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2020 News Articles

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Neuroscience for Nonmajors

Arula Ratnakar teaches a neuroscience course for nonmajors through CMU's StuCo program.
Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Making an Impact

Recent Mellon College of Science graduate Cory Bird was honored with the Carnegie Mellon Alumni Association's 2020 Student Engagement Award to be presented Dec. 16 at a virtual Alumni Awards ceremony.
Wednesday, December 16, 2020

MCS Announces Recipients of DSF Rapid Seed Funding for COVID-19 Research

The grants are part of an innovative block grant program for interdisciplinary basic life science research supported by a generous $4 million gift from the DSF Charitable Foundation and administered by MCS.
Thursday, November 19, 2020

New Technique Isolates Brain Cells Associated With Parkinson's Disease

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new technique for isolating a type of brain cell associated with Parkinson's disease symptoms, enabling them to study that cell type in detail.
Tuesday, November 17, 2020

New Program Prepares Students for the Pharmaceutical Industry

The Master’s in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering (MS-BTPE) is a new program launching through a joint effort between Biological Sciences and Chemical Engineering that takes advantage of CMU’s unique culture of collaboration by bringing together the foundational, fundamental, and entrepreneurial expertise of both departments to prepare students for careers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Thursday, October 22, 2020

A Protein Pioneer

Alumna Amber Lucas’ protein sample kits help researchers get critical therapies and diagnostic tools to market quickly and safely.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Biology Professor Huaiying Zhang Receives NIH Grant to Study Mechanisms of Cancer Growth

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and Chemical Engineering Huaiying Zhang has received a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how abnormalities in the nuclear organization of a type of cancer cell affects their development.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Yttri, Verstynen Awarded Grant for Work on Decision Making

Carnegie Mellon University researchers Eric Yttri and Timothy Verstynen and their collaborators have been granted over $1 million from the National Institutes for Health for work on decision making.
Friday, October 02, 2020

In Network

Alumna Denise Asafu-Adjei is reframing the doctor-patient relationship and helping to diversify the field.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020

MCS Students Learn to Use Automated Science Remotely

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced Mellon College of Science researchers out of their labs, a group of undergraduate students took the opportunity to learn about the burgeoning field of automated science with the help of the innovative Emerald Cloud Lab (ECL).
Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Scientists discover why tarantulas come in vivid blues and greens

Researchers from Yale-NUS College and Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that tarantulas have the ability to see in color, contrary to previous thought, and suggest functions for their green and blue coloration
Tuesday, September 29, 2020

New Student Coalition Drives Civic Engagement

Before COVID-19, multiple student organizations at Carnegie Mellon University followed the U.S. presidential primaries, viewing them through the lens of the issues they cared about most. Groups like the Roosevelt Institute and Sustainable Earth hosted debate watch parties with food, games and good company to spur discussion and help students decide how to complete their ballots.
Wednesday, September 16, 2020

The Path to A Vaccine

Alumnus Andrei Tadique heads the development of scaling up promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates
Wednesday, September 09, 2020

SURF Study Explores the Question: What Makes Someone Attractive?

Dominique Powell aims to make research related to partner selection more inclusive
Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Welcome Incoming Ph.D. Students!

The department welcomes our incoming cohort of Ph.D. students.
Monday, August 17, 2020

Carnegie Mellon Qatar Appoints Associate Dean for Diversity, Climate

The dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) has created a new leadership role to oversee and guide the campus’ efforts to become a more diverse, inclusive and equitable learning and working community.
Friday, July 31, 2020

Graduate Students Receive Fellowships to Support their Research

Five Mellon College of Science graduate students have received fellowships this year to support their impactful research.
Friday, July 31, 2020

Biological Sciences Professor Receives Grant to Study the Genome

Professor of Biological Sciences Charles Ettensohn has received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support his research into how an organism's genome regulates the development of its body from scratch.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Ph.D. Students To Enhance STEM Diversity Through Podcast and Outreach

Biological Sciences Ph.D. candidates Alyssa Lawler and Sarah Werner received the Department of Biological Sciences’ Margaret Carver Award for Enhancing Diversity, Equitability and Inclusion. The $5,000 award can be used for any endeavor that enhances diversity, equitability and inclusion in the Carnegie Mellon University or wider community.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Biological Sciences Department Celebrates Award-Winning Ph.D. Students and Fellows

Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Biological Sciences held a virtual awards ceremony to honor its doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows who received departmental awards.
Monday, July 06, 2020

Unlocking the Power of Stem Cells

After nearly 20 years, alumnus Robert Mays is on the brink of bringing a groundbreaking stem cell therapy to market – just in time to help those suffering from COVID-19.
Friday, June 19, 2020

Schwartz Named Head of CMU's Computational Biology Department

Martial Hebert, dean of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, has named Russell Schwartz the new head of the Computational Biology Department, effective July 1.
Monday, June 01, 2020

Class of 2020 Graduate Awarded Fulbright Grant to Teach English Abroad

Namita Thomas, bachelor of science in biological sciences, applied for a Fulbright grant for the 2020-2021 cycle through CMU's Fellowships and Scholarships Office, which helped seven recent graduates complete successful applications for this year's grants.
Thursday, May 07, 2020

Defending by Zoom

In early March, Carnegie Mellon University moved to remote instruction and closed all but essential campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. As classes, meetings and office hours moved to Zoom, so did graduate student thesis defenses. Despite the unusual circumstances, several MCS Ph.D. candidates ran with this new normal to make their defense experiences memorable.
Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Biological Sciences Faculty Recognized with Carnegie Mellon's Teaching Innovation Award
Thursday, April 30, 2020

Amy Burkert Honored with Carnegie Mellon Doherty Award

Vice Provost for Education Amy Burkert was honored with the university’s Robert E. Doherty Award for Sustained Contributions to Excellence in Education.
Monday, April 13, 2020

Junior Cassie Bishop Selected as Goldwater Scholar

Cassie Bishop, a junior biological sciences major, has been named a 2020 Barry Goldwater Scholar by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The prestigious award supports students who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, engineering and math.
Wednesday, April 08, 2020

Meet MCS's GSA Departmental Reps

Meet MCS GSA Departmental Reps
Monday, April 06, 2020

Surya Aggarwal Receives Graduate Student Service Award

Biological Sciences Ph.D. candidate Surya D. Aggarwal received Carnegie Mellon University’s Graduate Student Service Award. The award is given annually to a graduate student who has advanced the interests of fellow graduate students, improved their quality of life on campus and/or contributed to the larger academic community.
Wednesday, April 01, 2020

Using Chemistry as a Lens to Aid in Diagnosing Diseases

A team of researchers led by a Carnegie Mellon Biological Sciences researcher has improved a powerful cellular magnification technique, making it more practical for use in clinical settings.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Intralipid Improves Efficacy of Chemotherapy Treatment

Pairing chemotherapy nanodrugs with a nutritional supplement can lessen devastating side-effects while reducing the amount of the expensive drugs needed to treat cancer according to a study from Carnegie Mellon University and Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes. In addition, pretreatment with the supplement promotes the production of tumor-killing macrophages, making it a promising complement and supplement to existing chemotherapies.
Monday, February 24, 2020

BRAIN Initiative Highlights Aryn Gittis' Parkinson's Research in Video

The BRAIN Initiative met with Carnegie Mellon University faculty member Dr. Aryn Gittis about her research on the basal ganglia and how it may lead to improved treatments for patients with Parkinson's disease.
Monday, January 27, 2020

The Future of Human Healing Lies in the Brain of a Starfish

Stem cell therapy is about to get a whole lot cheaper, thanks to the incredible regenerative powers of starfish and work being done by Professor and Head of Biological Sciences Veronica Hinman and Professor of Chemical Enginering Kris Noel Dahl with supported funding from the DSF Charitable Foundation block grant program.
Thursday, January 16, 2020

Carnegie Mellon Chosen to Host Beckman Scholars Program

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation has selected Carnegie Mellon University as a recipient of a 2020 Beckman Scholars Program Award. Carnegie Mellon was one of 12 universities chosen this year by the foundation to host a Beckman Scholars Program. Exceptional undergraduates from the departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry will be eligible for the program. The Scholars will participate in a 15-month mentored research experience where they will learn from some of the university’s top researchers.
Friday, January 03, 2020

From Neuroscience to Novels

Carnegie Mellon University junior Kendra Adegbesan has been able to conduct research on the neuroscience of Parkinson’s disease without losing touch with her passion for fiction.