Rachel O’Neill is among five UConn researchers awarded internal funding to support researchers who are using their expertise to find new solutions to address the Covid-10 pandemic The program will award up to $50,000 to recipients.
Dr. Rachel O’Neill was awarded $50,000, Rapid and Ultrasensitive SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Wastewater by Smartphone
Co-PIs: Maroun Sfeir, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Rachel J. O’Neill, Institute for Systems Genomics, Molecular & Cellular Biology, Genetics and Genome Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to be inducted into the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) for 2020.
According to CASE, election to the Academy is based on the applicant’s scientific and engineering distinction, achieved through significant contributions in the form of publications, patents, outstanding leadership, and other factors. Read full article in UConn Today
The Mellone Lab was featured in UConn Today – UConn cell biologist Barbara Mellone, her student Jason Palladino, and colleagues report in the cover article of the 10 February issue of Developmental Cell that they were able to make fake centromeres that fooled cells into rearranging their chromosomes.
Fluorescence images of mitotic cells with de novo centromeres from Drosophila melanogaster larval brains. The chromosomes are stained with DAPI (DNA, magenta) and CENP-C antibodies (kinetochore protein, green) and are shown within the outlines of fruit flies. (Courtesy of Barbara Mellone)
Read article in UConn Today
See cover story at Developmental Cell
MCB Associate Professor Barbara Mellone received a $2.6million R35-MIRA grant from the National Institute of Health to fund her research on an elusive yet vital chromosomal structure that all plant and animal share: the centromere. This five-year grant will support research efforts to determine the contribution of DNA repeats and centromere chromatin to the formation and proper function of these structures and to engineer centromeres using Drosophila as a model.
“Centromeres continue to be widely considered the ‘black hole’ of genomics,” says Barbara Mellone, associate professor of molecular and cell biology at UConn and lead author on the study.
Dr. Malone is part of the delegation of the Global Young Academy and UNESCO and has contributed to development of the concept note for SD17: The use of science, technology, and innovations in facilitating youth engagement, development, and resilience. Continue reading
Scholars Day gives undergraduate students an opportunity to present research they’ve conducted to a broad audience either through a 10 minute talk or by presenting a poster. Every year they reach out to an alumnus who has presented at Scholars Day and is now pursuing their PhD to give a presentation as a guest speaker. The title of his talk was: “What to expect when you’re expecting… to go to grad school”.
doi: 10.1083/jcb.201605005