<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Fall 2026 Seminar Series presents Dr. Ned (Edward) Ruby]]>36927 Understanding the molecular signaling between animals and their associated bacteria has been the goal of many microbiologists, primarily with those focused on pathogens but, more recently, on the far more prevalent and ancient interactions of the host with its normal microbiota. These studies have been dominated by signaling pathways involving the interaction of microbial signals with the surface of host tissues. I will discuss the emerging recognition that bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs), delivered via outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are an effective means of communicating symbiont-derived signals to specific internal compartments of epithelial cells. One such sRNA, CsrB, enters the epithelium surrounding the symbiont population, transits to the nucleus and induces the host to glycosylate the mucus surrounding the bacteria, providing them a nutrient source.]]> tissa3117895793132026-09-16 17:21:5317913806962026-10-07 13:44:5600eventFunctional Targeting of Host-Cell Compartments by a Bacterial Symbiont’s Small RNAs]]>2026-11-12T11:00:00-05:002026-11-12T12:00:00-05:002026-11-12T12:00:00-05:002026-11-12 16:00:002026-11-12 17:00:002026-11-12 17:00:002026-11-12T11:00:00-05:002026-11-12T12:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2026-11-12 11:00:002026-11-12 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681173681173image<![CDATA[Dr. Ned (Edward) Ruby]]>image/jpeg17895794532026-09-16 17:24:1317895794532026-09-16 17:24:13<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2027 Seminar Series presents Dr. Peter Strick]]>36927 TBD]]> tissa3117901721992026-09-23 14:03:1917901723312026-09-23 14:05:3100eventTBD]]>2027-04-15T11:00:00-04:002027-04-15T12:00:00-04:002027-04-15T12:00:00-04:002027-04-15 15:00:002027-04-15 16:00:002027-04-15 16:00:002027-04-15T11:00:00-04:002027-04-15T12:00:00-04:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2027-04-15 11:00:002027-04-15 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681234681234image<![CDATA[Dr. Peter Strick]]>image/jpeg17901722722026-09-23 14:04:3217901722722026-09-23 14:04:32<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2027 Seminar Series presents Dr. Maitreya Dunham]]>36927 TBD]]> tissa3117901716692026-09-23 13:54:2917901721222026-09-23 14:02:0200eventTBD]]>2027-04-08T11:00:00-04:002027-04-08T12:00:00-04:002027-04-08T12:00:00-04:002027-04-08 15:00:002027-04-08 16:00:002027-04-08 16:00:002027-04-08T11:00:00-04:002027-04-08T12:00:00-04:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2027-04-08 11:00:002027-04-08 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681233681233image<![CDATA[Dr. Maitreya Dunham]]>image/jpeg17901720902026-09-23 14:01:3017901720902026-09-23 14:01:30<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2027 Seminar Series presents Dr. Jessie Williamson]]>36927 Dr. Williamson will discuss her research on birds that make extreme seasonal shifts in elevation during migration and how these movements affect ecology, evolution, and physiology. She will highlight her lab’s work on giant hummingbirds (Patagona spp.) in the Andes, where her team has combined movement tracking, genomics, and field physiological experiments to uncover extreme daily movements, a spectacular long-distance migratory journey involving an extreme elevational ascent, and cryptic speciation between the world’s largest hummingbirds.]]> tissa3117901714072026-09-23 13:50:0717901715282026-09-23 13:52:0800eventAvian Migration, Physiology, and Speciation at Elevational Extremes]]>2027-04-01T11:00:00-04:002027-04-01T12:00:00-04:002027-04-01T12:00:00-04:002027-04-01 15:00:002027-04-01 16:00:002027-04-01 16:00:002027-04-01T11:00:00-04:002027-04-01T12:00:00-04:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2027-04-01 11:00:002027-04-01 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681231681231image<![CDATA[Dr. Jessie Williamson]]>image/jpeg17901714502026-09-23 13:50:5017901714502026-09-23 13:50:50<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2027 Seminar Series presents Dr. Forest Isbell]]>36927 TBD]]> tissa3117901706422026-09-23 13:37:2217901711852026-09-23 13:46:2500eventTBD]]>2027-03-04T11:00:00-05:002027-03-04T12:00:00-05:002027-03-04T12:00:00-05:002027-03-04 16:00:002027-03-04 17:00:002027-03-04 17:00:002027-03-04T11:00:00-05:002027-03-04T12:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2027-03-04 11:00:002027-03-04 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681230681230image<![CDATA[Dr. Forest Isbell]]>image/jpeg17901711052026-09-23 13:45:0517901711052026-09-23 13:45:05<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2027 Seminar Series presents Dr. Jason Rohr]]>36927
In this talk, Rohr will present nature-based solutions that address interconnected challenges among disease, agriculture, water, and poverty. His research shows that removing invasive aquatic vegetation in West African waterways can reduce schistosomiasis infections while improving water access and agricultural productivity. By converting this vegetation into low-cost livestock feed, compost, and fuel for biodigesters that produce fertilizer and off-grid energy, communities gain profitable incentives to sustain the nature-based solution. Building on these successes, Rohr’s team will expand efforts using climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, and remote sensing to enhance resilience and equity across Africa and beyond, offering scalable, win-win strategies for global planetary health.
]]> tissa3117901700092026-09-23 13:26:4917901703482026-09-23 13:32:2800eventPlanetary Health Innovations for Addressing Disease, Agriculture, Water, Energy, Sustainability, and Poverty Challenges in Africa and Beyond]]>2027-02-18T11:00:00-05:002027-02-18T12:00:00-05:002027-02-18T12:00:00-05:002027-02-18 16:00:002027-02-18 17:00:002027-02-18 17:00:002027-02-18T11:00:00-05:002027-02-18T12:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2027-02-18 11:00:002027-02-18 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681229681229image<![CDATA[Dr. Jason Rohr]]>image/jpeg17901702762026-09-23 13:31:1617901702762026-09-23 13:31:16<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2027 Seminar Series presents Dr. Erik Andersen]]>36927 TBD]]> tissa3117895815952026-09-16 17:59:5517895817032026-09-16 18:01:4300eventTBD]]>2027-02-11T11:00:00-05:002027-02-11T12:00:00-05:002027-02-11T12:00:00-05:002027-02-11 16:00:002027-02-11 17:00:002027-02-11 17:00:002027-02-11T11:00:00-05:002027-02-11T12:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2027-02-11 11:00:002027-02-11 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681179681179image<![CDATA[Dr. Erik Andersen]]>image/jpeg17895816542026-09-16 18:00:5417895816542026-09-16 18:00:54<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2027 Seminar Series presents Dr. Elizabeth Atkinson]]>36927
Genome-wide association studies have transformed our understanding of complex trait genetics, but most statistical methods assume relatively homogeneous ancestry. This leaves admixed individuals, whose genomes are mosaics of ancestry tracts from multiple continental populations, frequently excluded from analysis due to concerns over population stratification. My lab addresses this gap by developing and applying tools leveraging local ancestry: a technique that assigns ancestral origin to each segment of the genome, rather than summarizing ancestry for individuals using a single label.
I will present work spanning three areas. First, a simulation-based framework establishing best practices for local ancestry inference across reference panel compositions, admixture demographics, and genotype discovery approaches. Second, our recently published method Tractor-Mix, a local ancestry-informed mixed model that extends our earlier Tractor framework to enable well-calibrated GWAS in admixed cohorts with relatedness. We demonstrate Tractor-Mix’s performance across multiple large datasets including the UK Biobank, Yale-Penn cohort, and Mexico City Prospective Study, finding novel loci missed by traditional methods and better determining the ancestry driving unique signals. Third, I will describe our application of local ancestry inference across more than 140,000 genomes in gnomAD, which substantially refines ancestry-specific allele frequency estimates with direct implications for clinical variant interpretation. Together, this work illustrates how ancestry-aware statistical methods can improve genetic discovery, risk prediction, and variant interpretation across the full range of human genetic diversity.
]]> tissa3117895812482026-09-16 17:54:0817895813952026-09-16 17:56:3500eventLocal Ancestry Inference as a Tool for Genetic Discovery and Variant Interpretation in Admixed Populations]]>2027-02-04T11:00:00-05:002027-02-04T12:00:00-05:002027-02-04T12:00:00-05:002027-02-04 16:00:002027-02-04 17:00:002027-02-04 17:00:002027-02-04T11:00:00-05:002027-02-04T12:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2027-02-04 11:00:002027-02-04 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681178681178image<![CDATA[Dr. Elizabeth Atkinson]]>image/jpeg17895813322026-09-16 17:55:3217895813322026-09-16 17:55:32<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Fall 2026 Seminar Series presents Dr. Vaughn Cooper]]>36927 Experimental evolution in vivo is a powerful approach to identify the selective pressures shaping bacterial adaptation during infection, yet how host immunity modulates these evolutionary trajectories remains a fundamental gap in infection biology. Applying whole-population genomic sequencing to replicate bacterial populations serially passaged through murine or porcine infection models, we demonstrate that niche-specific selective pressures produce convergent genetic adaptations, including parallel mutations modulating pneumococcal surface charge during colonization and prophage-mediated disruption of global regulators during chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa wound infection. Host immune status critically shapes these trajectories, as neutropenic hosts broaden mutational pathways to fluoroquinolone resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii while functional immunity constrains the outgrowth of resistant variants. Most recently, we show that Streptococcus pneumoniae subjected to combined antibiotic and immune pressure evolves convergent mutations altering the RNA degradosome that confer broad-spectrum antibiotic tolerance through a bet-hedging transcriptional strategy influenced by host immune state. Together, these studies establish that in vivo experimental evolution provides a mechanistic roadmap for predicting genetic pathways to treatment failure and informing strategies to constrain the evolution of antimicrobial resistance.]]> tissa3117895802042026-09-16 17:36:4417895810922026-09-16 17:51:3200eventWhat Experimental Evolution Can Teach Us About Infection Biology]]>2026-12-03T11:00:00-05:002026-12-03T12:00:00-05:002026-12-03T12:00:00-05:002026-12-03 16:00:002026-12-03 17:00:002026-12-03 17:00:002026-12-03T11:00:00-05:002026-12-03T12:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2026-12-03 11:00:002026-12-03 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681176681176image<![CDATA[Dr. Vaughn Cooper]]>image/jpeg17895806132026-09-16 17:43:3317895806132026-09-16 17:43:33<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Fall 2026 Seminar Series presents Dr. Catherine Dulac]]>36927
Social interactions are essential for animals to survive, reproduce, raise their young. Over the years, my lab has attempted to decipher the unique characteristics of social recognition: what are the unique cues that trigger distinct social behaviors, what is the nature and identity of social behavior circuits, how is the function of these circuits different in males and females and how are they modulated by the animal physiological status? In this lecture, I will describe our recent work uncovering how discrete, molecularly defined neuronal populations participate in the positive and negative control of the drive for social interactions when animals are isolated or part of a group, and share our new insights into the brain-wide response to social isolation. Finally, social behavior is highly affected in sick animals and I will describe our recent progress in understanding how specific brain circuits and cell types direct adaptive changes in behavior during various forms of sickness in mice, providing a new framework to understand the function and modulation of behavior circuits in health and disease.
]]>2026-11-19T11:00:00-05:002026-11-19T12:00:00-05:002026-11-19T12:00:00-05:002026-11-19 16:00:002026-11-19 17:00:002026-11-19 17:00:002026-11-19T11:00:00-05:002026-11-19T12:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2026-11-19 11:00:002026-11-19 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681175681175image<![CDATA[Dr. Catherine Dulac]]>image/jpeg17895798702026-09-16 17:31:1017895798702026-09-16 17:31:10<![CDATA[The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2027 Seminar Series presents Dr. Sonal Singhal]]>36927
Biodiversity begins with divergence, but divergence does not always last. Populations become isolated and reconnect, lineages exchange genes, and newly formed lineages can either persist for millions of years or disappear almost as quickly as they arise. Why, then, do some parts of the Tree of Life produce extraordinary diversity while others do not? I explore this question across biological scales, from populations to large evolutionary radiations. Using studies of vertebrates and desert plants, I ask what determines whether evolutionary differences arise, persist, and ultimately accumulate into biodiversity.
]]> tissa3117895807962026-09-16 17:46:3617895810282026-09-16 17:50:2800eventWhat Makes Biodiversity Last? A Perspective from Vertebrates and Desert Plants]]>2027-01-14T11:00:00-05:002027-01-14T12:00:00-05:002027-01-14T12:00:00-05:002027-01-14 16:00:002027-01-14 17:00:002027-01-14 17:00:002027-01-14T11:00:00-05:002027-01-14T12:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2027-01-14 11:00:002027-01-14 12:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>rbailey74@gatech.edu]]>681177681177image<![CDATA[Dr. Sonal Singhal]]>image/jpeg17895809572026-09-16 17:49:1717895809572026-09-16 17:49:17<![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>36583 Join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab each week for Fossil Fridays.
Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time. Experience what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens.
Participants will sort through rock matrix collected from Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming to recover fossil specimens that are approximately 35,000 years old. These specimens support research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that once lived in North America.
Drop in whenever it is convenient. No commitment is required. All are welcome, so bring your friends.
*Note: Data collected during Fossil Fridays may be included in research publications.
]]> lvidal7117875897342026-08-24 16:42:1417876867272026-08-25 19:38:4700eventJoin the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab for Fossil Fridays. Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time.]]>2026-11-20T15:00:00-05:002026-11-20T17:00:00-05:002026-11-20T17:00:00-05:002026-11-20 20:00:002026-11-20 22:00:002026-11-20 22:00:002026-11-20T15:00:00-05:002026-11-20T17:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2026-11-20 03:00:002026-11-20 05:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>675993677954675993image<![CDATA[Fossil specimens]]>image/jpeg17367779602025-01-13 14:19:2017367779602025-01-13 14:19:20677954image<![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>image/jpeg17574471822025-09-09 19:46:2217574471822025-09-09 19:46:22<![CDATA[Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab ]]><![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>36583 Join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab each week for Fossil Fridays.
Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time. Experience what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens.
Participants will sort through rock matrix collected from Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming to recover fossil specimens that are approximately 35,000 years old. These specimens support research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that once lived in North America.
Drop in whenever it is convenient. No commitment is required. All are welcome, so bring your friends.
*Note: Data collected during Fossil Fridays may be included in research publications.
]]> lvidal7117875899182026-08-24 16:45:1817876867222026-08-25 19:38:4200eventJoin the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab for Fossil Fridays. Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time.]]>2026-12-04T15:00:00-05:002026-12-04T17:00:00-05:002026-12-04T17:00:00-05:002026-12-04 20:00:002026-12-04 22:00:002026-12-04 22:00:002026-12-04T15:00:00-05:002026-12-04T17:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2026-12-04 03:00:002026-12-04 05:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>675993677954675993image<![CDATA[Fossil specimens]]>image/jpeg17367779602025-01-13 14:19:2017367779602025-01-13 14:19:20677954image<![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>image/jpeg17574471822025-09-09 19:46:2217574471822025-09-09 19:46:22<![CDATA[Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab ]]><![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>36583 Join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab each week for Fossil Fridays.
Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time. Experience what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens.
Participants will sort through rock matrix collected from Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming to recover fossil specimens that are approximately 35,000 years old. These specimens support research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that once lived in North America.
Drop in whenever it is convenient. No commitment is required. All are welcome, so bring your friends.
*Note: Data collected during Fossil Fridays may be included in research publications.
]]> lvidal7117875896802026-08-24 16:41:2017876866712026-08-25 19:37:5100eventJoin the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab for Fossil Fridays. Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time.]]>2026-11-13T15:00:00-05:002026-11-13T17:00:00-05:002026-11-13T17:00:00-05:002026-11-13 20:00:002026-11-13 22:00:002026-11-13 22:00:002026-11-13T15:00:00-05:002026-11-13T17:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2026-11-13 03:00:002026-11-13 05:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>675993677954675993image<![CDATA[Fossil specimens]]>image/jpeg17367779602025-01-13 14:19:2017367779602025-01-13 14:19:20677954image<![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>image/jpeg17574471822025-09-09 19:46:2217574471822025-09-09 19:46:22<![CDATA[Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab ]]><![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>36583 Join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab each week for Fossil Fridays.
Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time. Experience what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens.
Participants will sort through rock matrix collected from Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming to recover fossil specimens that are approximately 35,000 years old. These specimens support research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that once lived in North America.
Drop in whenever it is convenient. No commitment is required. All are welcome, so bring your friends.
*Note: Data collected during Fossil Fridays may be included in research publications.
]]> lvidal7117875895752026-08-24 16:39:3517876866542026-08-25 19:37:3400eventJoin the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab for Fossil Fridays. Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time.]]>2026-11-06T15:00:00-05:002026-11-06T17:00:00-05:002026-11-06T17:00:00-05:002026-11-06 20:00:002026-11-06 22:00:002026-11-06 22:00:002026-11-06T15:00:00-05:002026-11-06T17:00:00-05:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2026-11-06 03:00:002026-11-06 05:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>675993677954675993image<![CDATA[Fossil specimens]]>image/jpeg17367779602025-01-13 14:19:2017367779602025-01-13 14:19:20677954image<![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>image/jpeg17574471822025-09-09 19:46:2217574471822025-09-09 19:46:22<![CDATA[Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab]]><![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>36583 Join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab each week for Fossil Fridays.
Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time. Experience what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens.
Participants will sort through rock matrix collected from Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming to recover fossil specimens that are approximately 35,000 years old. These specimens support research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that once lived in North America.
Drop in whenever it is convenient. No commitment is required. All are welcome, so bring your friends.
For more information, contact Katie Slenker at kslenker3@gatech.edu or visit mcguire.gatech.edu.
*Note: Data collected during Fossil Fridays may be included in research publications.
]]> lvidal7117875894392026-08-24 16:37:1917876866322026-08-25 19:37:1200eventJoin the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab for Fossil Fridays. Become a fossil hunter and help discover how ecosystems have changed over time.]]>2026-10-30T15:00:00-04:002026-10-30T17:00:00-04:002026-10-30T17:00:00-04:002026-10-30 19:00:002026-10-30 21:00:002026-10-30 21:00:002026-10-30T15:00:00-04:002026-10-30T17:00:00-04:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime2026-10-30 03:00:002026-10-30 05:00:00America/New_YorkAmerica/New_Yorkdatetime<![CDATA[]]>675993677954675993image<![CDATA[Fossil specimens]]>image/jpeg17367779602025-01-13 14:19:2017367779602025-01-13 14:19:20677954image<![CDATA[Fossil Friday]]>image/jpeg17574471822025-09-09 19:46:2217574471822025-09-09 19:46:22<![CDATA[Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab ]]>