Biotech Retreat

Biotech Retreat

Annual UC Davis Biotechnology Program Retreat

The first Biotechnology Training Retreat was held February 1, 1992, at the Mondavi Winery in the Napa Valley.  Since that time, we have maintained the tradition of a spring retreat to hear research presentations by doctoral students, network with industry partners and discuss the latest challenges in translational research.  If interested in the history of our program and the evolution of key research questions from the mid-1990's until the present time, take a look at the program retreat books linked below. This archive contains research abstracts and lists of affiliated faculty, students and industry partners.

Currently, the retreat showcases the research of affiliated DEB students through ten minute STEMTalks and a poster competition that emphasizes interdisciplinary science communication.  We also invite program alumni and industry partners to share research updates and career journey vignettes.  As a community of practice, the retreat offers an opportunity to come together and celebrate new innovations and research progress that can make a positive impact on global health, agriculture and natural resource management. Recent Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology (DEB) student winners of the STEMTalks and Biotech Poster Competition are highlighted below.  

2023 Research Presentation Winners

STEMTalks

  • 1st Place STEMTalk – Natalie Sahabandu (Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, McKenney Lab), "Characterization of the Actin-Microtubule Crosstalk via Nuclear Envelope Protein Nesprin-2" 
  • 2nd Place STEMTalk – Victoria Thai (Biomedical Engineering, Leach Lab), "Matrix Remodeling Modulates Therapeutic Potential of Heterotypic Cell Spheroids for Wound Healing"
  • 3rd Place STEMTalk - Renee Napoliello (Integrative Genetics and Genomics, Fink Lab), "Evaluating Therapies to Treat Haploinsufficiency in ADNP and Pitt Hopkins Syndrome" 

Biotech Posters

  • 1st Place Poster - Jayce Taylor (Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Atsumi Lab), “Sweet Dreams are Made of This: Biosynthetic Production of Rare Sugars in E. coli”
  • 2nd Place Poster - Maria Ayala (Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Letts Lab), “Understanding Mitochondrial Diseases through Structural and Functional Studies of Respiratory Complex I Mutants”
2023 DEB Speakers
Congratulations to all 2023 DEB STEM Talk Presenters! Wonderful talks that conveyed the importance and excitement of their doctoral research projects. From L->R: Reagan Reed, Renee Napoliello, Tanner Treece, Nicole Rodrigues, Victoria Thai, Jeremy Lowen, Hyehun Kim, Felipe Rodriguez, and Natalie Sahabandu.
 

2022 Research Presentation Winners

STEMTalks

  • 1st Place STEMTalk – Laney Casella (Biomedical Engineering, Leach and Panitch Labs), "Development of an Electrically and Mechanically Tunable Hydrogel Platform for Tissue Engineering"
  • 2nd Place STEMTalk – Erin Markle (Microbiology, Rothenburg Lab), "Generation and Functional Analysis of Second-Generation Recombinant Enhanced Antiviral Restrictors (REAVRs)"
  • Audience Favorite STEMTalk - Nitin Beesabathuni (Chemical Engineering, Shah Lab), "An Image is Worth a Thousand Features: Image-Based Single-Cell Profiling of Autophagy-Related Phenotypes"

Biotech Posters

  • 1st Place Poster - Yofiel Wyle (Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Wang Lab), “Developing Ex vivo Chip-based Neural Tube Organoids for Functional Screening of Stem Cells for in Utero Treatment of Myelomeningocele”
  • 2nd Place Poster - Katie Haddad (Biomedical Engineering, McDonald/Nandi Lab), “Rapid Bioproduction of Protein Biologics in Plants for Low Resource Settings”
2022 STEMTalk and Biotech Poster Winners
Congratulations to the 2022 Biotech Retreat STEMTalk and Biotech Poster Winners! Thanks to Dr. Judy Kjelstrom for sponsoring awards! (L->R: Dr. Jamison-McClung, Laney Casella, Erin Markle, Katie Haddad, Yofi Wyle, Nitin Beesabathuni and Dr. Kjelstrom)

2021 Research Presentation Winners

STEMTalks

  • 1st Place STEMTalk – Marcus Deloney (Biomedical Engineering, Panitch Lab), "Degradable, Thermoresponsive Nanoparticles for Intra-Articular Delivery of Anti-Inflammatory Peptides to Osteoarthritic Cartilage"
  • 2nd Place STEMTalk – Dera Alim (Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology, Bers & Bossuyt Lab), "CaMKII Nitrosylation Mediates Mechano-Chemo-Transduction"
  • Audience Favorite STEMTalk - Marcus Deloney (Biomedical Engineering, Panitch Lab), "Degradable, Thermoresponsive Nanoparticles for Intra-Articular Delivery of Anti-Inflammatory Peptides to Osteoarthritic Cartilage"

 

2020 Research Presentation Winners

STEMTalks

  • 1st Place STEMTalk - Nitin Beesabathuni (Chemical Engineering, Shah Lab), "An Engineering Approach to Measure Autophagy"
  • 2nd Place STEMTalk - Yixing Lu (Food Science, Nitin Lab), "Customizable Future Supplements: Matrix Effect on Bioaccessibility of Encapsulated Micronutrients"
  • Audience Favorite STEMTalk - Angela Zhang (Chemistry, Atsumi Lab), "Microbial Production of Human Breast Milk Sugars"

Biotech Posters

  • 1st Place Poster - Morgan Matson (Chemistry, Atsumi Lab), "Electrical-Biological Hybrid System for Co2 Reduction in Escherichia coli"
  • 2nd Place Poster - Mary Xiong (Chemical Engineering, McDonald/Nandi Lab), "Development and Characterizations of a Plant-Recombinant Therapeutic for Bone Loss During Space Missions"

 

2019 Research Presentation Winners

STEMTalks

  • 1st Place STEMTalk - Morgan Matson (Chemistry, Atsumi Lab), "Developing Production of a Plant Alkaloid in a Microbial Host"
  • 2nd Place STEMTalk (tie) - Anita Rajamani (Biomedical Engineering, Passerini Lab), "Dietary Lipoprotein Composition Modulates Endothelial Expression of VCAM-1, an Early Marker of Atherosclerosis"
  • 2nd Place STEMTalk (tie) - Jackie Whitehead (Biomedical Engineering, Leach Lab), "Nanoparticle-Mediated Morphogen Delivery to Instruct Mesenchymal Stem Cell Spheroids"
  • Audience Favorite STEMTalk - Matt McNulty (Chemical Engineering, McDonald/Nandi Lab), "Re-Thinking Pharmacological Life Support for Human Habitation on Mars"

Biotech Posters

  • 1st Place Poster - Amanda Dang (Materials Science Engineering, Kuhl Lab), "Delivery of Biomolecules into Model Membranes using Nanolipoprotein Particles"
  • 2nd Place Poster - Angela Zhang (Chemistry, Atsumi Lab), "Production of a Plant Alkaloid in a Microbial Host"

 

Biotech Program Retreat Book Archive