MBL Public Events

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Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds

We support excellent scientists worldwide who elucidate the basic phenomena of human life and push the boundaries of our knowledge through experimental research. We believe that a stimulating environment, scientific freedom, and a sound financial basis are essential to the development of great scientific ideas and discoveries. Event Type: Conferences. Thursday, May 8, 2025 – Monday, May 12, 2025. Swope Center 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.bifonds.de.

The Shinya Inoué Endowed Lecture in Analytical and Quantitative Microscopy

Title: "Polarized Super Resolution Optical Microscopy in 3D for Structural Imaging in Biology" Speaker: Sophie Brasselet, PhD, Director of Research, French National Centre for Scientific Research; Director, Fresnel Institute Abstract: Fluorescence optical microscopy is a powerful tool for revealing spatial properties in cells and biological tissues, from fixed situations to in vivo dynamics. While microscopy can guide interpretation through morphological observations at the sub-micrometric scale, optical imaging cannot directly capture the orientation and angular organization of molecules in 3D at the nanoscale. This property, which is important in many processes in biology, from immunology to development biology and mechanobiology, is today most often studied using electron microscopy, which is not compatible with live imaging. We will show that reporting molecular orientational organization down to the nanoscale is possible using polarization resolved optical microscopy, which takes advantage of the… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Thursday, May 8, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

PAIR-UP Advanced Imaging Workshop

PAIR-UP Advanced Imaging Workshop The PAIR-UP Advanced Imaging Workshop is designed to provide training in the following major areas: The workshop is designed to train participants in the area of light sheet microscopy. , Participants will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in sample preparation, imaging and data analysis using a wide range of light sheet systems and diverse set biological samples. Who Should Attend? PAIR-UP workshops are open to all with a focus on training Imaging Scientists at the faculty and postdoctoral levels. Learning Objectives: Learn about building blocks and applications of Light Sheet Microscopes , Hands-on experience in sample preparation and data collection , Light Sheet data handling and analysis , How to judiciously choose a Light Sheet microscope for the biological question (Matching system with sample). Event Type: Conferences. Sunday, May 11, 2025 – Saturday, May 17, 2025. Swope Center 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

History of Biology

This Seminar in the History of Biology will review historical concepts of organicism in the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries and their relevance to specific disciplines in biology and the life sciences such as development, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, evolution and medicine. Another goal is to link philosophical work on levels of organization and reductionism to these historical accounts. An ultimate goal is to determine if organicism is purely aspirational or if it has evolved into concrete strategies of biological investigation that place the organism front and center while, at the same time, generating scientifically rigorous and satisfactory explanations of biological phenomena. Event Type: Conferences. Wednesday, May 14, 2025 – Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Swope Center 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit cbs.asu.edu.

MBL Seminar Series: “The Past has Left its Traces on the World": Deeply Conserved Synteny and the Evolution of Animals - Dan Rokhsar

Speaker: Dan Rokhsar, Dept of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley. Title: "The Past has Left its Traces on the World: Deeply Conserved Synteny and the Evolution of Animals" Abstract: Animals arose more than six hundred million years ago, and by the end of the Cambrian had diversified into today's phylum-level forms. This early history is obscured by the fact that the first animals were soft-bodied and left only enigmatic fossils. Here we take a comparative genomic approach to inferring the early evolutionary history of early animals and the subsequent events that gave rise to vertebrates. We show that animal chromosomes are generally stable over hundreds of millions of years (with notable exceptions), and exhibit characteristic modes of evolutionary change. Some gene linkages extend even further back in time, allowing early gene linkages to be polarized. We use these deeply conserved aspects of genome organization to (1) show that ctenophores rather than sponges are the earliest… Event Type: MBL Seminar Series. Thursday, May 15, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA.

Striped Bass Symposium

We have the goal of further unifying the angling community, fostering productive discussion and inspiring stewardship across sectors. Together, we foster a collaborative learning environment for industry leaders, including guides, brands, small business owners, media, scientists and state representatives. Event Type: Conferences. Friday, May 16, 2025. Swope Center 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

MBL Falmouth Forum: “In My Time of Dying” - Sebastian Junger, Journalist and Author

Lectures are free and open to the public. Free parking is available in any MBL lot. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:00 PM, lectures start at 7:30 PM. Herman T. Epstein Endowed Memorial Lectureship A book signing will follow the presentation, Lecture Abstract: Four years ago, Sebastian Junger faced death when he suffered from a sudden abdominal hemorrhage. In what could have been his final moments, he experienced a vision of his deceased father—a physicist and fellow atheist—appearing to him in the trauma bay. This profound and unexpected encounter challenged Junger's understanding of death. In In My Time of Dying, he embarks on a deeply personal journey to unravel the meaning of this life-altering event. Sebastian Junger is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, Fire, A Death in Belmont, War, Tribe, Freedom, and In My Time of Dying. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PSqV4EUeQt6c8hKZLEm8FQ. Event Type: Falmouth Forum. Friday, May 16, 2025, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Summer School @ MBL

Event Type: Conferences. Sunday, May 18, 2025 – Friday, May 23, 2025. Swope Center 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Hazards and Opportunities (ECHO) Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Hazards and Opportunities (ECHO) course runs from May 21, 2025 - Jun 04, 2025. Directors: Patricia Hunt, Washington State University; Joan Ruderman, Princeton University The course focuses on the chemical, biological, and societal challenges of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and new opportunities for moving forward. Event Type: Courses. Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Workshop on Molecular Evolution Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Workshop on Molecular Evolution course runs from May 22 - Jun 01, 2025. Directors: Jeremy Brown, Louisiana State University; and Tracy Heath, Iowa State University MBL’s Workshop on Molecular Evolution is the most prestigious workshop serving the field of evolutionary studies. Founded in 1988, it is the longest-running workshop if its kind, and it has earned worldwide recognition for its rich and intensive learning experience. Students work closely with internationally-recognized scientists, receiving (i) high-level instruction in the principles of molecular evolution and evolutionary genomics, (ii) advanced training in statistical methods best suited to modern datasets, and (iii) hands-on experience with the latest software tools (often from the authors of the programs they are using). The material is delivered via lectures, discussions, and bioinformatic exercises motivated by contemporary topics in molecular evolution. Event Type: Courses. Thursday, May 22, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Biology of Aging Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Biology of Aging course runs from May 24 - June 12, 2025. Directors: Jennifer Garrison, Buck Institute for Research on Aging; and William B. Mair, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health The MBL Biology of Aging Advanced Research Training Summer Course is an immersive research-based course designed to teach fundamental concepts, outstanding open research questions, and cutting-edge experimental approaches at the forefront of modern geroscience. Participants will acquire a deep understanding of current knowledge in the biology of aging through hands-on research projects and complementary lectures and workshops, building up from the changes that occur at the molecular and cellular level to understanding the consequences of those changes at the organismal level. Event Type: Courses. Saturday, May 24, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Memorial Day - MBL Closed

Event Type: Other. Monday, May 26, 2025.

Neural Systems and Behavior Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Neural Systems and Behavior course runs from May 31 – July 27, 2025. Directors: Alberto Pereda, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Lauren O’Connell, Stanford University This is an intensive eight-week laboratory and lecture course focusing on the neural basis of behavior. The course is intended for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and independent investigators. Limited to 20 participants. This course provides broad training in modern approaches to the study of neural mechanisms underlying behavior, perception, and cognition. Through a combination of lectures, exercises, and projects, students investigate neural systems at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels using state-of-the-art techniques. The eight weeks are divided into two-week cycles, providing participants with an in-depth familiarity with several different experimental model systems. Event Type: Courses. Saturday, May 31, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Embryology: Concepts and Techniques in Modern Developmental Biology Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Embryology: Concepts and Techniques in Modern Developmental Biology course runs from June 1 – July 14, 2025. Directors: Tatjana Piotrowski, Stowers Institute; and Athula Wikramanayake, University of Miami The Embryology Course is an intensive six-week laboratory and lecture course for advanced graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and more senior researchers who seek a broad and balanced view of modern issues in developmental biology.  Established in 1893, the Embryology Course offers integrated lectures and laboratories that comprehensively cover the paradigms, problems, and technologies of modern developmental biology cast within a comparative framework of metazoan evolution. This course has a rich history of shaping the field: six students and eight faculty have become Nobel Laureates, and numerous others have emerged as prominent leaders and pioneers. The over 40 teaching faculty members, all leaders in their respective fields, deliver lectures, lead discussions, and oversee laboratory sections.… Event Type: Courses. Sunday, June 1, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

The S. Meryl Rose Lectureship

Title: "Perfect Regeneration of a Complex Organ: Does Regeneration Mirror Development?" Speaker: Michalis Averof, PhD, Research Director, French National Centre for Scientific Research, and Group Leader, Institute of Functional Genomics of Lyon Abstract: Salamanders, flatworms, fish and crustaceans can regenerate parts of their body following an injury, in some cases building precise replicas of the original structures produced during development. To what extent does this process of regeneration mirror development? Does it rely on the same gene expression programmes and morphogenetic mechanisms? Is it based on the same genetic instructions? We approach these questions in the crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis, which regenerates apparently perfect replicas of its legs. Comparing the temporal dynamics of gene expression during leg development (in embryos) and regeneration (in adults), we find that despite extensive overlap in gene usage, development and regeneration show distinct temporal profiles of expression,… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Saturday, June 7, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA.

Neurobiology: Mechanisms & Advanced Approaches Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Neurobiology: Mechanisms & Advanced Approaches course runs from June 8 – July 21, 2025. Directors: Ricardo Araneda, University of Maryland, Mike Hoppa, Dartmouth College; and Rebecca Piskorowski, INSERM FR  The goal of the Neurobiology: Mechanisms and Advanced Approaches course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA is to provide intensive and immersive training in neurobiology with a particular focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern nervous system function in health and neurological disorders. The program is designed to provide an on-ramp for entry into neuroscience for scientists from other fields, as well as to augment conventional training by providing educational approaches that are not typically available to graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. This program is a comprehensive, research-oriented course that runs for six weeks, from the early-June to mid-July. A hallmark of this course is the opportunity to work side-by-side with internationally recognized expert… Event Type: Courses. Sunday, June 8, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Physiology: Modern Cell Biology Using Microscopic, Biochemical and Computational Approaches Course Begins

MBL Course Events Physiology: Modern Cell Biology Using Microscopic, Biochemical and Computational Approaches course runs from June 8 – July 27, 2025. Directors: Cliff Brangwynne, Princeton University; and Amy Gladfelter, Duke University The MBL Physiology Course was founded by Jacques Loeb in 1892 and is one of the oldest continually running biology courses in the world. This intensive seven-week laboratory course has educated generations of leading biologists and fostered groundbreaking biological discoveries, including the Nobel prize-winning discovery of cyclin B. As physiology has evolved to embrace modern microscopy and computational methods and incorporate the latest biological techniques, so has the Physiology Course. Today, the course is at the forefront of new tools — molecular, computational, biophysical — as it prepares students to tackle emerging biological questions. To teach this modern approach to research, faculty from the biological sciences and physical sciences, including engineering and computational sc… Event Type: Courses. Sunday, June 8, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Biology of Parasitism: Modern Approaches Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Biology of Parasitism: Modern Approaches course runs from June 12 – July 30, 2025. Directors: Vernon Carruthers, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; James Collins, UT Southwestern Medical Center; and Melissa Lodoen, University of California, Irvine A unique 7-week course for advanced doctoral students and postdocs who are seeking in-depth training in modern approaches to the study of protozoan parasites and parasitic worms. This course is focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which human and animal parasites cause disease and the host responses to infection. The course consists of daily lectures by distinguished leaders in the field juxtaposed with intensive experimental work. The lectures cover most areas of active research in modern parasitology and are designed to complement the laboratory work. Ample opportunity is provided for students to interact informally with visiting lecturers and course faculty. In the laboratory, the students work together in small groups, gaining hands-on expe… Event Type: Courses. Thursday, June 12, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Summer Program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success (SPINES) Course Begins

MBL Course Events Summer Program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success course runs from June 15 – July 5, 2025. Directors: Stephanie Correa, University of California, Los Angeles; and Gerald Downes, UMass Amherst SPINES has had an outstanding 20+ year track record of training successful neuroscientists from backgrounds underrepresented in neuroscience to be leaders in the field, honing a variety of important professional skills, including communicating your science, winning grants, honing quantitative skills and preparing to be a top notch PI. The course attracts 20 leading faculty from across the country to teach our 15-20 students in a 3 week intensive immersion experience dedicated to creating and sustaining an outstanding diverse workforce in neuroscience.  Travel, room, and board at MBL are covered. Event Type: Courses. Sunday, June 15, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Juneteenth - MBL Closed

Event Type: Other. Thursday, June 19, 2025.

The Kensal E. Van Holde Lectureship in Physiology

Title: "Bringing Bioelectricity to Light" Speaker: Adam Cohen, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Physics, Harvard University Abstract: Every cell is encased in a lipid membrane, and this membrane can support a voltage difference between the cell's outside and inside.  The membrane voltage tugs on all transmembrane proteins and affects many membrane transport processes; yet the voltage is not directly visible.  We have developed molecular reporters, instrumentation, and software for mapping bioelectrical signals across scales, from sub-cellular details of dendritic integration to large-scale patterns in developing embryos.  I will discuss some of the unresolved mysteries of bioelectricity and how one might tackle them.  Kensal E. van Holde (1928-2019) received both B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin. Trained as a physical chemist, his early interests lay in the synthetic polymer field, which led to initial employment in industry. Dr. van Holde returned to academia in… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Saturday, June 21, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium.

The Gail and Elkan Blout Lecture

Title: "Developing New Drugs for Malaria using Target-Based and Phenotypic-Based Approaches" Speaker: Margaret Phillips, PhD, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Abstract: Malaria continues to be one of the most deadly and high impact global infectious diseases, yet drug resistance threatens treatment and control programs.  Significant progress has been made in recent years to identify new classes of compounds for malaria treatment that target uncompromised parasite proteins and pathways. Both phenotypic and target-based high throughput screens (HTS) have served as the starting points to identify drug like compounds for chemistry optimization programs, and the targets of phenotypic hits have been identified by genetic and biochemical approaches. Our group used a target-based HTS to identify inhibitors of P. falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) and through a subsequent chemistry program we identified an inhibitor called DSM265 that reached clinical… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. C.V. Starr, Room 207.

The Irvin Isenberg Lectureship

Title: "Herpes Virus Fluidizes the Nucleus" Speaker: Liam Holt, PhD, Associate Professor, Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University School of Medicine Abstract: Molecular processes are profoundly influenced by the biophysical properties of the cell interior. Macromolecular crowding, elastic confinement and active fluctuations all influence how molecules move and assemble. However, the mechanisms that control these physical properties, and the processes that they impact remain poorly understood, especially in the nucleus. We hypothesized that some viruses might change the biophysical properties of the nucleus to favor viral survival and replication. We found that Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) increases the mesoscale fluidity of the nucleus. The HSV-1 protein ICP4 caused fluidization and enabled growth of synthetic nuclear condensates. Conditions that decreased nuclear fluidity inhibited the formation of viral replication compartment condensates and reduced infectious virus production. Together,… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Jean & Katsuma Dan Lectureship in Physiology

Title: "Physics of Structure Formation in Living Systems" Speaker: Stephan Grill, PhD, Director, Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, MPI-CBG Dresden Abstract: One of the most remarkable examples of self-organized structure formation is the development of a complex organism from a single fertilized egg. With the identification of many molecules that participate in this process, attention has now turned to capturing the physical principles that govern the emergence of biological form at the mesoscale. Living systems are special in the sense that they structure themselves through processes that convert chemical energy into mechanical work. In this talk I will provide a brief introduction into 'Active Matter Physics’ and discuss how the surface of a cell can generate an active stresses that can drive its reshaping, or the reshaping of many cells that are collectively organized into a tissue. I will end with a report of our efforts to understand how principal body axes are established in… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Thursday, July 3, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Independence Day - MBL Closed

Event Type: Other. Friday, July 4, 2025.

Microbial Diversity Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Microbial Diversity course runs from June 29 – August 12, 2025. Directors: Scott C. Dawson, University of California, Davis; and John Spear (Colorado School of Mines) Launched in 1971 by Holger Jannasch, the Microbial Diversity summer course at the Marine Biological Laboratory has trained generations of scientists from diverse backgrounds. The course is an intense immersion experience for 20 students that lasts 6.5 weeks. The goal of the course is to teach professors, postdocs and advanced graduate students how to discover, cultivate, and isolate diverse microorganisms catalyzing a breadth of chemical transformations, as well as how to perform molecular and computational analyses relevant to their study. Event Type: Courses. Sunday, July 6, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

The Edward Kravitz Endowed Lectureship in Neurobiology

Title: "Imaging the Brain at High Spatiotemporal Resolution" Speaker: Na Ji, PhD, Luis Alvarez Memorial Chair in Experimental Physics, University of California, Berkeley Abstract: Neuroscience aims to understand the brain—an organ that distinguishes humans as a species, defines us as individuals, and provides the intellectual power with which we explore the universe. Composed of electrically excitable cells called neurons, the brain continuously receives and analyzes information, makes decisions, and controls actions. As the fundamental computational units of the brain, neurons communicate electrochemically via submicron structures called synapses. By forming synapses with one another, neurons create circuits and networks that can span centimeters and specialize in diverse mental functions. To understand the brain mechanistically, we need methods capable of monitoring the physiological processes of individual synapses as well as the activity of large populations of interconnected neurons. Drawing on… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Monday, July 7, 2025, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA.

The Jack and Rosalyn Rosenbluth Endowed Lecture in Physiology

Title: "How Cells Learn" Speaker: Wallace Marshall, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco Abstract: Single cells can show a startling range of complex behaviors that we might normally associate with complex nervous systems.   Cells can make decisions, hunt prey, avoid predators, and show simple forms of learning.  The giant ciliate Stentor lives in the pond where it attaches to pond plants and extends out into a cone shape while it feeds.   if another organism contacts the Stentor cell, it can rapidly contract to avoid predation, but this response consumes energy.  In order to avoid contracting in response to routine contact by algae or other non-threatening stimuli, Stentor cells can learn to ignore repeated stimuli of a given force level, a simple type of learning known as habituation.  But how does a single cell learn, when it doesn't have a brain?    We have used a combination of quantitative analysis of live cell behavior and computational modeling to… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Gertrude Forkosh Waxler Endowed Lecture

Title: "Cytoskeletal Evolution is a Key Driver of Eukaryotic Diversification" Speaker: Lillian Fritz-Laylin, PhD, Professor of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Abstract: Eukaryotic cells physically manipulate their environments; swimming through liquids, crawling across surfaces, and actively ingesting objects large and small. These and other dynamic processes are controlled by polymer systems called the cytoskeleton. Although the protein polymers at the heart of cytoskeletal networks—actin and tubulin—are highly conserved, the networks they build vary wildly between cell types and species. This variability allows cells to adopt different forms and functions, giving rise to diversity at the organismal level. This concept raises two important and intertwined questions: How does the cytoskeleton evolve and diversify across phyla? And how does cytoskeletal evolution drive phenotypic diversification? To answer these questions, we focus on two lineages… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Friday, July 11, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Strategies and Techniques for Analyzing Microbial Population Structures Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Strategies and Techniques for Analyzing Microbial Population Structures course runs from July 14 – July 24, 2025. Directors: C. Titus Brown, University of California, Davis and Amy Willis, University of Washington  Modern sequencing technologies enable comprehensive investigations of microbial communities, but generating large microbial datasets is often easier than analyzing them. STAMPS bridges the gap between data generation and knowledge generation, offering interdisciplinary training in bioinformatics and statistics to practitioners of molecular microbial ecology and genomics. Topics include: experimental design; processing raw data into genomic and functional units; annotation and reference databases; and statistical methods for analyzing microbiome data. Event Type: Courses. Monday, July 14, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

The Andrew Szent-Györgyi Lectureship in Physiology

Title: "Mechanical Information Processing in Adherent Cells" Speaker: Margaret Gardel, PhD, Horace B. Horton Professor of Physics, Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology and Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago Abstract: My lab studies how the movement and shape of living cells is controlled by living materials constructed by protein assemblies within the cell interior.  In this talk, I will describe our recent efforts to understand the design principles of the active, soft materials that drive morphogenesis of multicellular tissue.  In particular, I will discuss design principles by which the cellular cytoskeleton senses, generates, and adapts to mechanical forces and couples to biochemical and transcriptional pathways. Such mechanical information processing controls diverse processes including cell proliferation, barrier function and cell fate determination.  Andrew Szent-Györgyi’s (1924-2015) life has followed a remarkable trajectory. He was born in Hungary, where he studied medicine at the… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Masakazu Konishi Endowed Lectureship in Neural Systems and Behavior

Title: "Taste by Touch in Octopus" Speaker: Nicholas Bellono, PhD, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University Abstract: Sensory receptors are at the interface between an organism and its environment and thus represent key sites for biological innovation. Octopuses are a rich source for biological novelty: they exhibit complex cognition and behavior similar to vertebrates but via entirely distinct organization and evolutionary history. Indeed, among the most unique octopus traits is a complex distributed nervous system that enables autonomous, chemosensory arm behavior. Our lab recently discovered a novel family of chemotactile receptors (CRs) that mediate “taste by touch” arm exploration. CRs diverged from neurotransmitter receptors to form pentameric ionotropic receptors that detect poorly soluble molecules for contact-dependent chemosensation. Here, I will describe our curiosity-based exploration of octopus “taste by touch” as a striking example of convergent and divergent evolution… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA.

The Tay Hayashi Lectureship in Cell Physiology

Title: "The Essential Roles of Polymers, Mechanics, and Cell Geometry in Bacterial Growth and Cell Division" Speaker: Ethan Garner, PhD, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University Abstract: We study how bacteria create and maintain cell shape. Bacteria contain a surprising amount of intracellular organization. For components to be organized, cells require some shape that establishes a coordinate axis. We study the underlying mechanisms by which rod-shaped bacteria establish their shape, grow, and divide. This long-range organization is mediated by homologs of actin and tubulin, which guide the synthesis of the cell wall via associated synthetic enzymes. These filaments behave differently from each other and their eukaryotic relatives: The division tubulins treadmill around the division site, controlling the activity of the associated synthetic enzymes. Conversely, actin filaments that create and propagate the rod shape are quite stable and are pulled around the rod width by the activity… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Thursday, July 17, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Arthur K. Parpart Endowed Lectureship

Title: "From Muscle to Memory: Long-Distance Calcium Signaling in Neurons" Speaker: Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, PhD, Senior Group Leader and Head of 4D Cellular Physiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus Abstract: A major question in neuronal cell biology has been how postsynaptic neurotransmission is integrated over long distances in dendrites. Ca2+ is a pivotal second messenger in this process, with its cytoplasmic transients tightly controlled both spatially and temporally by buffers, pumps, exchangers, and other Ca2+ binding proteins. Prior studies have suggested that synaptic receptor-dependent Ca2+ transients are mostly confined within spine heads, with only minimal spreading along dendritic shafts. Here, I discuss an additional mechanism we discovered that supports long-range Ca2+ responses in dendrites involving a specialized organization of ER and PM. We found neuronal dendrites organize their ER and PM to form regularly arrayed junctions enriched in Ca2+ uptake and… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Saturday, July 19, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The John J. Cebra Endowed Lecture in Physiology

Title: "Design Principles of Living Membranes" Speaker: Ilya Levental, PhD, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia Abstract: The plasma membrane is the interface between a cell and its environment and is therefore responsible for a myriad of parallel processing tasks that must be tightly regulated to avoid aberrant signaling. To achieve this functional complexity, mammalian cells produce hundreds of lipid species that are actively turned over and trafficked to produce spatial and temporal gradients between cellular compartments. In addition to the plethora of regulatory roles performed by individual lipid molecules, membrane physiology is strictly dependent on the biophysical phenotypes – including membrane fluidity, rigidity, lipid packing, and lateral organization – arising from the collective behaviors of lipids. I will present the results of projects that address the lipidomic, biophysical, and functional aspects of mammalian plasma membranes. These projects… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course Begins

MBL Course Events Methods in Computational Neuroscience runs from July 23 – August 19, 2025. Directors: Stefano Fusi, Columbia University; and Roozbeh Kiani, New York University Animals interact with a complex world, encountering a variety of challenges: They must gather data about the environment, discover useful structures in these data, store and recall information about past events, plan and guide actions, learn the consequences of these actions, etc. These are, in part, computational problems that are solved by networks of neurons, from roughly 100 cells in a small worm to 100 billion in humans. Methods in Computational Neuroscience introduces students to the computational and mathematical techniques that are used to address how the brain solves these problems at levels of neural organization ranging from single membrane channels to operations of the entire brain. Event Type: Courses. Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

The John G. Nicholls Endowed Lectureship in Neural Systems and Behavior

Title: Evolutionary Neuroscience of Social Behavior Speaker: Hans Hofmann, PhD, Professor of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin Abstract: Social behavior varies tremendously across species. Nevertheless, we now have a basic understanding of how social systems evolved. We also have gained fundamental insights into how the brain processes and stores socially salient information, how it generates context-appropriate behavior, and how behavior and its neural substrates develop during ontogeny. Ongoing research has begun to integrate these seemingly disparate approaches to unravel the causes and consequences of variation in brain and behavior in diverse species; and to reconstruct the evolution of the neuromolecular mechanisms that regulate and generate complex behavior. These studies demonstrate conserved roles of hormonal and neuromodulatory systems in the regulation of social behavior, even in cases of social systems that evolved convergently in distantly related taxa. Recent genome-scale… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Wednesday, July 23, 2025, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA.

Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis course runs from July 24 - August 26, 2025. Directors: Phillip Cleves, Carnegie Institute of Science  The Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis advanced research training course at the MBL is an immersive research-based course designed to teach basic concepts, open research questions, and facilitate state-of-the-art experimental approaches in symbiosis research. This 4-week experience will give students a deep understanding of the field of symbiosis research through a combination of hands-on research projects, lectures from experts in the field, and interactive workshops. Event Type: Courses. Thursday, July 24, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Zebrafish Development and Genetics Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Zebrafish Development and Genetics course runs from July 24 – August 7, 2025. Directors: Andrea Pauli, IMP – Research Institute of Molecular Pathology; and Thomas Schilling, University of California, Irvine Over the past 25 years, the zebrafish has emerged as a powerful model system for the study of vertebrate development and disease. This intensive two-week course for advanced graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and independent investigators will focus on the development and genetics of zebrafish. The course will cover time proven as well as novel technologies geared towards their application in zebrafish. Mornings and afternoons will be devoted mainly to laboratory exercises and the evenings to lectures and discussion. Event Type: Courses. Thursday, July 24, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Molecular Mycology: Current Approaches to Fungal Pathogenesis Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Molecular Mycology: Current Approaches to Fungal Pathogenesis course runs from July 31 – August 18, 2025. Directors: David Andes, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Robert Cramer, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth This course addresses the need for more research in the area of fungal diseases as our understanding of the basic pathophysiology of fungal disease lags far behind our understanding of bacterial, parasitic and viral diseases. Event Type: Courses. Thursday, July 31, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Ruth Sager Lecture in Genetics

Titles: "Life-Long Growth and Development: In Vivo Cell Behaviors of the Zebrafish Visual System" | "Pediatric Sarcoma Modeling and Drug Screening in Zebrafish" Speakers: Kara Cerveny, PhD, Ronald A. Laing Professor, Biology; Chair, Neuroscience Program, Reed College | Martin Distel, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah Abstracts: Uncovering the mechanisms that balance proliferation and differentiation is foundational for understanding how diseases of eye and brain development emerge. In zebrafish, the eye and brain grow continuously, generating new neurons and glia that integrate seamlessly into existing circuitry. This talk will highlight how the optical transparency and genetic tractability of zebrafish, combined with state-of-the-art in vivo imaging, enable real-time analyses the rate of cell proliferation and differentiation as the visual system grows and regenerates. Our… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Thursday, July 31, 2025, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA.

The Jack Edwards and Aaron Mitchell Endowed Lecture in Molecular Mycology

Title: "Host, Pathogen and Treatment: The Trinity of Medical Mycology" Speaker: Damian Krysan, MD, PhD, Samuel J. Fomon Chair in Pulmonology/Allergy/Infectious Diseases, Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Carver College of Medicine University of Iowa Abstract: The field of medical mycology encompasses three fundamental areas of inquiry: host, pathogen, and treatment. The medical mycology course at MBL has focused on this trinity of inquiry since its founding by Drs. Edwards and Mitchell. Their legacy has been to firmly establish this multidisciplinary approach as the predominant paradigm for the entire field of medical mycology; the hundreds students and faculty associated with the medical mycology course over its 25+ years have been the agents of this legacy. In this lecture, I will summarize how aspects of the work in my lab have been influenced by this legacy as representative of the effect that Drs. Edwards and Mitchell have had on this important area of infectious disease… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Thursday, July 31, 2025, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Swope Center Meigs Room 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Visual Neuroscience Course Begins

MBL Course Events The Visual Neuroscience course runs from August 1 – August 16, 2025. Directors: Richard Kramer, UC Berkeley; and Gregory Schwartz, Northwestern University Vision is our most precious and important sense, with more than 50% of the cerebral cortex involved in processing information from our eyes. Vision is also the most widely studied sensory modality, with thousands of laboratories, domestic and international, seeking to understand normal visual function and vision disorders. The goal of the Visual Neuroscience course is to solidify the learning of fundamental concepts about the neural processing of visual information from the retina to animal behavior while exposing trainees to multiple modern neuroscience techniques through hands-on experience. Event Type: Courses. Friday, August 1, 2025. Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.