Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY

While hundreds of CUNY students (from undergraduates to Ph.D. candidates) conduct grant-funded research at the CUNY ASRC every year, grants don’t cover 100 percent of their needs. Consider becoming a sponsor for their conference trip by donating today. https://bit.ly/400sHCg

While hundreds of CUNY students (from undergraduates to Ph.D. candidates) conduct grant-funded research at the CUNY ASRC every year, grants don’t cover 100 percent of their needs. Consider becoming a sponsor for their conference trip by donating today. https://bit.ly/400sHCg

🚨 Attention CUNY STEM Tenure-Track Assistant Professors and Department Heads! 🚨 Applications are now open for the Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY 2025-26 NSF CAREER Proposal Bootcamp! 📝 📅 Deadline: Thursday, January 16, 2025, at 5 PM (ET) 📌 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eZ-jiFJT This bootcamp helps eligible faculty develop competitive proposals for NSF’s prestigious CAREER award. Don't miss this opportunity! 📩 Questions? Contact: lvigdor@gc.cuny.edu #CUNYFaculty #NSFCAREER #STEMResearch #CUNY ASRC

Happy Holidays from the CUNY ASRC and our frosty friend! 📸: Mark Hauber, executive director of the CUNY ASRC

Professor Pinar Ayata, CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative, and colleagues identify a key cellular mechanism driving alzheimer’s disease. This breakthrough marks a promising target for drug therapies that slow, possibly reverse, the disease’s development. https://bit.ly/4iNfynn

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to present my research at The City College Academy of Professional Preparation (CCAPP) Annual Poster Presentation. My poster, "Exploring the Role of Highly Networked Residues in PTP1B Activity Using Site-Directed Mutagenesis", talked about the family of protein tyrosine phosphatases and how a specific protein in this family, PTP1B is of interest due to its negative regulation of insulin and leptin signaling which affects glucose metabolism and energy balance. Studies have also shown that overexpression of PTP1B is linked to metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. More recently, it has been shown that PTP1B is correlated with certain cancers, where it promotes tumor growth and metastasis. I am to figure out what would happen if I mutate highly connected and networked residues within PTP1B using the technique of site-directed mutagenesis. The methods to answer this question included: • Created primers and ran a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to mutate the selected residues of interest that have varying levels of conservation among the PTP family. • Transformed the PCR products with bacteria cells. • Miniprepped the bacterial plasmid, to obtain a purified plasmid. • Sent samples of the purified plasmid to get sanger sequenced to verify if the mutation took place. • Since, the mutation took place at the desired amino acid, I continued with protein expression. • Verified if the protein expression was successfully done by running an SDS-PAGE gel. Currently, the project is still being conducted and the answer to my question is still being figured out. The next steps would be to conduct protein purification and when the purified protein is obtained, I would perform enzyme kinetic assays and create Michaelis-Menten plots to assess how each mutant affects the functionality of PTP1B. This project is currently being conducted at The Keedy Lab located at the Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY, under the guidance of Dr. Daniel Keedy and mentors Alexis Lemberikman and Shivani Sharma. This has been an incredible journey and I have truly been enjoying my time at Keedy lab. I am excited to continue working on this project and figure out the key findings of this experiment. #research #undergraduateresearch #ASRC #CCNY #CCAPP #PosterPresentation #Proteins

Join the CUNY ASRC's Environmental Sciences Initiative on Dec. 18 for a seminar with Columba Martinez-Espinosa. She'll discuss the Wetland Soil Denitrification Model (WSDM), which uses satellite images to simulate the seasonal dynamics of wetlands and reflects the impact of climatic phenomena.

Many of our followers have already found us on Bluesky but to those of you who’ve been in the dark, consider this post your flashlight. Follow us! https://lnkd.in/gFnVugCF

Nicolas Maxfield's doctoral work focuses on modeling various factors that affect the movement of nitrogen across land and water. Supported by major grants, learn all about the exciting work he does in Professor Charles Vörösmarty's lab (CUNY ASRC Environmental Sciences Initiative director). https://bit.ly/4fbBGoy

Effective science communication can help you stand out as a researcher, secure funding, collaborate across disciplines, and broaden the impact of your work. Join us on Friday, Dec. 6 for a panel discussion with communications experts and learn how mastering science communication can enhance your academic trajectory. https://bit.ly/3OmSpKu