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Cassat receives Mathers Foundation award
James Cassat, (Pediatrics) has earned a three-year, $750,000 award from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation to support research exploring the interplay between bone homeostasis and infectious disease.
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Gil earns HHMI Gilliam Fellowship
Melanie Gil (Neuroscience) and Vivian Gama (Cell and Developmental Biology) join 50 other teams of graduate students and advisers who earned a 2022 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study.
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MSTP students receive P.E.O. Scholar Awards
Margaret Axelrod (Cancer Biology), Rachel Brown (Cancer Biology), and Simone Herzberg (Epidemiology), aspiring physician-scientists in the Medical Scientist Training Program, are among this year’s recipients of highly competitive P.E.O. Scholar Awards.
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Shelton selected as Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar
Catherine Shelton (Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology) was selected as the 2022 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar. She will receive a $1,000 cash prize and will be mentored by Ruth Lehmann, a world-renowned developmental geneticist who directs the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Garcia wins Protein Society best poster
Velia Garcia (Biochemistry) in the lab of Walter Chazin won a best poster award at the July Protein Society Annual Symposium in San Francisco.
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DelGiorno, Jyotsana earn DOD grant
Kathleen DelGiorno (Cell and Developmental Biology) and Nidhi Jyotsana (CDB) received a DOD Parterning PI grant to support high-impact research focused on pancreatic cancer.
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Trainee fellowships
Congratulations to the following trainees who received fellowships:
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Nick Petersen (Neuroscience, Danny Winder lab)
- American Society of Nephrology: Xinyu Dong (Cell and Developmental Biology, Roy Zent lab)
- Other funding agencies: Stephanie Cajigas (Neuroscience, Erin Calipari lab); Ansley Kunnath (Neuroscience, René Gifford and Mark Wallace labs), Patrick Melugin (Neuroscience, Cody Siciliano lab)
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Faculty earn Seeding Success Grants
The Seeding Success Grant supports new work or directions with strong potential for impact or funding from federal, foundation, or industry sponsors. The 2022 recipients include the following Basic Sciences-affiliated faculty:
- Biochemistry: Martin Egli; Yi Ren
- Cell and Developmental Biology: Ethan Lee; Jenny Schafer
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Simple Beginnings ceremony upcoming
The annual Simple Beginnings ceremony commemorates each new class of doctoral students with the presentation of a personalized lab coat. Incoming students will be presented with their lab coats in person on September 2 at 4:00 p.m. Friends and family are invited to celebrate the new class virtually from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. by registering in advance. Those wishing to donate a lab coat to an incoming student or give to the Simple Beginnings Fund may do so online.
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Scientist-Artists: Embracing Duality
The latest Lab-to-Table Conversation featured moderator Kendra Oliver, assistant professor of pharmacology, and panelists Ian Macara, chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology; Navya Thakkar, Vanderbilt undergraduate alumna; Kate Mittendorf, Vanderbilt Ph.D. alum; and Jacob Steenwyk, Vanderbilt Ph.D. alumnus, as they explored their scientist-artist dual identities.
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Hinton named topic editor, master mentor
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Fort selected for pool of early-career reviewers
Loic Fort (Ian Macara lab) has been selected as an early-career reviewer for eLife. eLife’s early-career reviewer pool gives early-career researchers the opportunity to participate in and gain experience with the peer review process.
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Embarking on the adventure of “Wellness Explored”
RC Stabile (BRET Office) is leading a new National Institute of General Medical Sciences-funded module, "Wellness Explored," aimed at teaching trainees in the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity program the dimensions of work-life balance.
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Fresh-from-the-oven grads!
The following graduates successfully defended their dissertations this past month:
- Biochemistry: Romell Gletten, Ph.D.
- Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology: Taylor Engdahl, Ph.D.
- Pharmacology: Christian Egly, Ph.D.
- Program in Cancer Biology: Verra Ngwa, Ph.D.
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Catching Up With ReMARCable Vanderbilt Graduates
Four third-year undergraduates representing the first cohort of the Maximizing Access to Research Careers program at Vanderbilt University shared their stories. The program provides mentorship to undergrads of groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences who plan to pursue advanced degrees.
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Address microaggresions in the workplace
Learn how to effectively address microaggresions in the workplace through the "How to Speak Up: From Bystander to Participant" training, hosted by the Basic Sciences DEI program manager. Two sessions remain:
- Students: August 3, 12:00–1:30 p.m., 1202 MRBIII*
- Anyone: August 4, 12:00–1:30 p.m., 1202 MRBIII*
*Please note that it is, in fact, 1202, NOT 1220
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Biochemistry awardee lectures
Three trainees in the Department of Biochemistry—Madison Adolph (David Cortez lab), Pratibha Ghodke (Fred Guengerich lab), and Alexandria Oviatt (Neil Osheroff lab)—were recently recognized for exceptional achievements during their time at Vanderbilt. They will present their research as part of the "Frontiers in Biochemistry" seminar series on August 5 at 12:00 pm in 214 Light Hall.
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VI4 DEI committee happy hour
The VI4 DEI committee is looking for volunteers to help further their commitment to diversity and desire to support community members from underrepresented groups. Join them in the 5th floor atrium of MRBIII for a happy hour on August 11 at 3:30–5:00 p.m. to learn about upcoming service opportunities. Email vi4research@vumc.org to RSVP.
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VICB Research Symposium
The VICB 2022 Student Research Symposium will take place on Friday, August 12. Submit abstracts and register by July 31. More information on the VICB website.
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BioRender coming to Basic Sciences
Thanks to a partnership between Basic Sciences, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, and the Office of the Provost, beginning September 1, all Basic Sciences investigators (primary faculty in all tracks, staff, postdocs, graduate students) will have access to BioRender through an institutional license for a one-year pilot program. Keep an eye out for the full announcement.
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Microscopy education opportunityStudents and trainees: apply now for the fall semester of the Widening the Lens Microscopy Education Program. Beginner microscopists welcome.
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Get help with grant submissions and resubmissions
Looking for an extra set of eyes on your upcoming grant? Edge for Scholars offers an internal review by senior faculty of any R, K, or F application, plus applications for other federal and foundation funding sources. Visit their website for more details, including deadlines.
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Recycle your pens and mechanical pencils
Thanks to a partnership between Vanderbilt and TerraCycle and following the lead of the Center for Structural Biology, the Office of the Dean of Basic Sciences will become a collection center for any pen or mechanical pencil that would otherwise be destined for the trash. Visit us in the U1200 suite of MRBIII and ask for Lorena Infante Lara—the bin is by her desk.
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NIH Director's Pioneer Award
The Pioneer Award offers funding opportunities for exceptionally creative scientists proposing pioneering approaches to major challenges in biomedical, social science, and behavioral research. Applications are due September 9, 2022.
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Have a job opening you’d like to promote? Send us a link or a description and contact info, and we’ll post it here for three issues. Renew postings anytime!
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About this issue’s banner
Pathogenic Escherichia coli recruit the host cell protein actin to form structures that help the bacteria move around the cell surface. This image of HeLa cells was taken by Julissa Burgos, a graduate student in the lab of Matthew Tyska (Cell and Developmental Biology), as part of a study aiming to understand how host proteins play a role in pathogenic E. coli infection. DNA is shown in blue (the large blue spots are the host cell nuclei and the small blue spots are the bacteria) and F-actin is shown in purple.
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Catch up on Basic Sciences news!
We regularly update our website with some of the latest VU Basic Sciences news stories.
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Faculty and facility profiles
Check out our faculty interviews and our facility highlights here.
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About the newsletter
This newsletter recognizes the achievements and latest discoveries of students, postdocs, faculty, and staff associated with Basic Sciences departments, centers, and cores or who carry out basic biomedical research at Vanderbilt.
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Help friends and family keep up with Basic Sciences!
Basic Sciences has a number of new communication avenues that you or your loved ones can use to keep up with what's going on here. If they're not already getting the Reading List, Vital, and Lab-to-Table Conversations announcements, send them to our subscription center!
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Keep up with biomedical science seminars
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If your paper has been accepted...
We're really excited to promote your papers—by sharing on social media, writing a press release or story, making a video about your research, or other promotion as capacity allows—help us by letting us know if your paper has been accepted (preferably before the embargo is up) or recently published!
Fill out this form and tell us a little about your paper and its impact.
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Send us your news
Got an announcement or an upcoming event? Did we miss out on celebrating you or your lab's successes? Let us know!
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Faculty profile: Walter Chazin
Walter Chazin, professor of biochemistry and chemistry, provides an overview of his research involving the study of DNA priming at the replication fork. He also gives insights into running a lab. View the interview on YouTube.
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Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences
MRB III U-B1200
465 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37240
Phone: (615) 322-0907 | basicsciences@vanderbilt.edu
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