The Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology's weekly Plant Pathology 250 seminar series is presented this week by:

Noralhuda Ismail, Microbiology Graduate Student (Ph.D.), UC Riverside 

Seminar Title: "Characterization of a M36 metalloprotease from Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the Frog-Killing Chytrid"

Biography: Noralhuda Ismail is a second-year PhD student in Dr. Jason Stajich's lab. She holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree in biology from Cal Poly Pomona University. Noralhuda's research focuses on understanding M36 metalloproteases in the chytrid fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, exploring their role in invading and degrading host tissue. 

&

Mark Swenson, Mircobiology Graduate Student (Ph.D.), UC Riverside

Seminar Title: "Effect of Dietary Polyphenol Supplementation on Midgut Microbiome Composition in Commercial and Feral Honey Bee Populations"

Biography: Mark Swenson is a 2nd-year Microbiology Ph.D. student in Dr. Boris Baer's lab. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Washington State University, Vancouver in May of 2019. Mark is interested in how diet plays a role in the composition of the midgut microbiome in both commercial and feral honeybee populations when bees are fed a supplement rich in polyphenols. 

Faculty Hosts: Dr. Emma Aronson; emma.aronson@ucr.edu