Molecular Biophysics Hosts 13th Annual Retreat Sept. 27

Wesleyan will host the 13th annual Molecular Biophysics and Biological Chemistry Retreat Sept. 27. The public is invited.

Bertrand García-Moreno, professor and chair of the Department of Biophysics at John Hopkins University will deliver the keynote lecture at 4:15 p.m. He will speak on “Molecular Determinants of Electrostatic Effects in Proteins.” García-Moreno investigates the relationships between protein structure, function, energetics, and dynamics with an emphasis on electrostatic properties that govern the actions of proteins in all biological processes. His research on ionizable groups buried in the hydrophobic interior of proteins provides fundamental insights into their special chemical properties and critical roles in protein function. He is currently the editor-in-chief of Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics and serves on the editorial board of Biophysical Journal.

Additional seminars include Professor of Biology Michael Weir, the director of the Hughes Program in the Life Sciences, at 10:15 a.m.; Kylie Walters, associate professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics at the University of Minnesota, at 11 a.m.; Amy MacQueen, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, at 1:30 p.m.; and David Beveridge, the Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics, at 3:15 p.m.

A student poster session will begin at 1:30 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the Molecular Biophysics Program and the Departments of Chemistry and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. The retreat begins at 10 a.m. and takes place at the Wadsworth Mansion, 421 Wadsworth Street in Middletown.

For more information on the retreat, see the complete schedule.