Seminar Series Archive

The following are Seminar Series from previous semesters.

Spring 2024

Spring 2024 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
May 2, 2024Understanding the DNA damage response in HIV replication and Cure strategiesDr. Oliver Fregoso, UCLA
April 25, 2024Organelle Dynamics During Mitosis: Pathway for the Generation of Cellular DiversityDr. Blake Riggs, San Francisco State University
April 18, 2024Glycopolymers as Broad-Spectrum Anti-Viral DrugsDr. Katherine McReynolds, CSU Sacramento
April 11, 2024The Neurobiology of Female Aggression: A Study in Drosophila MelanogasterDr. Caroline Palavicino Maggio, Harvard University
March 28, 2024Targeting Neuroinflammation and Brain Infiltrating Macrophages to Modulate Seizures in a Mouse Model of Viral-Induced EpilepsyDr. Ana Beatriz DePaula-Silva, University of Utah
March 21, 2024Development of Novel Mono and Bivalent Nanobodies Against EGFR for Targeted Cancer TherapyDiana Carolina Aguilar Cortes, Ph.D. student at University of Buenos Aires
March 14, 2024Elastic Movements in NatureDr. Mark Ilton, Harvey Mudd College
March 7, 2024Helping Communities Coexist with CougarsKorinna Domingo, Cougar Conservancy
February 29, 2024Why Recognize Protein When Fats Taste so Good!Dr. Dequina Nicholas, UC Irvine
February 22, 2024The Evolutionary and Ecological Consequences of Agricultural Expansion: Insights from Bird Communities in Southeast Asia and CaliforniaDr. Elizabeth Scordato, Cal Poly Pomona
February 15, 2024Adapting to Changing Landscapes - Studying Behavior in the Streets and in the ClassroomDr. Karina Sanchez, University of New Hampshire
February 8, 2024CRISPR/Cas9 – A Cut Above the Rest: Gene Editing Protocols for Monogenic DiseasesDr. Jennifer Johnston, San Jose State University
February 1, 2024Mangroves of the U.S. Virgin Islands: Growing Research, Restoration, Outreach and Education OpportunitiesDr. Kristin Grimes, University of Virgin Islands

Fall 2023

Fall 2023 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
December 7, 2023Prying Into the Private Lives of Mussels and OystersDr. Luke Miller, San Diego State University
November 30, 2023Armed from Tip to Tail: The Multifunctionality of Armor in FishesDr. Cassandra Donatelli, Chapman University
November 16, 2023Exploring the Evolution of Fluid-Structure Interactions in BiologyDr. Lindsay Waldrop, Chapman University
November 9, 2023IL-12-mediated T-bet-dependent Innate Immunity Against Toxoplasma gondiiDr. Americo López-Yglesias, Indiana University
November 2, 2023Peeling Back the Layers: Anatomical and Molecular Characterization of the Zebrafish MeningesDr. Marina Venero Galenternik, University of Utah
October 26, 2023Multicellular Signaling Cascades and Mechanisms of Metastasis in Solid Tumors (pre-recorded)Dr. Jonathan Kelber, Baylor University
October 19, 2023Zooming in: species diversity, parasites, and microbes in western chipmunksDr. Kayce Bell, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
October 12, 2023Inter-organ communication through plasma lipid signalingDr. Judith Simcox, University of Wisconsin–Madison
October 5, 2023Using high-tech tags to reveal new insights into pelagic fish ecologyDr. Ryan Logan, CSU Long Beach
September 28, 2023From mucus-maker to virus-maker: how astrovirus hijacks goblet cells and disrupts gut homeostasisDr. Valerie Cortez, UC Santa Cruz
September 21, 2023Science for the Management of Environmental Contaminants in California WatersDr. Leah Thornton Hampton, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
September 14, 2023Capturing the diversity of complex motions during fish feedingDr. Chris Martinez, UC Irvine
September 7, 2023What fruit flies can tell us about bisphenols as environmental risk factors for neurodevelopmental disordersDr. Kimberly Mulligan, CSU Sacramento
August 31, 2023HMGB2 Regulates the Differentiation and Stemness of Exhausted CD8+ T Cells During Chronic Viral Infection and CancerDr. Roberto Tinoco, UC Irvine

Spring 2023

Spring 2023 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
April 13, 2023Using Tags and Tech to Support Conservation and Management in a Dynamic OceanDr. Danielle Haulsee, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
April 6, 2023Faith, trust, and a little bit of neutrophil dust - examining the role of neutrophil-derived extracellular vesiclesDr. Mallary Greenlee-Wacker, Cal Poly SLO
March 23, 2023Fish out of water: a marine scientist's journey through urban environmental planningDr. Ian Kroll, Egis
March 16, 2023Cooperation and Competition for Xanthan Gum in Gut MicrobiomesDr. Matthew Ostrowski, University of Michigan
March 9, 2023Monitoring for management: An ecosystem function-based approach to estuarine assessmentDr. Jan Walker, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
March 2, 2023What’s in a Host? The Impacts of Environmental Stress and Pollution on Host-Microbe SystemsDr. Rachel Diner, UC San Diego
February 23, 2023Functional Morphology of Fin Rays in (Weird) FishesDr. Natalia Taft, University of Wisconsin - Parkside
February 2, 2023Here Today-Gone Tomorrow: A Global Perspective of Seasonal WetlandsDr. Jamie Kneitel, CSU Sacramento

Fall 2022

Fall 2022 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
December 8, 2022Deletion of Neurexin-2 in Excitatory Neurons Leads to Spontaneous Seizures and Autism-Like PhenotypeDr. Lulu Chen, UC Irvine
December 1, 2022Heads Up: Increasing Concussion Awareness in SportsDr. James Hicks, UC Irvine
November 17, 2022Developing Ultrafast Movement: using ontogeny to understand biological spring-latch mechanismsDr. Jacob Harrison, Georgia Institute of Technology
November 10, 2022There’s a time, not a place, for controversy: low-frequency coding in the mammalian inner earDr. George Burwood, Oregon Health and Science University
November 3, 2022Baleen whale ABCs: Anatomy, Biologging, and ConservationDr. Shirel Kahane-Rapport, CSU Fullerton
October 27, 2022Joint mobility as a bridge between form and functionDr. Armita Manafzadeh, Yale University
October 20, 2022Evolutionary form and function across ecological gradientsJonathan Huie, Ph.D. candidate, The George Washington University
October 13, 2022From social threat to maternal isolation: How stress steers mothers away from infantsDr. Danielle S. Stolzenberg, UC Davis
October 6, 2022Variation in ventilation: A potential reservoir of resilience against environmental stressorsSarah Handy, Ph.D. candidate, Arizona State University West
September 29, 2022Protease discovery and characterization in Drosera capensisGemma Rose Takahashi, Ph.D. candidate, UC Irvine
September 22, 2022Two birds with one rock: engineering multi-activity enzymes for improved carbohydrate deconstructionDr. Renaud Berlemont, CSU Long Beach
September 15, 2022From Butterfly Sperm to Inclusive STEM Spaces: How Experiences in STEM Shape our Conceptions of ScienceDr. Desirée Forsythe, Chapman University
September 8, 2022External reflectance and thermal tolerance as intraspecific thermoregulatory adaptations in Centris pallida beesDr. Meghan Barrett, CSU Dominguez Hills

Spring 2022

Spring 2022 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
May 5, 2022The Origin of Human Blood CancersDr. Nicholas Pannunzio, UC Irvine
April 28, 2022(Topic: Plastic Pollution)Dr. Win Cowger, Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research
April 14, 2022Recovery of white sharks off California, a conservation success story and what this means for coastal communitiesDr. Chris Lowe, CSU Long Beach
April 7, 2022Hormones and Hierarchies: sex differences in social status resolution in a sex changing fish, Lythrypnus dalliDr. Devaleena Pradhan, Idaho State University
March 24, 2022The Social GenomeDr. Jenny Tung, Duke University
March 17, 2022AutoTuna: A Robo-fish That Tunes Its Own StiffnessDr. Dan Quinn, University of Virginia
March 10, 2022Ecological and evolutionary consequences of flexible foraging behaviorDr. Avery Russell, Missouri State University
March 3, 2022Seabirds, Sentinels, and Sensory Ecology: an ecological model for understanding changing marine ecosystemsDr. Brian Hoover, Chapman University
February 24, 2022Whether feast or famine, the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa relies on enhancer-binding proteins to coordinate its metabolism with the production of virulence factors in the host environmentDr. Benjamin Lundgren, The College of New Jersey
February 21, 2022Fighting climate change with microbes, metals, and molecular geneticsDr. Joseph Groom, University of Washington
February 17, 2022Antibiotic Resistance: Evolution in ActionDr. Portia Mira, UCLA
February 10, 2022The Acoustic World of Bats: Jamming, Stealth and SilenceDr. Aaron Corcoran, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
February 3, 2022Annotation and Characterization of Human Protein-Coding Small Open Reading FramesDr. Thomas Martinez, UC Irvine

Fall 2021

Fall 2021 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
December 9, 2021Watching it live: how neurons regenerate dendrites after injury in vivoDr. Katherine Thompson-Peer, UC Irvine
December 2, 2021Evolutionary genomics for conservation: assessing vulnerability, resilience, and response in a changing worldDr. Tanya M. Lama, SUNY Stony Brook
November 18, 2021From the Mountains to the Sea: Comparative Genomics of Mechanisms Underlying the Physiological Response to Low OxygenDr. Allie Graham, University of Utah
November 4, 2021Appealing the "Sweet Tooth:" A Role for Glucosensing in Sugar TasteDr. Lindsey Schier, USC
October 28, 2021If a Bacterium Fits, Does it Sit? Surface sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosaDr. Lindsey Yoder, University of Washington
October 21, 2021The Kids Are (Not) alright: Environmental effects on spermatogenesisDr. Tegan Horan, Cornell University
October 14, 2021The genetic and evolutionary origin of convergent color patterns in Phyllobates poison-dart frogsDr. Roberto Marques Pizano, University of Michigan
October 7, 2021Beyond Jaws: A Journey into the Bellies of BeastsDr. Samantha Leigh, CSU Dominguez Hills
September 30, 2021Why are Fish: Morphological Mechanisms & BioinspirationDr. Brooke Flammang, New Jersey Institute of Technology/Rutgers University - Newark
September 23, 2021How fishes save energy: exploring biomechanical and physiological performance of locomotionDr. Valentina Di Santo, Stockholm University
September 16, 2021Abnormal Placentation after In Vitro Fertilization: Insights from a Mouse ModelDr. Lisa Vrooman, Oregon Health and Science University
September 9, 2021Tracking Crabs with Drones: Seasonal Distribution of King Crabs in Bristol BayDr. Leah Zacher, Alaska Fisheries Science Center
September 2, 2021Bugs on the brain: What studying arthropods can tell us about brain evolutionMeghan Barrett, Ph.D. Candidate, Drexel University

Spring 2021

Spring 2021 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
April 29Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses of three different adaptive radiations of fishes in North AmericaDr. Joseph Heras, CSU San Bernardino
April 22Control of Breathing and Airway DefenseDr. Bill Milsom, University of British Columbia, and Dr. Graham Scott, McMaster University
April 15Interdisciplinary approaches to investigate plankton population dynamicsDr. Darcy Taniguchi, CSU San Marcos
April 8Heart failure is characterized in part by the inability of the myocardium to relax effectivelyAlex Salomon, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Pennsylvania
March 25Insects in the Saltmarsh: What they tell us about natural and technological disastersDr. Linda Bui, Louisiana State University
March 18Natural and unnatural controls on biodiversity distribution and ecosystem function in the Andes-AmazonDr. Miles Silman, Wake Forest University
March 11Sea urchin larvae provide a systems-level model for understanding innate immunity in the gutDr. Kate Buckley, Auburn University
March 4Cellular neuroscience goes wild: remembering how to breath after a winter's long apneaDr. Joseph Santin, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
February 25Along the Speciation Continuum from North to SouthJessica (Jess) McLaughlin, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Oklahoma
February 18(canceled)(canceled)
February 11A Valentine's special: seeing butterflies and "Love Spots"Dr. Michael Perry, UC San Diego
February 4Multiple stressors and time-lags complicate invasion dynamics in tidal marshDr. Rachel Wiggington, UC Davis
January 28Why Not Help? Proximate Mechanisms Influencing Individual Variation in Cooperative BehaviorDr. Jessica A. Cusick, Indiana University
January 21Becoming an Addiction Neuroscientist as a Low-Income First-Gen Daughter of ImmigrantsAngeline J. Dukes, Ph.D. Candidate, UC Irvine

Fall 2020

Fal 2020 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
December 10In the beginning, there was an ecosystem: the origin of life as a chemical ecological problemLena Vincent, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Wisconsin, Madison
December 3Weird and Wonderful Extinct AnimalsDr. Alexis Mychajliw, University of Oklahoma
November 19The Evolution of Air Breathing from things that don't BreatheDr. Michael B. Harris, CSU Long Beach
November 12The role of sex chromosomes to cause sex differences in diseaseDr. Xuqi Chen, UCLA
November 5Evolution In a Flask: Stress & TransformationDr. Phoebe Lostroh, Colorado College
October 29Experimental Studies in Evolutionary DynamicsDr. Michael Wiser, Michigan State University
October 22Bats: Keystone Taxa for Forest Regeneration and Preventing the Next PandemicDr. Susan Tsang, American Museum of Natural History
October 15Cut Once, Mature Twice – Exploring the Proteolytic Events of Neurodevelopment and NeurodegenerationDr. Timothy J. Mosca, Thomas Jefferson University
October 8Investigating the drivers of foraging behavior of a tropical seabirdJenny Howard, Ph.D. Candidate, Wake Forest University
October 1Words For Nerds: How To Share Your Work With The Media (and other real people)Dawn Fallik, University of Delaware
September 24The ecology and evolution of primate cognitionDr. Alexandra Rosati, University of Michigan
September 17The Epithelial Unknown: novel mechanisms of rapidly adjusting epithelial ion transportDr. Dennis Kolosov, CSU San Marcos (Jan. 2021)
September 10Shining a light on glial contributions to sleep and sleep regulationDr. Ashley M. Ingiosi, Washington State University
September 3Managing and planning our academic workloads using the Everything WorkloadDr. Raul Pacheco-Vega, Flacso Mexico

Spring 2020

Spring 2020 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
May 7Deconstructing visual signals in social butterfliesDr. Susan Finkbeiner, Pepperdine University
April 30The silent forests of Guam: the historical and ongoing impacts of one of the world's most invasive predators on an insular avifaunaDr. Henry Pollock, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne
April 23Counting fish from Alaska to the Falkland Islands: using marine biology to inform stock assessmentsDr. Thomas Farrugia, Monterey Bay Aquarium
March 5Sensitivity and exposure to climate change across life stages of marine invertebratesDr. Lauren Pandori, UC Irvine
February 27Quantification and ecosystem drivers of blue carbon in Pacific coast tidal wetlandsDr. Christopher Janousek, Oregon State University
February 20Defining skin cancer heterogeneity and drug resistanceDr. Scott Atwood, UC Irvine
February 13Causes and consequences of temporal changes in the vaginal microbial floraDr. Jose Miguel Ponciano, University of Florida
February 6The dual role of complement in atherosclerosisDr. Deborah Fraser, CSU Long Beach
January 30The past, present, and future of  America's forest birdsDr. Morgan Tingley, University of Connecticut

Fall 2019

Fall 2019 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
September 5, 2019Negative regulation of age-related developmental leaf senescence by the IAOx pathway, PEN1 and PEN3Dr. Judy Brusslan, CSU Long Beach
September 12, 2019Bird paddling and ant bouldering: using robotics and high-throughput tracking to understand how animals move in natural environmentsDr. Glenna Clifton, UC San Diego
September 19, 2019Unraveling the drivers of coral diversity: from the deep sea to deep timeDr. Andrea Quatrinni, Harvey Mudd College
September 26, 2019When I was your age there was only one estrogen receptor...Dr. Kevin Sinchak, CSU Long Beach
October 3, 2019Brain dendritic cells critically modulate protective immune responses during WNV encephalitisDr, Douglas Durrant, CalPoly Pomona
October 10, 2019Leeches as models for integrating studies in evolution, development, cell fate specification, and behaviorDr. David Weisblat, UC Berkeley
October 17, 2019On microbial safari in coastal watersDr. Cameron Thrash, USC
October 24, 2019Changes in the transition zone – early warning of climate driven ecosystems shiftsDr. Ryan Freedman, UC Santa Barbara
October 31, 2019Sparks and shocks: What Frankenstein tells us about the nature of lifeDr. Michael Harris, CSU Long Beach
November 14, 2019Genetic and epigenetic regulation of cell death in nervous system developmentDr. Kristin White, Harvard University
November 21, 2019Estrogen-sensitive hypothalamic neurons that regulate body temperature in miceDr. Stephanie Correa, UCLA
December 5, 2019Detection and use of geo-magnetic fields in shark orientation and navigation behaviorsDr. James Anderson, CSU Long Beach

Spring 2019

Spring 2019 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
May 2, 2019Role of the RB/E2F pathway on the control of epigenetic processes during cancer developmentDr. Claudia Benavente, UC Irvine
April 25, 2019Using Drosophila to study the immunity and biology of macrophagesDr. Catherine Brennan, CSU Fullerton
April 18, 2019The Hippo pathway in growth control and cancer developmentDr. Wenqui Wang, UC Irvine
April 11, 2019APOE, diet, and hormone interactions in aging and Alzheimer's diseaseDr. Amy Christensen, USC
March 28, 2019Orosensory cues involved in calorie-dense diet intakeDr. Yada Treesukosol, CSU Long Beach
March 21, 2019Physical insecticides-bioinspiration from the action of bean leaves on bed bugsDr. Catherine Loudon, UC Irvine
March 14, 2019TBADr. Ellis R. Levin, UC Irvine and Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center
March 7, 2019The weird and wonderful world of hagfishesDr. Douglas Fudge, Chapman University
February 28, 2019Feed a cold but starve a fever? Evolutionary epidemiology illustrates why appetite during illness mattersDr. Jessica Hite, University of Nebraska
February 14, 2019Quantifying ecological and demographic dynamics of Cayo Santiago rhesus macaquesDr. Raisa Hernandez Pacheco, University of Richmond
February 7, 2019The ecological consequences of organismal responses to anthropogenically-altered aquatic environmentsDr. Paul Bourdeau, Humboldt State University
January 31, 2019Nitrogen deposition and rainfall effects on grassland plants and animalsDr. Joshua Grinath, Middle Tennessee State University

Fall 2018

Fall 2018 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
December 6, 2018Physical insecticides-bioinspiration from the action of bean leaves on bed bugsDr. Catherine Loudon, UC Irvine
November 29, 2018Ecological responses to connectivity between sandy beach and kelp forest ecosystemsDr. Jenny Dugan, Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara
November 8, 2018Ocean food webs from phytoplankton to tuna: Invisible and unusual trophic links through the zooplanktonDr. Michael Landry, Scripps Institute Oceanography
November 1, 2018The slipper snail, Crepidula, as a model for evolutionary developmental biologyDr. Deirdre Lyons, Scripps Institute Oceanography
October 25, 2018Aging and locomotor systemsDr. Angela Horner, CSU Santa Barbara
October 18, 2018Introducing "WormBeat": coding away the tedium to better understand neuromuscular patterning in C. elegansDrs. Michael Harris & Renaud Berlemont, CSU Long Beach
October 11, 2018Responses of aquatic invasive plant species to climate warmingDr. Morgane Gillard, UC Davis
October 4, 2018The effect of prey, predators, and sociality on cheetah hunting behaviorDr. Anne Hilborn, UC Riverside
September 27, 2018Using coral cell cultures to understand calcificationDr. Jeana Drake, UCLA
September 20, 2018'X' marks the spot: science and conservation in the largest and deepest world heritage siteDr. Randi Rotjan, Boston University
September 13, 2018Draxin: a novel player in the molecular control of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in the embryonic neural crestDr. Erica Hutchins, Cal Tech

Spring 2018

Spring 2018 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
May 3, 2018Bioinformatics and BiologyDr. Renaud Berlemont, CSU Long Beach
April 19, 2018Screening for risks associated with calcium signaling disruptionDr. Erika Holland, CSU Long Beach
April 12, 2018Vaquita: The world's most endangered marine mammalMr. David Bader, Aquarium of the Pacific
April 5, 2018Collision of marine and anthropogenic halopyrroles on ryanodine receptor signalingDr. Isaac Pessah, UC Davis, Depart Molecular Biosciences
March 22, 2018Walking the dog(ma) in low oxygen: From DNA to RNA to protein synthesis in response to and recovery from hypoxiaDr. Travis Lee, Salk Institute
March 15, 2018Temperature and scale in elastically powered movementsDr. Jeff Olberding, UC Irvine
March 8, 2018Stem cell techniques for modeling and treating vision disordersDr. Melissa Jones, UC San Diego
March 1, 2018Eavesdropping influences the realized niche of neotropical mixed-species bird flocksDr. Ari Martinez, Museum of Comparative Zoology, UC Berkeley
February 22, 2018Identifying triggers of biodiversity loss: spanning borders by bridging conceptsDr. Shawn McCracken, Texas State University
February 15, 2018Within-individual variation in behavior and physiology: integrating stress, signals, sex, and senescenceDr. Conor Taff, Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University
February 8, 2018The story of the strike: feeding ecology and morphology of mantis shrimp and other interesting invertebratesDr. Maya deVries, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
January 25, 2018Understanding the causes and consequences of phenotypic variation in terrestrial vertebratesDr. Loren Merrill, IL Natural History Survey, Urbana-Champaign

Fall 2017

Fall 2017 Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
November 30, 2017Opportunities and challenges from the sea: Exploring linkages between oceans and human healthDr. Amro Hamdoun, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
November 16, 2017Sanctuary no more? How the massive Mud Creek slide in Big Sur impacts endangered black abaloneDr. Steve Lonhart, NOAA/Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
November 9, 2017Using autonomous platforms to understand bio-physical interactions: from the Antarctic to the equatorDr. Megan Cimino, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
November 2, 2017A day in the life of a cyanobacteriumDr. Susan Cohen, CSU Los Angeles
October 26, 2017The evolution of offspring size: linking life-history theory and metabolic theoryMs. Amanda Pettersen, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
October 19, 2017Ecological factors shaping collective behavior in spotted hyenas and ground squirrelsDr. Jennifer Smith, Mills College, Oakland
October 12, 2017The role of microglia in brain rewiring by early-life stressDr. Jessica Bolton, UC Irvine
October 5, 2017The story of the strike: feeding ecology and morphology of mantis shrimp and other interesting invertebratesDr. Maya deVries, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
September 28, 2017Crop protection for algal-based food and fuelDr. Ryan Simkovsky, UC San Diego
September 21, 2017Restoring salt marshes in the XXI CenturyDr. Jesús M. Castillo, Universidad de Sevilla
September 14, 2017How did they do that?; Structures responsible for power amplification in animalsDr. Benjamin Perlman, UC Irvine
September 7, 2017Linking microbial ecology to biotechnology using bioinformaticsDr. Renaud Berlemont, CSU Long Beach