Happening @ Michigan https://events.umich.edu/list/rss RSS Feed for Happening @ Michigan Events at the University of Michigan. TBA (September 9, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97211 97211-21794137@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 9, 2022 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

TBA

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 22 Aug 2022 10:42:28 -0400 2022-09-09T12:00:00-04:00 2022-09-09T13:30:00-04:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
MCDB Seminar> Countering deleterious phase transitions in ALS/FTD (September 16, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/98814 98814-21797216@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 16, 2022 12:00pm
Location: Biological Sciences Building
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Host: Morgan DeSantis

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Workshop / Seminar Thu, 15 Sep 2022 11:02:43 -0400 2022-09-16T12:00:00-04:00 2022-09-16T13:00:00-04:00 Biological Sciences Building LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Biological Sciences Building
Engineering Reproduction: From Bench to Bedside to Babies (September 23, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97221 97221-21794154@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 23, 2022 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

N/A

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Workshop / Seminar Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:30:13 -0400 2022-09-23T12:00:00-04:00 2022-09-23T13:30:00-04:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
Optogenetic Feedback Control of Gene Expression and Antibiotic Resistance in Single Cells (September 30, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97236 97236-21794168@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 30, 2022 12:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Cell-to-cell heterogeneity in gene expression can elevate antibiotic resistance in one microbe while other cells remain susceptible. These transient forms of drug resistance are often stochastic and dynamic, leading to single-cell level differences in resistance that change with time. To date, methods for quantifying these effects have relied on careful observations of native expression patterns. In this talk, I will discuss a novel approach for controlling gene expression dynamics in single cells that can be used to precisely drive expression in thousands of cells in parallel. In support of this, I will discuss our recent advances in automated image processing of time-lapse microscopy data using deep learning models (DeLTA). Once trained, the DeLTA algorithm requires minimal input from the user and can rapidly segment, track, and reconstruct lineages for bacteria growing in microfluidic chips and on two dimensional surfaces. I will also discuss optogenetic control methods that allow us to use light-based feedback to regulate gene expression in real time. Using a combination of deep learning-based models and rapid image analysis, we can simultaneously control gene expression in thousands of cells in parallel. Together, these approaches offer powerful methods that can be used to quantify and control cell-to-cell heterogeneity in antibiotic resistance, providing a detailed view into strategies bacteria can use to evade drug treatment.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 26 Sep 2022 09:56:19 -0400 2022-09-30T12:00:00-04:00 2022-09-30T13:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
TBA (October 7, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97574 97574-21794767@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 7, 2022 12:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

TBA

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 26 Sep 2022 11:05:01 -0400 2022-10-07T12:00:00-04:00 2022-10-07T13:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Physics of cellular proportions (October 21, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97575 97575-21794768@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 21, 2022 12:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Dr. Gulliver noticed 140 years ago that the size of the cell\'s nucleus is proportional to the size of the cell. In the intervening years, similar observations have been made about other, large structures that self-assemble in the cell. This raises a fascinating question: How does the cell, which is micrometers in length, measure its size with nothing more at its disposal than nanometer-sized proteins that diffuse, on occasion bump into each other, and transiently stick together? In this talk I will describe quantitative experiments and related theory that reveal general principles of how cells control the size of their internal structures. The case of self-assembly of actin cables in budding yeast is particularly interesting in this context, as it provides an example of a structure whose size is well matched to the size of the cell. I will describe experiments and theory pertaining to actin cables, and the general principles of cellular self-assembly we are learning from this model system.

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 18 Oct 2022 14:59:08 -0400 2022-10-21T12:00:00-04:00 2022-10-21T13:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
TBA (October 28, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97577 97577-21794769@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, October 28, 2022 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

TBA

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Aug 2022 10:35:20 -0400 2022-10-28T12:00:00-04:00 2022-10-28T13:30:00-04:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
Saturday Morning Physics | From Nobel Prize Research to the Breakthrough Technologies Transforming our Lives (October 29, 2022 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/99186 99186-21797679@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, October 29, 2022 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

New developments in technology have revolutionized the way we live, from smartphones and devices to the internet, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, clean energy, big data, and much more. These inventions have one thing in common: they originate from key discoveries in physics made decades earlier in research driven by curiosity. In this lecture, I will invite you to share your ranking of the most important technological developments of the new millennium, and I will explain which Nobel prize in physics made each of these innovations possible, how we continue to explore these physics questions today, and how current research may transform our lives in the future. To conclude, I will share my pick of the most important recent technology breakthrough and track its origin to the historical debate about the foundation of quantum physics: Einstein vs. the Copenhagen interpretation of whether or not God plays dice.

Lecture and Q&A, live-streamed on: TBA

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 26 Oct 2022 17:46:15 -0400 2022-10-29T10:30:00-04:00 2022-10-29T11:30:00-04:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Lecture / Discussion Illustration of novel quantum states with exotic topological structures
TBA (November 4, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97579 97579-21794770@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 4, 2022 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

TBA

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Aug 2022 10:36:15 -0400 2022-11-04T12:00:00-04:00 2022-11-04T13:30:00-04:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
Saturday Morning Physics | The Heart of Darkness (November 5, 2022 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/99198 99198-21797694@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, November 5, 2022 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

In 2017, humanity, for the first time, peered into true darkness. Black holes are objects defined by their immense gravitational fields, so large that not even light can escape. In this talk, I will take you on the journey undertaken by a worldwide collaboration to image a black hole for the first time and tell you about the discoveries awaiting the coming generations.

This talk will be live in ROOMS 170 & 182 Weiser Hall. You can also watch the talk/Q&A, live, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpMfqdRwMkU

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 01 Nov 2022 16:25:33 -0400 2022-11-05T10:30:00-04:00 2022-11-05T11:30:00-04:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Lecture / Discussion The first direct visual evidence of the supermassive black hole in the centre of Messier 87 and its shadow. (EHT Collaboration)
TBA (November 11, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97580 97580-21794772@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 11, 2022 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

TBA

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Aug 2022 10:37:01 -0400 2022-11-11T12:00:00-05:00 2022-11-11T13:30:00-05:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
Saturday Morning Physics | Battery Management System: Engineering a Guardian Angel for Lithium-Ion Batteries (November 12, 2022 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/99199 99199-21797696@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, November 12, 2022 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

From the Rosetta-Philae spacecraft landing three billion miles away from Earth to the daily commute of an electric vehicle, the battery management system (BMS) has been critical for protecting the pack, minimizing aging, accounting for cell-to-cell variability, and monitoring battery degradation in real-time from field data. Accurate predictions of degradation and lifetime of lithium-ion batteries are essential for reliability, safety, and key to cost-effectiveness and life-cycle emissions. The ultimate BMS task is the detection of the onset of venting, the prediction of imminent thermal runaway, which helps manage the risk of explosions and fires from failing batteries.

This talk will be live in ROOMS 170 & 182 Weiser Hall. You can also watch the talk/Q&A, live, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz0l5TJk-LE

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:30:10 -0400 2022-11-12T10:30:00-05:00 2022-11-12T11:30:00-05:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Lecture / Discussion The challenge and opportunity of battery lifetime prediction
TBA (November 18, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97583 97583-21794773@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 18, 2022 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

TBA

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Aug 2022 10:37:50 -0400 2022-11-18T12:00:00-05:00 2022-11-18T13:30:00-05:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
From intra- to inter- generational scaling laws governing long-term stochastic individual cell dynamics (December 2, 2022 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/101771 101771-21802336@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, December 2, 2022 12:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Over 150 years since Claude Bernard coined the evocative phrase, “milieu intérieur”, to draw attention to a deep mystery in the natural world, fundamental questions remain open about how the simplest living system, a bacterial cell, maintains homeostasis of its best studied attribute, cell size. In this talk I will address how life shapes time in a bacterial cell, and examine the interplay between homeostasis and adaptation in this context. First, I will first establish that stochastic intergenerational bacterial cell homeostasis_is_ maintained under appropriate growth conditions, using our precision measurements. Next, the emergent simplicities revealed by these data. Following this, a fitting-free theoretical framework, consistent with observed scaling laws and phenomenology. This naturally leads to a proposal for the underlying mechanistic model. Finally, the extension to time-varying growth conditions, and new emergent simplicities

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Workshop / Seminar Thu, 01 Dec 2022 09:37:37 -0500 2022-12-02T12:00:00-05:00 2022-12-02T13:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Chemistry Dow Lab
Saturday Morning Physics | Fluid Instabilities: Stars, Bars, and Fusion (December 10, 2022 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/99201 99201-21797698@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, December 10, 2022 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

Fluids are constantly mixing in our everyday lives. Some examples are oil and vinegar or coffee and cream. While we often don't think too much about how these fluids mix, they can have profound consequences in material ejecta in the Universe, fusion energy, and at your local pub. This talk will give a fundamental description of fluid mixing, discuss examples found in nature and engineering, and describe the effects mixing can have.

This talk will be live in ROOMS 170 & 182 Weiser Hall. You can also watch the talk/Q&A, live, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCLXmkQUwlg

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 01 Nov 2022 16:08:19 -0400 2022-12-10T10:30:00-05:00 2022-12-10T11:30:00-05:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Lecture / Discussion Figure Credit: Adrianna Angulo
TBA (January 6, 2023 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97656 97656-21794869@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, January 6, 2023 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

TBA

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Aug 2022 16:35:26 -0400 2023-01-06T12:00:00-05:00 2023-01-06T13:30:00-05:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
Cholesterol in the cargo membrane amplifies tau inhibition of kinesin-1-based transport (January 20, 2023 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97657 97657-21794870@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, January 20, 2023 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Intracellular cargos are often membrane-enclosed and transported by microtubule-based motors in the presence of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Whereas increasing evidence reveals how MAPs impact the interactions between motors and microtubules, critical questions remain about the impact of the cargo membrane on transport. Here we combined in vitro optical trapping with theoretical approaches to determine the effect of a lipid cargo membrane on kinesin-based transport in the presence of MAP tau. Our results demonstrate that attaching kinesin to a fluid lipid membrane reduces the inhibitory effect of tau on kinesin. Moreover, adding cholesterol, which reduces kinesin diffusion in the cargo membrane, amplifies the inhibitory effect of tau on kinesin binding in a dosage-dependent manner. We propose that reduction of kinesin diffusion in the cargo membrane underlies the effect of cholesterol on kinesin binding in the presence of tau, and we provide a simple model for this proposed mechanism. Our study establishes a direct link between cargo membrane cholesterol and MAP-based regulation of kinesin-1. The cholesterol effects uncovered here may more broadly extend to other lipid alterations that impact motor diffusion in the cargo membrane, including those associated with aging and neurological diseases.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 16 Jan 2023 13:46:24 -0500 2023-01-20T12:00:00-05:00 2023-01-20T13:30:00-05:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
Heterogeneous structure (and order) of disordered FUS condensation (January 27, 2023 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/97658 97658-21794871@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, January 27, 2023 12:00pm
Location:
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Formation of membraneless liquid-like biomolecular condensates (BCs) via liquid-liquid phase separation of disordered proteins is responsible for many behaviors in cells, specifically stress granule formation, chromatin organization, and RNA transcription. Structural changes of these BCs can be triggered by external stimuli such as pH, salt, or temperature as well as surface interactions. Often external stimuli can facilitate aberrant phase transitions or non-native multivalent interactions of these disordered proteins, which eventually leads to solidification. Here, I describe our studies of the structural and biophysical properties of FUS condensation after thermal shock, at hydrophobic interfaces, and at lipid interfaces using a combination of cutting-edge molecular microscopy and spectroscopy to reveal the diverse molecular states that FUS inhabits. In contrast to the disordered state observed in conventional liquid BCs, FUS under these different conditions forms condensates with heterogeneous structure and surprising ordering. Moreover, we find that interfaces can catalyze FUS assembly at concentrations less than 50-fold required in bulk.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 16 Jan 2023 13:48:52 -0500 2023-01-27T12:00:00-05:00 2023-01-27T13:30:00-05:00 LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar
Physics of cellular proportions (February 7, 2023 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/103295 103295-21806766@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, February 7, 2023 11:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: The Center for the Study of Complex Systems

Join us for this in-person talk. Coffee and snacks will be served.

Abstract: Dr. Gulliver noticed 140 years ago that the size of the cell\'s nucleus is proportional to the size of the cell. In the intervening years, similar observations have been made about other, large structures that self-assemble in the cell. This raises a fascinating question: How does the cell, which is micrometers in length, measure its size with nothing more at its disposal than nanometer-sized proteins that diffuse, on occasion bump into each other, and transiently stick together? In this talk I will describe quantitative experiments and related theory that reveal general principles of how cells control the size of their internal structures. The case of self-assembly of actin cables in budding yeast is particularly interesting in this context, as it provides an example of a structure whose size is well matched to the size of the cell. I will describe experiments and theory pertaining to actin cables, and the general principles of cellular self-assembly we are learning from this model system.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 16 Jan 2023 14:18:48 -0500 2023-02-07T11:30:00-05:00 2023-02-07T13:00:00-05:00 Weiser Hall The Center for the Study of Complex Systems Workshop / Seminar Jané Kondev
"It Takes Two: Conserved bimodal interactions between the coronavirus fusion peptide and calcium ions promote host membrane insertion and viral entry" (February 24, 2023 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/104219 104219-21808682@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, February 24, 2023 12:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) necessitates develop of effective therapies against the causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, and other pathogenic coronaviruses (CoV) that have yet to emerge. Focusing on the CoV replication cycle, specifically the entry steps involving membrane fusion, is an astute choice because of the conservation of the fusion machinery and mechanism across the CoV family. For coronavirus, entry into a host cell is mediated by a single glycoprotein protruding from its membrane envelope, called spike (S). Within S, the region that directly interacts with the membrane is called the fusion peptide, FP. It is the physico-chemical interactions of the FP with the host membrane that anchors it, enabling the necessary deformations of the membrane leading to delivery of the viral genome into the cell when a fusion pore opens. Thermodynamic, kinetic, and intermolecular interac-tions are useful to understand molecular level FP interactions with the host membrane. This knowledge can be leveraged to stop the spread of infection. Here, we examine the impact of calcium ions on CoV entry. Using cell infectivity, biophysical assays, and spectroscopic methods, we found that calcium ions stabilize the FP structure during conformational change that then allows its insertion into the host membrane, resulting in increased lipid ordering in the membrane. This lipid ordering precedes mem-brane fusion and correlates with increased fusion activity and higher levels of infection when calcium in present. As such, depletion of calcium ions leads to structure and activity changes in the fusion peptide that correlate well with in vitro experiments using calcium-chelating agents to block cell infection. We show calcium channel blockers can block virus infection in lung cells.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 30 Jan 2023 12:26:25 -0500 2023-02-24T12:00:00-05:00 2023-02-24T13:30:00-05:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Susan Daniel
Family Friendly Saturday Morning Physics | Physics Goes BOOM: Energy in Action! (March 11, 2023 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/104884 104884-21810395@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, March 11, 2023 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

In-Person Event: Lecture and Q&A, live-streamed on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x88YB3rowW4

Energy takes many forms: electrical, chemical, heat, sound, light… With selections from the famous University of Michigan Warren M. Smith Demolab and audience participation, we will explore how energy changes form to impact our lives every day.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 20 Feb 2023 09:29:31 -0500 2023-03-11T10:30:00-05:00 2023-03-11T11:30:00-05:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Workshop / Seminar Warren M. Smith Demolab
Controlling stochastic biophysical processes, from protein folding to evolution (March 14, 2023 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/105666 105666-21812662@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 11:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: The Center for the Study of Complex Systems

Abstract: The chemical reaction networks that regulate living systems are all stochastic to varying degrees. The resulting randomness affects biological outcomes at multiple scales, from the probability that a single protein molecule successfully finds its folded state to the evolutionary trajectory of a population of cells. Understanding how the distribution of these outcomes changes over time is often difficult, and achieving control over this distribution via external interventions is an even more complex challenge. Intriguingly, this problem has close parallels in a very different domain: manipulating quantum states for applications like quantum computing and cold atom transport. In this talk we show how one can translate quantum control into the classical realm of biology, giving us a novel tool for steering biological processes. We illustrate this idea through two examples: the first is controlling the distribution of genetic variants in an evolving cellular population. This is motivated by recent efforts to combat antibiotic resistance via therapies that guide the evolution of pathogens toward maximized drug sensitivity. The second example involves controlling the distribution of protein folding states using so-called molecular chaperones: protein enzymes that facilitate the unfolding or disaggregating of misfolded proteins. The theoretical framework behind these two examples is quite general, and can in principle be used in many other biophysical problems. Finally, we discuss ongoing work to explore the thermodynamic costs associated with control.

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Workshop / Seminar Thu, 02 Mar 2023 15:36:30 -0500 2023-03-14T11:30:00-04:00 2023-03-14T13:00:00-04:00 Weiser Hall The Center for the Study of Complex Systems Workshop / Seminar Michael Hinczewski
Dissertation Seminar (March 14, 2023 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/105661 105661-21812658@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 12:00pm
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Dissertation Seminar: Logan Walker (Chair: Dawen Cai)

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Workshop / Seminar Thu, 02 Mar 2023 14:34:44 -0500 2023-03-14T12:00:00-04:00 2023-03-14T15:00:00-04:00 Off Campus Location LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Logan Walker
Using X-ray spectroscopy to understand the role of non-innocent ligands in molecular catalysts (March 17, 2023 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/105213 105213-21811383@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 17, 2023 12:00pm
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

Molecular catalysts based on first row transition metals often employ redox-active or non-innocent ligands to support multi-electron transfer reactions. It can be challenging in these systems to disentangle the roles of ligand-based and metal-based reactive sites in accumulating charge or in bonding with substrates. Reaction mechanisms for these catalysts are therefore often based on computational predictions, with little experimental evidence. X-ray spectroscopy, which probes atomic core level transitions, is a well-suited technique to address these questions. The atomic specificity inherent to x-ray spectroscopy allows one to differentiate metal- or ligand-based reaction sites, the spectra are highly sensitive to both charge distribution and bonding at the specific atomic site, and x-ray measurements can often be conducted in situ or in the time-domain such that isolation of catalyst
species or transient intermediates is not required. My group uses x-ray spectroscopy to investigate the reaction mechanisms of first row transition metal electro- and photo-catalysts containing non-innocent ligands. In particular, we have focused on hydrogen evolving Ni complexes that employ Ni-S coordination. In this seminar, I will describe the progress we’ve made in three areas: (1) New mechanistic insight into the proton reduction reactions of Ni complexes containing pyridinethiolate ligands based on in situ x-ray absorption investigations. (2) How the metal-ligand covalency of Ni catalysts with dithiolene-like ligands can be quantified with x-ray absorption spectroscopy and how it influences reaction mechanism. (3) Finally, how metal-ligand covalency influences the excited state electronic structure and photochemistry of these catalysts.

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Livestream / Virtual Thu, 16 Mar 2023 09:12:17 -0400 2023-03-17T12:00:00-04:00 2023-03-17T13:30:00-04:00 Off Campus Location LSA Biophysics Livestream / Virtual Amy Cordones-Hahn
Saturday Morning Physics | UN/EARTH - Science and Art from a Mile Underground (March 18, 2023 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/105049 105049-21810645@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, March 18, 2023 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

Livestreamed Lecture and Q&A on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US-YWgcU1UQ

Located in the former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota, the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) houses experiments that give us a better understanding of the universe. The location—one mile underground—provides a near-perfect environment for experiments that need to escape the constant bombardment of cosmic radiation, which can interfere with the detection of rare physics events. Built in collaboration with University of Michigan Professor Bjoern Penning, LUX-Zeplin is the world’s most sensitive dark matter experiment. SURF also hosts experiments in biology, geology, and engineering. In 2019 Gina Gibson became the first artist in residence at SURF. In this special presentation, Bjoern Penning will introduce the LUX-Zeplin experiment, and Gina Gibson will describe her creations that celebrate research deep below the earth’s surface discovering beauty in the old and new, the light and dark, and the known and unknown.

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Lecture / Discussion Thu, 16 Mar 2023 10:40:55 -0400 2023-03-18T10:30:00-04:00 2023-03-18T11:30:00-04:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Lecture / Discussion Weiser Hall
Saturday Morning Physics | Van Loo Family Endowment Saturday Morning Physics Student Presentations (March 25, 2023 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/105050 105050-21810646@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, March 25, 2023 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

Livestreamed Lecture and Q&A Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wWN2jeMIyo

Graduate student presentations by two U-M PhD candidates: Blake Hipsley (Physics) and Larissa Markwardt (Astronomy).

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Presentation Tue, 21 Mar 2023 10:48:38 -0400 2023-03-25T10:30:00-04:00 2023-03-25T11:30:00-04:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Presentation Weiser Hall
“Structure-Based Insights into the Control of Heme Biosynthesis” (March 31, 2023 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/106128 106128-21813788@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 31, 2023 12:00pm
Location: Chemistry Dow Lab
Organized By: LSA Biophysics

ABSTRACT: Heme is a critical biomolecule that carries out several functions in nearly all life forms, including humans where its most widely known role is mediating oxygen transport in the blood. It is imperative that heme production is tightly controlled as alterations in cellular heme levels can have drastic consequences for human health. The first and rate-limiting enzyme controlling heme biosynthesis is aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS). ALAS is conserved in α- proteobacteria and non-plant eukaryotes, however, an important structural feature found exclusively in eukaryotic ALAS enzymes is the C-terminal extension. We seek to understand how ALAS interacts with accessory proteins as well as organism-specific differences in protein assembly that may alter the regulation of heme production. Therefore, we use X-ray crystallography combined with biophysical and biochemical characterization of various eukaryotic ALAS enzymes to parse apart the role of this key regulatory region in eukaryote ALAS function. Our work is beginning to reveal key structure-function relationships between the orientation and molecular contacts mediated by the C-terminus and ALAS enzyme function, thus controlling heme biosynthesis.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:41:10 -0400 2023-03-31T12:00:00-04:00 2023-03-31T13:30:00-04:00 Chemistry Dow Lab LSA Biophysics Workshop / Seminar Dr. Breann Brown
Saturday Morning Physics | Quantum Tools to Explore the Universe…and Help Life on Earth (April 1, 2023 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/105052 105052-21810648@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, April 1, 2023 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

Livestreamed Lecture and Q&A Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osqz65p5hK8

Scientists exploit the special properties of quantum physics to advance the state-of-the-art in measurement and imaging. These "quantum tools" can be used to probe the nature, history, and fate of the Universe–and can also be applied to down-to-Earth problems, ranging from health to security to navigation. I will describe some examples that have emerged from my laboratory and others over the last couple of decades.

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Lecture / Discussion Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:00:56 -0400 2023-04-01T10:30:00-04:00 2023-04-01T11:30:00-04:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Lecture / Discussion Weiser Hall
Saturday Morning Physics | The History of the Mystery of Spin: In Celebration of Homer A. Neal (April 15, 2023 10:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/105053 105053-21810649@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, April 15, 2023 10:30am
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Saturday Morning Physics

Livestreamed Lecture and Q&A Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFBfqvr9ZYw

Join us for a special lecture to learn about the key contributions of Homer A. Neal and Michigan physicists to the discovery and elucidation of spin physics in the quantum world. This lecture celebrates the Homer A. Neal Physics Research Laboratory.

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Lecture / Discussion Thu, 13 Apr 2023 11:17:40 -0400 2023-04-15T10:30:00-04:00 2023-04-15T11:30:00-04:00 Weiser Hall Saturday Morning Physics Lecture / Discussion Weiser Hall
PROFESSOR NILS WALTER, THE FRANCIS S. COLLINS COLLEGIATE PROFESSORSHIP IN CHEMISTRY, BIOPHYSICS AND BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, INAUGURAL LECTURE (May 8, 2023 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/103679 103679-21807635@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, May 8, 2023 4:00pm
Location: LSA Building
Organized By: The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Billions of safely given mRNA vaccine doses have saved millions of lives worldwide and proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that a transformative era of RNA Therapeutics is upon us, with great promise for overcoming virtually all diseases within this century through personalized medicines. Yet RNA can do so much more! Since the human genome project was completed, we know that at least 75% of our 3 billion DNA base pairs are transcribed into RNA, with the vast majority not coding for proteins but rather for “non-coding” RNAs (ncRNAs). Many of these ncRNAs remain uncharacterized in terms of their structure and function, spawning discussions of whether they are functional or not (and what “biological function” even is!). These applications and discoveries suggest that so far we have underestimated the far-reaching “RNA World” in our body, which may well also have spawned life on earth.
After an introduction to the power and benefits of these “new” and “old” RNA Worlds, this seminar will highlight some of the foundational work by the Walter lab, in which we use modern single molecule fluorescence microscopy to dissect and control the nanometer-sized RNA-protein assemblies that govern life, and particularly gene expression. Specifically, single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) allows us to measure distances at the 2-8 nm scale, whereas complementary super-resolution localization techniques measure distances in the 10 nm and longer range where biology occurs. Embracing the power of these technical advances, we have combined single-molecule, biochemical and computational simulation approaches to show that a bacterial riboswitch – controlled by a metabolite ligand – manipulates the speed of the much larger bacterial RNA polymerase. We posit that many more examples of such intimate coupling between RNA folding and gene expression remain to be discovered, leading to opportunities to identify new Achilles’ heels of the many pathogens that threaten human health. In addition, we are developing tools to observe single RNA nanomachines in action within their natural habitats inside living cells, leading to discoveries that may guide the development of novel cancer-fighting approaches.


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Lecture / Discussion Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:43:39 -0400 2023-05-08T16:00:00-04:00 2023-05-08T17:00:00-04:00 LSA Building The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Lecture / Discussion Poster Image