CC NY
deptartment newsletter Spring‘15 | Issue #4
The Sharon D. Cosloy–Edward Blank Lecture & Awards
From left; Dr. Mark Emerson, Mr. Edward Blank, Dr. Nancy Kleckner, and Benjamin Soufer
Dr. Nancy Kleckner
Dr. Nancy Kleckner, Herschel Smith Professor of Molecular Biology at Harvard University, delivered the 9th annual Sharon Cosloy-Edward Blank Lecture on October 23rd, 2014. The title of her talk was “Chromosome Dynamics from Bacteria to Mammalian Cells.”
Benjamin Souferi
The winner of the Sharon D. Cosloy Scholarship in Biology was announced at the event. Benjamin Souferi, a BS/MS student working in Dr. Emerson’s laboratory was this year’s recipient. Coming from a family of Iranian-Jewish refugees, Ben feels especially grateful for the award. “This will help further my strong passion for science and the medical field,” says Ben, “I hope to complete my MD/PhD and work towards decreasing Edward Blank social barriers.” Ben’s passion for helping others is demonstrated The beloved husband of the late CCNY Biology Professor and in his volunteer work with the American Heart Association Chair, Dr. Sharon Cosloy, CCNY alumnus, Mr. Blank, who endows through CCNY’s Volunteer Emergency Services. “The best part the annual Cosloy-Blank Lecture and scholarship, was in of winning this award is making my parents proud, in addition to attendance. The occasion was made even more memorable by the participation for the first time of the recently-appointed Dean setting a great example my three younger siblings.” of Science, Dr. Tony Liss, and newly-appointed Chairperson of the Department of Biology, Dr. Karen Hubbard.
Faculty Spo l i g ht
Dr. Bao Vuong When Assistant Professor Dr. Bao Vuong was a researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering CancerCenter, he was incubating more than cell cultures: the calling to teach was being nurtured within him during those eight years as well. Dr. Vuong came to CCNY in Fall 2014, from the cancer institute, sure that, of all the area schools, City College would offer him an ideal balance between science and pedagogy. Dr. Vuong came to the U.S. with his family as a young child; they were part of the perilous, wrenching boat rescues in 1975 that brought upwards of 140,000 South Vietnamese refugees here after the fall of the capital, Saigon. His family was resettled in central Florida, in a community that offered few cultural and linguistic signposts that could ease Dr. Vuong’s transition into a new world. With that experience
behind him, he observes, “Given the student population here [at CCNY], that they’re predominantly from immigrant backgrounds, typically first generation immigrants, I can relate to their endeavors to try to improve their lives.” Dr. Vuong’s identity with immigrants and underrepresented groups is served by his participation in RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN), a collaboration between researchers and healthcare institutions that reaches into underserved communities in order to redress disparities in healthcare delivery. Dr. Vuong studies mostly the basic molecular process in B-cells that can lead to a certain strain of B-cell lymphoma. At the same time, he is seeking to broaden his research to include B-cell functioning in patients with lupus and, other autoimmune diseases that may disproportionately affect minority communities. He is
in synch with the more translational approach of RTRN as it seeks answers to big questions and cures to major diseases disproportionately affecting underrepresented populations. With his lab slated to be fully operational by the beginning of 2015, Dr. Vuong is eagerly recruiting students to begin working with him. In the meantime he is currently teaching a laboratory course in Cell and Molecular Biology (Biology 229), and will take on more teaching duties in upcoming semesters. Dr. Vuong can be observed sitting in his large, airy, and sparse laboratory in the Marshak Science Building, personalized for now only by his various computers. He comments, with a sense of anticipation and commitment, “I’m creating my little lab nest here.
Publications & p r e s e n tat i o n s Dr. Kamillah Ali Ali, K., E. M. Abo-Ali, M. D. Kabir, B. Riggins, S. Nguy, L. Li, U. Srivastava, and S. M. M. Thinn. 2014. A western-fed diet increases plasma HDL and LDL-cholesterol levels in ApoD–/– mice. PLoS ONE 9:e115744. Dr. Ana Carnaval Carnaval, A. C., E. Waltari, M. T. Rodrigues, D. Rosauer, J. VanDerWal, R. Damasceno, I. Prates, M. Strangas, Z. Spanos, D. Rivera, M. R. Pie, C. R. Firkowski, M. R. Bornschein, L. F. Ribeiro, and C. Moritz. 2014. Prediction of phylogeographic endemism in an environmentally complex biome. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/ rspb.2014.1461 Prates, I., M. T. Rodrigues, P. R. Melo-Sampaio, and A. C. Carnaval. 2015. Phylogenetic relationships of Amazonian anole lizards (Dactyloa): Taxonomic implications, new insights about phenotypic evolution and the timing of diversification. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 82:258–268. Dr. Mark Emerson Emerson, M. M. Probing the developmental origins of vertebrate cone photoreceptors with cis-regulatory modules. Genes, Epigenetics, and Evolution in Eye Development and Disease Conference. Parador de Oropesa, Spain. September 2014 Wang, S., C. Sengel, M. M. Emerson, and C. L. Cepko. 2014. A gene regulatory network controls the binary fate decision of rod and bipolar cells in the vertebrate retina. Developmental Cell 30:513–527.
Dr. Shuba Govind Heavner, M. E., A. D. Hudgins, R. Rajwani, J. Morales, and S. Govind. 2014. Harnessing the natural Drosophila-parasitoid model for integrating insect immunity with functional venomics. Current Opinion in Insect Science 6:61–67. Shaffer, C. D., et al. 2014. A course-vased research experience: How benefits change with increased investment in instructional time. CBE-Life Sciences Education 13:111–130. Dr. Michael Hickerson Demos, T. C., J. C. Kerbis Peterhans, B. Agwanda, and M. J. Hickerson. 2014. Uncovering cryptic diversity and refugial persistence among small mammal lineages across the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 71:41–54. Smith, B. T., J. E. McCormack, A. M. Cuervo, M. J. Hickerson, A. Aleixo, C. D. Cadena, J. Perez-Eman, C. W. Burney, X. Xie, M. G. Harvey, B. C. Faircloth, T. C. Glenn, E. P. Derryberry, J. Prejean, S. Fields, and R. T. Brumfield. 2014. The drivers of tropical speciation. Nature 515:406–409. Dr. David Lohman Kaliszewska, Z. A., D. J. Lohman, K. Sommer, G. Adelson, D. B. Rand, J. Mathew, G. Talavera, and N. E. Pierce. 2015. When caterpillars attack: biogeography and life history evolution of the Miletinae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Evolution: DOI: 10.1111/evo.12599 Lohman D.J. Evolution and biogeography of Batesian mimetic diversity in Elymnias butterflies (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae). Invited presentation at NSF-NSFC Biodiversity Partnerships Workshop. Beijing Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, September 2014.
Dr. Hysell Oviedo Oyibo, H. K., P. Znamenskiy, H. V. Oviedo, L. W. Enquist, and A. M. Zador. 2014. Long-term Cre-mediated retrograde tagging of neurons using a novel recombinant pseudorabies virus. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 8:86. Dr. Mark Pezzano Pezzano M, Osada M, Singh VJ, Sant’Angelo DB. Label retaining stem cells in the postnatal thymus. International Symposium on Minority Health and Health Disparities, December 2014 Pezzano M, Singh VJ, Schwartz C, Jamil NZ. WNT signaling during thymic involution and reconstitution. International Symposium on Minority Health and Health Disparities, December 2014. Dr. Adrian Rodriguez-Contreras Shi L, Rodríguez-Contreras A, Budansky Y, Pu Y, Nguyen TA, Alfano RR. 2014. Deep two-photon microscopic imaging through brain tissue using the second singlet state from fluorescent agent chlorophyll α in spinach leaf. Journal of Biomedical Optics 19: 066009. doi: 10.1117/1. JBO.19.6.066009 Rodríguez-Contreras A, Shi L, Fu BM. 2014. A method to make a craniotomy on the ventral skull of neonate rodents. Journal of Visualized Experiments 87: e51350. doi: 10.3791/51350 PMID: 24894439
Student Spo l i g hts Evan Prates
stephanie montenegro
Brazil has some of the world’s most vast and diverse ecosystems, and at the same time, some of the most endangered. Thus the country produces a cadre of dedicated researchers who can find their laboratory on their doorstep. One such researcher is Ivan Prates, a native of Sao Paulo, who is a member of Dr. Ana Carnaval’s lab at CCNY. While studying for his PhD, he is intent on learning as much as he can from Dr. Carnaval, his mentor, as well as from the numerous detours off the straight path his inquisitive mind leads him to. Once he made the decision to pursue biology rather than art, Ivan seemed preordained to gravitate towards the ecology and evolution of the tropics. Within the tropics, he has been most engaged with amphibians. From the ground up, he wants to achieve a clear understanding of the origins of biodiversity through using genetic information as he seeks to “come up with those keys to the past that can also open the door to the future,” and most importantly, “divert, for the better, the precarious and compromised course our planet and its resources are taking.” Ivan received a rigorous and comprehensive background in science while studying in Brazil, but wanted to go abroad for his doctorate. Excited and challenged by the cutting-edge methodology and analytical tools he’d been exposed to, he wanted to be nearer to the researchers spearheading innovation. An intensive search found Dr. Carnaval. Once he established a correspondence with her, they “clicked” over their keen mutual interest in the frogs of South America. Ivan’s interest in the tiny, colorful and photogenic Amazonian poison dart frogs intrigued Dr. Carnaval. Then, he came north. Ivan would like to spend another two to three years researching here before completing his doctorate. He wants to soak up as much knowledge that he can. Inquiries not directly related to his thesis include further species identification and intensifying his study of lizards. Degree in hand, Ivan plans to return to Brazil where he will continue his research and teach. “I feel that I’m missing a lot,” he confesses, concluding, “I’m really far from the forest, far from the frogs.”
Stephanie Montenegro will be the first person in her family to graduate from college.She is a role model for her multi-sourced family; her mother was raised in Argentina, her father is from Colombia, and her bloodlines extend to Russia, Germany and Hungary. Stephanie will graduate from CCNY with a 3.5 GPA in Fall 2015 with a BS/MS in Biology. Stephanie has come up through the New York City public schools and states her education here competes with, if it doesn’t beat, the ones received in private institutions. “It grounds me,” she reflects, “knowing I am receiving a cost-effective education here. At the same time, there is no loss in quality; some of my professors have been really amazing!” Her career goal is to earn her doctorate and become a full professor, head her own laboratory and a generous complement of students where she might be “a force of influence on their lives.” She envisions her students coming to appreciate that a thorough understanding of course material is ultimately more rewarding than rote memorization, and that the takeaway for subject matter wellmastered goes far beyond earning maximum grades. “Coming out knowing something and caring about that something” is the gold standard she has set for her contribution to her students, one she practices herself. “It was really beneficial that I’ve had professors who pushed me in a certain direction and inspired me,” she observes. Stephanie has been especially inspired by two members of the neurobiology faculty, Drs. Levitt and Edelman. She has taken two courses with Dr. Levitt and finds his style of instruction exemplary. Stephanie has been in Dr. Edelman’s lab for a year and a half where she mostly investigates saccadic eye movement. She is impressed and inspired by Dr. Edelman’s ability to remain calm and even-handed in the midst of the inevitable crises and deadline anxieties that arise. Dr. Edelman contributes, “Stephanie has shown amazing initiative, conscientiousness and diligence as a researcher in my lab.... I’m very happy to know she is planning to do a PhD. She’ll do great. I will miss her!”
alamin uddin
Alamin Uddin is following the path he carved out for his future defined by his faith. He is graduating from CCNY in Fall 2015, with a BS in Biology, having worked for two and a half years with Dr. Jerry Guyden on two major research projects. One project studied the evolution and function of T-cells and the thymus using larvae lamprey as subjects. The more current project looks into the behavior of T-cells in autoimmune disease, specifically lupus. Alamin shared CCNY’s Zahn Prize for Excellence in Entrepreneurship in 2013 with a colleague he met while he was Vice President of the CCNY Muslim Students Association. He is currently the Association President. With the award, they were able to launch NexHealth, a software based interface between doctor and out-patient designed to remotely monitor the patient’s well-being between visits. NexHealth is already in use by a number of healthcare facilities. After graduation, Alamin will spend some time away from academia, devoting his energies to NexHealth. He plans on returning to attend medical school, becoming NexHealth’s Chief Scientist, on track to make discoveries that can be adapted to NexHealth’s business model. One might see Alamin’s career choices of entrepreneurship and medicine as fulfilling a family destiny; his father left medical school in Bangladesh, where Alamin was born, to follow a career path in business. Alamin’s family emigrated to the U.S. in 1995 when he was two years old. While devoting most of his energies to studying Islam and science, Alamin still finds time to pursue other interests such as, history, politics, economics, art and photography. “I blog too,” he adds, coming almost to the end of a very long list of endeavors for a full-time student who is growing a business. He is writing an article describing a way to invest in interest-bearing bonds that is compatible with Shariah law. Down the road, says Alamin, with a nod towards his mentor, “I want to go into academia also, and maybe– when I’m 50 or something—start teaching at college, be a Professor like Dr. Guyden.” Going forward, he plans to increase his public speaking opportunities, giving talks on how to reconcile his faith in Islam with the wonders of science.
S r i n g ‘15 C o l l o q u i a
All meet in The Marshak Science Building, room 801 at 1pm 2/02 Dr. David Schoppik Neuroscience Institute at NYU
3/30 Dr. Maria Uriarte Columbia University
2/09 Dr. Karl Kandler University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
4/06 Dr. Lynne Kiorpes New York University
2/18 Dr. Susan McLaughlin Queensborough Community College, CUNY 2/23 Dr. Wei Min Columbia University 3/02 Dr. Nathalia Holtzman Queens College, CUNY 3/09 Dr. Stephen Shea Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 3/16 Dr. Areti Tsimounis Queensborough Community College, CUNY 3/23 Dr. Vanessa Ruta Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior
4/13 Dr. Ning Qian Columbia University 4/20 Dr. Elizabeth Bauer Barnard College, Columbia University 4/27 Dr. Marcus Kronforst University of Chicago 5/04 Dr. Balazs Hangya Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 5/11 Dr. Julia Kaltschmidt Sloan Kettering Institute and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center