Events
CEMINAR
The most important community-oriented activity we sponsor is CEMINAR, formerly MicroMorning, a monthly seminar series where students and postdocs in the CEMI program present their work. Usually 2 individuals present 20-25 min talks (+ 5 min questions) to fill the hour, but on rare occasions we invite an outside speaker. CEMINAR is primarily designed to provide CEMI students and postdocs with an opportunity to practice giving a formal talk to a friendly Caltech audience. Numerous collaborations have been sparked between labs at Caltech thanks to creative connections made during these seminars. View past CEMINARS
CEMINAR
CEMINAR is on the second Wednesday of every month.
UPCOMING
Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 4:00 pm
4:00-5:00pm Chen 130
5:00-5:30pm Socializing (snacks and drinks will be provided)
"Enabling biology by design with cell-free gene expression and bacteriophages"
Yan ZhangClemons Lab and Murray Lab
Living systems are templated by genetic programs and chemical reactions. By composing the genetic program and recreate the reactions, we can define gene expression and biological functions, enabling biology by design. Cell-free gene expression systems enabling transcription and translation outside living cells offer a powerful platform for this. While the past focus has been on synthetic cells, I propose using simpler bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—as a model. In this talk, I will present my approach to template bacteriophages with applications in phage therapy and gene delivery.
"Unraveling the hidden networks of AMR: From environmental hotspots to the gut microbiome"
Grace Solini
Karthikeyan Lab
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emerges and spreads through microbial communities via horizontal gene transfer (HGT), yet tracking AMR gene movement remains a major challenge. Wastewater, a dynamic environment with high selection pressures, serves as a natural hotspot for AMR evolution and transmission. However, studying the mechanisms driving AMR persistence in such complex ecosystems requires new analytical approaches. Here, I present our efforts to refine metagenomic Hi-C analysis through experimental validation and statistical modeling, alongside MGE-FISH as a complementary tool, to build a robust framework for tracking AMR persistence across environmental and host-associated microbiomes.
Friday, February 28, 2025, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Chen 100
CEMI 2025 Winter Microbial Science Symposium
Adam Rosenthal, University of North Carolina
Assistant Professor Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Early Lessons from Single Cell RNA Sequencing of Bacteria and Perspective of Where the Field May Be Headed
Rebecca Vega-Thurber, UC Santa Barbara
Professor of Ecology Evolution and Marine Biology, Director of the Marine Science Institute
Coral Reef Bacteria and Viruses: The Good, the Bad, and the Plain Old Ugly
Sujit Datta, CCE Division, Caltech
Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biophysics
Watching Microbial Life in Complex Environments
Betül Kaçar, Dept. Bacteriology, Univ. Wisconsin-Madison
Associate Professor of Bacteriology
Innovations from Deep Time
Social Events
In addition to CEMINAR, CEMI sponsors social events during the academic year:
Fall Poster Sessions: All CEMI labs present one or more posters on their lab’s research. This helps incoming/current students and postdocs remain up-to-date on that latest research projects going on across the campus. One attractive feature of Caltech is that students admitted in any graduate program are welcome to rotate in any lab (as long as the lab is taking students), so this poster session can open up new interests and areas for exploration. It also can spawn new collaborations between labs.
Spring Lectures and Evening Gala: To celebrate the start of the calendar year, we invite a keynote speaker from outside Caltech to give a seminar, plus a few shorter talks by assistant professors or postdocs at Caltech and other local universities. These “Spring Lectures” are open to anyone interested. As a companion event, we hold a formal gathering for a limited number of CEMI sponsors, faculty, and students and postdocs currently being supported by CEMI grants. The evening’s entertainment is organized by a different CEMI lab each year, and the evening culminates with a presentation of the “CEMI Oscars” (we are close to Hollywood, after all…), roasting CEMI members for notable achievements in the past year, all in good fun. View past lectures
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Spring Happy Hour: In recognition of the fact that sometimes the most inspired ideas come when we least expect them, we promote casual conversation between all members of the CEMI community supplemented with drinks and food at the start of the spring term (no posters required!).
CEMI Spring Celebration of Science: This hour-long science program featured short lightning talks from CEMI graduate students and postdocs followed by time to talk with the speakers and socialize with our CEMI colleagues. The inaugural event was held on May 12, 2021.
Workshops
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CEMI occasionally supports training courses at Caltech that provide members of the CEMI community with an opportunity for intensive training in a particular area. Any member of the CEMI community is welcome to suggest a topic for a workshop. Please contact the CEMI administrator if you have an idea. View past workshops