Previous Seminars
Spring 2021: 12-1PM via Zoom
February 5th, 2021
Adam Rosenthal, PhD
Senior Principal Investigator, Dupont Nutrition and Health
Are clonal bacterial communities organized by physiological roles?
March 12th, 2021
Isis Janilkarn-Urena,
PhD candidate (USC school of pharmacy)
A novel approach to treat Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-Related Liver Injury
April 9th, 2021
Pablo Garcia,
PhD candidate (University of South Florida, Department of Integrative Biology)
Evaluating the relationship between form and function of cranial kinesis in lizards
April 30th, 2021
Danielle McHaskell,
PhD candidate (UC San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
Understanding invasion success of Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar: Global distribution, potential habitat, and spore dispersal
Fall 2020: 12-1PM via Zoom
Hernan Reza (former RISE student)
September 18
Title: Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment to Improve Anti-tumor Efficacy of CAR T cell Therapy
PhD student City of Hope, Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences
Mark Alonzo (former RISE student)
October 9Title: Investigation of the DDR1 receptor in muscle invasive urinary bladder cancer cell modelsPhD student, Cedar Sinai Laboratory of Keith Syson ChanYeraldi Loera (Former RISE student)November 13 Title: Evolution by PesticidesPhD student, UCLA EEB
Jennifer Rubio (former RISE student)
November 20Title: Mechanism and Accuracy of Polymyxin Efficacy TestingPhD Student, University of Southern California,Laboratory of Brian LunaDepartment of Infections Diseases, Immunology and Pathogenesis
Spring 2020: 12-1PM
Jessica Abner (former RISE Student)
February 28
Title: The Biogenesis, Cargo, and Function of Extracellular Vesicles in Colorectal Cancer
Ph.D. Candidate at Vanderbilt University
Dr. Sophia Shahin
March 6
Title: siTWIST Nanoparticle therapeutics reverses chemoresistance and reduced tumor burden
Lecturer, Dept. of Biological Science
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Winter 2020: 12-1PM
Dr. Chantal Steiber
January 31, 2020
Title: Taming Pollutants with Transition Metals & Inorganic Chemistry
Assistant Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Fall 2019: 12-1PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Maribel P. Marquez (former RISE student)
December 6th, 2019
Title: Modeling complex genetic diseases using stem cell and CRISPR/Cas9 technology
Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin
Dr. Brandon Tan
November 15th, 2019
Title: Targeting RNA modifications as a novel treatment for cancer
Dr. Daryl Davies
October 25th, 2019
Title: Methods of Target Validation (CNS Agents)
Houda Alachkar PharmaD, PhD
Title: Novel Therapeutic Targets in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
September 27th, 2019
Spring 2019: 12-1PM Building 4, 2nd floor, Room 314
Julio A. Camarero, Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
School of Pharmacy
University of Southern California
Title: Cyclotides, a new molecular scaffold to target protein-protein interactions
March 8, 2019
Julio Sanchez
PhD Candidate, Cornell University
Title: Unique insights into glioblastoma: modes of intercellular communication and tumorigenesis
March 22, 2019
Larry Grill, Ph.D.
Dean of Research, Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences
Title: Producing a new generation of vaccines using plants
April 19, 2019
Dr. Alex Nisthal
Xencor
Title: "Engineering bispecific antibodies for immuno-oncology"
February 8, 2019
Fall 2018: 12-1PM Building 4, 2nd floor, Room 314
Dr. Aladin Boriek
Professor of Medicine and Molecular Physiology and BiophysicsBaylor College of Medicine
Adjunct Professor, Rice University
Title: Current Understanding of Respiratory Muscle Mechanics in Health and Disease
December 7, 2018
Dr. Ángel A. Valdés
Professor, Cal Poly Pomona
Title: Exploring Tropical Biodiversity: Sea slugs of the Koumac 2018 Expedition, New Caledonia
November 30, 2018
Dr. Martine Culty
Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Title: Impact of common environmental chemical mixtures on male reproduction
November 9, 2018
Dr. Jill Adler-Moore
Professor, Cal Poly Pomona
Title: "Value of AmBisome (Liposomal Amphotericin B) Now and in the Future for Treating Life-Threatening Fungal Infections"
October 26, 2018
Pablo Unzueta
PhD Student, University California, Riverside
Title: "Fragment-Based Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Chemical Shift Predictions in Proteins and Molecular Crystals"
October 12, 2018
Summer 2018: 1-2PM Building 4, 1st Floor, Room 314
Dianne Sanchez
August 3, 2018PhD Candidate Kim Research GroupDepartment of Earth System ScienceSpring 2018: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Cydne Perry, PhD
May 4th, 2018Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Health & Nutritional SciencesSouth Dakota State University
H. Howard Xu, PhD
May 18th, 2018 Director of Incubator Development and ProgrammingProfessor of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences
California State University, Los Angeles “Combating bacterial pathogens: targeting essential and virulence processes”
Edith Porter, M.D.
Winter 2018: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Parag Vaishampayan, PhD
Tamara Holst, PhD
Michael St Martin, PhD
Fall 2017: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Dr. Carla Stout
NSF postdoctoral fellow, Cal Poly Pomona
Presentation Title: "Minnows and molecules: Resolving broad and fine-scale evolutionary patterns of Cypriniformes”
September 29th, 2017
Anna Zelaya
Ph.D. student, Montana State University
Presentation Title: "Microbes underground: Diversity and variability of microbial communities in a subsurface aquifer"
October 27, 2017
Dr. Victoria Fox
Presentation Title: “Adventures in stem cell science”
November 17, 2017
Summer 2017: 1-3PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Jessica J. Abner
PhD Candidate
Department of Biological Sciences
Vanderbilt University
Presentation Title: "The role of TGF-beta signaling in regulating the CAF-mediated changes in ECM alignment, contraction, and cancer cell migration"
August 4th, 2017
Sophia Allaf Shahin, M.S.
Spring 2017: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Joseph E. Henriquez
Presentation Title: "D9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-mediated suppression of immune response
by Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) and T cells from healthy and HIV
infected Donors"
Friday, May 26th, 2017
Kevin Urak
University of Iowa
Presentation Title: “Neutralization of Extracellular Histones with Aptamers for the Treatment and Prevention of Secondary Organ Failure in Sepsis”
May 5th, 2017
Julie Schwartz DVM, PhD, DACVP
Senior Veterinary Pathologist Charles River
Presentation Title: “Preclinical Drug Development: Safety first"
April 28th, 2017
Winter 2017: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Manny Azizi, PhD
University of California, Irvine
Assistant Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
School of Biological Sciences
Presentation Title: “Can age-related changes to connective tissue structures explain musculoskeletal deficiencies?"
March 3, 2017
Shelley Halpain, PhD
Professor, Division of Biological Science
Univ of California San Diego & Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine
Presentation Title: How & Why Do Brain Cells Boogie? The Cytoskeleton in Neural Circuit Development & Repair
February 17, 2017
Tammy Butterick, PhD
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Food Science and Nutrition
University of Minnesota
Presentation Title: The Role of Neuroinflammation in Aging and Cognitive Decline
February 3, 2017
Fall 2016: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Gregory Pauly, PhD
Natural History Museum
Presentation Title: Reptile & Amphibian Discoveries from Southern California’s Citizen Scientist Army
Friday, December 2, 2016
Milton Saier. PhD
UC San Diego
Presentation Title: Our Precarious Earth and its Biosphere
November 4, 2016
Brandon Tan
USC PhD student
Presentation Title: "The N6-methyladenosine epitranscriptome and Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus replication"
October 14, 2016
Summer 2016: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Nhu-y Nguyen
PhD student
Presentation Title: Prevention of Mocrobial Adhesion to biomedical implants using nanoparticles
August 19, 2016
April Simmerman
Wendie Johnston
Lab Director, Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative
Presentation Title: "Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative: meeting the needs of industry"
July 29, 2016
Spring 2016: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Jermaine Mahguib
2nd year PhD student, Iowa State University
Presentation Title: "Population genetics of an endangered and genomics of a common terrestrial gastropod; a set of project proposals"
June 3, 2016
Jorge Juarbe-Velez
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
Presentation Title: "What can fossils tell us about the evolution of odontocetes: examples from the Pacific NW and Central America"
May 13, 2016
Adam Rosenthal, PH.D.
Calico, Inc.
Presentation Title: "Using single-cell data to understand the physiological function of different cell-types and organisms"
April 15, 2016
Winter 2016: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
JESSICA DEQUACH, PH.D.
Ventrix
Solutions for the Heart
SR. RESEARCH ENGINEER, R & D MANAGER
Andrew A. Voss, Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorBiological SciencesWright State UniversityPresentation Title: 'Progressive Muscle Defects and Neuromuscular Transmission in Huntington's Disease'
January 15, 2016
Fall 2015: 12-2PM Building 4, 2nd Floor, Room 314
Chris Petro
Albert Einstein University, completing PhDPresentation Title: "Linking Humoral Immunity to Protective Herpes Simplex Viral Vaccines: Is Complete Immunity Achievable?"
November 13, 2015
Amanda Goodrich
USC PhD studentPresentation Title: "Effect modification of prenatal folic acid on the association between prenatal air pollution exposure and autism spectrum disorder"
October 30, 2015
Gustavo A. Ramírez
USC 4th year PhD studentPresentation Title: "The Marine Deep Dark Energy Biosphere Explored via Sub-Seafloor Observatories and Osmotic Colonization Chambers"
October 23, 2015
Winter 2014: 12:00pm-2:00pm in Bldg 4-2-314
January 24th
Microbial community analysis of native populations in contaminated and non-contaminated environments
Anna Zelaya
Montana State University
Fall 2013: 12:00pm-2:00pm in Bldg 4-2-314
October 18th
Understanding genital immunity towards HSV-2
Christopher Petro
November 22nd
Dynamic processes controlling mitochondrial function
Dr.David Chan
California Institute of Technology
Spring 2013: 12:00pm-2:00pm in Bldg 4-2-314
April 19th
Overcoming the Hiring “Catch-22”. Insight for Transitioning from Academia to Medical Science Liaison
Dr.Wendy Tai
May 3rd 2013
Macrophages lacking a functional Angiotensin Converting Enzyme N-terminal domain respond to inflammatory stimuli with increased MAPK activation and decreased c-Maf expression
Dr. Lamar Blackwell
Cedar Sinai Medical Center,
Los Angeles, California
June 7th 2013
Biotin Status Response in Pregnant, Nonpregnant and Lactating Women Consuming a Dietary Biotin Intake Exceeding Current Recommendations
Dr. Cydne Perry
Shepherd University
West Virginia.
Winter 2013: 12:00pm-2:00pm in Bldg 4-2-314
January 25th
LRP1 is a novel therapeutic target in the regeneration of CNS neurons after injury
Dr. Haodong
Dr.Travis Stiles
University of California, San Diego
February 8th
Reemergence of Simian Varicella Virus Infection in Cynomolgus Macaques (Macaca fascicularis)
Dr.Julie Schwartz
February 15th
Kinetic trapping of the cotranscriptional fold as a determinant of adenine riboswitch translational control
Dr.Cuauhtémoc García-García
Stanford University, California
February 22nd
Discovery of a novel T cell subset that controls autoimmune inflammation
Dr.Daniel Cua
Pathway Biology
Merck Research Laboratories
Palo Alto, CA
Summer 2012
July 13th
Studies on the Structure, Function and Regulation of the Sarcolemmal Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger (NCX1).
Dr. Gabriel Mercado Besserer
University of Southern California
July 27th
RNF168 is important for defects in homologous recombination caused by BRCA1 loss
Meilen Chang Munoz
City of Hope, Duarte , CA
August 17th
Intra-terrestrial” Life: Microbiological Exploration of the Deep Dark Energy Biosphere
Gustavo Ramirez
University of Southern California
Fall 2012
October 26th
Subversion of Surveillance: The Manipulation of Innate Immunity by HIV Infection
Dr.David Sanchez
Western University, Pomona, CA
November 9th
Biological imaging of cells and tissues using coherent Raman scattering
Dr.Jeffery Suhalim
University of California, Irvine, CA
November 30th
Update on Using Liposomes to Deliver Drugs and Vaccines
Dr.Jill.P.Adler-Moore
CSU-Pomona, CA
Winter 2012: 4:00pm-6:00pm in Bldg 3-1616
February 3
Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics in Heart Diseases: What Central Dogma didn't Tell You"
Dr. Haodong Chen
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
February 17
Early stage solid state characterization and formulation development of pharmaceutical candidates
Dr. Andrew Phimister
Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research
February 24
Mechanisms of host cell invasion by Rhizopus oryzae during mucormycosis
Dr. Ibrahim Ashraf
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Spring 2012: 4:00pm-6:00pm in Bldg 3-1616
April 6
Regulation of Neurotransmitter Release by Ubiquitnation
Dr. Gina Rinetti
University of California, San Francisco
April 20
The impact of methamphetamine use on outcomes in herpes simplex virus type 2 disease and immune response
Dr. Frances Valencia
University of Texas Medical Branch, Texas
April 27
Obesity and brain health: A central role for Orexin A
Dr. Tammy Butterick
University of Minnesota
Winter 2011: 4:00pm-6:00pm in Bldg 3-1616
January 28
Applications of Computational Design to Red Fluorescent Proteins
Dr. Matthew Moore
Caltech, Pasadena
February 11
Do aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases have a major role to play in drug development?
Dr. Anthony Bell
University of Mississippi
March 11
Should I stay or should I go? the molecular genetics of surface motility in Variovorax paradoxus"
Dr. Paul Orwin
CSU-San Bernandino
Spring 2011: 4:00pm-6:00pm in bldg. 3-1616
April 22
The Microbiology of Wastewater Treatment and Its Impacts on the Environment
Dr. Ryan Reinke
Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
May 27
Multifocal Mapping of Retinal Ganglion Cell Receptive Fields
Dr. Movses Karakossian
Allergan, Irvine
June 3
Bacterial Biofilms in Specialized Ecosystems
Dr. Marc Baum
Oakcrest Institute, Pasadena
Summer 2011: 4:00pm-6:00pm in bldg. 3-1639
July 22
Genomic Insights into Wood-Degradation by Termites
Dr. Adam Rosenthal
Caltech, Pasadena
July 29
Computational Protein design of structural ensembles
Dr. Alex Nishtal
Caltech, Pasadena
August 12
Pieces to the Puzzle: How Pathogens, Innate Immunity and Genetics Fit Together
Dr. Yvonne Dreschler
Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona
Fall 2011: 4:00pm-6:00pm in bldg. 3-1616
October 21
A Physiological Relationship between Adrenal and Ovarian Activity during Reproduction in the Giant Panda
Dr.David Kersey
Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona
November 4
An Alzheimer's blood test developed from stem cells
Dr. Doug Ethell Western
University of Health Sciences, Pomona
November 18
Bringing novel therapeutic technologies through research and into development
Dr.Erik Forssen
Allergan Inc., Irvine, CA