Sonoma State University
Abbey D giving Colloquium presentation

Fall 2026 Biology Department Colloquium Series

Most Mondays
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm
Darwin Hall 103

Aug
24
Lisa Hua - b&w
Introduction to Fall 2026 Colloquium
Dr. Lisa Hua

Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Sonoma State University

Aug
31
Omar Akhtar
*Higher Frequency of Homologous Chromosome Pairing in Human Adult Aortic Endothelial Cells
Omar Akhtar

MS Graduate Student, Department of Biology, Sonoma State University

Sep
14
Dr. John Marko
Mechanics, Geometry and Topology of Chromosomes
Dr. John Marko

Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University

* This presentation is co-sponsored by MESA: https://stb.sonoma.edu/mesa
Date Speaker Speaker Affiliation Lecture Title
Dr. Lisa Hua Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Sonoma State University Introduction to Fall 2026 Colloquium
Omar Akhtar MS Graduate Student, Department of Biology, Sonoma State University *Higher Frequency of Homologous Chromosome Pairing in Human Adult Aortic Endothelial Cells
Dr. John Marko Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University Mechanics, Geometry and Topology of Chromosomes
Dr. Evan Lintz Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Sonoma State University Dr. Evan Lintz
Dr. Gina Chaput Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Sonoma State University From Root to Bulk: Microbial Carbon Fate Across an Eelgrass Rhizosphere-to-Sediment Gradient
Dr. Tom Kornberg Member, National Academy of Sciences, and Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, UCSF Signaling at a Distance: Cell-Cell Communication in Development and Cancer
Dr. Alison Haupt Associate Professor, Department of Marine Science, CSU Monterey Bay A Relatively Steady State - Recent Changes in Rocky Intertidal Communities
Dr. Gabriel McKinsey Newborn Brain Research Institute, UCSF From Development to Disease: Mechanisms of Microglial Cell State Changes
Lourenco Martins Ph.D. Candidate, Williams Lab - Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley *Born to Fly? How Genes and Environment Shape Wing-Morph Plasticity in Gryllus Crickets
Dr. Allison Luengen Professor, Environmental Sciences Department, University of San Francisco Assessing Mercury Exposure in Urban Coyotes
Dr. Blake Riggs Professor & Associate Chair, Department of Biology, San Francisco State University Organelle Inheritance During Cell Division: New Frontiers in Mitosis
Dr. Matthew Clark Professor & Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Analysis (CIGA), Dept of Geography, Enviroment & Planning, Sonoma State University Spectrum of Life: How Ecoacoustics Supports NASA's Biodiversity Airborne Campaign in South Africa
Dr. Laurel Koch Postdoctoral Fellow, Hansen Lab, Buck Institute *Investigating the Role of Stress Granules in Aging and Proteostasis
Dr. Alexander Payumo Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, San Jose State University Dr. Alexander Payumo
Dr. Annalise Schweickart Postdoctoral Fellow, Price Lab, Buck Institute *Computational Biology and Medicine: Harnessing Big Biological Data for Human Health and Disease

Past Colloquium Speakers

Date Speaker Speaker Affiliation Lecture Title
Dr. Andrew DeVogelaere Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: The Research program in General and Specifics Related to Deep-Sea Science
Dr. Barbara Panning University of California, San Francisco Counting X Chromosomes
Dr. Arina Favilla University of California, Santa Cruz Movement Ecophysiology of Northern Elephant Seals: From Fine-Scale Thermoregulation to Population-Level Foraging Behavior
Cesar Chavez Day Cesar Chavez Day
Dr. Takashi Mikawa Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco The Fidelity or Mechanism of Chromosome Encapsulation into a Single Nucleus
Enjoy! Spring Break!
Dr. Lisa Hua Department of Biology, Sonoma State University Student-driven research in the Hua Lab: Understanding Chromosome Organization and its Implications in Human Disease
Jeff Alvarez and Jeff Wilcox The Wildlife Project and Sonoma Mountain Preservation Foundation Conservation & Ecology of the Red-legged Frog
Dr. Hiroshi Ebata The Buck Institute Understanding Aging: The Importance of Taking out the Trash
Dr. Kenny Wilson The Buck Institute The Influence of Diet on Age-Related Neurodegeneration, from Flies to Humans
Arthur Dawson Baseline Consulting Vegetation Change in Fire-Prone Landscapes of Sonoma, Napa and Lake Counties. Baseline Consulting & Pepperwood Preserve
Dr. Monica Sheffer University of California, Berkeley Montane Grasshopper Fitness Constraints in Changing Environments
Dr. Joshua G. Smith Monterey Bay Aquarium Coastal Ecosystem Transition Dynamics: Insights from Ecological Change
Dr. Joseph Lin, Professor & Colloquium Coordinator Department of Biology, Sonoma State University Introduction to Spring 2024 Biology Colloquium

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