On April 3, several Wesleyan faculty, staff and students joined world-renowned stem cell researchers at the StemCONN 2013 symposium in New Haven. From right to left, Janice Naegele, professor of biology, professor of neuroscience and behavior, Katharine Henderson, research assistant, and Chelsea Lassiter, Ph.D candidate in biology.
Naegele, one of the organizers of this year’s StemCONN, introduced the speakers in the morning session.Laura Grabel, Lauren B. Dachs Professor of Science and Society, professor of biology, spoke about research in her laboratory aimed at generating forebrain GABAergic neurons from embryonic stem cells for transplantation.Grabel with Edison Liu, M.D., president of the Human Genome Organization, and president and CEO of the Jackson Laboratory, a respected genetics research lab in Bar Harbor, Maine. Jackson Labs is building a research facility in Farmington, Conn. that will focus on genomics and medicine.Henderson presents research conducted in the Naegele lab, which shows that GABAergic progenitor grafts suppress seizures in mice with temporal lobe epilepsy.Lassiter discusses her research on embryonic stem cell derived neurons with Ethan Grund ’13 and Nicholas Woods ’13.Wesleyan hosted recruiting booths at the conference for its undergraduate and Graduate Liberal Studies programs. Pictured are, at left, Sarah-Jane Ripa, student services and outreach coordinator for Graduate Liberal Studies and Wesleyan Summer Session, and, at right, Kora Shin, assistant dean of admission.
Lauren Rubenstein
Mike Mavredakis
Ziba Kashef
Andrew Chatfield