2024 Symposium
Schedule
Monday, MAY 20
All activities will be held in the Ballroom at MSU Union - unless specified
SESSION I: From Genomes and Metabolism To Resilient Plants
| Time | Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 10:50 |
Welcome | |
| Robin Buell, University of Georgia |
Genome-to-pathway discovery of specialized metabolism using single cell multi-omics | |
| Sue Rhee, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/ Plant Resilience Institute, MSU |
Cell biology Meets Metabolism: Knowledge Gaps and Opportunities in Metabolic Cell Biology in Advancing Plant Science and Biotechnology | |
| Isaiah Kaufman (student, research) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MSU |
Maximizing protein expression through codon optimization: Is more GC always better? | |
| 10:50 | Coffee Break | |
SESSION II: Agriculture for Sustainable Futures
| Time | Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 11:10 - 12:10 |
Cholani Weebadde, Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, MSU |
Sustainable Agriculture for Better Health; Role of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology |
| Roselane Kithan-Lundquist (student, research) Microbial and Molecular Genetics, MSU |
Dynamics of the host microbiome, PTI‐associated defense gene expression, and decay in post‐harvest apple (Malus x domestica) fruit | |
| 12:10 | Lunch | |
SESSION III: Synthetic Biology in Plants and Other Organisms
| Time | Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 1:30 - 2:55 |
Tim Whitehead, University of Colorado-Boulder |
Designed chemical control of microbes, animals, and plants |
| Gaurav Moghe, Cornell University |
Towards predicting the functions and mapping the evolution of plant enzymes | |
| 2:55 | Coffee Break | |
SESSION IV: Danny Schnell Memorial Session on Compartmentalization In Photosynthetic Organisms
| Time | Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 3:15 - 4:40 |
Ken Keegstra, PRL, MSU |
Danny's contributions to the field |
| Hsou-min Li, Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Academia Sinica |
Protein import into plastids: better signals and a better bridge | |
| George Kusi-Appah (student, research) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MSU |
Towards a mechanistic understanding of CCM1 dependent regulation of CO2-responsive genes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii | |
| Rees Rillema (student, research) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MSU |
Using novel tools to determine carboxysome accessory components contributions to carbon fixation and oxygen sensitivity | |
| 4:40 | End of day remarks - Rob Last |
|
4:50 Poster Session, Ballroom, MSU Union
6:00 Dinner, Ballroom, MSU Union
TUESDAY, MAY 21
All activities will be held in the Ballroom at MSU Union - unless specified
Careers in Biotechnology and Beyond
| Time | Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 10:40 |
Bryan Leong, Corteva Agriscience |
Engineering miniature SpaCas12f1 genome editing potential |
| Kirsten Benjamin, Pivot Bio |
Replacement of nitrogen fertilizer with gene-edited microbial products for cereal crops | |
| MacKenzie Jacobs (student, internship) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MSU |
Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists: Insights from my Internship at the MSU 4-H Children's Gardens | |
| 10:40 | Coffee Break | |
| PANEL DISCUSSION | ||
| 11:00 - 12:20 | Panel discussion I: Bryan Leong, Gaurav Moghe, Cholani Weebadde, Daniela Strenkert |
Being competitive for your job search and early career positions |
| Panel discussion II: Kirsten Benjamin, Tim Whitehead, Robin Buell, Sue Rhee |
Navigating a productive and enjoyable career | |
| 12:20 | Closing remarks - Jyothi Kumar |
|