Agenda

AGENDA

April 20th, 2024

8:00 AM | Check in & Breakfast + Hang up Posters | Chen breezeway and garden

9:00 AM | Introductory remarks | Chen 100 lecture hall

9:15 AM | Session 1: Biomarkers of Past, Present, and Future | Chen 100

Dr. Jeff Osterhout | Jet Propulsion Lab-CaltechDr. Noelle Held | University of Southern CaliforniaMichaela Leung | Univerisy of California, Riverside

10:30 AM | Coffee Break | Chen garden

10:50 AM | Keynote address: Dr. Aude Picard, University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Chen 100

Title: Are minerals bad for bacteria?Abstract: Microbial sulfate reduction (MSR) drives the sulfur, iron, and carbon biogeochemical cycles in anoxic sedimentary environments. MSR produces sulfide, which reacts with Fe(II) and precipitate as iron sulfide (Fe-S) minerals. While MSR is coupled to the oxidation of organic carbon, Fe-S minerals can also sequester and preserve large amounts of organic compounds. I will discuss how sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) influence the formation and transformations of Fe-S minerals, and produce metastable phases mackinawite (FeS) and greigite (Fe3S4) with unique properties. I will also present experimental work that examines the effects of Fe-S minerals on the physiology and longevity of sulfate-reducing bacteria

12:00 PM | Lunch | Chen garden

1:00 PM | Session 2: Sedimentary Records from Source to Signal | Chen 100

Jordan Coelho | University of Southern CaliforniaDr. Arkadiy Garber | Middle Author Bioinformatics, Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State UniversityRachel So | University of Southern California

2:15 PM | Coffee Break | Chen garden

2:35 PM | Session 3: Microbial Physiology and Symbiosis | Chen 100

Dr. Avi Flamholz | CaltechMichael Zitser | California State University, Los AngelesJonathan Tarn | University of California, Santa Barbara

3:50 PM | Closing remarks | Chen 100

4:00 PM | Poster session | Chen walkway

6:00 PM | Dinner | Chen garden