Department of Physiology's Annual Retreat a Success
The Department of Physiology hosted its annual retreat on September 30, 2022. The all-day event was held at the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building and produced research presentations from graduate students and faculty as well as seminar discussions on DEI lessons and mental health in the classroom.
Students were able to submit research poster presentations that were judged on by a panel of department faculty. In the undergraduate division, Luis Colon, who works in the Robison/Eagle Lab, won honorable mention for his research work titled, "Role of Entorhinal Cortex Neurons in the Consolidation and/or Recall of a Cocaine-Context Memory". Jesus Rosario Claudio, who works in the Laumet Lab, won top honors for his research work titled, "Interleukin-10 Signaling on Sensory Neurons Regulates Inflammation".
In the graduate division, Chiho Sugimoto, who works in the Robison Lab, won honorable mention for her research work titled, "Characterization of Oxytocin Neurons in Circuits Affecting Social Behaviors." Jesus Garcia-Lerena, who works in the Andrechek Lab, won top honors for his research work titled, "Gene Expression Patterns Associated with Lymph Node Metastasis in E2F5 KCO Model of Breast Cancer".
"A lot has happened since our last retreat in 2019," said associate chairperson and event director Michelle Mazei-Robison. "I'm excited that we were finally able to all meet outside of a Zoom screen!"
Just this year alone, the department added six new faculty members and a handful of support staff and saw its chairperson, Charles L. Cox, stepped down from that role in May after nine years. He accepted a new position as Michigan State University's Research Integrity Officer, replacing Jim Pivarnik, who retired in May after 15 years. Associate professor L. Karl Olson was appointed as interim chairperson. A search committee was recently created to find a replacement for Cox.
"We look forward to recruiting a new chairperson that will bring enthusiasm and new ideas towards meeting our educational and research missions," Mazei-Robison said.
Take a look at some of the photos from the retreat!
Williams, who is now a lab assistant in the PSL department, was a three-year starter in both MSU's Men's Tennis singles and doubles play and was a recipient of the Board of Trustee's Award for academic excellence for maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA as an undergrad. The Ohio native has plans to start medical school in 2024.
More pictures from the annual retreat can be found on our Facebook and Instagram pages!
