New cell biology training program at UNC: MiBio

As a member of the executive committee of MiBio, Amy Shaub Maddox, together with colleagues Dale Ramsden (Director), Ben Major and Jean Cook, is pleased to announce the funding of a new NIH T32 Training Program in Cell Biology: Mechanistic, Interdisciplinary Studies of Biological Systems. MiBio will provide enriching training experiences including a cross-campus curated seminar club, a retreat, a symposium, IDP-check-up mentoring, and an interactive Ask-an-Expert platform.

Kenan Fellow welcomed to aMDX lab

Anna Glasgow, who teaches middle school science in Carrboro, NC, was awarded a Kenan Fellowship from the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership. Amy’s NSF grant supports the selection and hosting of one fellow each summer. During her 3 weeks in the lab, Anna will learn about the use of C. elegans as a model animal for cell and developmental studies. Hands on experience with worms and the biology of asymmetric cell divisions and cell differentiation will help Anna integrate these concepts with her curriculum on cell division and cancer.

 

Amy and Paul set up summer lab in Woods Hole

Paul was awarded a prestigious Whitman Fellowship by the Marine Biological Labs. We will spend the summer comparing and innovating different light imaging modalities, peering at new and familiar animal samples, and hearing about the hottest ongoing research from other visiting scientists at this science utopia on the southern tip of Massachusetts’ Cape Cod.

Congratulations and thank you, to the undergrads!

So many awesome undergrads were associated with the MDX labs the past semester, it took us two evenings to celebrate them all. Some graduated UNC the other day; others will be back for more high quality research. Thanks, Sean, Cole, Ricky and Ethan! (Nick, Adam, Connie, Becca, Shilpa, Jake, Young and Kishan not pictured here.)

undergrad happy hour May 2017

We had a great time at the Salmon-extended-family beach trip!

After an outstanding talk from Gaia Pigino on UNC campus, we all headed to Sunset Beach and 4 big, neighboring houses to spend the weekend socializing, eating delicious meals fixed by the trainees, screen-printing science march-inspired t-shirts, playing in the sand and waves, competing in miniature golf, and, of course, talking science with Gaia and our other wonderful guests, Ethan Garner, Florian Jug, and Jessica Polka. This 28-year tradition includes the labs of Ted Salmon, Kerry Bloom and Elaine Yeh, Bob Goldstein, Paul Maddox, and us!

2017 beach trip

ASM lab receives operating grant from the NSF

We are proud to have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how animals create exceptionally large cells: their eggs. These funds will support our work on the stable inter-cellular bridges that allow nurse cells to inflate and stock developing egg cells, so that embryonic development can be supported. The grant aims to define how these bridges are stable despite a similar constitution to contractile rings in cell division.