BMI Weekly News - April 20, 2026
BMI Weekly Newsletter
April 20, 2026
This Week’s Events
- BMI Winter 2026 Seminar: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 11:30am, 2268 Scott Hall, 540 E Canfield
Speaker: Andrea Marzi, Ph.D., Acting Chief, Laboratory of Virology Chief, Immunobiology & Molecular
Virology Section, Acting Chief Scientist, RML BSL4 laboratory, Division of Intramural Research NIAID,
NIH, Rocky Mountain Laboratories https://irp.nih.gov/pi/andrea-marzi
Title: “Filoviruses ~ Pathogenesis & Medical Countermeasure Development”
Hosted by: IMM PhD Student, Zachary Pomicter Zachary.Pomicter@wayne.edu and BMI Students
A student/speaker lunch will follow in room 7370.
- Thesis Defense Presentation, Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology:
Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1:00pm, 7364 Scott Hall, 540 E. Canfield
Presented by: Essence Turner
Title: “Association of Specific Species of Gardnerella with Outcomes of Treatment for Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis”
Advisor: Dr. Robert Akins
- Thesis Defense Presentation, Master of Science in Immunology and Microbiology:
Thursday, April 23, 2026, 1:00pm, 3125 Scott Hall, 540 E. Canfield
Presented by: IMM M.S. Student, Savannah Schick
Title: “Regulation of Placental Inflammasome by A20 During Pregnancy”
Advisor: Dr. Jiahui Ding
Upcoming Events
- Last BMI Winter 2026 Seminar: Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 11:30am, 2268 Scott Hall, 540 E Canfield
Speaker: Ricardo Carrion Jr., Ph.D., Director, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Professor,
School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Title: “Advanced Preclinical Development of Vaccines and Therapies to Viral Hemorrhagic Diseases”
Hosted by” IMM Ph.D. Student, Zachary Pomicter Zachary.Pomicter@wayne.edu and the BMI Students
- 13th Annual Lipids@Wayne (L@W) Symposium: Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 2:00 PM – 6:30 PM
and Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM, Wayne State University Student Center
Ballroom, 5221 Gullen Mall, Detroit, MI 48202
Keynote Speakers:
Meng Wang, Ph.D., Professor & Janelia Senior Group Leader, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, VA
“Lipid Metabolism, Longevity: From Parallel Processes to Interactions”
And
Yusuf A. Hannun, M.D., Professor of Medicine & Cancer Research, Stony Brook University, NY
“Neutral Sphingomyelinase and Ceramide Signaling at the Plasma Membrane; Back to the Future”
Free Admission: Registration required before April 20th.
Visit their website 2026 Lipids@Wayne Research Symposium - Lipids@Wayne - Wayne State University
for the full program details and registration. See attached flyer.
Campus News
- Campus Health Center: Be well, Warriors: Tips for managing stress heading into finals
- Office of President: 2025-26 Campus health and safety resources