Seminar Series
Upcoming Seminar
Organelle Dynamics During Mitosis: Pathway for the Generation of Cellular Diversity
Dr. Blake Riggs, San Francisco State University
April 25, 2024
4:00pm-5:00pm in HSCI-102
Blake Riggs is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Dr. Riggs grew up in South Los Angeles and attended UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) as an undergraduate. He was a Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) scholar and received a Bachelors degree in Marine Biology, but was fascinated with the idea of cell division. He received both his Master's degree and Ph.D. in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at UCSC on research involving role of intracellular membrane transport on cell division. Dr. Riggs was a postdoctoral fellow from 2006 – 2009 at UC Berkeley and joined the faculty at San Francisco State University in 2010.
Dr. Riggs received an NSF-CAREER award in 2015 to examine how cells generate diversity during development. Dr. Riggs is also the Project Director for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Inclusive Excellence Program at SFSU and is a co-PI for the Bridges to Doctorate NIH T32 training program. Dr. Riggs also is a full member of the Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) a standing committee dedicated to issues involving diversity, equity and inclusion in the cell biology community and serves as the co-PI of the Faculty Research and Education Development (FRED) program. Currently, Dr. Riggs' laboratory studies the molecular pathway involved in organelle inheritance during cell division and how cells adopt a fate during development.
The Seminar Series is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in biology and what biologists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences at California State University, Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in biology. All students are encouraged to attend.
Seminar Coordinator
For information and suggestions about our Seminar Series, please contact the seminar coordinator:
Dr. Peter Ramirez
Peter.Ramirez@csulb.edu
Schedule
The following schedule is for Spring 2024.
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| April 25, 2024 | Organelle Dynamics During Mitosis: Pathway for the Generation of Cellular Diversity | Dr. Blake Riggs, San Francisco State University |
| May 2, 2024 | (topic: molecular virology) | Dr. Oliver Fregoso, UCLA |
| May 9, 2024 | (topic: parasitology) | Dr. Pascale Guiton, Santa Clara University |
Previous Seminars
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| April 18, 2024 | Glycopolymers as Broad-Spectrum Anti-Viral Drugs | Dr. Katherine McReynolds, CSU Sacramento |
| April 11, 2024 | The Neurobiology of Female Aggression: A Study in Drosophila Melanogaster | Dr. Caroline Palavicino Maggio, Harvard University |
| March 28, 2024 | Targeting Neuroinflammation and Brain Infiltrating Macrophages to Modulate Seizures in a Mouse Model of Viral-Induced Epilepsy | Dr. Ana Beatriz DePaula-Silva, University of Utah |
| March 21, 2024 | Development of Novel Mono and Bivalent Nanobodies Against EGFR for Targeted Cancer Therapy | Diana Carolina Aguilar Cortes, Ph.D. student at University of Buenos Aires |
| March 14, 2024 | Elastic Movements in Nature | Dr. Mark Ilton, Harvey Mudd College |
| March 7, 2024 | Helping Communities Coexist with Cougars | Korinna Domingo, Cougar Conservancy |
| February 29, 2024 | Why Recognize Protein When Fats Taste so Good! | Dr. Dequina Nicholas, UC Irvine |
| February 22, 2024 | The Evolutionary and Ecological Consequences of Agricultural Expansion: Insights from Bird Communities in Southeast Asia and California | Dr. Elizabeth Scordato, Cal Poly Pomona |
| February 15, 2024 | Adapting to Changing Landscapes - Studying Behavior in the Streets and in the Classroom | Dr. Karina Sanchez, University of New Hampshire |
| February 8, 2024 | CRISPR/Cas9 – A Cut Above the Rest: Gene Editing Protocols for Monogenic Diseases | Dr. Jennifer Johnston, San Jose State University |
| February 1, 2024 | Mangroves of the U.S. Virgin Islands: Growing Research, Restoration, Outreach and Education Opportunities | Dr. Kristin Grimes, University of Virgin Islands |
The Seminar Series Archive has topics from previous semesters.
