MBL Events

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The Paul Englund Endowed Lectureship in Biology of Parasitism

MBL Public Events Talk Title: Mechanisms of Host-Mediated Attenuation of Plasmodium falciparum Virulence Speaker: Artur Scherf, Professor Emeritus, Institut Pasteur Abstract: At the Biology of Parasitism, Artur Scherf will deliver the Paul Englund Endowed Lectureship, presenting new insights into host-mediated attenuation of virulence in Plasmodium falciparum, the principal agent responsible for severe Malaria. The lecture will examine how host-derived factors shape parasite virulence through a dynamic interplay with parasite-intrinsic developmental and transcriptional programs. These intrinsic programs are not fixed but can be modulated and reprogrammed by extrinsic cues from the host environment, redefining our understanding of virulence regulation. In particular, seasonal variation in endemic regions of Africa is associated with systemic remodeling of host serum metabolite composition, which has direct consequences for parasite growth, cytoadherence, and antigenic variation. By combining host metabolomic profiling with… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Starr Seminar Room 209.

The John Saunders Endowed Lectureship in Embryology

MBL Public Events Title: Development and evolution of multi-ciliated cells Speaker: John Wallingford, The Mr. and Mrs. Robert P Doherty Regents Chair and Professor, Dept. of Molecular bioscience at UT, Austin Abstract: The emergence of the final, functional form of each specific cell type is a core problem in developmental and cell biology.  For over a decade, we have used multiciliated cells (MCCs) as a model in which to explore the process of cell-type diversification from initial specification, through cellular morphogenesis, to function (in this case, polarized ciliary beating and the generation of patterned fluid flow).  Along the way, we have defined new transcriptional circuits, identified a novel liquid-like organelle, and shed light on the molecular etiology of human motile ciliopathies.  In this talk, I will provide an overview of the development of MCCs and discuss new data on the mechanisms by which dynein motors are assembled and deployed to cilia, including recent efforts to map the interactome of motile cilia… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL St. Woods Hole, MA.

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

MBL Course Events Talk Title: Control of Movement by Structured Spinal Circuits Speaker: Martha Bagnall, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Washington University  Abstract: Locomotion is a fundamental behavior of most animals. Despite decades of study, the underlying structured circuits remain challenging to define. Leveraging the accessibility of the zebrafish, we demonstrate that a missing component of locomotor theory is the organization of connectivity along the long axis of the spinal cord. Many populations of spinal cord neurons project axons over long distances in the rostrocaudal axis, yet their connectivity in this axis has not been explored. We show that genetically defined populations of neurons exhibit shifting connectivity as their axons ascend or descend the spinal cord. This longitudinal structure helps explain basic properties of locomotor propagation along the spinal cord and resolve apparent conflicts in the literature of locomotor circuits.   The John G. Nicholls Endowed Lectureship in… Event Type: Courses. Evening Course Seminars: Wednesday Evening Neural Systems & Behavior Seminars. Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL St. Woods Hole, MA.

MBL Alumni Association Ice Cream Social

MBL Public Events Event Type: Other. Thursday, June 25, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. MBL Quad.

The S. Meryl Rose Lectureship

MBL Public Events Talk Title: Make your own sunscreen Speaker: James Gagnon, Presidential Scholar and Associate Professor of Biology, University of Utah Abstract: The sun fuels life on Earth, but its ultraviolet radiation can damage cells and DNA. Animals have evolved many ways to protect themselves from this damage, from nocturnal lifestyles to scales, feathers, fur, and pigmentation, while humans rely heavily on chemical sunscreens. We discovered that many fish use a different strategy - they make their own sunscreen. Mother fish load their eggs with a transparent UV-absorbing molecule called gadusol, protecting embryos during the earliest stages of life, and larval zebrafish later reactivate gadusol production in their skin as they grow. I will discuss how this natural sunscreen protects developing animals from DNA damage. I will also explore what the evolutionary history of gadusol synthesis reveals about adaptation to life in sunlit and dark environments. By tracing its origins across the tree of life, we are beginning… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Friday, June 26, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Speck Auditorium.

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Deciphering the Cis-regulatory Code of Development with Deep Learning” Julia Zeitlinger, Stowers

MBL Public Events Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8 PM.Julia Zeitlinger, Investigator, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Porter Lecture, Lecture Abstract: There has been a revolution in genomics technology, leading to an exponential growth of multi-modal genomics data in different organisms across developmental time and space. After decades of focusing on the mechanisms underlying gene expression, I argue that it is now time to come back to a concept that has its origins before the rise of molecular biology and biochemistry: the understanding that biology has a DNA sequence basis. With the development of neural networks that predict genomics data from sequence, learning how gene regulation is encoded in DNA is now a feasible goal. This paradigm shift has the long-term goal of deciphering this cis-regulatory code during development, uncovering the regulatory information relevant to human… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LxbR9fF6SRCL0rBO0BBUuQ. Event Type: Friday Evening Lecture. Friday, June 26, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Jean & Katsuma Dan Lectureship in Embryology/Physiology

MBL Public Events Title: RACing from border cell migration to an improved cancer immunotherapy Speaker: Denise Montell, Duggan Distinguished Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara Abstract: The Montell lab has developed border cells in the Drosophila ovary as an in vivo model for studying collective cell migration. An early discovery was that the small GTPase Rac is essential for border cell protrusion and migration. A longstanding puzzle was that expressing constitutively active Rac in just six cells killed the entire egg chamber tissue. We figured out that hyperactivating Rac causes border cell to switch from migratory cells to killer phagocytes. Rac is deeply conserved in evolution and we showed that hyperactive Rac can also convert mammalian macrophages to killer phagocytes. This likely contributes to an otherwise mysterious immunodeficiency phenotype in human patients carrying hyper activating mutations in the hematopoietic-specific Rac2 gene. Hyperactive Rac also enhances engulfment and killing of a variety… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Saturday, June 27, 2026, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL St. Woods Hole, MA.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, June 29, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Jack and Rosalyn Rosenbluth Endowed Lecture in Neurobiology

MBL Public Events Talk Title: Tools for Analyzing, Repairing, and Simulating the Brain Speaker: Edward Boyden, Y Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology, MIT Abstract: Analyzing, repairing, and simulating complex biological systems, such as the brain, require tools for systematically mapping, dynamically observing, and dynamically controlling these systems.  We are discovering new molecular principles to enable such technologies.  For example, we discovered that one can physically magnify biological specimens by synthesizing dense networks of swellable polymer throughout them, and then chemically processing the specimens to isotropically swell them.  This method, which we call expansion microscopy, enables ordinary microscopes to do nanoimaging – important for mapping molecules throughout cells, tissues, and organs.  As a second example, we serendipitously discovered that microbial rhodopsins, genetically expressed in neurons, could enable their electrical activity to be precisely controlled in response to light.  These… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Monday, June 29, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL St. Woods Hole, MA.

Science Storytelling with the Grass Fellows

MBL Public Events  Please join us in the Clapp Auditorium for a night of science storytelling and live music, as the 2026 Grass Fellows share the stories they honed through a Transom storytelling workshop. This event is FREE and open to the public. Please register using the link provided to save your spot! Hosted by The Grass Foundation. Event Type: Other. Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.eventbrite.com.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, July 1, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Independence Day - MBL Closed

MBL Public Events Event Type: Other. Friday, July 3, 2026.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, July 3, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Gail and Elkan Blout Lecture

MBL Public Events Title: Outsmarting Your Immune System: How Malaria Parasites Maintain Chronic Infections Speaker: Kirk Deitsch, Professor, Weill Cornell School of Medical Sciences Abstract: Malaria parasites avoid their host’s immune response through antigenic variation, the systematic alteration of surface proteins exposed to the immune system. For the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the gene family encoding the primary antigenic determinant is called var and consists of 40-90 genes, with each gene encoding an antigenically distinct form of the surface protein. Current models indicate that only a single var gene is expressed at any given time, with the remainder of the family maintained in a transcriptionally silent state via repressive epigenetic chromatin modifications. Significant work in recent years has defined many molecular aspects that maintain a gene in the active or silent state, however the mechanisms governing switching between transcriptionally active genes remains entirely undefined. Moreover, given… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Friday, July 3, 2026, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Starr Seminar Room 209.

The Kensal E. Van Holde Lectureship in Physiology

MBL Public Events Title: How biophysical modeling of tissue mechanics helps generate new hypotheses in development and physiology Speaker: M. Lisa Manning, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Physics, Syracuse University Abstract: This talk will provide a survey of state-of-the-art-methods in biophysical modeling of cell collectives and tissues, highlighting the different types of models that are used as well as their benefits and drawbacks. Then, I will discuss several case studies from our research group where biophysical modeling generated new or surprising hypotheses about molecular- or cell-scale mechanisms that drive observed tissue-scale behavior in different model organisms during development, including drosophila, zebrafish, chick, and mouse. I will discuss how we and others test model predictions and validate model parameters,  and speculate on potential opportunities for biophysical modeling in physiology more broadly. The Kensal E. Van Holde Lectureship in Physiology Kensal E. van Holde (1928-2019) received both… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Friday, July 3, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM. Clapp Auditorium.

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Dance for Your Dinner: How Young Brains Signal Hunger to Their Parents” - Lauren O’Connell, Stanford University

MBL Public Events Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8:00 PM. Lauren O’Connell, Associate Professor of Biology, Stanford University Glassman Lecture, Lecture Abstract: In the rainforests of Central and South America, tiny poison frog parents make an extraordinary investment: they return again and again to their young, delivering unfertilized eggs as food. In response, their tadpoles perform a striking “begging dance,” signaling their hunger with precise, stereotyped movements. How does a developing brain generate this behavior—and how do parents recognize and respond to it? The O’Connell lab uses this vivid interaction to explore how internal states like hunger are translated into communication, and how early social experiences shape the brain. By following this dialogue between parent and offspring, her lab’s work uncovers fundamental principles of how brains give rise to social behavior, from the… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SsDvbwxHRXKDJvHxmN7JmQ. Event Type: Friday Evening Lecture. Friday, July 3, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Microbial Diversity Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Jul 05, 2026 - Aug 17, 2026 Established in 1971 by Holger Jannasch, the Microbial Diversity summer course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, MA) has provided advanced training for generations of early career researchers in microbiology. This intensive and transformative 6.5-week residential program trains 20 participants annually in the discovery, cultivation, and analysis of microorganisms that drive diverse biochemical and ecological processes. With roughly a 1:1 student–faculty ratio, participants receive individualized mentorship and close collaboration with leading researchers. Event Type: Courses. Sunday, July 5, 2026. MBL, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, July 6, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Tuesday Night Cytoskeletal Seminar Series | Molecular Animation: Past, Present, and Future | Janet Iwasa (University of Utah)

MBL Course Events In recent years, my group and others have found that the use of 3d animation software to synthesize spatial and dynamic information from a variety of experimental modalities can provide important scientific insights and provide a contextualized view of how molecular and cellular systems operate. These visualizations have served not only to make molecular concepts more accessible to students and the public but have also proven to be useful for researchers seeking to build and refine their hypotheses. In this talk, I will describe projects that have used animation to communicate and explore different topics in cell biology and discuss new tools my group is developing to enable molecular biologists to create, share, and annotate animated three-dimensional models of molecules. Event Type: Courses. Evening Course Seminars: Tuesday Night Cytoskeleton Seminars. Tuesday, July 7, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:15 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL St. Woods Hole, MA.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, July 8, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, July 10, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Maynard and Suzanne Goldman Lectureship

MBL Public Events Title: The ecophysiology of methane-producing archaea under stress Speaker: Michel Geovanni "Geo" Santiago Martinez, Assistant Professor of Microbiology, University of Connecticut Abstract: Methane-producing archaea (methanogens) are strictly anaerobic microorganisms that play a central role in nutrient cycling within ecosystems and host-associated microbiomes by converting microbial fermentation byproducts into methane through methanogenesis pathways. At the UConn Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory, we investigate how stress conditions such as light exposure and nutrient limitation affect methanogen physiology. Using Methanosarcina acetivorans, a model marine methanogen, and Methanobrevibacter smithii, a dominant human-associated methanogen, we examine how redox-related stress influences cellular homeostasis, survival, and phenotypic plasticity. Our findings show that environmental fluctuations alter nutrient transformation pathways, modify cellular morphology, and activate adaptive responses involved in… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Friday, July 10, 2026, 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM. Candle House Room 104/105.

Rachel Carson Ice Cream Party

MBL Public Events Come celebrate Rachel Carson and her enduring legacy—75 years after the publication of The Sea Around Us, the groundbreaking book that inspired generations to explore, understand, and protect our oceans! Enjoy complimentary ice cream in MBL's Waterfront Park to honor Carson's remarkable contributions to marine science, environmental stewardship, public health, and science communication. Event Type: Other. Children's Programs. Friday, July 10, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. MBL Waterfront Park.

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Carson’s Clarion Call: The Noisy Response to Silent Spring” - Mark Barrow, Virginia Tech

MBL Public Events Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8:00 PM. Mark Barrow, Professor, Department of History, Virginia Tech E.B. Wilson History and Philosophy of Science Lecture, Lecture Abstract: The publication of Silent Spring (1962) generated a firestorm of controversy and helped catalyze the modern environmental movement. Why did Rachel Carson’s critique of modern pesticides have such a far-reaching impact? This lecture argues that its influence grew out of a convergence of Carson’s authority as both scientist and bestselling author, a cultural climate of heightened anxiety about postwar chemical and nuclear technologies, and the aggressive strategies of her critics. A trained biologist and accomplished writer with access to a broad network of scientific experts, Carson offered readers a compelling, accessible synthesis of the risks associated with the postwar embrace of synthetic pesticides.… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AypfrPGwSCSvBvwQo6SbBA. Event Type: Friday Evening Lecture. Friday, July 10, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Biology of Hearing and Balance: Experimental and Analytical Approaches Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Jul 13, 2026 - Aug 02, 2026 The Biology of Hearing and Balance course (BHB) teaches advanced research approaches to the development, function, and pathology of the inner ear and downstream auditory and vestibular pathways in the central nervous system. BIE/BHB began in 2007 and is held every 2 years. Event Type: Courses. Monday, July 13, 2026. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, July 13, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The John J. Cebra Endowed Lecture in Physiology

MBL Public Events Title: A Hilbert Problem for Biology: The Search for a Minimal Predictive Description of Genomes Speaker: Hernan Garcia, Associate Professor, University of California Berkeley Abstract: At the dawn of the twentieth century, mathematician David Hilbert accelerated progress in mathematics by articulating a set of fundamental unsolved problems. More than a list of open questions, these problems provided a concrete definition of what it would mean to understand the field and a roadmap for future discovery. In this talk, I will argue that biology may benefit from a similar exercise. The John J. Cebra Endowed Lecture in Physiology Professor John J. Cebra (1934-2005) was trained as an immunochemist and protein chemist during the mid-1950s through the 1960s at The Rockefeller University, St. Mary’s Hospital, London, and the Weizmann Institute, Israel. In 1961, he established his own lab in the department of microbiology, University of Florida. During the 1960s he became interested in secretory IgA, and his group… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Monday, July 13, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Holger W. Jannasch Endowed Lecture in Microbial Diversity

MBL Public Events Title: When Rare Earths Become Essential: Pseudomonas putida's Quest for Lanthanides Speaker: Dr. Kalen Rasmussen, Applied Environmental Microbiologist/Postdoctoral Researcher, National Laboratory of the Rockies Abstract: As rare-earth elements, lanthanides (Ln) are vital components of modern electronics, emerging energy technologies, and industrial supply chains, driving immense interest in sustainable bio recovery methods. Recently, these metals have also emerged as essential cofactors for bacterial alcohol metabolism, yet the mechanisms governing microbial Ln acquisition and utilization remain poorly defined. The versatile soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida utilizes Ln-dependent alcohol metabolism and has robust genetic tools, offering an ideal platform for studying these uptake pathways. This work identifies a specialized, endogenous molecular pathway essential for Ln-dependent growth in P. putida. Genetic and biochemical analyses reveal that acquisition and uptake processes rely on coordinated… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM. Candle House Room 104/105.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Jul 17, 2026 - Aug 15, 2026 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. Friday, July 17, 2026. MBL, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, July 17, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “RNAi Across Scales: From Model Organisms to Clinical Therapies” - Rachel Meyers, Sunrise Bioventures

MBL Public Events Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8:00 PM. Rachel Meyers, Founder and Managing Partner, Sunrise Bioventures Lecture Abstract: TBD Rachel Meyers is an entrepreneurial scientist actively involved in the biotech and pharma community. She is a member of the board of directors for Korro Bio, a nucleic acid therapeutics company focused on RNA editing as well as an Atlas Ventures StealthCo in the nucleic acid therapeutics space. She serves as a scientific advisor to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, the pioneer of RNAi therapeutics; Arrakis Therapeutics, a small-molecule company focused on targeting RNA; and CAMP4 Therapeutics, a nucleic acid therapeutics company focused on upregulating RNA transcription. Meyers is a founding partner of Sunrise Bioventures, a nucleic acid accelerator, and serves as acting CEO at AmyGo Solutions, a startup focused on early detection in amyloidosis. In addition to… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zhdkUGipQJuXA3tLfQHk2A. Event Type: Friday Evening Lecture. Friday, July 17, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, July 20, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Andrew Szent-Györgyi Lectureship in Physiology

MBL Public Events Title: Sequence-Specific Collective Protein-DNA Interactions Speaker: Stephen Grill, Group Leader, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden Abstract: Only ~1.5% of the human genome encodes proteins; the remaining 98.5%, once dismissed as “junk” harbors the regulatory blueprint of life. Non-coding DNA controls when and where genes switch on by guiding transcription factor binding and nucleosome organization, shaping nuclear architecture. How billions of weak, dispersed interactions achieve the high level of specificity required for gene regulation remains a central mystery. Isolated transcription factor binding is far too weak: targeting a single genomic site in the human genome would require >20 kBT of discrimination, while typical transcription factors reach at most ~10 kBT. This order‑of‑magnitude lack of specificity implies that collective processes underpin mesoscale nuclear structure. In this talk I will report on work started at the Physiology Course, showing that such… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Roger Milkman Endowed Lecture in Microbial Diversity

MBL Public Events Title: Moving from prediction to observation in the evolutionary cell biology of archaea Speaker: Arthur Charles-Orzag, Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis Abstract: Archaea constitute the second domain of life on earth, are present in most habitats, and were recently proposed to be the closest relatives (and ancestors) of eukaryotes. However, we do not understand how most archaea divide, organize their cytoplasmic space or even segregate their DNA. Archaea possess unique genes that have no homologs in bacteria or eukaryotes, making them more challenging to study; similarly, even widely conserved genes sometimes work in unique ways in archaea. Here, I will present recent progress in our understanding of the basic cell biology and evolution of thermophilic archaea, including chromosome segregation and cell motility, and will highlight the importance of studying diverse species to understand the overall evolution of cellular life on earth. The Roger Milkman Endowed Lecture in Microbial… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM. Candle House Room 104/105.

The Abigail Salyers Endowed Lecture in Microbial Diversity

MBL Public Events Title: Cell polarity in diverse alphaproteobacteria Speaker: Erin Goley, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, John Hopkins Medical Institute Abstract: Alphaproteobacteria inhabit a wide array of growth environments that have driven diversification of their cell biology. The field has leveraged the dimorphic environmental alphabacterium Caulobacter crescentus to establish a deep mechanistic understanding of cell cycle control, morphogenesis, and cell polarity. How far these mechanisms extend to alphaproteobacteria adapted to different environments is unclear. We have begun to explore the cell biology of the tickborne, pathogenic alphaproteobacterium Rickettsia parkeri as a model for the obligate intracellular order Rickettsiales. We find that some fundamental features of C. crescentus cell biology are well-conserved in R. parkeri, while others have diverged or emerged de novo to suit the intracellular growth environment of Rickettsias. I will describe examples of each related to cell polarity in… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM. Candle House Room 104/105.

Zebrafish Development and Genetics Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Jul 23, 2026 - Aug 06, 2026 Over the past 30 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. Limited to 22 students. Event Type: Courses. Thursday, July 23, 2026. MBL, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Jul 24, 2026 - Aug 21, 2026 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. Friday, July 24, 2026. MBL, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, July 24, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Irvin Isenberg Lectureship

MBL Public Events Title: Multi-Scale Structure of Chromatin Condensates Speaker: Chair, Department of Biophysics, UT Southwstern Medical Center, Investigator, HHMI Abstract: The material properties of biomolecular condensates derive from the structure and higher-order organization of resident macromolecular scaffolds. These properties, in turn, are thought to influence condensate function. Yet visualization of scaffold molecules is complicated by the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of the condensate interior. We have shown that polynucleosome arrays, which mimic cellular chromatin, can phase separate under physiologic salt conditions. Since individual nucleosomes can be directly imaged using cryo-electron tomography (cryoET), phase separated chromatin is ideal to examine relationships between condensate structure, material properties, and function. I will describe a robust pipeline spanning sample preparation, data acquisition, and image analysis that has enabled us to accurately identify the spatial positions and contacts… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Friday, July 24, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM. Clapp Auditorium.

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Neurobiology of Thirst and Hunger Drives” Liqun Luo, Stanford University

MBL Public Events Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8:00 PM. Liqun Luo, Ann and Bill Swindells Professor, Stanford University Forbes Lecture, Lecture Abstract: Because of the utmost importance of water and food, animals exhibit strong innate behaviors to search for and consume water or food when they are thirsty or hungry. These innate drives are also powerful means for acquiring learned skills and behaviors. In this lecture, I will summarize our recent work linking thirst to motivated behavior and investigating neural dynamics underlying thirst motivation. I will further discuss how animals resolve competing needs, such as thirst and hunger, across time. Liqun Luo grew up in Shanghai, China. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Science & Technology of China, Ph.D. from Brandeis University, and postdoctoral training at UCSF. Together with his students and postdocs in his lab at… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y3egvrAaSDisIg23Fe54rw. Event Type: Friday Evening Lecture. Friday, July 24, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, July 27, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The Ruth Sager Lectures in Genetics

MBL Public Events Title: Development and function of recently identified intestinal best4+ cells Speaker: Jeffrey Farrell, Stadtman Investigator (Assistant Professor), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Abstract: My lab investigates transcriptional regulation of cell fate decisions and cellular function during zebrafish development. We use and develop single-cell genomic approaches to find undiscovered cell types, cell states, or cellular transitions, which we then study with classical developmental and genetic approaches. I will discuss our broad profiling of early zebrafish development using single-cell genomics approaches and our efforts to make these data available and broadly useful to the community through Daniocell and DaniocellDesktop. I will then discuss how we used those data to find understudied cell types, including homologs of recently identified best4+ intestinal epithelial cells. These cells are conserved across most vertebrates, but their development and function remains enigmatic. I… Event Type: Courses. Named Endowed Lecture. Thursday, July 30, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL St. Woods Hole, MA.

Molecular Mycology: Current Approaches to Fungal Pathogenesis Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Jul 31, 2026 - Aug 18, 2026 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 many common bacterial and viral diseases. Event Type: Courses. Friday, July 31, 2026. MBL, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, July 31, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis: Uncovering the Biology of an Ancient Interkingdom Mutualism” - Maria J. Harrison, HHMI; Cornell

MBL Public Events Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8:00 PM. Maria J. Harrison, Investigator of the Howard Hughs Medical Institute and Professor, Cornell University Segal Lecture, Lecture Abstract: The symbiotic association of plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi originated over 450 million years ago  and is thought to have enabled plants to colonize land. Over 70% of extant vascular flowering plant species have retained the capacity to host AM fungi in their root cells and benefit from mineral nutrients delivered via their fungal partners. In this lecture, Harrison will discuss the biology of the symbiosis, including the cellular modifications that enable root cells to accommodate AM fungi, and the mechanisms of carbon and phosphorus exchange between symbionts. Maria J. Harrison is the William H. Crocker Distinguished Scientist at the Boyce Thompson Institute and an Adjunct Professor in… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZK256BCYSPKSrta_3UjyaA. Event Type: Friday Evening Lecture. Friday, July 31, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, August 3, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

"Wired and Wireless Connectomes in Worms and Octopuses"

MBL Public Events A talk from William Schafer on Wired and Wireless Connectomes in Worms and Octopuses. Event Type: Special Seminar. Monday, August 3, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Speck Auditorium 10 MBL St. Woods Hole, MA.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, August 5, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Brains, Minds and Machines Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Aug 07, 2026 - Aug 28, 2026 The goal of this course is to help produce a community of leaders that is equally knowledgeable in neuroscience, cognitive science, and computer science and will lead the scientific understanding of intelligence and the development of true biologically inspired AI. Event Type: Courses. Friday, August 7, 2026. MBL, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, August 7, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “The Microbiome: From Guts to Lungs” - George O’Toole, Dartmouth

MBL Public Events Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8:00 PM. George O’Toole, Elmer R. Pfefferkorn, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Lecture Abstract: The human gut microbiome (the microbes in your intestine) are sometimes considered the largest organ in the human body. In fact, we are made of equal numbers of human cells and bacterial cells.  There is a growing appreciation that the microbes in the gut can impact distant body sites, including the brain and the airway. By studying infants and children with cystic fibrosis (CF), we reveal that the best way to predict disease in the airway is the composition of the microbes in the gut. Jumping off from this observation, we show evidence for this gut-to-lung connection we call the “gut-lung axis.” I’ll discuss how we’ve moved from a clinical observation, to understanding some fundamental microbe-host… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hZYLR1T5QpGcNAG6Nqs8wg. Event Type: Friday Evening Lecture. Friday, August 7, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Organoid Biology: From Concept to Practice Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Aug 08, 2026 - Sep 04, 2026 This course will center on the design, culture, and use of 3D organoids as human-relevant preclinical model systems. This one-month intensive training program will immerse participants in both the fundamentals and the latest advances in organoid research. Participants will receive hands-on training in the core techniques needed to generate, maintain, and use organoids, paired with rigorous workflows for quality control, imaging, and molecular readouts. Event Type: Courses. Saturday, August 8, 2026. MBL, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, August 10, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Optical Microscopy & Imaging in the Biomedical Sciences Course Begins

MBL Course Events Course Dates: Aug 11, 2026 - Aug 21, 2026 This course is designed primarily for research scientists, postdoctoral trainees, core facility directors/staff and graduate students working in the biological sciences. Non-biologists seeking a comprehensive introduction to microscopy and digital imaging in the biomedical sciences will also benefit greatly from this course. The 9-day course is limited to 24 participants to ensure a truly interactive, hands-on experience. It consists of interrelated lectures, laboratory exercises, demonstrations, and discussions that will enable the participants to obtain and interpret high quality microscope data, to understand and assess potential artifacts, to perform quantitative optical measurements, and to generate digital images for documentation and analysis that accurately present the data. The course also places a strong emphasis on appropriate sample preparation, including choice of fluorescent probes and fluorescent proteins, and tissue clearing and refractive index match… Event Type: Courses. Tuesday, August 11, 2026. MBL, 7 MBL St, Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.mbl.edu.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, August 14, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Friday Evening Lecture Series: “Ancient Skeletons, Modern Cures: Bio-Inspired Tissue Engineering for Cartilage Repair” - Andrew Gillis, Associate Scientist, MBL

MBL Public Events Lectures are open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:30 PM, lectures start at 8:00 PM. Andrew Gillis, Associate Scientist, Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution at the Marine Biological Laboratory Lecture Abstract: Cartilage plays a central role in building our skeleton. Early in development, it forms a flexible template that is later transformed into bone, while in adulthood it persists in our joints as smooth, resilient articular cartilage that enables movement. Despite its importance, cartilage has a major limitation: it heals poorly. Over the course of a lifetime, most people experience some form of joint cartilage injury or degeneration, yet the body has only a limited ability to repair this damage. Intriguingly, this limitation is not universal across the animal kingdom. Cartilaginous fishes such as sharks and skates possess skeletons made entirely of cartilage - and unlike our own, their… Virtual Information: https://mbl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_b1AilbKeTeKDOiaKlatTqQ. Event Type: Friday Evening Lecture. Friday, August 14, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Cornelia Clapp Auditorium 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, August 17, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, August 19, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, August 21, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, August 24, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, August 28, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Monday, August 31, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Exercise Class

MBL Public Events Pilates inspired exercise class to music overlooking the ocean. Class is free with a donation to the MBL for the season. Event Type: Other. Friday, September 4, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. The MBL Club 100 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543.

Labor Day - MBL Closed

MBL Public Events Event Type: Other. Monday, September 7, 2026.

Kinetoplastid Molecular Cell Biology Conference

MBL Public Events Event Type: Conferences. Tuesday, September 8, 2026 – Saturday, September 12, 2026. Swope Center 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.parasitesrule.com.

Molecular Parisitology Meeting XXXVII

MBL Public Events MPM brings scientists from across the world together each year to share, learn, and create new friendships and collaborations. Last year, over 50 countries were represented. The meeting will include scientific talks, poster sessions, and social and networking events. Presentations at MPM feature research about a wide range of parasites. The majority of research focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms of parasite biology and control and spans a wide range of topics and approaches, including biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, host-parasite interactions, vector-parasite interactions, population biology, ‘omics analyses, and development of drugs, vaccines, and other new tools. Event Type: Conferences. Sunday, September 13, 2026 – Thursday, September 17, 2026. Swope Center 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit www.parasitesrule.com.

Woods Hole Immunoparasitology Conference

MBL Public Events Event Type: Conferences. Sunday, September 20, 2026 – Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Swope Center 5 North Street Woods Hole, MA 02543. For more info visit event.fourwaves.com.