According to a recent analysis published in the journal Science, the number of birds in the United States and Canada has declined by nearly 3 billion—a shocking 29 percent of the total—since 1970. The study paints a bleak picture of avian loss among not only endangered species, but supposedly abundant birds like sparrows, and raises questions fundamental to evolutionary biology: What are the genes that influence survival and reproduction? What happens to the genetics of a population when it becomes threatened by extinction? Why do some individuals fare better than others? How do natural populations evolve over short time-scales?

These are questions at the crux of research conducted by evolutionary biologist Nancy Chen, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Rochester.

Chen annually travels to Venus, Florida, to study Florida Scrub-Jays, an endangered population of wild birds that have been individually marked and monitored since 1969. Using 50 years of collected data, Chen creates family trees and develops pedigree simulations to analyze the ways the birds’ genetic material is changing over time due to habitat loss. The tools she develops based on the field data allow her to investigate how different evolutionary forces shape genetic variation in a population and affect the probability of extinction.

Read more and see additional photos here.

Cutting-edge imaging technologies that allow scientists to watch the immune system work in real time are leading to a greater understanding of how we combat infection and disease. With a new $12 million grant, University researchers will use this knowledge to explore strategies to better fight infections like the flu and beat back overactive immune responses in disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The five-year project, led by Deborah J. Fowell, Dean’s Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical Center, builds on a $9 million grant that her team received in 2014. Both program project grants were awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.

Read more here.

Science tells us that a lot of good things happen in our brains while we sleep – learning and memories are consolidated and waste is removed, among other things. New University research shows for the first time that important immune cells called microglia – which play an important role in reorganizing the connections between nerve cells, fighting infections, and repairing damage – are also primarily active while we sleep.

The findings, which were conducted in mice and appear in the journal Nature Neuroscience, have implications for brain plasticity, diseases like autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia — which arise when the brain’s networks are not maintained properly — and the ability of the brain to fight off infection and repair the damage following a stroke or other traumatic injury.

“It has largely been assumed that the dynamic movement of microglial processes is not sensitive to the behavioral state of the animal,” says Ania Majewska, a professor in the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience and lead author of the study. “This research shows that the signals in our brain that modulate the sleep and awake state also act as a switch that turns the immune system off and on.”

Read more here.

Cory Hunter begins a dual appointment as assistant professor in the Department of Music and assistant professor of musicology at the Eastman School of Music. A 2018–19 postdoctoral fellow at the University’s Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies, Hunter joined Rochester from Brandeis University, where he taught courses on the history of black gospel music and the social and theological development of the black church in America.

He is currently working on a book, The Politics of Spiritual Realism in Gospel Music Discourse and Practice, which examines black gospel music in the 21st century. He is the recipient of several fellowships, including the Carter G. Woodson predoctoral fellowship at the University of Virginia, and he has studied abroad at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s study tour in Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, and Austria.

Hunter’s music career began as a soprano soloist for the renowned Boys Choir of Harlem. He has toured internationally, performing in concert halls across Europe and Canada as well as in leading US venues such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Apollo Theater. He has also performed on Good Morning America, Nightline, and other television programs. He earned his PhD in musicology at Princeton University.

The second annual Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound (RCBU) Symposium Day on November 7 will include lectures, trainee presentations, a poster session, and installation of Diane Dalecki, director of the RCBU and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, as the Kevin J. Parker Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Engineering.

The symposium will be held 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Feldman Ballroom.

Michael Bailey, senior principal engineer at the Applied Physics Laboratory and associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington, and Benjamin Castaneda Aphan, professor and chair of biomedical engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, will deliver distinguished lectures; Giovanni Schifitto, professor of neurology and imaging sciences at Rochester, will discuss clinical challenges.

Read more here.

The Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester is seeking proposals for two grants in the 2020 Breast Cancer Research Grant Initiative:

• One $50,000 research grant to faculty applicants (Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M. or equivalent degree).
• One $25,000 research grant to pre- or post-doctoral trainee or fellows.

Proposals must focus on cause, prevention, prevention of metastasis or cure. Coalition grant money is intended for use as seed money to fund innovative new projects with the potential to yield significant medical breakthroughs. For more information, email Helene Snihur or call (585) 473-8177. Submit proposal by 5 p.m. Tuesday, December 17.  Learn more.

Andrea Morris, political science, “Essays on Islamic State Foreign Fighters.” 11 a.m.. October 29, 2019. Harkness 113. Advisor: Hein Goemans.

Sierra Fox, biochemistry, “Investigating the Function of Hyperacetylated Domain-Forming Enhancers.” 10 a.m. October 31, 2019. Neuman Room (1-6823) Medical Center. Advisor: Michael Bulger.

José G. Pérez Ramos, translational biomedical science, “Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the Generation of Collective Action in Health: A Mixed Methods mHealth Intervention in the Latin American and Caribbean Ecological Context.” 3 p.m., November 1, 2019. Ryan Case Method Room 1-9576 (Medical Center). Advisor: Tim Dye.

Today and tomorrow: “Manipulating Brain States” conference on neuromodulation, hosted by the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. More than 20 internationally-renowned speakers will attend. Memorial Art Gallery. Learn more here.

Today: Conference co-sponsored by UNYTE on opportunities and challenges in research and clinical collaboration, including regional clinical, biomedical and translational research and advances in psychosocial care in pediatric hematology/oncology. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Flaum Auditorium. Learn more.

Oct. 30: Annual “Pediatrics Research Celebration Day” showcasing Medical Center pediatric research. Poster session and lecture by Robert M. Blum, the Emeritus William H. Gates, Sr. Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the immediate past director, Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Flaum Atrium and Class of ’62 Auditorium.

Oct. 30: Phelps Colloquium Series:

• How do we “fix” urban schools? Moving beyond tests, takeover, and other policy tools. Kara Finnigan, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Warner School of Education.
• Can we TRANSFORM our nation’s approach to preventing child abuse and neglect? Yes, by using evidence-based practice. Sheree Toth, professor of psychology and psychiatry and director of the Mt Hope Family Center.

4–5:30 p.m. Hawkins-Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library, River Campus. Reception preceding the talks. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Adele Coelho, faculty outreach coordinator, at (585) 273-2571 or by email at adele.coelho@rochester.edu.

Oct. 31: Pre-proposals due for Technology Development Fund awards. Eligible projects propose the development of a technology to a commercial endpoint. Awards are up to $100,000 and support animal testing, prototyping, and other proof-of-concept studies. Open to all faculty, staff, and students. A submitted invention disclosure to UR Ventures is required. Pre-proposals should be submitted to omar.bakht@rochester.edu.

Nov. 2: Immune Imaging Symposium on newest developments in understanding immune function through visualizing immunity “in action.” International speakers, an interactive poster session and opportunities for oral presentations from students and postdoctoral fellows. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Saunders Research Building. Registration is free, but preregistration is required. Learn more here.

Nov. 7: Second annual Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound (RCBU) Symposium Day, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Feldman Ballroom. Lectures, trainee presentations, a poster session and installation of Diane Dalecki, director of the RCBU and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering as the Kevin J. Parker Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Engineering. Read more here.

Nov. 7: Humanities Center Rosenberger Works-in-Progress lecture. Chun Yi Sum,visiting assistant professor of anthropology – “Toast to Adulthood: Alcohol Consumption and Moral Personhood in Postreform China.” 12:30 p.m., Humanities Center Conference Room D, Rush Rhees Library.

Nov. 7-8: “Making Connections: How Scientists Can Write about Science for the Rest of the World.” Two-day workshop by Julie Sedivy, a cognitive scientist, writer, and editor. Co-hosted by Center for Language Sciences, Writing Speaking and Argument Program, and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University. Sign-up required at event website. This event is open to the public and welcomes all members of the UR community.

Nov. 11: Initial abstracts due for URCTSI funding through the Novel Biostatistical and Epidemiologic Methods Program, which supports the development of novel biostatistical and epidemiologic methods that help overcome specifically identified limitations and significantly enhance the validity and accuracy, scope or speed of clinical or translational research. Learn more and view the RFA.

Nov. 14: “Can Computers Create Meaning?: A Cyber-Bio-Semiotic Perspective,” Fairbanks Lecture by N. Katherine Hayles (’77 PhD), Distinguished Research Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, and the James B. Duke Professor Emerita from Duke University.  5 p.m., Humanities Center Conference Room D. Sponsored by Advancement and the Humanities Center.

Nov. 14: Wilmot Cancer Institute Annual Scientific Symposium. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Class of ’62 Auditorium/Sarah Flaum Atrium. The Underberg Lecture will be given by Ari M. Melnick, Gebroe Family Professor of Hematology/Oncology and director of the Weill Cornell Medicine-Sackler Center for Biomedical and Physical Sciences. Posters are being accepted for a presentation from 1 – 3 p.m. All members of the University community are invited to present posters on basic or clinical cancer-related research. The poster registration form must be submitted electronically to Michael Powers. Submit posters by Monday, November 4. Learn more.

Nov. 20: Training workshop for the TriNetX cohort discovery tool that will replace the current i2b2 tool. With TriNetX investigators can search a limited set of electronic medical record data to determine the feasibility of their clinical trials. Participants should have a basic understanding of the TriNetX interface and be able to build simple queries. 2-4 p.m. SRB 1412. Register now. Learn more about TriNetX here.

Nov. 21: Phelps Colloquium Series:

• From the bedside to the cloud: The digital revolution in behavioral health. Michael Hasselberg, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry.
• Emergence of cardiometabolic risk: The childbearing years. Susan Groth, associate professor, School of Nursing.

4–5:30 p.m., Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons, River Campus. Reception preceding the talks. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Adele Coelho, faculty outreach coordinator, at (585) 273-2571 or by email at adele.coelho@rochester.edu.

Nov. 22: 5 p.m. deadline to apply for up to two awards, with a maximum funding of $25,000 each, through the joint School of Nursing/School of Medicine and Dentistry Program of Excellence in HIV/AIDS, administered by the Center for AIDS Research. This pilot program is intended to provide support for investigator teams to generate preliminary data that will facilitate the submission of subsequent competitive proposals for NIH-sponsored or other grants. Applications should be submitted as a single file attachment in PDF format. Click here for additional information. Contact Laura Enders at Laura_Enders@urmc.rochester.edu with any questions.

Nov. 29: Deadline to apply for a Medicines Discovery Award through the Empire Discovery Institute. a new partnership of the University of Rochester, the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center to convert the institutions’ scientific breakthroughs into viable pharmaceuticals for commercialization and strengthen the region as a hub for life sciences research and development. The program provides up to $7.5 million in support for two opportunities annually. Learn more.

Dec. 3: Annual CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium. 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m, Keynote addresses will be presented in the Class of ’62 Auditorium (G-9425), Medical Center.  A poster session will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m .in Flaum Atrium.  Register your poster by November 1. Contact Laura Enders for more information.

Dec. 6:  5 p.m. deadline for postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty to file letters of intent for the UR CTSI Career Development Award (KL2). The award provides two years of support for the early career development of multidisciplinary clinical and translational scientists. The program fosters the transition of KL2 scholars to an independent career as a clinical and translational investigator, generally by means of an individual K- or R-award. View the request for applications.