Past Events

2026

• University holiday, Memorial Day

  May 25, 2026 - 12:00 AM

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  For a complete listing of events, visit the Office of the Registrar's Academic Calendar page.

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• 2026 Walter E. & Helen Parke Loomis Distinguished Lecture and IPB Mini-Symposium: Engineering Plants for the Future

  May 18, 2026 - 8:30 AM

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  Location

  Molecular Biology Building, Iowa State University

  The 2026 Walter E. and Helen Parke Loomis Distinguished Lecture and Interdepartmental Plant Biology (IPB) Graduate Program Mini Symposium begins at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 18, in the Molecular Biology Building. Invited speakers are Dr.

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• Summer Session 2026 begins

  May 18, 2026 - 12:00 AM

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  For complete calendar items, visit the Office of Registrar's Academic Calendars page. 

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• Spring 2026 University Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies

  May 16, 2026 - 9:00 AM

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  Location

  Hilton Coliseum

  Graduation and Commencement page

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• Spring Semester 2026 ends

  May 15, 2026 - 11:59 PM

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  Spring Semester 2026 ends on Friday, May 15, 2026. For additional information, see the Academic Calendar on the Registrar's Office page.

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• Spring 2026 Graduate College University Commencement Ceremony

  May 14, 2026 - 7:00 PM

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  Location

  Hilton Coliseum

  Please visit the Graduation and Commencement page for complete information.

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• GDCB Seminar: Functional characterization of rare diseases-associated variants

  Apr 28, 2026 - 1:00 PM

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  Location

  1414 Molecular Biology Building

  Speaker: Jesus Lacal, professor of genetics at the University of Salamanca, Spain (principal investigator of the Group Biomedicine of Rare Diseases); Fulbright Visiting Scholar

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• Ph.D. Thesis Defense (Saiful Islam): Using artificial intelligence to study plasmodesmata and plant immune responses

  Apr 23, 2026 - 12:00 PM

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  Location

  Advanced Teaching and Research Building, Room 3023

  Speaker: Saiful Islam, graduate student in the lab of Kyaw (Joe) Aung, genetics, development and cell biology associate professor

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• Ph.D. Thesis Defense (Anurag Das): The circadian role of Pex5 in glial cells and implications of Pex5 in sleep behavior and brain lipidome

  Apr 22, 2026 - 3:00 PM

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  Location

  Molecular Biology Building, Room 1102

  Speaker: Anurag Das, graduate student in the lab of Hua Bai, genetics, development and cell biology associate professor

  Read More about Ph.D. Thesis Defense (Anurag Das): The circadian role of Pex5 in glial cells and implications of Pex5 in sleep behavior and brain lipidome

• GDCB Seminar: Searching for messages carried by messenger RNAs

  Apr 21, 2026 - 1:00 PM

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  Location

  1414 Molecular Biology Building

  Speaker: Xinnian Dong, Duke University Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Biology

  Title: Searching for messages carried by messenger RNAs

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• GDCB alum to deliver presentation at 4th Annual Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Symposium

  Apr 16, 2026 - 8:00 AM

  to Apr 16, 2026 - 5:30 PM

  Location

  Memorial Union (Durham Great Hall, South Ballroom and Sunroom)

  Dr. Wes Wierson, genetics, development and cell biology alumnus, is one of three keynote speakers at the 4th Annual Interdisciplinary Biological Symposium on Thursday, April 16. Other keynote speakers at the event are Dr. Isobel A.

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• Biological Sciences Club — "Deciphering the plant's molecular raincoat: Genes, structure and function of the protective cuticle"

  Apr 15, 2026 - 7:00 PM

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  Location

  Bessey Hall, Room 2234

  Join the Biological Sciences Club on Wednesday, April 15, in Bessey Hall, Room 2234, at 7 p.m.

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• Ankur Kumar, Ph.D. Final Oral Exam: "Plasmalogen regulates mitochondrial fission and dynamics during aging in Drosophila"

  Apr 9, 2026 - 10:00 AM

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  Location

  2034 Molecular Biology Building

  Speaker: Ankur Kumar, Ph.D. graduate candidate in the Bai Lab

  Major / Program: Genetics and Genomics

  Major professor: GDCB Associate Professor Hua Bai

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• GDCB Graduate Student Postdoc Organization seminar: “Tuning into fate – ethylene-related transcription factors shape gene expression during shoot development in maize”

  Apr 8, 2026 - 12:00 PM

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  Location

  1330 Advanced Teaching and Research Building

  The April 8 Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology (GDCB) Graduate Student Postdoc Organization (GSPO) seminar will begin at 1 p.m.

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• GDCB Seminar: Establishing sustainable solutions for CRISPR-based genome editing therapies

  Apr 7, 2026 - 1:00 PM

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  Location

  1414 Molecular Biology Building

  Speaker: Rolf Turk, senior director of Innovation Programs at Integrated DNA Technologies

  Title: Establishing sustainable solutions for CRISPR-based genome editing therapies

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• GDCB Seminar: Plant morphogenesis - Spirals of moss leaves, smooth Arabidopsis sepals, and bio-inspired designs

  Mar 31, 2026 - 1:00 PM

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  Location

  1414 Molecular Biology Building

  Speaker: Adrienne Roeder, Cornell University professor, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and School of Integrative Plant Science, Section of Plant Biology

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• GDCB Seminar: Organization of specialized ER subdomains for lipid droplet biogenesis

  Mar 24, 2026 - 1:00 PM

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  Location

  1414 Molecular Biology Building

  Speaker: Amit Joshi, assistant professor in biochemistry & cellular and molecular biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

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• Spring break 2026

  Mar 16, 2026 - 12:00 AM

  to Mar 20, 2026 - 11:59 PM

  Spring break begins on Monday, March 16, and ends on Friday, March 20. For all calendar events, please visit the Registrar's Office Academic Calendar.

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• GDCB Seminar: Age-related inflammation and organ dysfunction that is driven by an aging immune system

  Mar 10, 2026 - 1:00 PM

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  Location

  1414 Molecular Biology Building

  Speaker: Christina Camell, associate professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics

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• Jodi Callwood Ph.D. Defense Seminar: Development of novel bioinformatics tools for plant phonemics and biological network discovery"

  Mar 6, 2026 - 12:00 PM

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  Location

  Student Innovation Center 4227

  Jodi Callwood, genetics, development and cell biology graduate student in the Kelley Lab, will present her Ph.D. Defense Seminar on Friday, March 6, at 12 p.m. in the Student Innovation Center 4227.

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