Seminars
Presented by the Wichita State University Department of Biological Sciences
August | September | October | November
August 17, 2026
Orientation
- All enrolled students are required to attend
August 24, 2026
Barrett Houchen, MS
- Affiliation: Montrose Environmental Group
- Topic: Unraveling the Ecology of Macrophomina phaseolina in Native Grassland Soils
August 31, 2026
Gavin Rice, PhD
- Affiliation: Kansas State University
- Topic: Drosophilia Evolutionary Biology
September 7, 2026
Labor Day
- No Seminar
September 14, 2026
Nick Miller, PhD
- Affiliation: Illinois Tech
- Topic: Bugs, Fish, Sequences and Students: Using 'omics and population genetics to study evolution, manage populations, and support undergraduate research
September 21, 2026
Anna Zinovyeva, PhD
- Affiliation: Kansas State University
- Topic: Control of microRNA Gene Regulatory Activity: From Molecular Mechanisms to Disease
September 28, 2026
Chuan-Ju Liu, PhD
- Affiliation: Yale School of Medicine
- Topic: Transforming Musculoskeletal Medicine: From biological discover to novel therapeutics
October 5, 2026
Keith Harmoney, PhD
- Affiliation: Kansas State University
- Topic: A Silver Lining - Vegetation responses to recent northwest Kansas wildfires
October 12, 2026
Fall Break
- No Seminar
October 19, 2026
Molly Reichenborn, PhD
- Affiliation: Kansas State University
- Topic: From Theory to Practice: Translating grassland research to land management change
October 26, 2026
Katie Waugh, PhD
- Affiliation: Kansas State University
- Topic: Inflammation as a Developmental Determinant of Health and Disease in Down Syndrome
November 2, 2026
Rob McMinn, PhD
- Affiliation: University of Kansas
- Topic: From Local Adaptation to Functional Prediction: Soil Bacteria and Their Plant Hosts
November 9, 2026
Kristen Baum, PhD
Watkins Visiting Professor
- Affiliation: University of Kansas
- Topic: Monarch Butterflies in a Changing Landscape: Habitat, stressors, and migration
November 16, 2026
Graduate Student Presentations:
- Mentor: Dr. Li Yao
- Topic: The Impact of Electrical Stimulation on Microglial Migration, Viability, and Dynamics
- Mentor: Dr. Bill Hendry
- Title: Unraveling the Tumor Microenvironment: A 3D Spheroid Approach to Oral Cancer
- Mentor: Dr. Raj Logan
- Title: Fondue Localization in the Drosophila melanogaster Testis
- Mentor: Dr. Mark Schneegurt
- Title: Impact of Nitrogen Fertilization Regimes on Soil Nitrogen Dynamics and Microbial Functional Potential
November 23, 2026
Graduate Student Presentations:
- Mentor: Dr. Mark Schneegurt
- Title: Halite Entrapment as a Microbial Survival Mechanism
- Mentor: Dr. George Bousfield
- Title: Investigation into the Role of the Cell Membrane in Differential FSHR Binding to FSH Glycoforms
- Mentor: Dr. Greg Houseman
- Title: Can Cattle Grazing Increase Forb Recruitment in Restored CRP Grassland
November 30, 2026
Graduate Student Presentations:
Benjamin Cloud
- Mentor: Dr. Li Yao
- Title: Targeting the Molecular Regulation of Motility and Proliferation of Glioblastoma
- Mentor: Dr. Bin Shuai
- Title: Biological Control of Macrophomina phaseolina: A Bacterial Approach to Combat Charcoal Rot Disease
- Mentor: Dr. Raj Logan
- Title: Impact of Exercise Adaptations on the Drosphila Aging Stem Cell