About Us
We create an intellectually stimulating environment for critical discussion about various scientific journals. Our goal is to help undergraduate students develop the necessary scientific literacy and technical proficiency to better understand their field of study.
FORMAT:
A casual discussion format, rather than lecture/presentation-based, in an effort to encourage engaging discussion and respectful critique of peer-reviewed research, and to allow opportunities for asking questions. Each meeting focuses on one selected paper. Students initiate and lead the discussion. Faculties, postdocs, or graduate students will be there to add information, ask guiding questions, and explain concepts as needed.
If you are particularly interested in one or want to nominate another paper to discuss, fill out the form below: Paper Nomination
Sign up to join email list: Email List
Reminders will be sent out a week before with the selected paper, so everyone can read it and bring it with questions and comments to the discussion.
Schedule
Future Events
SPRING 2025
Date: April 8, 2025 (week 2)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Libriarian Talk
Date: May 1, 2025 (week 5)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Paper: Social signal learning of the waggle dance in honey bees
Faculty facilitator: James Nieh
Student discussion leader: Jessica Du, Lan Gao, Julie Qian
Date: May 6, 2025 (week 6)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Paper: Upstream regulator of genomic imprinting in rice endosperm is a small RNA-associated chromatin remodeler
Faculty facilitator: Laura Martins, Fuxi Wang
Student discussion leader: Jessica Du, Lan Gao, Julie Qian
Date: May 13, 2025 (week 7)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Paper: Transcription factors instruct DNA methylation patterns in plant reproductive tissues
Faculty facilitator: En Li, Guanghui Xu
Student discussion leader: Jessica Du, Lan Gao, Julie Qian
Past Events
WINTER 2025
Date: January 9, 2025 (week 1)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Introduction meeting
Date: January 21, 2025 (week 3)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Paper: Adipose tissue macrophages secrete small extracellular vesicles that mediate rosiglitazone-induced insulin sensitization
Faculty facilitator: Karina Cunha e Rocha
Student discussion leader: Jessica Du, Lan Gao, Julie Qian
Date: February 4, 2025 (week 5)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Paper: The lncRNA BDNF-AS is an epigenetic regulator in the human amygdala in early onset alcohol use disorders
Faculty facilitator: Sonja Plasil
Student discussion leader: Jessica Du, Julie Qian
Date: February 18, 2025 (week 7)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Paper: Chronic stress increases metastasis via neutrophil-mediated changes to the microenvironment
Faculty facilitator: Cali Horta
Student discussion leader: Jessica Du, Lan Gao, Julie Qian
SPRING 2024
Date: April 9, 2024 (week 1)
Introduction meeting
Date: April 16, 2024 (week 2)
Paper: Lifelong persistence of nuclear RNAs in the mouse brain
Presenter: Yangyi Liu, Jessica Du, Julie Qian
Date: April 23, 2024 (week 3)
Paper: High-frequency generation of viable mice from engineered bi-maternal embryos
Presenter: Lan Gao
Date: April 30, 2024 (week 4)
Paper: Native language differences in the structural connectome of the human brain
Presenter: Nick Cabrera
Date: May 14, 2024 (week 6)
Paper: Maternal High-Fat Diet Programs Offspring Liver Steatosis in a Sexually Dimorphic Manner in Association with Changes in Gut Microbial Ecology in Mice
Presenter: Yangyi Liu, Julie Qian
Date: May 21, 2024 (week 7)
Paper: Potential Involvement of Varicella Zoster Virus in Alzheimer’s Disease via Reactivation of Quiescent Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1
Presenter: Stephanie Encarnacion
Date: May 28, 2024 (week 8)
Paper: A meta-analysis on global change drivers and the risk of infectious disease
Presenter: Yangyi Liu