Biophysics News

May 12, 2015 - Cellular, Molecular & Biochemical Sciences Training Program/Center for RNA Biology Annual Symposium 2015

The Annual CMBP/CRB Symposium brings together faculty trainers, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates representing a wide spectrum of the Life Sciences at Ohio State. In its fourth year of funding, the NIH CMB Training Program includes faculty and trainees from five related molecular life sciences graduate programs: Biophysics, Microbiology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Molecular Genetics, and the Ohio State Biochemistry Program. The RNA group at OSU has a long history of interaction and active collaboration and is now recognized as an official university Center. Members of the Center for RNA Biology represent about a dozen Departments throughout OSU. There are natural synergies between these two groups and this symposium is an opportunity not only to showcase the research of CMB Training Program and RNA Center members but also to foster new interactions.

Additional information available at: http://bioserv.mps.ohio-state.edu/cmbpsym/2015/.

May 8, 2015 - Kruthika Sundaram wins AAI Annual MeetingTravel Award

This award will provide up to $300 of reimbursement for registration and travel expenses associated with attending the AAI Annual Meeting – IMMUNOLOGY 2015TM – held May 8-12, in New Orleans, LA.

Meng Zhang wins Biophysics Society meeting travel award

Meng Zhang won a $1000 travel award to attend the Biophysical Society meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.

Carol Huseby wins Biophysical Society meeting travel award

Carol Huseby won a $1000 travel award from the Biophysical Society to present her poster "Tau filament length distribution reflects end-to-end annealing" at the 2015 annual meeting of the Biophysical Society in Baltimore, Maryland.

Insiya Fidai wins Baxter Young Investigator award

Insiya Fidai won one of this year's $500 Baxter Young Investigator awards as a recognition of her research achievements. More information about this award can be found here.

Pearson Maugeri wins CMBP training grant fellowship

Pearson Maugeri won a fellowship from the CMBP training grant. This fellowship not only provides stipend and tuition for one year, but also with additional training and mentoring opportunities such as career exploration workshops and monthly seminars.

Jun 22, 2014 - Gordon Research Conference on Metals in Medicine Defining the Future of Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry

Insiya Fidai received a poster award at the Gordon Research Conference on Metals in Medicine Defining the Future of Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry.

Jeff Tonniges wins AHA fellowship

Biophysics student Jeff Tonniges is the recipient of one of the 2014 pre-doctoral fellowships by the American Heart Association. This award cover stipend and benefits for one or two years and is competitively chosen among applicants from Delaware, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

May 14, 2014 - IGP symposium winners

Again, the IGP symposium brought together students and faculty from the four life sciences interdisciplinary graduate programs for a day of scientific exchange with faculty talks, student talks, and poster presentations. Meng Zhang was selected as Biophysics plenary student speaker and Kruthika Sundaram selected as Outstanding Poster Presenter runner-Up.

2014 IGP/CMBP/CRB symposia

Also in 2014, the Cellular, Molecular and Biochemical Sciences Training Grant and Center for RNA Biology and the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs Symposia will take place back to back in the Ohio Union, the CMBP/CRB symposium on Tuesday, May 13, and the IGP symposium on Wednesday. May 14. Please click on the links to obtain more information and register. You only need to register once for both symposia.

Apr 1, 2013 - Sara Lim Wins 2013 Chateaubriand Fellowship

Sara Lim was a recipient of the 2013 Chateaubriand Fellowship. The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Embassy of France in the United States. Every year, it allows doctorate students enrolled in American universities to conduct research in France for up to 10 months.

2014 outstanding academic achievement award winners

The outstanding academic achievement award is given every year to a student in the program that is distinguished through publications, conference presentations, and external awards. The 2014 award recipient is Cai Chen.

Nov 30, 2012 - Brian Maxwell is OSU Presidential Fellowship winner

Brian Maxwell is one of the Spring 2013 OSU Presidential Fellowship winners. This fellowship provides one full year of support for the final year of a graduate student and is competitively awarded by the OSU graduate school among all graduate programs based on the academic achievements of the applicants. Usually, only approximately 15 of these fellowships are awarded in every competition which takes places twice a year.

Hsiang-Ting Ho awarded an AHA fellowship

Biophysics student Hsiang-Ting Ho is the recipient of one of the 2012 pre-doctoral fellowships by the American Heart Association. This award cover stipend and benefits for one or two years and is competitively chosen among applicants from Delaware, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Ryan Pavlovicz wins OSU Presidential fellowship

Ryan Pavlovicz has won an OSU Presidential Fellowship. This fellowship provides one full year of support for the final year of a graduate student and is competitively awarded by the OSU graduate school among all graduate programs based on the academic achievements of the applicants. Usually, only approximately 15 of these fellowships are awarded in every competition which takes places twice a year.

Cai Chen is awarded Pelotonia fellowship

Cai Chen was awarded one of the very competitive Pelotonia predoctoral fellowships. The Pelotonia is a bicycle race fundraiser to support cancer related research at OSU. It provides - among other mechanisms of support - fellowships to undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral researchers. The Pelotonia fellowship, of which 10-20 are given to graduate students from all disciplines every year, supports two years of stipend and tuition.

Xin Li wins Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad

Biophysics graduate student Xin Li has won the highly competitive Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad. Only 506 Chinese students studying in 29 countries all around the world were recognized by this award this year. Xin Li has been invited by the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in New York to receive his award.

Biophysics winners at IGP symposium

As it has become tradition, the best student presentations at the IGP symposium are recognized by awards. This year Ryan Pavlovicz was chosen as the Biophysics plenary speakers. Ian Kleckner won an award for the best oral presentation in his session and Ravindra Amanugama secured an award for the runner up in the same session. In addition, Katryna Cisek and Xin Li both won a poster award. We congratulate all students for their great presentations.

Huameng Li wins Pelotonia fellowship

Huameng Li won one of the very competitive Pelotonia predoctoral fellowships. The Pelotonia is a bicycle race fundraiser to support cancer related research at OSU. It provides - among other mechanisms of support - fellowships to undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral researchers. The Pelotonia fellowship, of which up to 16 are given to graduate students from all disciplines, supports two years of stipend and tuition.

May 2, 2011 - 2011 MLS IGP symposium

This year, the students and faculty from the OSU Molecular Life Sciences Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs will come together for their annual symposium on Monday, May 2, 2010 from 8:50am to 5:00pm. Like last year the venue will be the new Ohio Union. The symposium will feature three faculty talks, 22 student talks, and 80 student posters. Program students in their fourth or higher year are required to present a poster. For information, registration, and abstract submission go to the symposium web site http://bioserv.mps.ohio-state.edu/igpsymp/2011.

Jiwei Huang wins AGGRS alumni grant

Biophysics student Jiwei Huang won one of the Graduate School`s Alumni Grants for Graduate Research and Scholarship (AGGRS). The award carries $2000 toward research expenditures.

Ryan Pavlovicz wins ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Predoctoral Fellowships

Ryan Pavlovicz in the group of Chenglong Li has won one of the seven 2010 ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Predoctoral Fellowships. This fellowship covers one year of his stipend and is available to students in their third or forth year of graduate study.

Again three AHA fellowship winners

Again, 2010 was a blockbuster year for Biophysics students in terms of pre-doctoral fellowships by the American Heart Association. Three of our students, namely Angela Blissett, Yashaswini Kannan, and Thomas Haver, were awarded these fellowships in the 2010 competition. These awards cover stipend and benefits for one or two years. In addition, our recent alumni Weihong Qiu and Manoj Nair were awarded AHA post-doctoral fellowships, Weihong with a percentile rank of 1.09%.

Biophysics award winners at the IGP symposium

As every year, the best student presentations at the IGP symposium are recognized by awards. This year Ian Kleckner and Jiwei Huang were chosen as the Biophysics plenary speakers and Sarah Javaid won an award for the best oral presentation in her session. In addition Bin Liu won a poster runner-up award. We congratulate all students for their great presentations.

Xin Li wins presidential fellwoship

Xin Li has been awarded an OSU Presidential Fellowship. This fellowship provides one full year of support for the final year of a graduate student and is competitively awarded by the OSU graduate school among all graduate programs. Usually, only approximately 15 of these fellowships are awarded in every competition which takes places twice a year. Our program has recently been very successful in obtaining these fellowships.

May 20, 2010 - 2010 MLS-IGP symposium

Once again, the students and faculty from the OSU Molecular Life Sciences Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs will come together for their annual symposium on Thursday, May 20, 2010 from 8:45am to 6:30pm. This time is the first time the symposium takes place on a week day and the venue will be the new Ohio Union. The symposium will feature three faculty talks, 26 student talks, and close to 100 student posters. Program students in their fourth or higher year are required to present a poster. For information, registration, and abstract submission go to the symposium web site http://bioserv.mps.ohio-state.edu/igpsymp/2010.

2010 Hayes Graduate Research Forum

Also in 2010 a Biophysics student was among the winners at the Hayes Graduate Research Forum. Ian Kleckner (advisor Mark Foster) won a first price for oral presentation. The Hayes Graduate Research Forum is a yearly event in which graduate students from all programs at OSU present their work.

2010 Outstanding academic achievement award

The outstanding academic achievement award is given every year to a student in the program that is distinguished through publications, conference presentations, and external awards. The 2010 winner of the award determined by the members of the Graduate Studies Committee is Michelle Monasky.

Apr 26, 2010 - 2010 Robert Ross lecture by Eve Marder

The 2010 Robert Ross lecture will be given by Eve Marder from Brandeis University on 4/26/2010 at 2:30 in 170 Davis Heart and Lung. Eve Marder is a well known neuroscientist, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Biophysical Society. Her lecture will be entitled "Variability, Homeostasis and Compensation in Neuronal Circuits". The event will start at 1:30 with a presentation about research in the Biophysics program by the students of the program, the presentation of the Dr. Elizabeth L. Gross Award for Faculty Excellence and the Outstanding Student Award. After the lectures there is an opportunity for students to meet with the speaker (food provided).

Ryan Pavlovicz wins NSFs East Asian and Pacific Summer Institutes award

Biophysics student Ryan Pavlovicz was one of 40 U.S. graduate students winning NSFs East Asian and Pacific Summer Institutes award. This award will allow him to conduct 8 weeks of research in China over this summer. He will be working at the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Michelle Monasky becomes the 2010 Nishikawara scholar

Biophysics student Michelle Monasky was selected to be the 2010 Nishikawara scholar of the Department of Physiology. This award includes a recognition at the 2010 Physiology and Cell Biology Research Day, as well as funds for personal use and for research supplies. More information is available on the department web page.

Ryan Pavlovicz research featured on cover page of Ohio Supercomputer Center report

Biophysics graduate program student Ryan Pavlovicz’ modeling of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors was featured on the cover page of the 2008 research report of the Ohio Supercomputer Center. The full report can be found here.

AHA fellowhip for Ting-Yuan Yeh

Biophysics student Ting-Yuan Yeh was awarded one of the 2009 pre-doctoral fellowships by the American Heart Association. This award cover stipend and benefits for one or two years and is competitively chosen among applicants from Delaware, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Three Biophysics winners at IGP symposium

Three Biophysics students won awards at the Molecular Life Sciences Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs Symposium. Ali Hassanali won a first prize for his talk "Molecular mechanisms in the repair of the cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer". Ian Kleckner and Bin Liu received poster awards for their presentations entitled "Donut Dynamics: a Relaxation Dispersion Study of Allosteric Gene Regulation by the Ring-Protein TRAP" and "&Abnormal Ca2+ binding associated with cardiac muscle diseases can be corrected through TnC mutagenesisquot;, respectively.

May 30, 2009 - Third annual MLS-IGP symposium

The third annual OSU Molecular Life Sciences Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs symposium will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2009 from 9am to 6pm. The symposium is a get together of all students and faculty in the molecular life sciences interdisciplinary graduate programs. It will feature three faculty talks, 24 student talks, and many student posters. Program students in their fourth or higher year are required to present a poster. For information, registration, and abstract submission (deadline 5/4) go to the symposium web site http://bioserv.mps.ohio-state.edu/igpsymp/2009.

Ali Hassanali wins presidential fellowship

Ali Hassanali has been awarded an OSU Presidential Fellowship. This fellowship provides one full year of support for the final year of a graduate student and is competitively awarded by the OSU graduate school among all graduate programs. Usually, only approximately 15 of these fellowships are awarded in every competition.

2009 Hayes Graduate Research Forum

Biophysics student Jiwei Huang (advisor Ron Xu) won a first price at the 23rd Hayes Graduate Research Forum. The Hayes Graduate Research Forum is a yearly event in which graduate students from all programs at OSU present their work.

2009 Outstanding academic achievement award

The outstanding academic achievement award is given every year to a student in the program that is distinguished through publications, conference presentations, and external awards. The 2009 award was shared by Ali Hassanali and Marianne Lee.

May 6, 2009 - 2009 Robert Ross lecture by Youxing Jiang

The 2009 Robert Ross lecture will be given by Youxing Jiang on 5/6/2009 at 2:30 in 170 Davis Heart and Lung. Youxing Jiang is a rising star in the field of X-ray crystallography of membrane proteins and was selected a Howard Hughes Investigator last year. His lecture will be entitled "Structural Analysis of a Non-selective Cation Channel".

Other activities on that day include a poster session (with snacks) before the lecture in the BRT lobby, the presentation of the Dr. Elizabeth L. Gross Award for Faculty Excellence and the Outstanding Student Award, as well as an opportunity for students to meet with the speaker after the lecture (food provided).

Rui Xiao publishes in Nature

Biophysics student Rui Xiao from Mike Zhu’s group is co-author on the nature publication NAADP mobilizes calcium from acidic organelles through two-pore channels.

2008 best student award winners

Ali Hassanali, Bin Liu, and Carlos Torres have been named the best student presentation award winners of 2008. They have been selected by the audience among ten senior students who presented their research in the Biophysics seminar this fall. As part of their awards, they will travel to Athens, Ohio, to present their work in the Biophysics seminar at Ohio University.

Biophysics student organization recognized by OSU

Our student government succeeded with help by Will Ray in having the Biophysics student organization recognized as an official Ohio State student organization. This Biophysics Student Organization strives to connect students of The Ohio State University who are interested in the study of Biophysics.

Three AHA pre-doctoral fellowship winners

Three of our Biophysics students, namely Xin Li, Bin Liu, and Michelle Monasky, were awarded pre-doctoral fellowships by the American Heart Association in the 2008 competition. These awards cover stipend and benefits for one or two years and are competitively chosen among applicants from Delaware, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

May 17, 2008 - Second annual MLS-IGP symposium

The students and faculty from the OSU Molecular Life Sciences Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs will come together for their second annual symposium on Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 9am to 6pm. The symposium will feature three faculty talks, about 24 student talks, and many student posters. Program students in their fourth or higher year are required to present a poster. For information, registration, and abstract submission (deadline 4/21) go to the symposium web site http://bioserv.mps.ohio-state.edu/igpsymp/2008.

Marianne Lee wins presidential fellowship

Marianne Lee has been awarded an OSU Presidential Fellowship. This competitively awarded fellowship provides one full year of support for the final year of a graduate student. Usually, only approximately 15 fellowships are awarded in every competition.

Ryan Pavlovicz wins American Foundation of Pharmaceutical Education Pre-Doctoral fellowship

Ryan Pavlovicz was awarded a 2008 American Foundation of Pharmaceutical Education Pre-Doctoral fellowship. Of these fellowships only up to 60 are awarded nationally every year.

Apr 21, 2008 - Nobel prize winner Ahmed Zewail is 2008 Robert Ross lecturer

Nobel prize winner Ahmed Zewail will give the 2008 Robert Ross lecture on 4/21/2008 at 2:30 in 170 DHLRI. Ahmed Zewail is a pioneer in the field of ultrafast spectroscopy with wide ranging impact on Chemistry, Material Science, Physics, and Life Sciences. In his presentation entitled Physical Biology and Visualization of Complexity he will present recent advances made in 4D visualization and the potential for applications, from atoms to cells. Complexity and emergence are two concepts that he will explore with particular focus on their relevance to myriads of studies in physical biology. Other activities on that day include a poster session (with snacks) before the lecture in the atrium of DHLRI, the presentation of the Dr. Elizabeth L. Gross Award for Faculty Excellence and the Outstanding Student Award, as well as an opportunity for students to meet with the speaker after the lecture (food provided).

Apr 21, 2008 - 2007 best student presentation awards

By vote of our students this year's best student presentation award winners are Sarah Javaid, Marianne Lee, and Manoj Nair. All three will be able to give a presentation at the Biophysics seminar at Ohio University and obtain a honorarium for that presentation.

Apr 21, 2008 - Elizabeth Gross and Outstanding Student awards

At the 2008 Robert Ross lecture the Elizabeth L. Gross award for faculty excellence and the outstanding academic achievement awards were presented.

The Elizabeth L. Gross award is awarded by the students of the program to a faculty member in recognition for excellence in student mentoring, teaching, research and numerous contributions to the Biophysics program. This year's awardee is Dongping Zhong.

The outstanding academic achievement award is given to a student in the program that is distinguished through publications, conference presentations, and external awards. This year's award was shared by Weihong Qiu and Rui Xiao.

Michelle Monasky and Manoj Nair win 2nd place at Hayes

Michelle Monasky and Manoj Nair both won a second place at the 22nd annual Hayes Graduate Research Forum. The Hayes Graduate Research forum features presentations by graduate students from all disciplines at OSU and is highly competitive. Manoj Nair won in Biological Sciences and Michelle Monasky in Professional Biological Sciences.

Katryna Cisek wins OSU comprehensive cancer center poster award

Katryna Cisek working under the supervision of Chenglong Li won a poster award in the 2008 OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center annual scientific meeting. Her topics is a discovery of novel STAT3 dimerization inhibitors via computational design.

Manoj Nair wins Joshua E. Neimark Memorial Travel Assistance Endowment grant

Manoj Nair wins a Joshua E. Neimark Memorial Travel Assistance Endowment grant to present his research at the 2008 Annual meeting of the AAAS at Boston, MA (Feb 14-18). He is one of ten winners of this award in 2008.

Manoj Nair wins OSU Graduate School Alumni Grant

Manoj Nair was one of 16 receipients of the Ohio State Graduate School Alumni Grants for Graduate Research & Scholarship in the 2007 fall quarter.

Xin Li publishes in PNAS

Third year student Xin Li published a manuscript in PNAS under the supervision of Michael Chan. The full reference is:

Xin Li, Sanjay Jayachandran, Hiep-Hoa T. Nguyen, and Michael K. Chan
Structure of the Nitrosomonas europaea Rh protein
PNAS 2007 104: 19279-19284