IBSC Newsletter: Spring/Summer 2024

In case you missed it, the IBSC kicked off the first-ever UCSC Industry Day on May 16th. We were thrilled to welcome representatives from over 20 diverse companies and organizations to our campus. They engaged with our graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, participated in panels, and showcased their offerings. The event wasn’t just limited to the registered attendees; everyone strolling through science hill was welcome to attend.

The heart of the action was at the quad area between BioMed and PSB, where exhibitor tables buzzed with activity. Industry experts were on hand to display their products, discuss career paths, and even offer lightning-fast CV reviews. Meanwhile, inside PSB, three Career Development Panel Sessions, expertly moderated by IBSC Postdoctoral Trainees Saran Chattopadhyaya, Tommy Finn and Julien Menedez, provided invaluable insights into the biotech job market. One resounding piece of advice echoed throughout the sessions: connections are key! Every person interested in looking for a job in industry should have a polished LinkedIn page.

During a lively lunchtime chat moderated by Elizabeth Firestone, we had the pleasure of hosting a Female Founder’s Entrepreneurship “Fireside” Chat with special guests Madeline Schade of MantleBio and Tara Holz of CITO Medical. They unpacked the triumphs and difficulties associated with building one’s own business from the ground up. Also happening throughout the day was the poster session, where our trainees had the chance to showcase their research to industry guests. 

The feedback from our industry visitors spoke volumes: UCSC graduate student researchers and postdoctoral fellows left an indelible mark. Many walked away with interviews, internships, and even job offers on the spot. Despite an unfortunate interruption from demonstrators later in the day, our visitors praised the meaningful connections they forged and expressed eagerness to participate in future events.

At the IBSC, we’re proud to have shattered the mold of traditional vendor shows and career fairs. Industry Day exemplified the power of collaboration between academia and industry, paving the way for future partnerships and networking.

Industry Day was generously funded by the CIRM and T32 Training Programs which continue to support our mission of advancing scientific research and career development. A special thanks to the Office of Research and especially Andrea Pesce, without whom the event would not have been possible..

We are also grateful to Greg at Togo’s for his generous support.

These researchers further showed that a critical gatekeeper of the cell cycle, the kinase WEE1, is responsible for this regulatory mechanism that harnesses physiological DNA damage to generate these milk-producing cells that are chock full of DNA. In addition to uncovering a fundamental biological process, the study opens the door to a  non-hormonal means for increasing milk production. The paper, titled “Physiological DNA damage promotes functional endoreplication of mammary gland alveolar cells during lactation,” was published on April 17th in Nature Communications and featured in the CIRM Newsletter as a “Top CIRM Mention”. For those interested in learning more about how DNA damage enhances milk production, the full manuscript is available via Nature Communications.

As an IRACDA Trainee with mentored pedagogical training, Jess’s recent publication highlights the potential benefits of gamified learning tools to revolutionize the way complex scientific concepts are taught. These teaching strategies are particularly important for students in less resourced schools that do not have on-site cell culture facilities. Jess’s work is conducted within the Haussler and Salama labs. You can learn more by visiting their lab webpage here.

Conrad Fihn has joined us as an IRACDA fellow aiming to pursue an academic career in teaching and research. Conrad has been a Postdoc at UCSC since 2023, having earned his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and B.S. in chemistry at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Conrad will be working in the Sanchez Lab within the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, where his research will focus on developing a high-throughput mass spectrometry screening method for assaying mutants generated by directed enzyme evolution.

Mojtaba Zeraatkar joins us as a CIRM fellow eager to pursue research aligned with CIRM’s regenerative and translational medicine priorities. Mojtaba has been a Postdoc at UCSC since 2022, having earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy where he also worked as a researcher on microfabrication. Mojtaba will be working in the Teodorescu Lab within the Baskin School of Engineering/Genomics Institute, where his research will focus on developing a scalable, automated, and programmable microfluidic system for tissue culture incubators to enhance organoid culture.

This year’s cohort of CSUMB Students are:

1. Sarina Regis
2. Hailie Milam
3. Lauren Maravilla
4. Olivia Brodmerkle
5. Lily Nixon
6. Lillian Tarantino
7. Isaiah Ruvalcaba

These seven students will be mentored by an incredible group of Postdoctoral Mentors, some of whom are existing IRACDA and T32 Postdoctoral Trainees:

1. Saran Chattopadhyaya (T32)
2. Gerrald Lodewijk
3. Nafisehsadat Jafarzadeh
4. Estefania Sanchez Vasquez (IRACDA)
5. Simon Titen
6. Jess Sevetson (IRACDA)

For the next 2 months,these students will come to UCSC daily  to work closely with their postdoc mentor as well as other students, postdocs, and faculty.  By working in a lab, each student will gain hands-on experience and valuable insights to support their graduate school aspirations. We are excited to see where these students go in the future and how they continue to contribute to STEM and research. You can learn all about the GAIN Program and the resources it provides on the IBSC Website or by clicking the button below.

Ryan’s work as a CIRM Trainee focuses on the patterning role of the choroid plexus in human cerebral cortex development and leverages human organoids to investigate neurodevelopmental processes. For more information on the Salama lab and their groundbreaking work, please be sure to visit their lab webpage here. Are you currently pursuing your Ph.D. and interested in becoming a CIRM Predoctoral Trainee like Ryan? Learn more and apply by clicking the button below.

The recent UC Santa Cruz Postdoc Symposium was a resounding success, celebrating the groundbreaking work of our early career researchers. Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan, Co-PI for the IRACDA Training Program and Professor and Department Chair at CSU Monterey Bay served as the symposium’s keynote speaker, providing valuable career advice for all those in attendance. Dr. Sreenivasan leads the pedagogical training activities at CSUMB as part of the IRACDA Training Program; providing UCSC Postdocs and CSUMB Undergrads mutually beneficial training experiences as Postdocs gain valuable teaching experience while undergrads benefit from a fresh approach to instruction, and instructors more closely relatable to them. The IBSC is grateful to our partners at CSUMB for continuing to provide these training experiences.

Each year, the UCSC Postdoc Organization (USPA) hosts a symposium with this year’s event having taken place at the Seacliff Inn in Aptos. Dr. Camilla Forsberg was honored with the award, having been nominated by her current postdocs. Dr. Lindsay Hinck supported the nomination with a letter from a colleague. At the symposium, Dr. Forsberg’s postdocs accepted the award on her behalf.

This prestigious workshop is designed to cultivate leadership skills and promote inclusivity within the scientific community. The selection of Bryce and Estefania for this workshop is a testament to their dedication and potential as future academic leaders in their fields. This workshop will provide them with valuable training and networking opportunities and enhance their pedagogical and research training in support of their future academic careers. The IBSC is incredibly proud of their achievements and looks forward to seeing the positive impact they will make on  the lives of students and the greater scientific community.

The IBSC’s UC-HSI-DDI Doctoral Diversity Initiative continues to build bridges for undergraduate students to access graduate school. We know from past years that many students are unaware of the opportunities in STEM, and even if they are aware, the application process often seems daunting.  Similar to previous years, our “campus tours”  were to CSU Monterey Bay, CSU East Bay, San Francisco State University, and CSU Stanislaus. Graduate students Natalie Pedicino, Prajna Hebbar, Ivana Pačar and Sebastian Hernandez  provided CSU undergraduate students with invaluable insights and networking connections to help them forge paths to a Ph.D. and beyond

UC-HSI-DDI Fellow Natalie Pedicino shared her experience, stating, “The UC-HSI-DDI program was an excellent opportunity for me to form connections with undergrads and delve into the hidden graduate school curriculum.”

“I was able to have meaningful conversations with students and connect with them on an interpersonal level about my experiences and how best to support their exploration of graduate school. This program provided a unique and valuable platform to meet with students in a group setting and one-on-one and unpack the reality of applying and being in graduate school. It also allowed me to share my experience and empower others to pursue their goals.”

Similarly, UC-HSI-DDI Fellow Prajna Hebbar reflected on her interactions with students, noting, “Talking to the undergrads at CSU Stanislaus and SFSU and being able to share my journey to grad school was wonderful. To me, the best part was to be able to show them that I am not too different from them and that with persistence and confidence they too could get to the grad school of their dreams.”

“A lot of my one-on-one interactions after the presentations showed their dedication toward finding more opportunities and figuring out what exactly they wanted to do, and I am still in touch with a few of them. I’m incredibly glad to have impacted their paths in a tiny way.”

Ivana Pačar, another UC-HSI-DDI Fellow commented that “From working on our presentations and finding the best way to demonstrate that anyone can be on a path to q PhD with the right help to meeting the students in person and realizing how sometimes all it takes is seeing someone with a similar life story in the position you want to reach,”

“Being a part of this year’s UC Doctoral Diversity Initiative cohort has been an all-around rewarding experience. Across all campuses visited, we gave our best to share the resources and inside knowledge we often take for granted, and seeing how many students reached out (either by staying after the talk or via email), I believe that the program was successful in its mission. This opportunity also reminded me to enjoy and celebrate the stage of my academic career I am currently in, together with all the obstacles that led to it. I am grateful for this experience and look forward to seeing the program reach even more students over the next few years.”

Lastly, Sebastian Hernandez, UC-HSI-DDI Fellow also reflected,”My experience felt like a metamorphosis, allowing me to rediscover my own story while encouraging students to be proud of theirs.”

“Each visit and meeting was an opportunity to show them that achieving their goals is possible, regardless of their background. It was deeply fulfilling to provide the support I would have loved to receive when I was younger.”

The IBSC is home to a wide array of research areas that are not limited to stem cell biology. The following preprints and papers have recently been published by our affiliated labs. IBSC trainees are indicated in bold.   

After hearing about all of this IRACDA, CIRM, T32, UC-HSI-DDI, and GAIN business, are you interested in learning more about one of the IBSC’s Training Programs and applying? If so, Applications for the upcoming 2025 Program Year are now open!