News
June 2022
June 9—Congratulations to Prof. Mara Schvarzstein and Prof. Shaneen Singh for publishing “A combined in silico and in vivo approach to the structure-function annotation of SPD-2 provides mechanistic insight into its functional diversity” in Cell Cycle.
May 2022
May 19—Congratulations to recipients of Biology Department student awards and scholarships, 2022–2023.
May 13—Congratulations to Prof. Shaneen Singh and collaborator Prof. Anjana Saxena on their recent publication, “In silico study predicts a key role of RNA-binding domains 3 and 4 in nucleolin-miRNA interactions” in the journal Proteins.
May 9—Congratulations to biology undergraduate Hanan Yafai and collaborators Takisha Morancy, Stephanie Tominga, and Mark Stewart for winning third place at Brooklyn College Science Day 2022 for their poster, “Symmetric facial movements using nerve recording and stimulation in a rat model of facial nerve damage.”
February 2022
February 17—Congratulations to Prof. Amy Ikui on her recent publication titled “Cdc6 is sequentially regulated by PP2A-Cdc55, Cdc14, and Sic1 for origin licensing in S. cerevisiae” published in eLiFe Journal (https://elifesciences.org/articles/74437). Prof. Ikui's laboratory studies DNA replication and cell division using S. cerevisae as a model system, with the goal of understanding the molecular mechanism of cell growth control. She aims to understand how cell cycle misregulation is linked to genome instability, which is relevant to tumorigenesis and cancer in higher eukaryotes. Also involved in this work is Dr. Jasmin Philip – a graduate student at the CUNY Graduate Center who successfully defended her Ph.D. in Biochemistry. For those interested in Prof. Ikui’s work please visit her webpage: https://amyikuilab.com.
October 2021
October 6—GlaxoSmithKline’s Mosquirix vaccine against malaria has been approved by the World Health Organization. Did you know that one of its inventors, Dr. Joe Cohen, earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in 1977 from the City University of New York for research on genetics and control of gene expression in yeast? Learn more about Dr. Cohen and the malaria vaccine.
October 4—The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 is awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature (TRPV1) and touch (PIEZO2).
August 2021
August 14—Dr. Saxena’s scholarly collaborative research on a mechanosensitive receptor called PIEZO1 reveals how physical forces shape our innate immunity and regulate tumor suppressor gene expression in cancer and infectious disease. The study is published in Science Immunology.
July 2021
July 7—Ever wondered how tiny microbes support our health and contribute to immunity against disease? Two members of Dr. Saxena’s lab, Miar Elaskandrany, winner of the Biology Department’s Eshel Award 2020, and high-school student, Rohin Patel, just published a review article on the topic.
May 2020
May 26—Congratulations to Miar Elaskandrany and Meriem Guettatfi, co-recipients of this year's Eshel Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, awarded in honor of Professor Dan Eshel and his commitment to undergraduate research. This year's Eshel Awards were awarded during our virtual graduation celebration, where both students presented the results of their research.
May 26—The Department of Biology recently announced its list of student awardees for the spring 2020 semester. The department awarded close to $30,000 in awards to our students on the basis of outstanding academic performance, departmental service, and financial need. Congratulations to all!
- Undergraduate Awardees—Priyanka Algu, Henna Ali, Miar Elaskandrany, Alaa Etouni, Meriem Guettatfi, Olga Tsygelnytska, and Sofia Yatsyshyn
- Graduate Awardees—Sudharma Banerjee, Gabrielle Germain, Kelsey Hom, Keith Levendosky, Jasmin Phillip, Vui Yin Seow, and Paul Thomas
February 2020
February 5—In Memorium: The Department of Biology recognizes the passing of Professor Stanley Cohen, who passed away at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 5 at age 97. A Brooklyn native, Professor Cohen graduated with a bachelor of arts in biology and chemistry from Brooklyn College in 1943 and completed his graduate work in biochemistry at the University of Michigan in 1948. Cohen was internationally recognized for his pioneering work in cell development and growth, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986 together with his colleague Rita Levi-Montalcini.
January 2020
January 27—Welcome to the spring 2020 semester! Stay tuned for the call for applicants for this year's Two Trees award for excellence in undergraduate research, which should be announced within the coming weeks.
November 2019
November 14—Brooklyn College's Biology Club recently hosted its first medical student panel, inviting Elaine Fletcher and Errol Hunte, students who have successfully navigated the complex medical school applications process and are currently studying at SUNY Downstate and Albert Einstein, respectively. Brooklyn College students responded in great numbers, taking advantage of the opportunity to learn from the panelists' experiences. Based on the success of this event, the Biology Club plans to sponsor future events to assist students in learning more about career and study opportunities.
November 7—The Department of Biology will host Professor Yonathan Zohar from the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology at the University of Maryland as part of this year's Schreibman Lecture in Integrative Biology on November 7 in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension, 12:30–1:30 p.m. Zohar's lab focuses on basic and applied aspects of fish reproductive physiology and endocrinology, and enhancing the productivity of finfish aquaculture. His seminar, "Fish reproductive biology: A journey between hormones, genes, functions, and aquaculture," is open to the college community and will be followed by a small reception.
October 2019
October 10—Faculty, staff, and students gathered to celebrate the contributions of Professor Dan Eshel to the college community and to unveil a plaque in his honor on campus, an event covered by the BC Vanguard. The department's annual Two Trees Lectures, named in honor of Eshel, recognize excellence in undergraduate research.
October 2—New paper from the Saxena Lab—"The fungal mycobiome promotes pancreatic oncogenesis via activation of MBLs"
August 2019
August—The Department of Biology congratulates Naomi Lewandowski (Basil Lab), Jonathan Perelmuter (Forlano Lab), Frieda Benun Sutton (Wilson Lab), Kelly Eckenrode (Biais Lab), and Chase Budell and Glennon Bythrow (both of the Quadri Lab), our newest Ph.D. graduates from the CUNY Graduate Center!
August 10—The Brooklyn Urban Ecology and Environment summer undergraduate research program recently concluded its second year, with student participants from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia involved in research projects and outreach across the city. More information on the program, along with application materials, can be found here.
July 2019
July 23—Naomi Lewandowski from the Basil Lab has recently been awarded a NOAA/Seagrant Knauss Fellowship in Marine Policy. Lewandowski will take up this one-year fellowship in Washington, D.C., in spring 2020, advising government officials on issues at the interface of marine science and policy. Congratulations, Naomi!
July 21—In Memorium:The Department of Biology regrets to announce that Professor Emeritus for Microbiology Norman Eaton passed away on July 21 at his home in Sacramento, California.
June 2019
June—New paper from the Forlano Lab—"Forebrain dopamine system regulates inner ear auditory sensitivity to socially-relevant acoustic signals"
May 2019
May 16—The Department of Biology recently announced its list of student awardees for the spring 2019 semester. The department awarded close to $30,000 in awards to our students on the basis of outstanding academic performance, departmental service, and financial need. Congratulations to all!
- Undergraduate Awardees—Israel Iosevich, Naila Mirza, Akmal Salimov, Nachama Stern, and Natchanon Vutrapongvatana
- Graduate Awardees—Glennon Bythrow, Brandon Ely, Jingbo Kan, Katherine Rivera Gomez, and Junaid Syed
May 16—Congratulations to Aneesa Valentine and Joseph Arguelles, co-recipients of this year's Eshel Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, awarded in honor of Professor Dan Eshel and his commitment to undergraduate research at the highest levels. This year's Eshel Awards will be awarded in a formal ceremony, where both students will present the results of their research, in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension on May 16 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. All are welcome. The lecture will be followed by a reception.
May 3—Biology students take third place honors at Brooklyn College's Science Day: Emily Movsumova, Jingbo Kan, Nicolas Biais, "Unknown Streptococcus strain specific to killing and inhibiting growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria elongate."
May 3—Jimiane Ashe and TR Muth complete a set of training videos as part of the Research Experiences in Microbiomes Network. Check them out here!
May—New paper from the Polle Lab—"Phytoene accumulation in the novel microalga Chlorococcum sp. using the pigment synthesis inhibitor fluridone"
May—New paper from the Lipke Lab—"Fluidic force microscopy demonstrates that homophilic adhesion by Candida albicans Als proteins is mediated by amyloid bonds between cells"
March 2019
March—New paper from the Lipke Lab—"Serum Amyloid P component binds fungal surface amyloid and decreases human macrophage phagocytosis and secretion of inflammatory cytokines"
March—New paper from the Singh Lab—"Inhibition of ricin A-chain (RTA) catalytic activity by a viral genome-linked protein (VPg)"
February 2019
February 28—Gavin Lecture in Cell and Molecular Biology (Tanger Auditorium, 12:30–1:30 p.m). Erich Jarvis, Professor in the Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language at The Rockefeller University, will discuss his research in the 2019 Gavin Lecture, "Molecular convergence in brain regions for song-learning in birds and spoken-language in humans." The lecture will be followed by a reception in 230 Ingersoll Hall Extension.
February—New paper from the Singh Lab—"A combined computational strategy of sequence and structural analysis predicts the existence of a functional eicosanoid pathway in Drosophila melanogaster" (PLoS ONE 14(2): e0211897).
November 2018
November 8—The Department of Biology will hold a special seminar in memory of Shirlanna Alexis on Thursday, November 8, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension. Soledad Sosa from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will present a lecture entitled "Illuminating how tumor cell dormancy works: relevance to metastasis," which will be followed by a reception in 230 Ingersoll Hall Extension.
October 2018
October 18—The Department of Biology will host Dr. Rob DeSalle from the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History for a seminar on "Troublesome Science: Genomics and Race." DeSalle's seminar will take place on Thursday, October 18, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension.
October 2—The Department of Biology recently celebrated the many years of service to the department by Trudy Trotta, who was instrumental in ensuring the efficient operation of our office. Many thanks, Trudy!
September 2018
September 27—Schreibman Lecture in Organismal Biology (113 Ingersoll Hall Extension, 12:30–1:30 p.m). David Crews, Ashbel Smith Professor of Zoology and Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, will discuss his research in the 2018 Schreibman Lecture, "We have soiled our nest: Now what?" The lecture will be followed by a reception.
August 2018
August 10—The Brooklyn Urban Ecology and Environment summer undergraduate research program recently concluded a successful first season, with student participants from Arkansas, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New York, and Washington involved in research projects and outreach across the city. More information on the program, along with application materials, can be found here.
May 2018
May 17—The Department of Biology recently announced its list of student awardees for the spring 2018 semester. The department awarded $18,000 in awards to our students on the basis of outstanding academic performance, departmental service, and financial need. Congratulations to all!
Undergraduate Awardees—Mysa Abdelrahman, Joseph Arguelles, Chaya Fastow, Rohan Mathur, Rabia Mehmoud, Simran Patel, Natalia Ryabenkova, Etel Sharipova, Wajeh Syed, Joshua Varughese, Cyrano Yee
Graduate Awardees—Gabrielle Germain, Naomi Lewandowski
May 9—Congratulations to Iqra Nadeem and Huda Yousuf, co-winners of the 2018 Eshel Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. The Eshel Award is awarded by the Department of Biology in memory of Professor Dan Eshel and his commitment to undergraduate research at the highest levels. This year's Eshel Awards will be awarded in a formal ceremony, when both students will present the results of their research, in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extention on May 5 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. All are welcome. The lecture will be followed by a reception.
May 4—Congratulations to Joseph Arguelles, an undergraduate student working in the Singh lab, for his award at Brooklyn College's recent Science Day! Arguelles' poster, "Structural analysis of knottin-like peptide in venom of parasitoid wasp Leptopilina heterotomahis," took third prize in the undergraduate research category.
May 3—Gavin Lecture in Cell and Molecular Biology (113 Ingersoll Hall Extension, 12:30–1:30 p.m). Peter Satir, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anatomy & Structural Biology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, will discuss his research in the 2018 Gavin Lecture, "Exploring ciliary nanobiology in health and disease." The lecture will be followed by a reception.
March 2018
March 22—Anjana Saxena, together with a team of researchers from the NYU Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, published a recent report in Cancer Discovery detailing how changes in the host microbiome in patients suffering from pancreatic cancer may compromise the immune system and promote tumor growth.
December 2017
December 14—Citizen science in our backyard! Jessica Joyner, a postdoc in the Muth lab, is coordinating a project looking at Brooklyn's waterways. You can read more about her research here.
November 2017
November 30—Mara Schvarzstein and her lab were recently profiled by the Graduate Center Faculty Spotlight, which highlights outstanding faculty at the City University of New York. Congratulations, Mara!
October 2017
October 26—Charlene Forest will present a special seminar as part of the Biology Seminar Series (113 Ingersoll Hall Extension, 12:30–1:30 p.m), honoring her close to 40 years of education, research, and service at Brooklyn College, in a talk entitled, "The discovery of the first gamete fusion protein and my very tiny role in understanding fertilization." The lecture will be followed by a reception.
October 16—Nicolas Biais kicks off BC Communication's new "Faculty Experts" series with a discussion of cryo-electron microscopy, a milestone discovery for which Dubochet, Frank and Henderson won this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Check it out!
September 2017
September 19—Schreibman Lecture in Integrative Biology (113 Ingersoll Hall Extension, 12:30–1:30 p.m). Scott Edwards, Agassiz Professor of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and member of the National Academy of Sciences, will discuss "Genomic drivers of evolutionary change: Micro- and macro-evolutionary examples across the avian tree of life." The lecture will be followed by a reception.
Congratulations to Peter Lipke, who was awarded the William A. Hinton Research Training Award by the American Society of Microbiology in honor of his decades of service in fostering the research training of underrepresented minorities in microbiology. Professor Lipke will receive the award during the ASM annual meeting in in Atlanta next summer.
August 2017
BIOL4024W/7180G Cancer Biology (fall 2017): Ever wonder why cancer is so hard to treat? Learn the basics of the variety of ways that cancer cells establish and spread in the human body, and how novel approaches to treatment are improving health outcomes. This fall semester course (Fridays, 9:30 a.m.–12:40 p.m.) is open to both undergraduates and graduate students, and is offered by Anjana Saxena.
July 2017
July 23—Congratulations to Carla Cervantes, a high school student working in the Schvarzstein lab, for her gold medal at the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) regional competition in New York and her silver medal at the national ACT-SO competition in Baltimore.
June 2017
June 21–25—Congratulations to Anthony James and Erlyana Clarke, who presented their research from the Schvarzstein lab at the Genetics Society of America C. elegansmeeting at the University of California Los Angeles. Erlyana recently graduated from the Schvarzstein lab with honors in biology.
June 3—Theodore Muth and Jessica Joyner will host a group of budding young scientists as part of the World Science Festival's Microbiologist Apprentice Day at Brooklyn College. Elementary school students from across the city will join the Muth lab for a day, and learn about what it means to be a microbiologist.
May 2017
May 22— The Department of Biology recently announced its list of student awardees for the spring 2017 semester. The department awarded more than $25,000 in awards to our students on the basis of outstanding academic performance, departmental service, and financial need. Congratulations to all!
Undergraduate Awardees—Carlos Barreto, Chelsea Batista, Maria Bederoff, Alena Chernenko, Chaya Fastow, Raquel Fleming, Jerry Jose, Jeffrey Nussbaum, Malka Rosenberg, Natalia Ryabenkova
Graduate Awardees—Mahwish Ashfaq, Glennon Bythrow, Hulgrid Gourgue, Jingbo Kan, Rabina Lakha, Rachele Rameau
May 18—The Department of Biology will host an end-of-semester celebration at 12:30 p.m. on May 18 in 113 Ingersoll Hall Extension to celebrate the end of the semester, recognize outstanding students, and honor of our graduating seniors. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to come out to recognize our colleagues, and to honor a job well done!
May 4—Gavin Lecture in Cell and Molecular Biology (113 Ingersoll Hall Extension, 12:30–1:30 p.m). Lucy Shapiro '61, Ludwig Professor in Cancer Research at Stanford University and winner of the 2011 National Medal of Science, will discuss "The 3-D architecture of cell cycle regulation." The lecture will be followed by a small reception.
May 2—Spring semester biology student poster session. Graduate and undergraduate students who have been involved in research projects over the past semester will present their work at 1:15 p.m. on May 2 outside the Biology Department office on the second floor of Ingersoll Hall Extension. All are welcome. This is a great opportunity to learn more about ongoing research in the Department of Biology.
April 2017
Cat McEntee—making a difference in the classroom, one student at a time. As part of a recent article on the broader importance of science in contemporary society, Erin Williams highlighted how Dr. McEntee's no-nonsense approach to science at Brooklyn College was instrumental in changing the course of her life.
Congratulations to Amna Aslam, a high school student working in the Saxena Lab, who presented her research at the recent Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.in Washington, D.C., and was recently been accepted into the undergraduate program at New York University. All the best, Amna!
Congratulations to Mahmoud Abouelkheir, a Midwood High School student working in the Biais Lab, who placed first in the microbiology category at New York City Science & Engineering Fair and will represent New York at the International Science and Engineering Fair (May 14–19) in Los Angeles. Good luck, Mahmoud!
Congratulations to Chelsea Batista, a biology senior and member of the Macaulay Honors College, who recently received word that she has been accepted into 11 of the top medical schools in the country. A difficult (but very pleasant) decision awaits!
March 2017
Congratulations to Jimiane Ashe from the Wilson Lab, who has been awarded an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement grant for her project, "Isolating a Mechanism for Microbial-Host Local Adaptation," to support research investigating the relationship between adaptive immunity and environmental microbes in New Zealand seahorses.
February 2017
Congratulations to Mahmoud Abouelkheir, a high school student working in the Biais Lab, who received second prize in the Annual High School Poster Competition at Saint Joseph's College.
Congratulations to Amna Aslam, a BCStep student working in the Saxena Lab, who received second prize in the Annual High School Poster Competition at Saint Joseph's College.
Congratulations to Hufsa Tasnim, a high school student working in the Schvarzstein Lab, who received second prize in the Junior Mathematics, Science and Humanities Symposium at York College.
January 2017
Congratulations to Jonathan Perelmuter from the Forlano Lab, who received the Otto Kinne award for Best Student Presentation in Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in New Orleans.
Congratulations to Naomi Lewandowksi from the Basil Lab, who received an NSF EAPSI grant, "Human impacts on squid reproductive behavior in coral reefs: field and laboratory studies," to perform research in the laboratory of Yuzuru Ikeda at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, this summer.
The Biais Lab, together with colleagues from Simon Fraser University and Dartmouth College, published an article in PLoS Pathogens demonstrating that toxin-coregulated pili of the human pathogen Vibrio cholera exert physical forces essential for infection. Read more here.
The Biais Lab, together with colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Complex Systems, published a mathematical model in the New Journal of Physics describing how pili mediate the movement and interaction of bacterial cells. Read profiles of this research here and here.
The recent research of the Wilson Lab was profiled on NPR's Science Friday, and Radio Canada's Découverte.
