Nayak describes research she has done on methanogenic archaea – microorganisms that produce the potent greenhouse gas methane. One species of methanogens, Methanosarcina acetivorans, has unique chemical modifications on the enzyme it uses to produce methane. Dr. Nayak describes how she used CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to determine that these modifications are used to protect M. acetivorans from environmental stress to ensure that the organism can support its metabolic needs in a changing environment.

Educational science videos are commonly used in undergraduate biology instruction, but what do we know about the student perspective on them? In this paper discussion and live Q&A, Dr. Laci Gerhart-Barley and Dr. Brittany Anderton present findings from their open-access paper “Engaging students through online video homework assignments: A case study in a large-enrollment ecology and evolution course.” Undergraduate biology educators will find a wealth of useful information on how to effectively implement science videos in homework assignments, develop assessment questions, and use the content in educational science videos to promote student engagement and learning of the process of science.

Synthetic cells can be used to teach us about the basic principles of life and evolution, and they hold promise for a range of applications including biomaterials and drug development. Dr. Kate Adamala narrates an introduction to this exciting field.

Meningioma is the most common intracranial tumor, with limited treatment options. In order to identify new therapies for meningioma, it is important to understand their underlying biology. In this Share Your Research talk, Dr. Abrar Choudhury describes his thesis research, which began by looking at DNA methylation patterns to better understand gene regulation in meningioma, leading him to identify the cell cycle proteins CDK4 and CDK6 as therapeutic targets.

Mentors shape our careers by guiding us through difficult decisions. But, how do you find a good mentor? In this series, Dr. Joanne Kamens advocates for the use of Peer Mentoring Groups as a method to provide and receive valuable mentoring opportunities. While working towards a common goal, group mentorship allows for an organic development of valuable experiences and accountability for your personal growth as you create a circle of mentors that will help throughout your career.

How do you go about forming a Peer Mentoring Group? In her second video, Kamens explains the logistics of forming a Peer Mentoring Group. First, you need to find 5-6 peers that share a similar problem. As you prepare to meet, you need to set the ground rules and provide structure to your meetings (e.g., provide agenda, assign a leader per meeting, decide on topics of interest, and provide curricula).

As Kamens explains, the commitment of the members is crucial for the success of the Peer Mentoring Group. In her third talk, Kamens overviews what are mentorship best practices while running a Peer Mentorship Group. From setting concrete content and activities to set up goals, these best practices will allow you to create an environment that will help you get feedback and find opportunities to grow.

Life on Earth evolved once - this means that all biological systems on our planet are rooted in the same fundamental framework. This framework is extremely complex and we have yet to fully understand the processes inside each living cell. One way of understanding complex systems is to break them down into simpler parts. This is the principle of engineering the synthetic cell: to use our current knowledge of biology for building a living cell with the least amount of parts and complexity. Synthetic cells can be used to teach us about the basic principles of life and evolution, and they hold promise for a range of applications including biomaterials and drug development. Dr. Kate Adamala narrates an introduction to this exciting field.

Gregor Mendel’s experiments with pea plants laid the foundation for our understanding of genetic inheritance. In this video, Shirley Tilghman tells the story of Mendel’s studies and how his data led to an understanding of how the information within genes is passed from generation to generation.

Rodolphe Barrangou studies beneficial microbes, focusing on the occurrence and diversity of lactic acid bacteria in fermented foods and as probiotics. Using functional genomics, he has focused on uncovering the genetic basis for health-promoting traits, including the ability to uptake and catabolize non-digestible carbohydrates. He spent 9 years at Danisco-DuPont, characterizing probiotics and starter cultures, and established the functional role of CRISPR-Cas as adaptive immune systems in bacteria. At NC State, he continues to study the molecular basis for their mechanism of action, as well as developing and applying CRISPR-based technologies for genotyping, building immunity and genome editing.