3rd Annual Research Showcase: Presentations by Students and Staff Interested in Neuroscience and Related Disciplines

Hosted by the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Minor and Department of Biology

Thad Cochran Research Center: Poster Session Centennial Auditorium Atrium 10am -5 pm, Speaker Series Room 1044 2-5 pm

Special Guest Speakers

Dr. Cameron Buckner, Can Animals Understand That Others Have Minds? Putting Psychology, Biology, and Philosophy Back Together Again.

Dr. Kenneth Catania, The Shocking Abilities of Electric Eels.

Refresments Served

Come learn about opportunities in neuroscience and speak with our invited guest.

Contact: Lainy Day, umneuroscienceminor@gmail.com

Here are some pictures from the MAS conference this past weekend.

Both Mary Harvey and John Aaron Howell were selected for presentation of their posters to the Millsaps-HHMI Undergraduate Symposium. This symposium is for only the top 20% of abstracts submitted to MAS. Also, John Aaron’s poster was: Egg Laying Male Has Androgynous Song System and Plumage Coloration

John Aaron Howell, Lainy Day. Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. 

 She won first place for her poster presentation at the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Division .

Research Technologist Position in the Roberts Laboratory

Summary:

Research in the Roberts lab centers on chromatin-modifying proteins with a major focus on the SWI/SNF (BAF) chromatin remodeling/tumor suppressor complex and its relationship to cancers. Recent studies have revealed that genes encoding subunits of the SWI/SNF complex are mutated in over 20% of all cancers, a rate approaching that of p53, making this the most frequently mutated chromatin regulator in human malignancies.

We aim to discover the mechanism by which SWI/SNF complex contributes to the regulation of gene expression and lineage specification, and the mechanisms by which mutation of the tumor suppressor subunits drive cancer formation.  We also seek to identify specific vulnerabilities that are conferred by SWI/SNF mutation with the goal of identifying and pursuing novel therapeutic opportunities.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with an interest in biomedical research. The ideal applicant will utilize state-of-the-art techniques in genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology to characterize in vitro and in vivo models of human diseases with a particular focus upon chromatin biology and its relationship to aggressive cancers.  Contact Stacy Throm (stacy.throm@stjude.org) or apply online to position # 36016 at www.stjude.org if you have interest in joining our team.

 Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an appropriate scientific field is required.

Mary Harvey and Kaitlyn Duda, two members of Dr. Lainy Day’s lab, tied in the $1000 Research Award competition for the Neuroscience minor. Mary’s project is titled “The Correlated Evolution of Cerebellar Size and Display Complexity in Pipridae” and Kaitlyn ‘s project is titled “Immunocytochemistry in Manakins”.

Interested in Brain and Behavior? 

The Interdisciplinary neuroscience minor is currently awarding $1000.00 awards for research in neuroscience.

The program will provide students with the opportunity to participate and assist in the ongoing research of faculty performing neuroscience related research.  Projects may be mentored by any faculty performing neuroscience related research that is approved by the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Minor Director. Awardees must declare a minor in neuroscience and sign up for a Directed Study Course (Ney 491 series). Students are expected to work at least for about 8 hrs/week in full semesters. Students will be selected through a competitive application process and must identify and contact a mentor to apply.

The application deadline is typically Oct for Fall and Feb for Spring.

There is a brand new doctoral program that allows high-achieving students to perform their thesis work with world-renowned researchers within our institution. The program is unique in that it is designed for students who have demonstrated research potential in their undergrad to complete their PhD in 5 years with a heavy translational component that puts a human face on the coursework – they will be pairing each student with a clinician so that they can follow St. Jude patients throughout their first year. Applications are now being accepted for our PhD in Biomedical Sciences program (inaugural class will begin Fall 2017), and they would love to come to University of Mississippi to recruit students interested in graduate studies in the biomedical sciences. If you’re interested, you can contact Racquel (the assistant dean of the Graduate School at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital) Racquel.Collins@stjude.org

The next Neuroscience/Drugs of Abuse Brown Bag Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 21st at 12:00 pm in TCRC 1018.

Dr. Kristie Willett, Dept. of BioMoleuclar Sciences, Division of Pharmacology will be presenting a talk entitled “Using zebrafish for assessing developmental toxicity and epilepsy efficacy in drug discovery”.