Auburn immunologist and evolutionary biologist collaborates with London researcher to sequence DNA of echinoderms and understand immune responses with $900,000 NSF Award

Kate Buckley, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is the recipient of a $910,860 National Science Foundation, or NSF, award to learn more about immunology with echinoderms, or sea urchins and sea stars. The project, Regulatory control of the system-wide innate immune response in marine invertebrates, is funded by the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems and Direct for Biological Sciences within NSF.

Buckley is collaborating Paola Oliveri, a professor of developmental and evolutionary biology, from the University College of London, or UCL, who also received research funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, or BBSRC, a part of UK Research and Innovation. Oliveri focuses on the development and skeletons of sea urchins, which complements Buckley’s work focusing on immunology.

Buckley and her team in the Buckley Lab will start by conducting fundamental research on these sea urchins and sea stars to define pathogens and cells involved in immune responses.

Auburn University’s AMSTI Director Pam Norris highlights organization’s goal of engaging school system partnerships to strengthen regional STEM instruction and resources

As director of Auburn University’s site for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative, known as AMSTI-AU or Region 9, Pam Norris will tell you that her role is exciting because no day looks the same. From talking with state AMSTI leaders to attending classroom visits and trainings alongside math and science specialists, Norris is leading AMSTI-AU by example—helping carry out AMSTI’s mission of providing impactful science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, instruction and resources that empower teachers and students across our state.

“I get to experience the best of everything because I get a chance to work at all levels throughout our region,” said Norris. “I get to speak with AMSTI central office personnel to hear the vision they have for math, science and technology instruction, and I get to visit classrooms with our specialists to see the direct coaching and instruction. The awesome part is that on those visits, I still get to see some of the teachers that I originally supported while serving as a specialist.”

Norris’s journey with AMSTI, the Alabama Department of Education’s initiative to improve STEM teaching statewide, began in January 2009 when she joined the organization as a K-2 math specialist having taught kindergarten and second grade in Opelika City Schools. She was part of an NSF-funded initiative called Team Math and later served as assistant director for AMSTI-AU alongside Director Beth Hickman. This past June marked Norris’s first complete year serving as director for the site following Hickman’s retirement. This year also marks Norris’s 30^th year serving in education.

Hear from Emily Balskus at the Schneller Frontiers Lecture on Sep. 28

Please join us for this year’s Schneller Frontiers Lecture where Emily Balskus from Harvard University will deliver her talk titled Deciphering the Human Gut Microbiome with Chemistry. The lecture is scheduled for Sep. 28 at 3:45 p.m. in SCC 115. The host is Rahul Banerjee.

Emily Balskus received her B.A. with highest honors in Chemistry from Williams College in 2002. After obtaining an M.Phil. in Chemistry as a Churchill Scholar at the University of Cambridge, Emily pursued graduate studies at Harvard University under the mentorship of Prof. Eric Jacobsen. She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2008 and then joined the lab of Prof. Christopher Walsh at Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2011, she joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University as an assistant professor and she is currently the Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of Chemistry. She is also an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, a Faculty Associate of the Microbial Sciences Initiative at Harvard, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

Auburn University hosts grand opening ceremony for new Academic Classroom and Laboratory Complex

Auburn President Christopher B. Roberts joined other university administration leaders for a special ceremony officially opening the campus’ newest classroom facility on Friday afternoon.

Roberts was joined by Auburn Board of Trustees member Elizabeth Huntley and Interim Provost Vini Nathan at the grand opening of the Academic Classroom and Laboratory Complex, or ACLC, a new 151,000-square-foot facility adjacent to The Edge at Central Dining and Auburn Amphitheater. The university’s leaders, students and faculty officially ushered in the campus’ newest educational marvel at the festive ceremony.

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