Training and Outreach
Seminar Series
Weekly seminars include a mixture of local, national and international speakers chosen for their alignment with evolutionary cell biology, particularly in relation to the research of institute trainees.
BII for Mechanisms of Cellular Evolution’s Annual Symposium
An important part of establishing evolutionary cell biology as a new field is to develop national and international connections among biologists working on topics at the interface of evolution and cell biology. To this end, we are establishing an annual evolutionary cell biology symposium to be held in the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. By inviting cell and evolutionary biologists from the national/international community, working on different themes, we hope to encourage the formation of new collaborations. Coinciding with our annual symposium, we will host an annual public lecture featuring a well-known evolutionary cell biologist who can effectively and passionately communicate to lay audiences.
Courses
Our flagship course will provide a rigorous and comprehensive introduction to the emerging and interdisciplinary field of evolutionary cell biology. Course topics include, but are not limited to, the origin of cells, genetic mechanisms of cellular evolution, evolutionary scaling laws, evolution of cellular structures, energetics and metabolism, information processing, and the evolution of organismal complexity. This survey course is designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, possessing a strong foundation in both evolutionary biology and cell biology, who are looking for training in interdisciplinary thinking across these fields and an introduction to research methods and approaches to questions in evolutionary cell biology.
Journal Club
Participants include faculty, postdoc, graduate and undergraduate student attendees. Here, we discuss papers from cell biology, microbiology, systems biology, biophysics and population genetics, including both empirical and theoretical studies. At the outset of each semester, participants vote on a set of 4-week topics and then assemble into topic groups. Many of the themes are organized around the institute’s research projects and other key unsolved problems in evolutionary cell biology. Thematic sessions generated and driven by non-ASU members are welcome.
BII-MCE Lab Meetings
Our BII-MCE lab meetings allow for cross-lab interactions about progress and recent developments in evolutionary cell biology research. Participating labs in the BII-MCE sponsor graduate students, postdocs or other research staff to provide presentations to the rest of the group for mentoring and feedback. These lab meetings also serve as a platform for professional development on topics related to their career as well as diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in science.
Community College Internship Program
The Community College Internship Program in Mechanisms of Cellular Evolution is a research exchange program that provides students of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) an opportunity to actively engage with research activities in the Biological Integration Institute for Mechanisms of Cellular Evolution (BII-MCE).
The community college internship program seeks to bridge this gap through an integrative, year-round research experience that exposes students to the field of evolutionary cell biology.
This integrative, year-round internship program seeks to provide a rich and challenging, yet supportive and community-building, scientific research experience that will support MCCCD students in pursuing careers in STEM fields. This program provides sustained support and a real path for URM students to enter scientific research, presenting a clear path from community college to university undergraduate to graduate school and beyond.