🧪 Lab Tech Spotlight 🐸 From Wildlife & Fisheries Science to amphibian microbiomes — here’s a glimpse into my path and what I do in the Becker Lab 🧵

Join us tomorrow! Arrive earlier for cookies and coffee, bring your mug!

Today!

Join us next week for amazing seminars: Dr. Kelsey Tyssowski, a Research Associate at Harvard University is scheduled to present a seminar on Monday, February 16 at 12:00 – 1:00 PM in W203 Millennium Science Complex titled: “The neural basis of the evolution of dexterity in deer mice.”

🔬✨ Postdoc Spotlight: Dr. Jiyeon “Joan” Baek Meet Joan, a postdoctoral researcher studying how the brain forms memories — and how these processes change with age. Her work bridges aging, neuroscience, and gene regulation. A quick thread 🧵👇

Come join us today at this special seminar

Come join us for the seminar today! Hot coffee, tea and cookies offered prior to the seminar!

🎓💙 Penn State will soon expand scholarship support thanks to a $55 million estate gift — the second-largest commitment in University history — benefiting Pennsylvania undergraduates with financial need across every college and campus.

It's tomorrow! Come join us

Welcome back, everyone! 🌿 The Biology Department is starting the semester with our first seminar — come reconnect, learn, and celebrate another term of great science together.

📢 New research from Penn State Bio shows wood warblers borrow color-related genes from evolutionary neighbors — helping explain their dazzling diversity! 🎨🕊️

We celebrated the start of 2025 with dinner and bowling! 🎳✨ Grateful for the wonderful community that makes Penn State Biology such a great place to learn, work, and grow.

Join us today!

PSU Biology’s Manny Vásquez discusses how animals like bats and whales hold clues to slowing aging — from cancer resistance to exceptional longevity. Check out the segment to learn how comparative biology could shape the future of human health. 🔗 sciencefriday.com/segments/animal-fountain-of-youth/

🎓 Thinking about grad school? Join the vibrant research community at Penn State Biology! 🌿🔬 We’re accepting applications on a rolling review basis through Dec 10, 2025 for Fall 2026 admission. Learn more & apply 👉 science.psu.edu/bio/grad/how...

✨ This week, grad students held the Eberly Research Showcase – “From Molecules to Galaxies”, bringing together researchers across all departments for a day of inspiring, cross-disciplinary science. Huge thanks to everyone who presented, organized, and attended! 💙

🎉 Big week for Penn State Biology! 🎉 We’re thrilled to celebrate three major achievements across our department:

🚀 Big news! On December 5, we’re thrilled to welcome AI-biologist legend César de la Fuente to campus for a lecture on using machine learning to discover the next generation of antibiotics.

🎉 Congratulations to our incredible Biology staff! Last week, the College celebrated the annual Staff Appreciation Awards & Lunch, and several of our team members were recognized for their outstanding service.

🐠 Meet Dr. John Majoris, one of the newest faculty members in Penn State Biology! His lab studies the “real-life Finding Nemo” — how tiny reef fish larvae navigate the open ocean to find a reef to call home. 🌊👇🧵

🐝🌿 Students from the course BIOL449 teamed up with Penn State Golf Courses and the Living Labs initiative at Penn State University to transform three neglected planting beds into native, pollinator-friendly gardens.

🧬✨ Meet Dr. Juan Manuel Vazquez, one of our newest faculty members in Penn State Biology! His lab explores one of life’s biggest mysteries: why do some animals live so much longer than others? 👇🧵

At night, he solves ancient battles fought by genes in a Red Queen. In the day, he walks on water as head of the Jedi Council of humanity. What a gift to welcome Master Malik to Penn State’s treasured lecture series. Thanks friend & grad school pal. @psubiodept.bsky.social @harmitmalik.bsky.social

Accept the challenge of presenting you thesis in 3 minutes! The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. gradschool.psu.edu/engagement/t...

Alumni and friends in the Philadelphia area gathered at the Franklin Institute on Oct. 1 to hear Nikki Crowley, present during the second Science Matters: Spotlight Session.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is partnering with World in Conversation to launch a new initiative that brings our college community together to engage in meaningful conversations where multiple viewpoints are present.

The Eberly Research Showcase: From Molecules to Galaxies is an event for graduate students and postdocs to share their research with the science community at Penn State.

Community is about this!

Penn State is #1 in citations and papers in the US for plant research. We are also leading in “Lignin and Cellulose in Plant Material Applications” (#2 in number of publications, #1 in number of citations nationally) and

Check out this great promotional video by the Center for Medical Genomics! It features Director of the Center, Kateryna Makova, as well as Biologists Christian Huber, Zachary Szpiech, and Emily Davenport. You will recognize other colleagues from across the university. youtu.be/OkDxG05CKTU

The promotion and tenure celebration tradition at Penn State includes profs choosing an important book that has a deep, personal and professional meaning. I chose ‘The Beak of the Finch’ by Jonathan Weiner. Definitely check it out if you haven’t yet! @psubiodept.bsky.social

The PSU Biology Dept is hiring a tenure-track Neurobiologist (Assistant or Associate Prof). We are open to a broad range of scientific questions. Join us! Apply here: psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic...

Learn more about permafrost and climate change: bit.ly/4lndO4j

“Imagine if your mother's genes and your father's genes were in constant disagreement about how you should develop" www.psu.edu/news/researc...

New research co-led by Penn State scientists reveals a novel way to predict measles vaccination rates when data is limited. Their model uses clinic-collected data from suspected cases, enhancing disease prevention. Proud of our team for advancing global public health! www.psu.edu/news/eberly-...

🧠 Dive into the fascinating world of neuroscience with Penn State’s latest story on the mysteries of the brain! From memory formation to the evolution of the nervous system, discover how interdisciplinary research is driving new insights. Read more: www.psu.edu/news/eberly-... #Neuroscience

Dreams, and likely nightmares, are experienced across humans and animals, but neuroscientists still do not know why. Now, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State will study the underlying mechanisms of nightmares and their relationship with anxiety-related mental health disorders

Feat. 3 Penn State-affiliated scientists this new season of the documentary series "Human Footprint" is available for watching on PBS: www.pbs.org/show/human-f...

Penn State 3rd in US, 64th globally in 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings www.psu.edu/news/impact/...

It was fantastic to unplug from the chaos in the world for a few days to focus on the wonderful & impactful science being done in the Ecology & Evolution of Infectious Disease community. Huge thanks to Notre Dame for hosting @eeid2025.bsky.social and I can't wait for @eeid2026.bsky.social next year!

The One Health Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State is sending two PhD students to Germany, for a ndustry internship at the headquarters of QIAGEN: www.psu.edu/news/huck-in...

Congratulations to our new doctors that defended their PhD in the last few weeks!

Inside the Microbial Macroecology Class with Dr. Gui Becker Our students took the lead this semester, launching a project to uncover the abiotic factors shaping soil biodiversity on a global scale...

Every year our graduating senior undergrads are given the opportunity to write a personal note to a faculty member that inspired them. Biology had 27 this year!

Last Friday was the annual Biology Dept Bake Off. The Huber lab reclaimed the rolling pin for the win this year. Thanks to the climate and diversity committee for putting the event together and for everyone that participated.

Highlighting some recent media by Todd Lajeunesse on coral bleaching. He appeared in 96! stories across big cities in the US after doing this piece with FOX News that was picked up by dozens of affiliates. Great work, Todd. www.teletrax.com/Video/Review...

Our faculty is so proud of all our amazing graduates — congratulations on this huge achievement! 🎓🎉

For your weekly wrap up of all things human genetics and microbiome…The breakthroughs and scholarship of @erdavenport.bsky.social from @psumbiome.bsky.social and @psubiodept.bsky.social

New field tale feat. Shannon Buttimer, PhD candidate on Becker lab! "While we were running transects to sample amphibians in São Paulo, Brazil, we were staying in field housing that situated along an unpaved, very rocky and muddy road...🧵