Departmental Seminar, Grad Research & Pasakarnis-Buchanan Lecture
FALL 2026
Seminars are held on Wednesdays at 3:30 pm in 220 McLeod Hall.
To schedule a seminar or for any questions related to our seminar series, please contact Dr. Bidart (gbidart@bgsu.edu).
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| Date | Speaker | Seminar Title | Host | |||||
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Aug 26 | BGSA - TBA | BGSA meeting – Graduate Students Only | BGSA | |||||
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Sept 2 | Dr. Enrique Gomez del Campo, SEES, BGSU | Using Generative AI to Support Complete Course Design | Gabriela Bidart | |||||
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Sept 9 | Dr. Michael Rist, Tufts University School of Medicine | Investigating the Role of HIV Integration in T Cell Oncogenesis | Julia Halo | |||||
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Sept 16 | Dr. Kylea Garces, Miami University | How Interactions Shape Outcomes: From Plant Microbiomes to Student Success | Sarah Emery | |||||
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Sept 23 | Dr. Wilbur Ouma, Argonne National Laboratory | Virtual: Supercomputing for Science: How HPC is Transforming Modern Biological Research | Vipa Phuntumart | |||||
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Sept 30 | Dr. Meng Wu, The Ohio State University | High Content Imaging for Early Drug Discovery -Perspective on an autonomous research laboratory | Carol Heckman | |||||
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Oct 7 | Dr. Dragan Isailovic, University of Toledo | Mass Spectrometric Analyses of Peptides Found in Water Affected by Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms | Jyotshana Gautam | |||||
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Oct 14 | Dr. Silvia Newell, University of Michigan | Nate Manning | ||||||
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Oct 21 | Dr. Mark Mandel, University of Wisconsin-Madison | Virtual Seminar: Establishment of a Specific Animal Microbiome | Ray Larsen Lab | |||||
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Oct 28 | ||||||||
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Nov 4 | Dr. Nate Stott, The Ohio State University | An introduction to the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy research program with highlights and early results of the H2Ohio Wetland bird monitoring program | Kevin McCluney | |||||
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Nov 11 | Veteran’s Day | No seminar | ||||||
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Nov 18 | Dr. William Hintz, The University of Toledo | The ecological consequences of salty fresh waters | Gabriela Bidart | |||||
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Nov 25 | Thanksgiving Week | No seminar | ||||||
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Dec 2 | Dr. Keaka Farleigh, University of Virginia | Virtual seminar: Evolution of genome-wide barriers to gene flow during complex speciation in rattlesnakes | Mason Murphy | |||||
| RECENT SPEAKERS: SPRING 2026 SEMINAR SCHEDULE | ||||||||
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Date |
Speaker |
Seminar Title |
Host | |||||
| Date | Speaker | Seminar Title | Host | |||||
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Jan 14 |
BGSA - TBA |
BGSA meeting – Graduate Students Only |
BGSA | |||||
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Jan 21 |
Dr. Ken Paige, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Virtual seminar: The Phenomenon of Overcompensation: from Basic to Applied Science |
Gabriela Bidart | |||||
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Jan 28 |
Dr. Heather Conti, University of Toledo |
Towards a unified understanding of IL-17 signaling during oral mucosal immune responses |
Andy Wagner | |||||
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Feb 4 |
Dr. Fausto Machado Da Silva, University of Toledo |
Redox processes and dynamics at terrestrial-aquatic interfaces. |
Kevin McCluney | |||||
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Feb 11 |
Dr. Gunjan Agarwal, The Ohio State University | Applications of AFM in Cell-Matrix Interactions |
Carol Heckman | |||||
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Feb 18 |
Dr. Connor Morozumi, University of Louisville |
Plant-fungal mutualisms: investigating multispecies interactions in a changing world |
Sarah Emery | |||||
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Feb 25 |
Dr. Ashley Leach, The Ohio State University |
Ohio specialty crop pest management |
Dan Pavuk | |||||
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March 4 |
SPRING BREAK! | |||||||
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March 10, 11 |
Dr. David Lodge, Cornell University |
PASAKARNIS-BUCHANAN LECTURES Public seminar (Tues, March 10th 7pm) Scientific seminar (Wed, March 11th, 3:30pm) | ||||||
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March 18 |
Madison Alexander, BGSU, Dissertation Seminar |
The effects of fear and safety on prey morphology and behavior |
Paul Moore | |||||
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March 25 |
Dr. Daryl Dwyer, The University of Toledo |
Coupling Ecosystem Restoration to Water Quality Improvements |
Gabriela Bidart | |||||
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April 1 |
Dr. Steven Price, University of Kentucky | Coal Mining and Amphibians: Lessons from 10+ years of research in the Central Appalachians |
Mason Murphy | |||||
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April 8 |
Dr. Francis Fang, The Ohio State University | Epigenetic mechanisms of Phytophthora pathogenesis |
Paul Morris | |||||
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April 15 | Dr. Phillip Palmbos, University of Michigan | Virtual Seminar: Understanding the Drivers of Bladder Cancer Invasion | Carol Heckman | |||||
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April 22 | Dr. Lorrayne Miralha, The Ohio State University | Pollution Pathways in the Western Lake Erie Basin: Metals, Nutrients, and Manure Across Scales | Kevin McCluney | |||||
| PAST SPEAKERS: FALL 2025 SEMINAR SCHEDULE | ||||||||
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Date |
Speaker |
Seminar Title |
Host | |||||
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Aug 27 |
BGSA |
BGSA meeting – Graduate Students Only |
BGSA | |||||
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Sept 3 |
Dr. Andy Suarez, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Virtual: Patterns and consequences of worker size variation in ants |
Gabriela Bidart | |||||
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Sept 10 |
Dr. Christopher Gobler, Stony Brook University | Climatic warming and unique nitrogen acquisition strategies expand the niche of Microcystis blooms in the eastern US |
George Bullerjahn | |||||
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Sept 17 |
Dr. Masako Hadara, Michigan State University | Virtual: Extracellular Vesicles: Nature’s Communication System Reimagined for Therapeutic Delivery |
Jill Zeilstra | |||||
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Sept 24 |
Dr. Matt Tuttle, Air Force Laboratory Research |
Biomineralization of calcium carbonate using Sporosarcina pasteurii for scalable biocement production |
Andy Wagner | |||||
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Oct 1 | Dr. Mahasin Osman, University of Toledo | The Doppelganger of Cancer and Diabetes: role of a signaling scaffold in the link between the two diseases | Carol Heckman | |||||
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Oct 8 | Dr. Heather Hendrickson, University of Canterbury, New Zealand | Virtual: The buzz on phages to protect honeybees | Hans Wildschutte | |||||
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Oct 15 |
Dr. Valoree Gagnon, Michigan Technological University |
Virtual: Bridging Western & Indigenous knowledges in research partnerships: Practicing the “Seasons of Research” framework |
Hans Wildschutte | |||||
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Oct 22 |
Dr. Jennifer Hellmann, Ohio State University |
Predator-induced transgenerational plasticity of parental care behavior in male three-spined sticklebacks |
Jeff Miner | |||||
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Oct 29 | Dr. Vikas Kumar, Visiting Scholar and BGSU Alumnus | The interplay of nutrition and genetics improves the diet utilization in salmonids | Paul Morris | |||||
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Nov 5 |
Dr. Klaus-Peter Koepfli, George Mason University, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation | Decoding Survival: Comparative and Population Genomics Informs the Conservation of the Endangered Black-footed Ferret |
Julia Halo | |||||
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Nov 12 |
Dr. Daniel Pavuk, Bowling Green State University |
Factors Affecting Insect Abundance and Diversity in Managed and Natural Ecosystems | ||||||
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Nov 19 |
Dr. Emily Rauschert, Cleveland State University | Time is on our side: meadow restoration outcomes improve with time since restoration |
Sarah Emery | |||||
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Nov 26 |
No Seminar -- Thanksgiving | |||||||
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Dec 3 | Dr. Jonathan Jacobs, The Ohio State university | Loss of ice nucleation shifts bacterial dispersal strategies | Hans Widschutte | |||||
Graduate Research-in-Progress (GRIP) is a seminar series for graduate students to present their research ideas and progress to other graduate students (and faculty). The goals for attending and presenting are to increase awareness of research across the discipline, to hone presentation skills essential for conveying scientific knowledge, to promote critical thinking skills, and to build camaraderie among graduate students. Students are encouraged to present yearly, so they get feedback early in the developmental stages of their research, as well as later when they have obtained some results and are trying to organize these within their conceptual framework.
The GRIP schedule for the Semester is below.
- GRIP is held every Friday at 12:30pm in LSC 334. All are welcome.
- If you would like to sign up to present, contact Dr. Wildschutte
Presenters, please remember to:
- Introduce yourself--include status in graduate program or affiliation.
- Describe the purpose of the talk; i.e., is it practice for a conference, or a discussion of ideas?
- You will be presenting to a wide audience. Initially, put your work into a broad biological conceptual framework, so that everyone can understand the focus of your research. You can then go into depth, but remember to return to the ‘big picture’ as you conclude/summarize.
- It is suggested that you have a presentation review with your faculty mentor before you finalize your presentation.
| Date | Student / Lab | Presentation |
| 8/28/2025 | Organizational Meeting | |
| 9/4/2025 | No class | |
| 9/11/2025 | Elise Huey / Bingman Lab | Avian Visual Lateralization and Its Possible Effects on Flight Initiation Distance in Two Field Settings |
| 9/18/2025 |
Abbey Muhleman / Emery Lab and Hadarah Grant / Vipa Lab |
How Anthropogenic Factors Influence Anuran Communities in Constructed Wetlands in Northwest Ohio The Influence of Habitat Type on the Persistence of Snake Fungal Disease, Ophidiomycosis ophidiicola |
| 9/25/2025 |
Michael Fyfe / Wildschutte Lab | Identification of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Whose Products Inhibit Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens |
| 10/2/2025 | Eric Johnston / Bouzat Lab |
Population Genomics of Spheniscus Magellanicus: Assessing Evolutionary Range Expansion and Drivers of Genetic Structure Across Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Basins |
| 10/9/2025 | Grant Hayden / Metcalf Lab | Silicone Passive Samplers for the Detection of Microcystin Exposure |
| 10/16/2025 |
Mira Ebersole / Wagner Lab and Nazeerah Rahman / Wagner Lab |
Salted and Burned: Understanding Candida albicans survival in pathogenic niches The effects of plastic leachates on zebrafish wound healing and infection mitigation (working |
| 10/23/2025 |
Colleen Palicka / Halo Knerr Lab and Molly Buffenbarger / Halo Knerr Lab |
Fusogenic and Infective Capacities of CfERV-Fc1(a) env Genes in Extant Canids Characterization of endogenous retroviral LTR promoter functions of the domestic dog |
| 10/30/2025 |
Alexa Gudelman / Emery Lab and Brecken Garretson / Bouzat Lab |
Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Extraradical Hyphae in Great Lakes Sand Dunes Historical Native Range of the Greater Prairie Chicken in Comparison to Other Native Prairie Bird Species |
| 11/6/2025 |
Nara Souza / Wildschutte Lab | Drugs and Bugs within the Opioid Crisis |
| 11/13/2025 |
Adam Siefker / Murphy Lab and Harley Dunlap / Neves Lab |
The effect of ultraviolet radiation on skin color in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens) TBD |
| 11/20/2025 |
Trinity Perkins / McCluney Lab and Aiden Barno / Wiegmann Lab |
TBD Odor vs. Direction Prioritization in Shelter Navigation by the Whip Spider Phrynus marginemaculatus |
| 11/27/2025 | Thanksgiving Break, no class | |
| 12/4/2025 | Closing meeting (no student presentations) |
Dr. Neil Shubin (University of Chicago)
Ends of the Earth: Finding Our Place in Nature in Polar Regions (Public Lecture), Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7 p.m., Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater, Room 206
Fossils, Genes, and the Origin of Tetrapod Limbs (Scientific Lecture), Friday, April 18, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., Olscamp Hall 115
Previous Pasakarnis-Buchanan Lectures
Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7 p.m., "Ends of the Earth: Finding Our Place in Nature in Polar Regions" (Public Lecture) by Dr. Neil Shubin (University of Chicago) Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater, Room 206. Fossils, Genes, and the Origin of Tetrapod Limbs (Scientific Lecture), Friday, April 18, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., Olscamp Hall 115
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 @ 7:00PM, “The Serengeti Rules: The Regulation and Restoration of Biodiversity” (Public Talk), featuring Sean B. Carroll (University of Maryland). In the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater.
Thursday, April 13, 2023 @ 7:00PM, Crises Abound: Health, Climate, Energy, Food, Pandemics... How Large-Scale Systems Biology Can Help Address the Major Challenges We Are Facing (Public Talk), featuring Dan Jacobson (Oak Ridge National Laboratory). In the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater.
Thursday, March 24, 2021, @ 7:00PM, Fish Whispering: Exploring Environmental Impacts from Life History and Eco-Geochemistry (Public Talk) featuring Dr. Karin Limburg.
**Due to precautions taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 Pasakarnis-Buchanan lecture was canceled.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019, @ 7:00PM, Forecasting Nature: Ecological Experiments in a Time of Planetary Change (Public Talk) featuring Dr. Nicholas Gotelli.
Tuesday April 3, 2018 @ 7PM (Public Talk) "Digging for genes that affect behavior" (Public Talk) featuring Dr. Hopi Hoekstra (Harvard University).
Tuesday April 4, 2017 @ 7PM (Public Talk) "Eco-Evo-Devo: the synthesis of epigenetics, medicine and evolution". Scott Gilbert (Swarthmore College).
Thursday, April 14, 2016 @ 7:00PM (Public Talk): "Resurrecting Ancient Proteins from Extinct Life" featuring Dr. Steven Benner (The Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, FAME).
Tuesday, March 24, 2015: Dr. Tyrone Hayes (University of California, Berkeley). Dr. Hayes's topic was From Silent Spring to Silent Night: A Tale of Toads and Men.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014: Dr. Arturo Casadevall (Albert Einstein College of Medicine). Dr. Casadevall's topic was Thoughts on the Origin of Virulence.
Tuesday, March 21, 2013: Dr. P. Dee Boersma (University of Washington). Dr. Boersma's topic was Penguins as Marine Sentinels.
Thursday, April 12, 2012: Dr. Jianzhi Zhang (University of Michigan). Dr. Zhang's topic was On the path to humanity: genes lost, gained, and modified during primate evolution.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011: Dr. Nils Walter (University of Michigan). Dr. Walter's topic was Chemistry of Life: Driving Force for the Evolution from Cyanide to the RNA World to Mankind.
Updated: 09/02/2026 05:09PM