Fall 2024 Microbiology Seminar Series

DATE	SPEAKER	INSTITUTE	SEMINAR TITLE
August 19	Laura Mike, Ph.D.	University of Pittsburgh	“Unmasking Klebsiella control of exopolysaccharides”
August 26	Katrine Whiteson, Ph.D.	UC Irvine	“Exploring the Microbial Frontier: From Remote Amazonian Microbiomes to Phage-Driven Suppression”
September 9	Jeff Bose, Ph.D.	Kansas Medical Center	“The diamide stress response in Staphylococcus aureus modulates infection outcomes”
September 16	David Talmy, Ph.D.	UTK Microbiology	“Modeling Microbial Predator-Prey Interactions: From Laboratory to Global Ocean”
September 23	Qiyun Zhu, Ph.D.	Arizona State University	“Open-source microbiome and multi-omic data science with scikit-bio”
September 30	Alecia Septer, Ph.D.	UNC Chapel Hill	“The Vibrio-Squid symbiosis as a model to study T6SS impacts on Eco-Evo dynamics”
October 14	Jason Collier, Ph.D.	Pennington BioMed	“Islet beta-cell and Immune Cell Crosstalk: A conversation that leads to Type 1 Diabetes?”
October 21	Sebastian Stockmaier, Ph.D.	UTK EEB	“Merging Behavioral and Disease Ecology: Insights from Vampire Bats, Roaches, and Bees”
October 28	Cristina Howard-Varona	Ohio State University	“Mighty Marine Virocells: Infection strategies across diverse viral infections and conditions”
November 4	James Collins, Ph.D.	University of Louisville	TBD
November 11	Jennifer Hill, Ph.D.	UC Boulder	“Mapping host-microbe interactions in the postnatal pancreas”
November 18	Faculty Candidate	TBD	TBD
November 25	Kelsey Coffman	UTK EPP	“When Viruses turn Good: Parasitoid Wasps as Models for Understanding Mutualistic Virus Evolution”
December 2	Jason Rosch, Ph.D.	St. Jude	“Microbial Virulence and Resistance Strategies in High-Risk Hosts”

Code of Conduct for UTK Microbiology Seminars and Colloquia

The Department of Microbiology encourages the open exchange of scientific ideas. Seminars are a forum for the speaker to present their ideas and to allow attendees to learn through engaged listening and questioning. We want our seminars and colloquiums to be an inclusive environment in which all participants feel that their presence is welcome and their contributions valued. Thus, by joining Department-hosted colloquia and seminars, we expect participants to adhere to the following code of conduct:

• All attendees will behave professionally, treating speakers and other attendees respectfully (demonstrating the understanding that the event is important; to be polite or honor someone) and considerately (in a way that shows that you are always thinking of other people’s wishes and feelings). Professional conduct includes thoughtful appreciation of the ways in which power and status affect how people express themselves and how they interpret what is said. This is especially important to consider when speakers are job candidates, trainees, students. Professional conduct also includes punctual arrival and respect for the speaker by eliminating distractions, such as limiting active use of laptops, tablets or phones except for activities related to presentation (i.e., taking notes or providing electronic feedback).

• Constructive interaction between the speaker and the audience is expected. Speakers should try to present their material in an understandable way, taking into account the diverse levels of expertise in the audience. All audience members are encouraged to respectfully ask constructive questions that lead to a broader and deeper understanding of the speaker’s points or help the audience member clarify concepts or points of confusion. Difficult and probing questions that require critical thinking by both the speaker and audience are encouraged and are, in part, why scientists present their work in seminars and colloquiums. This code of conduct simply asks that you posit your questions in a respectful manner.
• Persistent questioning or dialog limits others from participating and should not be pursued during the talk. If an attendee is not satisfied with the speaker’s response to their question or comment, or the question requires a more complex response, then they should reserve follow-up for later discussion to allow the speaker to present their ideas and for other attendees to contribute questions or comments.
• Discussion between attendees during a seminar should be kept to a minimum. This includes side discussions between two people in the audience, as even whispered exchanges can be loud enough to distract nearby participants. The seminar is primarily a vehicle for the speaker to communicate with the audience.
• Intimidation of any participant (speaker or audience member) through inappropriate, aggressive, confrontational, or derogatory (showing a disrespectful attitude) comments or questions is not acceptable, even if you disagree with the points being made by the other person.
• The host of the seminar speaker is formally in charge of the seminar. This includes reminding audience members of the department’s expectations concerning their conduct. However, all participants present should be mindful of this code of conduct and should help to ensure that it is followed.

This code does not supersede UT Student or Faculty Codes of Conduct