IMPLEMENTING DNA AND RNA NANOPORE SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGY IN UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING

Considering the fast pace at which sequencing technologies progress and at which genomics data are generated, it is no longer possible to ignore the urgency of equipping undergraduate students in science programs with the required skills to manage the amount and type of sequencing data being generated. In particular, the third-generation technologies, such as nanopore sequencing, became highly relevant for genomic research and clinical diagnostics due to low capital cost, device portability and real-time data acquisition. One of the stage 3 undergraduate courses our School offers is Molecular Frontiers (BABS 3281). The course focuses on cutting-edge molecular biology techniques and their applications in biomedical research. We recently included nanopore DNA and direct RNA sequencing as a part of practical laboratory classes in the course and introduced lectures constructively aligned to the experimental protocol of the practical. The implementation of nanopore technology, where students could generate genome-wide RNA sequencing data and explore biological meaning of gene expression profiles using online bioinformatics pipeline, resulted in significant increase in students’ satisfaction with BABS 3281 and 3-fold increase in student enrolments in the following year. In this presentation, I will reflect on the students’ experience and discuss lessons learned as a course coordinator

Virgil’s Bumpkins: An examination of rural idealization and denigration in Virgil’s Georgics and 21st-century American culture

Vergil’s Georgics has been known throughout history as a didactic, “how to” guide on farming. However, as scholarship has progressed, the Georgics is now seen less as a guide on farming and more as a “self-insert” farming fantasy for the elite (similar to the Gen-Z “Cottagecore” craze). Vergil was writing for an elite audience, many of whom did in fact own land. However, most were not out working the land themselves. Instead they used slave labor and tenant farmers to perform the day-to-day tasks. It is clear from writings of the Roman elite at the time that there was a wistfulness for the countryside, yet it was paired with a clear distaste for the working class. This is exemplified in the term agrestis, a derogatory term for a countryman, similar to the word “bumpkin” or “rube” today. The antithesis of this, in line with the fantasy of the “elite farmer,” is the idea of an agricola, a benevolent, knowledgeable, land-owning farmer. My thesis sets out to analyze this dichotomy through a close reading of Virgil’s Georgics and to apply what we learn from this analysis to rural life in 21st century America, paying particular attention to the rise of populist politics in recent years

Drug Discov Today

RNA interference (RNAi) describes the post-transcriptional silencing of gene expression that occurs in response to the introduction of double-stranded RNA into cells. Application of RNAi in experimental systems has provided a great leap forward in the elucidation of gene function. To facilitate large-scale functional genomics studies using RNAi, several high throughput approaches have been developed based on microarray or microwell assays. Recent establishment of large libraries of RNAi reagents combined with a variety of detection assays further opens the door for genome-wide screens of gene function in mammalian cells. The review provides a comprehensive overview on current RNA interference-based high throughput genomic technologies. The cell array- and microwell plate-based loss-of-function cell assays are presented

Low Temperature Spectroscopy of Solid State Quantum Systems

Control and coupling of individual quantum systems remains an important research area in experimental quantum information. Single quantum systems in the solid state offer many attractive properties in terms of isolation and control: strong interaction due to close proximity, and scalability using mature fabrication techniques. Similar to atoms, many solid state quantum systems can couple to photons, offering potential for long-range interaction. Two such candidate systems are the nitrogen vacancy center in diamond, and the nanowire semiconductor quantum dot. These systems can act like isolated atoms in a solid state system, and can serve as sources of indistinguishable photons. This report discusses low temperature excitation of these systems, a regime in which the spectral properties are desirable for applications in quantum information, such as long-distance entanglement

Lyman A. Spalding, The Samuel Pepys of Lockport, New York

The Spalding Family Papers in the George Arents Research Library span the nineteenth century in the lives of the Ellicott, Evans and Spalding related families of western New York State. The correspondence, diaries, legal and financial documents and miscellaneous materials add historical data to agrarian and commercial ventures, the Holland Land Company, the Erie Canal and the temperance and anti-slavery movements

The Osborne Family Papers: Spotlight on Thomas Mott Osborne

The records of four generations of a prominent Central New York family are now available for research in the papers of the Osbornes of Auburn. The extensive collection in the George Arents Research Library contains valuable source material in relation to prison reform, history of the Democratic Party in New York State, the women\u27s rights movement, international diplomacy, education, manufacturing and frontier life. Letters numbering 150,000 were written by presidents, governors, soldiers, businessmen, students, Progressive reformers, diplomats, convicts and feminists