News & Events
The majority of Fall 2020 Events will be held via Zoom. Contact the appropriate office to RSVP and receive link.
PLEASE SEE COVID-19 CENTRAL FOR MORE INFORMATION.
EVENTS
August 2020
September 2020
October 2020
November 2020
December 2020
January 2021
February 2021
March 2021
April 2021
May 2021
ANNOUNCEMENTS

Illustration by Cindy Barba
Sunday, September 27 to Sunday, October 11 – Online only classes, be aware traffic restrictions possible 10/6 & 7 for the debate.
Research activities are not prohibited during the circuit breaker. Please remember that physical presence on campus should remain limited under Orange research alert levels and remote work is highly encouraged when possible, particularly Oct 6-7.
The University of Utah Women in Health, Medicine & Science (WiHMS) group invites you to apply for a position on the WiHMS Steering Committee representing the School of Medicine. WiHMS is an organization dedicated to promoting the careers of women faculty on the health sciences campus. The WiHMS Steering Committee consists of faculty from each health science unit and serves to advise WiHMS on the needs, concerns, and successes of the women faculty in each unit. WiHMS has been doing some great work, and we need your help to keep things going!
If you are interested in applying, you can find our online application here. Attached you will find a summary of the responsibilities of the Steering Committee Members. If you have any questions, please email wihms@hsc.utah.edu.
Applications are due on September 21, 2020.
Dear MB, BC, NP, and MD/PhD Communities,
As Program Directors, we are writing to express our horror at George Floyd’s murder and the countless other acts of violence and discrimination against communities of color. We are committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment where all students can realize their full potential no matter their race or background. Our Programs are dedicated to recruiting students that reflect our country’s diversity, but realize that there is still much work to do within and outside of the University. We strongly support the struggle for equality and the sentiments expressed by the U., our SACNAS chapter, and ASBMB (see links below). We encourage you to support these efforts with your time and resources (e.g., following our lead by donating to SACNAS or one of the many other organizations engaged in this struggle - see below). We are also always eager for your ideas on how we can do better.
Be well and stay safe,
Janis (MB), Michael (BC & MD/PhD), and David (NP)
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=3184824544913412&set=a.1009281155801106
Donation links:
https://uofuhealth.utah.edu/sacnas/
https://uofuhealth.utah.edu/sacnas/action.php
Statement from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology:
https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/opinions/060120/we-will-not-be-silent
EVENTS
Fall 2020 Events
August 2020
INCOMING STUDENT ORIENTATION
Monday, August 17, 2020

WILL KINCANNON
PHD THESIS DEFENSE
Group advisor Dr. Vahe Bandarian
Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 10:00 AM
Contact Jolanda I Vallejo for Zoom Link
ANNUAL STUDENT RETREAT
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2020SACNAS WELCOME BACK PICNIC! (SOCIALLY DISTANCED)
When: Thursday, August 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM
Where: Zoom!
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICS & PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY
“Career Pathways in the Pharmaceutical Industry: What you Don’t Necessarily Learn in Graduate School"
Monday, August 31, 2020
September 2020
HUMAN GENETICS SEMINAR SERIES
“Regulation of human skeletal morphology and disease”
Terence Capellini, Ph.D.
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 12:00 PM
THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROBIOLOGY AND ANATOMY
"Comparative neurobiology of vocal communication"
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
LGBTQ+ STEM INTEREST GROUP
To read the paper before the meeting, find the link: TheRogLab.org/LGBTQ
Friday, September 11, 2020 at 4:00 PM
SACNAS PRESENTS: THE BEING BLACK IN ACADEMIA SERIES
PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE 2020-2021 LECTURE SERIES
“Hippocampal neurogenesis and forgetting”
Department of Physiology
Tuesday September 15 at 4:00 PM
MARRIOTT LIBRARY VIRTUAL GRADUATE SOCIAL
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF ON ZOOM
We have all been spending a lot of time on Zoom. Get more from your next meeting by attending this workshop on presenting yourself on virtual platforms.
We'll be joined by an expert. Bring your questions!
NSF–GRFP VIRTUAL PEER PANEL
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
THE BIOCHEMISTRY SEMINAR SERIES
“Engineering Biology to Understand it”
Monday, September 28, 2020 at 2:00 PM
Division of Public Health
Information Sessions
October 2020
Synapse Interest Group
"Influence of prefrontal cortex on visual cortical representation"
Friday, October 2, 2020 at 4:00 PM
SACNAS
Certified Financial Counselor Director of the Financial Wellness Center
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROBIOLOGY AND ANATOMY
"How do Astrocytes Sculpt Synaptic Circuits?"
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 2:00 PM
BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS
"Clinical Decision Support for Data-Driven Personal Guidance"
DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Information Sessions
Eccles institute of human genetics department of human genetics
"Harnessing the power of genetic variation: Precision Medicine in the lab"
Friday, October 9, 2020 at 3:30 PM
THE BIOCHEMISTRY SEMINAR SERIES
“Mechanistic studies of the innate immune receptor RIG-I"
Monday, October 12, 2020 at 2:00 PM
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH
DEPARTMENT OF Human Genetics
Thesis Defense
Sophia Praggastis PhD
“Regulation of metabolism and fertility in Drosophila”
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 10:00 AM
Via Zoom
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
SACNAS
"PICTURE A SCIENTIST"
STEM CELL AFFINITY GROUP WEBINARS
PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE 2020-2021 LECTURE SERIES
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain
Tuesday October 20, 2020 4:00 PM
DEPARTMENT OF ONCOLOGICAL SCIENCES
“Discovery of Factors Guiding Endometrial Cancer-Specific Actions of Estrogen Receptor Alpha”
Adriana Cristina Rodriguez PhD Dissertation Defense
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 3:00 PM
DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Information Sessions
IMMUNOLOGY INFLAMMATION & INFECTIOUS DISEASE
"Structural Classification of Neutralizing Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor-Binding Domain Suggests Vaccine and Therapeutic Strategies"
THE BIOCHEMISTRY SEMINAR SERIES
"Para-transcriptional control of polycistronic microRNA biogenesis"
Monday, October 26, 2020 at 2:00 PM
DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Information Sessions
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH GRAND ROUNDS
“Emergence of extensively drugresistant typhoid in Pakistan: investigating the potential for resistance gene acquisition in the environment”
FALL 2020 SEMINAR SERIES
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING SEMINAR SERIES
“Convergent science approaches to Solid Tumors: From Mechano-Genetic Variation to a Macrophage Checkpoint"
SACNAS
November 2020
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
Group Wellness Series
"Self Care Day!"
Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) and U PEAK Health & Fitness
Visual Art + Mindfulness
Join instructor Charlotte Bell and explore the UMFA collection as you seek to find stillness within yourself. Practice slow and mindful looking at artwork as well as traditional, guided meditation—perfect for beginners.
2020 Diabetes & Metabolism virtual research recharge
Monday, November 2, 2020 - Friday November 6, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Daily
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Information Sessions
BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS
"Advances in Personal Air Pollution and Environmental Exposure Assessment Methods for Health Studies"
FALL 2020 SEMINAR SERIES
CaDeTS
Networking and Finding Opportunity in the Modern Age: COVID Edition
THE BIOCHEMISTRY SEMINAR SERIES
"The Role of Transporters in Regulating GPCR Signaling"
Monday, November 9, 2020 at 2:00 PM
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR SERVICES
Panel discussion about potential political impacts, student immigration impacts and support
CENTER FOR STUDENT WELLNESS
Check on U-Tah: Building Community Through Bystander Intervention
FALL 2020 SEMINAR SERIES
THE DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
The Division of Public Health invites you to attend and participate in a 1 hour-long cooking activity where our hosts will cook an international dish from Ghana, India (Himalayas), Peru and South Korea
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
“Obsession: A Career Long Fascination with a Complex Promoter”
GROUP WELLNESS SERIES
"Balancing Act: Holding Multiple Identity Roles"
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
Bioscience EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion)
Let’s talk about inclusion.
A peer-to-peer discussion about inclusion within the University of Utah Biosciences Community.
What changes do we want to see?
Questions? Please email the Bioscience EDI Task Force Officers
FALL 2020 SEMINAR SERIES
STEM CELL AFFINITY GROUP WEBINARS
THE GRADUCATE SCHOOL WEBINARS
“Anti-Racism in Higher Education”
Presenter/s: Liz Rogers and Kate Pagano
THE GRADUCATE SCHOOL WEBINARS
"How to successfully give an exam to your students"
Presenter/s: Micah Murdock
THE GRADUCATE SCHOOL WEBINARS
“Time to get rid of the final”
Presenter/s: Kate O’Farrell and Kat Pagano
THE BIOCHEMISTRY SEMINAR SERIES
"Regulation of mitochondrial genome replication in animal cells"
DEPARTMENT OF ONCOLOGICAL SCIENCES
“Revealing the Regulation of Chromatin Remodeler Efficiency and the Impact of Cancer-Associated Mutations in SWI/SNF Remodelers”
THE GRADUCATE SCHOOL WEBINARS
“Promoting Online Interaction”
Presenter/s: Alyson Froelich
CENTER FOR STUDENT WELLNESS
Check on U-Tah: Building Community Through Bystander Intervention
Disease Biology and Target Identification and Validation in Neuroscience
Translational Neuroscience T32 Monthly Workshop
Via Zoom
THE GRADUCATE SCHOOL WEBINARS
“Helping Students Thrive”
Presenter/s: Kate O’Farrell
December 2020
THE GRADUCATE SCHOOL WEBINARS
“Trauma-Informed Pedagogy”
Presenter/s: Liz Rogers and Kate O’Farrell
GROUP WELLNESS SERIES
"Cruising for Some Snoozin'"
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY
“Altered Damage Detection and Calcium Signaling in Microglia Following Viral Brain Infections that Induce Seizures”
Tuesday, December 1, 2020, At 1:00 pm
Via Zoom
THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROBIOLOGY AND ANATOMY
"Super-resolution imaging of the actin cytoskeleton in living cells: from axons to microvilli"
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
FALL 2020 SEMINAR SERIES
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
"Can we phenotype organisms with single-cell RNA sequencing?"
8th Annuel Vitae Event
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
College of Pharmacy
Anna R. Docherty, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Mary C. Playdon, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology,College of
HealthInvestigator, Huntsman Cancer Institute
Moriel Zelikowsky, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
FALL 2020 SEMINAR SERIES
Department of Biochemistry
“Breaking Barriers to Chemical Protein Synthesis”
SACNAS: LET'S TALK
Let's have a discussion about seasonal affective disorder
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami
STEM CELL AFFINITY GROUP WEBINARS
Spring 2021 EVENTS
January 2021
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
"Exploring Skin Cell Heterogeneity"
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY INTEREST GROUP RIP
“Unconventional conservation reveals structure-function relationships in the synaptonemal complex.”
University of Utah Molecular Medicine Program (U2M2)
“Depot-specific and gender-dependent differences in fat expansion”
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty Seminar Series Presents
“The career I planned versus the career I’ve had”
Rising Stars in Metabolism
“Overcoming the aged niche to promote muscle function”
STEM CELL AFFINITY GROUP WEBINARS
Assistant Professor, Surgery
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
Department of Medicinal Chemistry
“Biosynthesis and pathway engineering of the ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides”
Departments of Biochemistry and Medicinal Chemistry
“Exploring Chemical Glycobiology for Cancer Immunotherapy”
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY INTEREST GROUP RIP
“A combined bioinformatics and iPSC-based approach to characterize family with pediatric bipolar disorder.”
Departments of Biochemistry and Medicinal Chemistry
“Chemical synthesis against ‘undruggable’ targets: from bacterial infection to cancer”
Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Global Public Health Grand Rounds Presenting:
SACNAS
Welcome Back Game Night Social
Email sacnas@utah.edu for Zoom details
February 2021
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
"Fisher's microscope and the costs of genetic complexity"
SACNAS Let’s Chat
"New Year’s resolutions and goal/intention setting"
Kamala Ganesh MSW, CSW
Email sacnas@utah.edu for Zoom details
CaDeTS
Mental Health: How to Deal
Four psych interns, Sheilagh Fox, Michael Azarani, CJ Park and Luke Huckaby from the University of Utah Counseling Center will provide a guided discussion targeting our demographic specifically on mental health issues and common feelings and concerns, especially those felt within the past year. They will also provide practical techniques/tips to help us manage stress, anxiety, depression, imposter syndrome, etc., during uncertain times as well as when things return to normal.
Please contact the Bioscience Program Office with questions
THE MINDFULNESS CENTER
“Coping with Covid Chaos”
This free workshop is designed to help students, staff, & faculty dealing with the chaos of COVID-19. Gain skills to manage distress and low mood, increase self-compassion and strengthen relationships while connecting with others facing these difficult times.
Participants can join at any time
For more information, please email ganstadt@sa.utah.edu
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
NIH OITE Mental Health Series
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY INTEREST GROUP RIP
“The role of K3-GABA neurons in learning and memory.”
RISING STARS IN CELL BIOLOGY
"Chemical Biology in the Closest Living Relatives of Animals"
THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROBIOLOGY AND ANATOMY
"Neural Representations of Social Homeostasis"
NIH OITE
“Becoming a Resilient Scientist” series Part VI: Managing Up to Maximize Mentoring Relationships
In this webinar, we will discuss the mentoring relationship in research environments with a focus on improving your relationship with your PI, finding mentors and on improving communication and interpersonal interactions. The webinar will help clarify what you need from your supervisors and mentors and address how to get what you need from these important interactions.
For questions regarding this series, please contact the OITE at OITE@mail.nih.gov
OFFICE OF RESEARCH INTEGRITY & COMPLIANCE
Introduction to Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
This class will provide information to increase your awareness about responsible conduct of research and research integrity. We will identify resources for you on the UU campus, as well as from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and federal Office of Research Integrity to promote research integrity and the responsible conduct of research that you will be able to carry into your career.
Human Genetics
Faculty Candidate Seminar
"Uncovering the genetic basis of trait evolution in the blind Mexican cavefish.”
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
CaDeTS
Project Planning and Follow-through
Join us to hear speakers from different professional backgrounds, describing their idea of project planning and goal setting. The panel members for this session are Minna Roh-Johnson (Assistant Professor, Biochemistry), Kimberely Frizzell (Senior Project Manager PharmaDx at ARUP Laboratories), and Zachary Wilson (Postdoctoral Fellow, Hughes Lab, Dept. of Biochemistry). They will be sharing with us their thought process behind formulating and executing short- and long-term goals.
This will be followed by a Q&A session, so please bring your questions for the panelists.
The Graduate School
Beating the Time Trap - Time Management Workshop
Presented by Shad Slaughter
Developmental Biology Interest Group RIP
“How do stem cells maintain adult tissues.”
STEM CELL AFFINITY GROUP WEBINARS
Jelena Perovanovic, PhD Senior Postdoc, Tantin Lab
RISING STARS IN CELL BIOLOGY
"Uncovering the Molecular Mechanisms of Stress"
OFFICE OF RESEARCH INTEGRITY & COMPLIANCE
Principles of mentoring will be presented including the mutual rights and responsibilities of mentors and trainees. Proper supervision and review will be examined as well as common pitfalls to avoid in mentoring relationships. Strategies will be discussed to enhance responsible mentoring with the ultimate goal of developing successful faculty members.
March 2021
NIH OITE MENTAL HEALTH SERIES
Depression and Depressive Disorders
The lecture will include information on the neuroscience, diagnoses, and effects of depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder. The impact the COVID pandemic on depression will be highlighted. Strategies and treatments options for these widespread mood disorders will be presented as well as resources for further support. The webinar will be followed by facilitated small group discussions to explore the topic in greater depth. The webinar and groups are open to trainees, faculty and staff.
RISING STARS IN CELL BIOLOGY
"The pioneer factor SOX9 induces chromatin remodeling and transformation in vivo"
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY INTEREST GROUP RIP
“Consequences of prenatal inflammation on developmental hematopoiesis and life-long immunity.”
The Mindfulness Center
A Mindful Approach to Work / Life Balance
Come learn effective coping tools for navigating the responsibilities of different life roles as well as techniques for managing stress and anxiety.
Biochemistry Seminar Series
"New roles for inter-organelle contacts in metabolism and cell fate"
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
OFFICE OF RESEARCH INTEGRITY & COMPLIANCE
Getting Published: Responsible Authorship and Peer Review
This course provides an opportunity to reflect on your identity as an author or co-author at the University of Utah as well as in your discipline. The course will help you know when you are an author and copyright owner and distinguish when others are authors and co-copyright owners in light of university and discipline approaches
RISING STARS IN CELL BIOLOGY
STEM CELL AFFINITY GROUP WEBINARS
“Fates and Plasticity of Stem and Cancer Cells”
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
“Diversity in Personalized Medicine and Pharmacogenomics”
University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Anschutz
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
Science Talk 2021 Conference
“Science Talk is a non-profit that empowers and inspires the science communication community to expand their communication potential and affect the world. We define “science communicator” as anyone who engages in science communication and outreach activities, from graduate students who write a blog, to faculty delivering science café talks, to science of scicomm researchers, scicomm trainers, public information officers, science writers, museum and zoo professionals, YouTube content creators, and more.”
OFFICE OF RESEARCH INTEGRITY & COMPLIANCE
Rigor, Transparency, and Reproducibility in Research
This course will provide an introduction to the importance of rigor and reproducibility, as well as discuss best practices for establishing rigor and reproducibility across the grant life cycle. NIH policies regarding rigor and reproducibility will be highlighted.
April 2021
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
“The evolution of seasonal camouflage”
RISING STARS IN CELL BIOLOGY
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
STEM CELL AFFINITY GROUP WEBINARS
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 TBD
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
RISING STARS IN CELL BIOLOGY
May 2021
RISING STARS IN CELL BIOLOGY
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE
2020-2021 SEMINAR SERIEs
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
2021 Genetics Training Grant Retreat
STEM CELL AFFINITY GROUP WEBINARS
“Cell-based Therapies”
GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM & GENETICS INTEREST GROUP SEMINARS
“Genomic and ecological interactions across small mammal hybrid zones”
RISING STARS IN CELL BIOLOGY