Carnegie Mellon University
The Student Invited Seminar Series is funded by Howard Hughes grants for the graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. Graduate students are encouraged to nominate scientists they would like to network, meet and learn from.

The Student Invited Speaker Seminars are open to the public and the graduate students strongly encourage all who are interested to attend. The invited speakers are often distinguished experts in their respective fields and are currently pursuing pertinent and ground breaking research.

Upcoming Seminars

Erika Holzbaur

Erika Holzbaur, Ph.D.

William Maul Measey Professor of Physiology
University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine

Wednesday, November 15th
12:00 p.m.
Mellon Institute Conference Room

"Motor neurons require motor proteins: long-distance signaling in neurons"

Abstract: Molecular motors drive the long-distance transport of organelles in neurons. This transport, driven by the microtubule motor proteins kinesin and cytoplasmic dynein, can move cargos over distances of more than a meter. Cargos transported by these motors include signaling endosomes, which mediate the signaling of neurotrophic signals from the cell periphery to the nucleus to mediate gene expression and promote neuronal development and survival. We are using live cell imaging in primary neurons, along with optogenetic approaches and single-molecule reconstitution assays, to explore the underlying mechanisms regulating the transport of signaling endosomes.