Doctoral Dissertation Oral Defense of Jinhong DongTitle: “An Activator by Any Other Name: Mechanisms of Gene Activation and Repression by Essential Transcription Factor ZNF143"Major Advisor: Dr. Michael GuertinLocation: Cell & Genome Sciences BuildingEdmund and Arlene Grossman Auditorium, R1210400 Farmington AvenueVia Zoom: https://uconn-edu.zoom.us/j/98321765411?pwd=VgRkJLGvdpid1rOaK6PkPsrjMrX07C.1 (https://uconn-edu.zoom.us/j/98321765411?pwd=VgRkJLGvdpid1rOaK6PkPsrjMrX07C.1)Meeting ID: 983 2176 5411Passcode: 003581

More info about SHaW's Group Sessions. (https://studenthealth.uconn.edu/mental-health/group-therapy/)Interpersonal Group for Graduate Students Graduate Students Interpersonal Groups focuses on promoting emotional wellbeing as you balance academics, relationships, family, and personal responsibilities. Groups offer a supportive confidential space to share your concerns, practice skills and get feedback. To join this group therapy session, please call SHaW at 860-486-4700 (tel:+18604864705) This session is held by Carlos- Gonzalez- Martinez, LCSW (https://studenthealth.uconn.edu/person/carlos-gonzalez-martinez/) For many concerns that students face – like overwhelming stress, anxiety, difficult relationships, depression, academic difficulties, and more – group therapy is the best option for support and healing. Facilitated by Student Health and Wellness (SHaW) counselors, our therapy groups encourage peer support, promote emotional wellbeing, and increase a felt sense of connection. Participants often find that they feel less alone in their struggles, and walk away with newfound support and ideas for coping.

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

More info about SHaW's Group Sessions. (https://studenthealth.uconn.edu/mental-health/group-therapy/)Interpersonal Group for Undergraduate Students Undergraduate Students Interpersonal Groups focuses on promoting emotional wellbeing as you balance academics, relationships, family, and personal responsibilities. Groups offer a supportive confidential space to share your concerns, practice skills and get feedback. To join this group therapy session, please call SHaW at 860-486-4700 (tel:860-486-4705). This session is held by Maritza Lugo-Stalker, (https://studenthealth.uconn.edu/person/maritza-lugo-stalker/) For many concerns that students face – like overwhelming stress, anxiety, difficult relationships, depression, academic difficulties, and more – group therapy is the best option for support and healing. Facilitated by Student Health and Wellness (SHaW) counselors, our therapy groups encourage peer support, promote emotional wellbeing, and increase a felt sense of connection. Participants often find that they feel less alone in their struggles, and walk away with newfound support and ideas for coping.

Dr. Jessica Henty-RidillaAssociate Professor/Biochemistry and Molecular Biology SUNY Upstate Medical University Camillus Host: Ken CampelloneTDP-43 directly regulates actin and microtubule dynamics Actin and microtubule dynamics regulate essential cell processes and are misregulated in disease. Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are characterized by a progressive loss of neurons. While many of the individual factors that regulate and maintain these cells are known, the collaboration or failure of these molecules in disease remains unclear.TDP-43 is a hallmark of almost all forms of neurodegeneration and can exist in various forms, including soluble molecules, biomolecular condensates, and pathological fibrils. In disease, these condensates and fibrils accumulate in the cytoplasm and disrupt essential cell processes regulated by the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons, leading to pathological symptoms. Here we explore the new and direct contribution of TDP-43 in directly regulating actin and microtubule assembly, and their coordination. We use multi-wavelength TIRF microscopy to examine the direct effects of purified TDP-43 (normal and ALS-mutants), actin, and microtubules on assembly. In cells, we use pharmacological agents and FRAP-based analyses to explore the contribution of TDP-43 to cytoplasmic actin and microtubule dynamics and whether the cytoskeleton influences TDP-43 condensates in the cytoplasm. This approach allows us to quantify pre- and post-disease state changes from the same cell, mimicking the onset of some neurodegenerative disorders, particularly ALS. Identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying these intricate biological systems will contribute significantly to the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative conditions.About Dr. Henty-Ridilla Dr. Henty-Ridilla is currently an Associate Professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University (Syracuse, NY). She holds appointments in the departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Neuroscience and Physiology. Her laboratory uses advanced single-molecule microscopy (TIRF, STORM, SoRa) to perform "biochemistry on a coverslip" to study how actin and microtubule proteins are regulated in normal and neurodegenerative disease states. Her research program focuses on the role of TDP-43, profilin (and its disease variants), actin, and microtubules in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Research in the lab is funded with grants from NIH, the ALS Association, and a Sinsheimer Scholar AwardHenty- Ridilla Lab (https://www.cytoskeletown.com)

Stamford is full of abandoned cemeteries that this coalition of elected officials, community advocates, and UConn faculty and students is working to revive as pollinator pathways (gardens of native plants for birds, bees, and butterflies.) Our Earth Day event will ready the ground of our pilot site, Simsbury Cemetery, for planting the seeds we are germinating now. We will also share the stories that a fellow Honors student has found about people buried there. Our vision is to turn forgotten parts of the city that we share with winged and multi-legged creature into ecological refuges that remember the past!Location:Simsbury Cemetery at the intersection of Cross Road and High Ridge Road (15 minute trip on the 331 Bus from Atlantic St. @ Veterans Park)  Dress in clothes that can get dirty! We will be picking up leaves, branches, and trash! If you have gardening gloves, please bring them! We will provide snacks!  This is an Honors Event. See tags below for category information. #UHLevent11126

This Earth Day (April 22nd) please help clean-up Simsbury Cemetery! We are a team of UConn staff + students, local elected officials, and community members who are working turn to neglected cemeteries like this one into oases of native plants that pollinators like birds, bees, and butterflies will love. We will be picking up trash and old winter leaves to prepare for planting later this spring, while learning the stories of people who are buried there. Meet us at the corner of High Ridge and Cross Roads (15-minute ride on the 331 Bus from Atlantic St. @ Veterans Park) at 4pm, ready to get dirty!

Online scheduling will open on April 15th. We'll have 40 slots available. Please schedule your appointment at myhealth.uconn.edu (https://myhealth.uconn.edu/). Last appointment is at 5:30pm. Please do not urinate 1-2 hours before the test.

Please join us for UConn Stamford's fourth annual Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 from 4:00-6:00pm in the Welcome Center/Atrium of the Downtown Stamford Building.  This event is open to the entire UConn community.  4:00PM-4:10PM - Welcome with Remarks from Dr. Micah Heumann, Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research 4:10PM-4:15PM - Brenda Flores, LGBTQ+ Politics and Literature Censorship; Research Advisor: Beth Ginsberg 4:15PM-4:20PM - Drew Cousens, Contemporary Genealogical Research: Strategies and Challenges; Research Advisor: Frederick Roden 4:20PM-4:25PM - Madina Mamedli, From Chalkboards to Checkbooks: The Real Price of Educational Inequality; Research Advisor: Natalia Smirnova 4:25PM-4:30PM- Cole Sembrot, Was COVID Inflation Worse Because of Combined Fiscal & Monetary Expansion?; Research Advisor: Natalia Smirnova 4:30PM-4:35PM - Sophia Porzio, The Cinematic Mind: An Exploration of Psychological Disorders in Film; Research Advisor: Lori Gresham 4:35PM-4:45PM - Bug Almonte, Stephanie Mora-Gutierrez, and Sofia Figueroa, Peer Leaders - The CAPS/CASE Leadership Model; Research Advisors: Laura Tropp 4:45PM-4:50PM - Katelyn Santiago, Central American Policy in The United States During Times of Divided Government; Research Advisor: Beth Ginsberg 4:50PM-5:05PM- Break for Refreshments 5:05PM-5:10PM - Daniela Alvarez, Platicando Juntos; Research Advisor: Sarah Rendon Garcia 5:10PM-5:15PM- Guadalupe Asucena Reyes, Political Perspectives: Understanding the Views of the Abrahamic Faiths; Research Advisor: Beth Ginsberg 5:15PM-5:20PM - Keely Rodriguez, Beyond Arrival: Exploring the Resources That Facilitate Academic Success for Central and South American College Students; Research Advisors: Vida Samuel and Annamaria Csizmadia 5:20PM-5:25PM - Lejdina Gecaj, The Relationship Between Psychological Distress, Social Media Use, and Alcohol Use in the Context of the Ukraine War and the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic among Adults in Spain; Research Advisor: Aviana Rosen 5:25PM-5:30PM - Maria Choudhry, Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Caregiving Responsibilities in Working Parents in Spain Two Years Into the COVID-19 Pandemic; Research Advisor: Aviana Rosen 5:30PM-5:35PM - Dahiana Fernandez-Ramirez, The Impact of Criminal Justice Policies on Latino Communities; Research Advisor: Beth Ginsberg 5:35PM-5:40PM - Jennifer Pires, Access to Higher Education: The Effects of Student Debt and Neoliberalism; Research Advisor: Ingrid Semaan 5:40PM-5:50PM - America Paredes Romero, Angelly Solis, and Manny Darty, Finance Foundation; Research Advisor: David Baker 5:50PM-6:00PM - Conclusion with Remarks from Dr. Jennifer Orlikoff, Campus Dean & Chief Administrative Officer, UConn Stamford Frontiers 2025 also includes a virtual component which may be viewed beginning Wednesday, April 16, 2025 on the Frontiers website - Frontiers 2025 | Office of Undergraduate Research (https://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/frontiers2025/). If you require an accommodation to participate or attend this event, please contact Kaitlin Heenehan (stamfordenrichment@uconn.edu (mailto:stamfordenrichment@uconn.edu)) by April 8, 2025.  This is an Honors Event. Category: Academic & Interdisciplinary Engagement. Honors students may only count presenting at and/or attending Frontiers in Undergraduate Research as one Honors Event, even if multiple sessions are attended. #UHLevent11088 (for presenting your research/creative activity) #UHLevent11089 (for attending as an audience member in Stamford) #UHLevent11090 (for attending as an audience member in Storrs) #UHLevent11085 (for attending as an audience member in Waterbury)

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

About this Event A central defining feature of deeply divided societies is binary division – "us" and "them." These binary fault lines can arise from class, caste, religion, language, race, ethnicity, clan, or political identity. These divisions breed walled communities of fear and isolation, not only dividing populations but also uniting them in their fear of the "other." Grounded in a global comparative analysis of the literal and figurative notion of "walls" in deeply divided societies, this presentation will analyze physical walls of social separation, symbolic walls of identity separation, and hidden or invisible walls of geographical separation. The presentation will conclude by emphasizing the need for more integration in deeply divided societies and suggesting specific strategies to address the physical, symbolic, and hidden or invisible walls that separate and wound the lives of people in such societies.Following the event, join us for a catered reception in the Dodd Lounge.   About the SpeakerJames Waller, Ph.D. (https://humanrights.uconn.edu/person/james-waller/), is the inaugural Christopher J. Dodd Chair in Human Rights Practice and director of the Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs for the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute at the University of Connecticut. In addition to his faculty appointment in the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute, he holds a joint appointment in the Department of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages. Waller also is a Visiting Scholar at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, Queen's University Belfast and has held recurrent consultancy responsibilities with the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. Waller is the author of six books, most notably his award-winning Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed., 2007), Confronting Evil: Engaging Our Responsibility to Prevent Genocide (Oxford University Press, 2016), and A Troubled Sleep: Risk and Resilience in Contemporary Northern Ireland (Oxford University Press, 2021). In addition, he has published more than thirty articles in peer-reviewed professional journals, contributed over twenty chapters in edited books, and is a co-editor of Historical Dialogue and the Prevention of Mass Atrocities (Routledge, 2020). Waller also is active in teacher training in Holocaust and genocide studies, has consulted on exhibition development for several museums around the world, and has developed and led seminars to introduce government officials and security sector personnel from around the world to issues of genocide warning and prevention. His fieldwork has included research in Germany, Israel, Northern Ireland, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Guatemala.This is an Honors Event. See tags below for categories. #UHLevent11157

Take a break from your schoolwork and come spend a little time with one of the therapy dogs from Tails of Joy. Pet Therapy is known to reduce stress, anxiety and to build empathy.Please note that Pet Therapy is provided on a volunteer basis. We cannot guarantee that dogs will be present the entire time.

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

Cut, paste, and reflect on the bigger picture—your studies, the world, your relationships, your culture, or just an animal you think is cute (it doesn't always have to be deep). Materials and prompts are available if you need a spark of inspiration. No pressure, just expression. Your voice belongs here. Zines are short DIY publications about niche and highly specialized topics. Historically created by and for authors, artists, activists, and marginalized communities to circumvent the gatekeepers of traditional publishers, zines are made to print and share quickly for local readers of all kinds. There are also lots of social media creators who make and share digital zines! Explore this powerful medium for learning, self-expression, advocacy, and researching cultural history.