Our seminar this week will be led by Inyong Choi, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders here at the University of Iowa. The seminar will begin at 3:30pm on September 4th in Kollros Auditorium (BBE101). All are welcome to attend. We hope to see you there!

We’re excited to present the Fall 2026 Integrated Biology (iBio) Graduate Students Seminar schedule! Join us on Mondays at 3:30pm in Kollros Auditorium (BBE101) to learn about the exciting and innovative biological research being conducted by our iBio graduate students!

On Monday, August 31, our iBio Graduate Student Seminar speakers will be Shulin Liu (Fassler Lab) & Daniela Santos Da Mata (Phillips Lab). The seminar will begin at 3:30pm in Kollros Auditorium (BBE101). All are welcome to attend. We hope to see you there supporting our incredible graduate students!

Due to unforeseen circumstances with our seminar speaker, Tavis Anderson, today’s seminar has been canceled. We hope to reschedule Dr. Anderson’s seminar at a later date.

Professor of Biology John Manak, PhD, was recently interviewed by the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies. The interview details research on the genetic components of intellectual disability carried out by Manak and his co-investigator Professor Benjamin Darbro this summer.

Our first seminar of the semester will be led by Tavis Anderson, PhD, a Research Biologist with the National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), in Ames, Iowa.

On Monday, August 24th, our first two iBio Graduate Student Seminar speakers will be Emily Hirsch (Phillips Lab) and Christian Weinrich (Forbes Lab). The first seminar will begin at 3:30 PM in Kollros Auditorium (BBE101). All are welcome to attend, and we hope to see you there!

Celebrate the upcoming school year during the CLAS Welcome Party! Stop by the Pentacrest Lawn to grab a free t-shirt & stickers, as well as enjoy lawn games, cookies, & photos from 3:00-4:30 PM this afternoon (August 20th). This event is open to all new College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students.

Looking for ways to get involved and expand your resume? Foundations of Biology is looking for undergraduate student teaching interns for Fall 2026! For more information and/or to register for the internship (BIOL:4897:0001), email krista-osadchuk@uiowa.edu.

Olivia Blake, a senior majoring in Biology (Neurobiology track) and a member of Dan Eberl's research lab in the Department of Biology, attended the Invertebrate Sound and Vibration (ISV) conference, held jointly with the Biotremology Society, at Cornell University in June.

On July 29th, several students affiliated with one of the UI Department of Biology’s majors, research labs, or programs participated in the 2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference. We applaud all of the students who participated for their hard work and dedication to undergraduate research!

Undergraduate student Allie Orozco recently shared about her experience as a Biology major (Cell and Developmental Biology track), as well as her time in research with the Rothenberg Lab! Read the story here: clas.uiowa.edu/news/2026/07...

Biology major prepares CLAS students through research and hands-on learning

Undergraduate research opportunities and hands-on learning prepare biology students to tackle real-world scientific challenges from the start of their college careers.

clas.uiowa.edu

The @rothenberglab.bsky.social, led by Assistant Professor of Biology @krothphd.bsky.social, studies cell adhesion & collective migration from the molecular to the tissue scale using Drosophila embryos & human cell lines. Learn more about the lab’s work & its members here: rothenberg.lab.uiowa.edu

Eunice Uy, a Biomedical Sciences student, is an undergraduate research assistant with the Department of Biology’s Eberl Lab. She also received a Summer 2026 Independent Creative Research by Undergraduates Fellowship.

Students in the Developmental Biology Lab (BIOL:3736) had the opportunity to perform ex-ovo manipulation of brain development in embryonic chicks during the Spring 2026 semester! This course was taught by Professor Doug Houston, the TA was Kelsi Mann, and the Lab Coordinator was Stephanie Haase.

On July 9th, Hui (Thea) Tian (Smolikove Lab), a PhD candidate in the Integrated Biology Graduate Program, successfully defended her dissertation! Thea’s mentor is Professor of Biology Sarit Smolikove, PhD. Congratulations, Dr. Tian! 🎉

Students in the Neurobiology Lab (BIOL:3656) had the opportunity to collect recordings of electrical potentials of photoreceptors in the eyes of Drosophila fly strains during the Spring 2026 semester!

Congratulations to Integrated Biology PhD student Rebekah Yarvis (Cheng Lab) for receiving the Summer 2026 Jerry Kollros Graduate Student Fund! 🎉 Rebekah studies the genetic regulation controlling the transition to reproductive development in the model fern Ceratopteris richardii.

Congratulations to Integrated Biology PhD student Shulin Liu (Fassler Lab) for receiving one of three Summer 2026 Carol B. and Robert G. Lynch Graduate Awards! 🎉 Shulin studies liquid-liquid phase separation between transcription factors and co-activators.

Congratulations to iBio PhD student Brie Salloum (Dailey Lab) for receiving the Summer 2026 Jerry Kollros Graduate Student Fund! 🎉 Brie researches the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders & its impacts on neuronal survival & synaptic plasticity.

Congratulations to iBio PhD student Emily Hirsch (Phillips Lab) for receiving a 2026 Michael J. Dykstra Graduate Scholarship! 🎉 Emily studies the role of protein aggregation in reproduction and early development, and this award will enable her to write a manuscript of her findings for publication.

Congratulations to Integrated Biology PhD student Kelsi Mann (Houston Lab) for receiving a 2026 Graduate College Summer Fellowship! 🎉

Congratulations to Integrated Biology PhD student Eric Anderson (Stipp Lab) for receiving a 2026 Michael J. Dykstra Graduate Scholarship! 🎉 Eric researches therapeutic resistance mechanisms in uveal melanoma, and this award will give him protected time to write a first-author publication.

On July 10th, Joseph Oberlitner (Smolikove Lab), a Ph.D. candidate in the Genetics Graduate Program, successfully defended his dissertation! Joseph’s mentor is Professor of Biology Sarit Smolikove, Ph.D. Congratulations, Dr. Oberlitner! 🎉

As of July 1st, 2026, Dan Summers, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor! 🎉 Dr. Summers joined the UI Department of Biology in 2019. His research seeks to find treatments for individuals affected by neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and more.

On July 2nd, Ashley Goll (Tootle Lab), a PhD candidate in the Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, successfully defended her thesis! Ashley’s mentor is Tina Tootle, PhD, Chair and Professor in the Department of Biology (@tinatootle.bsky.social). Congratulations, Dr. Goll! 🎉

Congratulations to Integrated Biology PhD student Daniela Santos Da Mata (Phillips Lab) for receiving a 2026 Graduate College Summer Fellowship! 🎉 This fellowship provides an opportunity for advanced PhD students to benefit from supported time to pursue their scholarly research activities.

Congratulations to Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics PhD student Baylee Bruce (He Lab) for receiving a 2026 Graduate College Summer Fellowship! 🎉

Congratulations to iBio graduate student Varshu Saravanakumar (Neiman Lab) for receiving the Summer 2026 Rebecca S. Reiter Scholarship Fund! 🎉 Varshu researches the genetic mechanisms underlying the persistence of asexual reproduction using the model organism Potamopyrgus antipodarum.

At the Department of Biology’s Awards Ceremony on May 7, 2026, two faculty and two staff received Career Achievement Awards for their dedication and service to the department. One of the recipients was Biology Professor Alan Kay, PhD.