Fall 2020 

Unless specified differently in the announcement, seminars will be held virtually via WEBEX at 3:10 pm at this link.

Join Meeting

Friday, Aug 21

Careers in Government Labs Panel (Michael Mock host)

Friday, Aug. 28

Careers in Industry Panel (Sharon Neufeldt host)

Friday, Sept. 4

Careers in Predominately Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) Panel (Mary Cloninger host)

Friday, Sept. 11

Postdoctoral Panel (Jen DuBois host)

Friday, Sept. 18

Alternative Careers Panel (Sharon Neufeldt host) 

Friday, Sept. 25

Dr. Shannon Boettcher  from the University of Oregon will present 

"Towards a Molecular Understanding of Dynamic Fe-based Oxygen Evolution Catalysts"

Heterogeneous electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are complicated materials with dynamic structures. They exhibit potential-induced phase transitions, potential-dependent electronic properties, variable oxidation and protonation states, and disordered local/surface phases. These properties make understanding the OER, and ultimately designing higher-efficiency catalysts, challenging. Measurements of intrinsic activity show that, by far, the most-active phases for OER under alkaline conditions are Fe-containing mixed-metal oxyhydroxides, but exactly how the function remains controversial. I will discuss our work to understand the key properties of these catalysts, including morphology, composition, and molecular/electronic structure, and how they evolve and are dynamic under active catalytic conditions. These concepts inform design strategies for higher-performance catalyst architectures and for their incorporation into practical electrolyzer devices to make clean hydrogen fuel from inexpensive renewable electricity.

The seminar will be hosted by Prof. Nicholas Stadie.

Friday, Oct. 2

Dr. Dipti Nayak, Assistant Professor of Genetics, Genomics and Development at UC Berkeley will present

"CRISPR-guided Insights into the Physiology and Evolution of Methanogenic Archaea"

Her website   UCB website   Google Scholar

Members of the Archaea (the third domain of life) that can produce methane are referred to as methanogens. These organisms are prevalent in a wide range of anoxic environments, including the human distal gut, and account for 75 to 80 percent of the annual methane emissions on our planet. Therefore methanogens have significant implications for climate science, biotechnology and even aspects of human health. Despite their importance, the physiology and evolution of methanogens is still poorly understood. At this talk, I will first discuss the development of high-throughput genetic approaches, including CRISPR-Cas9 based tools, to study these pivotal microorganisms. Subsequently, I will describe two examples to highlight how the application of these genetic approaches have transformed our view of the unique biochemistry and evolution of enzymes involved in methanogenic metabolism.

Prof. Roland Hatzenpichler is the host of this seminar. 

WEBEX INVITE for 3:10 seminar 

https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=md0175c3902ea8e7fd11cdfcef10f482b

Virtual Happy Hour with the Speaker at 5:00 pm Hosted by Prof. Hatzenpichler via WEBEX is 

https://montana.webex.com/montana/j.php?MTID=ma3a4badf6877b4f779ef42c57d39d9bf

Friday, Oct. 9 

Dr. John Kiely  (Mary Cloninger host)

Friday, Oct.16 - OPEN

Friday, Oct. 23

Dr. Betül Kaçar, University of Arizona; Experimental Evolution (Roland Hatzenpichler host)

Friday, Oct 30

Dr. Elizabeth Shank , UMASS Medical School (Roland Hatzenpichler host)

Friday, Nov 6  - PhD Defense

PhD Defense in Chemistry  Ms. Elizabeth McDaniel (Prof. Joan Broderick lab)  11 am.

Friday, Nov 6

Dr. Joanna Atkin (Erik Grumstrup host)

Thursday, Nov 12 - 4th Year Graduate Student Seminar

John Russell 4th Year Seminar 3 pm Byker

Friday Nov 13

Dr. Zhongyue Yang (Vanderbilt University, Sharon Neufeldt host) 

 

 

 

Seminar Archives