new hosts is broadly important and still uncertain. We study two key parts of this process: the nature and trajectories of beneficial mutations, and the eco-evolutionary dynamics that emerge when bacteria form biofilm communities. Identifying and tracking the spread of beneficial mutations has been empowered by contemporary genomics, and has allowed us to find commonalities among beneficial mutations in many evolving bacterial systems. Our study of biofilms has been aided by a simple model enabling long-term evolution in a biofilm life cycle. Focusing on bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we find this model surprisingly selects for mutations in genes that commonly mutate during chronic infections of the cystic fibrosis airway and in wounds. This system also selects for persistent genetic diversity that reflect adaptations to different biofilm niches. More recently, we have been studying more rapid evolution of bacteria exposed to stronger selection like antibiotics or specific host association, often in vivo. In these conditions, we find strongly parallel mutations that show functional details of the traits that underlie adaptation. Further, growing cases of strong parallelism raise the probability that evolution may be predictable and useful to solve problems in medicine like drug resistance. Last and most important, we have used the simplicity of our biofilm model to develop a curriculum in high school classes to allow introductory biology students to learn key concepts in evolution and heredity by doing an evolution experiment. Both this curriculum and clear examples of evolution-in-action during infections offer the promise of broader appreciation of the utility of evolutionary biology.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/l7JHJ5eZLfM

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:31:26 -0500 2017-11-30T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-30T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion Vaughn research image
Synthesis, Structures, and Photophysical Properties of Long-Chain Oligogermanes (November 30, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/45521 45521-10200819@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 30, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

It is expected that catenated compounds of germanium might function as luminescent or optical materials once a sufficient number of germanium atoms are connected together in the chain. We have prepared and characterized the penta- and hexagermanes Pri3Ge(GePh2)nGePri3 (n = 3 or 4), where the hexagermane is the longest structurally characterized linear oligogermane reported to date. Initial studies indicated that these molecules were luminescent in solution, and we have now investigated its photophysical properties of Pri3Ge(GePh2)4GePri3 in the solid state. The hexagermane exhibits temperature dependent absorbance and emission spectra, where vibrational fine structure is observed below 240 K. In addition, a blue emission in the visible region is observed upon excitation at 300 nm at 80 K. The synthesis of the two oligogermanes Pri3Ge(GePh2)nGePri3 (n = 3 or 4) and the nature of its absorbance and emission properties will be discussed in conjunction with DFT investigations. The structure/property relationships of other oligogermanes, including the branched systems (Ph3Ge)3GeX (X = H, F, Cl, Br, I, Ph, or GePh3), will also be discussed.














Scott Weinert (Oklahoma State University)

]]>
Other Thu, 30 Nov 2017 18:15:29 -0500 2017-11-30T16:00:00-05:00 2017-11-30T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Applications of Sterically Protected Hydrogen Bond Donors in the Secondary Coordination Sphere (December 1, 2017 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46721 46721-10592239@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, December 1, 2017 2:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry






Eric Dahl (Advisor: Dr. Nathaniel Szymczak)

]]>
Other Fri, 01 Dec 2017 18:15:31 -0500 2017-12-01T14:00:00-05:00 2017-12-01T15:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Microfabricated Probes for Monitoring Brain Chemistry at High Spatial and Temporal Resolution (December 5, 2017 10:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/46722 46722-10592240@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, December 5, 2017 10:00am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry




Thitaphat (Non) Ngernsutivorakul (Advisor: Dr. Robert Kennedy)

]]>
Other Tue, 05 Dec 2017 18:15:29 -0500 2017-12-05T10:00:00-05:00 2017-12-05T11:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Ion Mobility Spectrometry: Beyond Separation and Structural Characterization (December 5, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41470 41470-9269833@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, December 5, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

When exposed to a constant electric field, ions in the gas phase move at constant drift velocities; the proportionality constant between an ion’s velocity and the applied electric field is termed the ion mobility. Correspondingly, ion mobility spectrometry (IM) is a gas phase separation technique in which analyte ions (as small as atomic ions and up to charged aerosol particles) are separated temporally or spatially in an electric. Recent years have seen increased usage of IM in two specific applications. First, it is used as a pre-separation technique with mass spectrometry to better identify analytes in complex mixtures. Second, IM is used as a tool to characterize the structures of protein and multiprotein complex ions in the gas phase. In both of these applications, IM is used primarily as a structural characterization tool, and the chemical information obtained in measurement is limited to collision cross section inference (a parameter directly linked to ion mobility). This presentation will discuss novel applications of IM developed in our laboratory group, where measurements go beyond collision cross section determination. Specifically, in conjunction with mass spectrometry, we are developing techniques to examine ion-neutral complex formation in the gas phase (with applications in chemical warfare agent detection, fundamental studies of ion-induced nucleation, and measurement of the properties of atmospheric nanoclusters) and as a standalone technique we utilize IM to examine nanoparticle-protein conjugation. Also discussed will be the potential application of ion mobility-mass spectrometry in air pollution monitoring, using newly developed data inversion schemes to isolate atmospheric aerosol populations from one another.














Chris Hogan (University of Minnesota)

]]>
Other Tue, 05 Dec 2017 18:15:29 -0500 2017-12-05T16:00:00-05:00 2017-12-05T05:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Rational Design and Activation of Metal-Organic Frameworks Towards Targeted Structures and Porosity (December 6, 2017 1:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46936 46936-10703010@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, December 6, 2017 1:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry






Jialiu Ma (Advisor: Dr. Adam Matzger)

]]>
Other Wed, 06 Dec 2017 18:15:36 -0500 2017-12-06T13:00:00-05:00 2017-12-06T14:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: The role of Beringia in high latitude faunal diversification (December 7, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46828 46828-10647793@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, December 7, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The Beringian Coevolution Project (BCP), a field program underway in the high northern latitudes since 1999, focuses on building basic scientific infrastructure for integrated specimen-based studies on mammals and their associated parasites. BCP has contributed new insights across temporal and spatial scales into how ancient climate and environmental change have shaped faunas, emphasizing processes of assembly, persistence and diversification across the vast Beringian region. BCP collections also represent baseline records of biotic diversity from across the northern high latitudes at a time of accelerated environmental change. Because of the dual focus on hosts and parasites, the BCP record also provides a foundation for comparative analyses that can document the effects of dynamic change on the geographic distribution, transmission dynamics, and emergence of pathogens. Using specific examples from carnivores, shrews, lagomorphs, rodents and their associated parasites, I show how broad, integrated field collections provide permanent infrastructure to explore the effect of climate change on natural populations and inform policy regarding human impacts on these environments.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/wC72vyA14xY

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:32:55 -0500 2017-12-07T16:00:00-05:00 2017-12-07T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion Beringia map
Enabling Medicinal Chemistry with Synthesis and Technology (December 7, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41361 41361-9170360@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, December 7, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry

In the Beeler Research Group we take a multidisciplinary approach toward developing small molecule tools for human disease. This lecture will focus on new technologies and synthetic strategies that provide a foundation for our medicinal chemistry programs. It will highlight ongoing efforts to develop platforms that enable us to explore and leverage the biological activities of complex natural products. A common theme in our lab, and in this lecture, is the use of flow chemistry to enable critical reactions. Why flow chemistry? Reactions have been carried out in batch vessels for over two centuries and amazingly the tools chemists use have remained largely unchanged. As such, many of the challenges presented by batch reactions are still unsolved. Issues related to mass transfer, heat transfer, or photon penetration can be exceptionally challenging in batch reactors, but are often overcome in flow. Ultimately, I hope to demonstrate how flow chemistry provides us a tool for development of new and more efficient reactions that are robust, highly scalable, and provide access to complex and novel chemotypes.



Aaron Beeler (Boston University)

]]>
Other Thu, 07 Dec 2017 18:15:35 -0500 2017-12-07T16:00:00-05:00 2017-12-07T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
POSTPONED to Jan. 26, 2018 : Time and Motivation (December 8, 2017 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46562 46562-10547332@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, December 8, 2017 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Our seminar speaker has been invited to the Nobel ceremony so we are postponing this seminar. New date: January 26, 2018
Host: Orie Shafer

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 14 Nov 2017 17:26:32 -0500 2017-12-08T12:15:00-05:00 2017-12-08T13:15:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Pharmaceutical Hydrates: Prevalence, Properties, and Progess (December 8, 2017 3:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46723 46723-10592241@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, December 8, 2017 3:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry




Kortney M. Kersten (Advisor: Dr. Adam Matzger)

]]>
Other Fri, 08 Dec 2017 18:15:32 -0500 2017-12-08T15:00:00-05:00 2017-12-08T16:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Computational Chemistry Studies of Organometallic Energy Lanscapes (December 11, 2017 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/46937 46937-10703011@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, December 11, 2017 10:30am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry




Ian Pendleton (Advisor: Drs. Melanie Sanford and Paul Zimmerman)

]]>
Other Mon, 11 Dec 2017 18:15:27 -0500 2017-12-11T10:30:00-05:00 2017-12-11T11:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Derivation Methods for Improved Metabolome Analysis by LC-MS/MS (December 13, 2017 9:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/47283 47283-10857855@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 9:30am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry




Paige Malec (Advisor: Dr. Robert T. Kennedy)

]]>
Other Wed, 13 Dec 2017 18:15:23 -0500 2017-12-13T09:30:00-05:00 2017-12-13T10:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Investigation of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes as Biocatalysts for Multifunctional C-H Oxidation; and a Case Study of a Graduate/Undergraduate Laboratory Exchange Program (December 13, 2017 1:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/46724 46724-10592242@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 1:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry






Jessica Stachowski (Advisor: Dr. John Montgomery)

]]>
Other Wed, 13 Dec 2017 18:15:22 -0500 2017-12-13T13:00:00-05:00 2017-12-13T14:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Thesis Defense: Structural Characterization of Ribonucleic Acids and their Complexes by Negative-ion Mode Mass Spectrometry (December 13, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/47284 47284-10857856@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry




Kevin Ileka (Advisor: Dr. Kristina I. Håkansson)

]]>
Other Wed, 13 Dec 2017 18:15:23 -0500 2017-12-13T16:00:00-05:00 2017-12-13T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: How to eat something bigger than your head - microbial community assembly at the micron scale (December 14, 2017 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/47318 47318-10866128@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, December 14, 2017 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

In this talk I will present our work showing how ecological interactions control the assembly and function of microbial communities at micro-scales. Using model marine particles composed of a variety of biopolymers commonly found in the ocean, I will show how microbial interactions such as cross-feeding and social cheating lead to rapid successional community assembly on particles. By comparing successions on different biopolymer particles, I’ll show how the bow tie structure of metabolic networks can lead to highly reproducible, convergent community dynamics that are independent of the initial carbon source. Finally, I will argue that community composition, in particular the load of primary degraders to cross-feeders, plays a fundamental role in controlling community function, i.e. the rates of particle turnover in the environment.

View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/6cl0D2LPCmY

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:34:24 -0500 2017-12-14T16:00:00-05:00 2017-12-14T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion microbial community
Thesis Defense: Development of Biocatalytic Strategies for the Directed Oxidation of Small Molecule and Macrocyclic Substrates (December 15, 2017 10:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/47285 47285-10857857@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, December 15, 2017 10:00am
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry




Michael M. Gilbert (Advisor: Dr. John Montgomery)

]]>
Other Fri, 15 Dec 2017 18:15:23 -0500 2017-12-15T10:00:00-05:00 2017-12-15T11:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
No EEB Thursday Seminar today (January 4, 2018 4:10pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/47958 47958-11157188@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, January 4, 2018 4:10pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

See you next week

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 02 Jan 2018 11:41:11 -0500 2018-01-04T16:10:00-05:00 2018-01-04T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
EEB Thursday Seminar: Mutation, drift, and the origin of subcellular features (January 11, 2018 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/47360 47360-10880012@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, January 11, 2018 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Abstract
Although natural selection may be the most powerful force in the biological world, it is not all powerful. As a consequence, many aspects of evolution of the molecular level can only be explained by the inability of natural selection to operate. This general principle explains a lot about the diversity of genome architectures across species, and also appears to extend to numerous higher-level features of cells: the evolution of the ~1000-fold range in mutation rates that exists among species; greatly elevated rates of transcription error; the divergence of the multimeric states of proteins; and the phylogenetic drift of gene-regulatory vocabulary.

An attempt will be made to describe how these biological observations can be explained at the theoretical level, in some cases using methods derived from statistical mechanics. A fundamental principle is that although natural selection relentlessly pushes traits to the highest possible level of refinement, the limits to perfection are dictated by the power of random genetic drift rather than by intrinsic molecular limitations on repair mechanisms or by selection for an optimum mutation rate. The implications of this drift-barrier hypothesis are that the population-genetic environment imposes a fundamental constraint on the paths that are open vs. closed for evolutionary exploration in various phylogenetic lineages, hence defining the patterns of adaptation seen at the molecular and cellular level. Additional examples may be drawn from recent observations on the bioenergetic costs of maintaining and expressing genes.

Light refreshments are served at 4 p.m.

]]>
Lecture / Discussion Thu, 11 Jan 2018 13:18:06 -0500 2018-01-11T16:00:00-05:00 2018-01-11T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lecture / Discussion DNA strands
Cell Cycle Regulation of Cell Invasive Behavior (January 12, 2018 12:15pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/47193 47193-10813710@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, January 12, 2018 12:15pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Hosts: Laura Buttitta and Gyorgyi Csankovszki

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Thu, 30 Nov 2017 17:14:31 -0500 2018-01-12T12:15:00-05:00 2018-01-12T13:15:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Workshop / Seminar microscopic image
MICDE Seminar (January 16, 2018 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/41547 41547-9336682@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, January 16, 2018 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Department of Chemistry


Theresa Windus (Iowa State University)

]]>
Other Tue, 16 Jan 2018 18:15:29 -0500 2018-01-16T16:00:00-05:00 2018-01-16T17:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Department of Chemistry Other Chemistry Dow Lab
Theresa Windus: The Challenges of Exascale from the View of a Molecular Chemist (January 16, 2018 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/47787 47787-11012554@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, January 16, 2018 4:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering

Theresa Windus is a professor of Chemistry at Iowa State University. She earned her Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 1993 and did post-doctoral research at Northwestern University. Theresa was also the Director of Computational Chemistry/Training at Ohio Supercomputer Center and the Computational Chemistry lead at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base Major Shared Resource Center. Most recently, she was the manager of the Molecular Science Software Group and the Visualization and User Services group in the Molecular Science Computing Facility in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

This talk will focus on the challenges that computational chemistry faces in taking the equations that model the very small (molecules and the reactions they undergo) to efficient and scalable implementations on the very large computers of today and tomorrow.

]]>
Workshop / Seminar Tue, 19 Dec 2017 10:48:47 -0500 2018-01-16T16:00:00-05:00 2018-01-16T17:00:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering Workshop / Seminar Windus