Please RSVP to this e-mail (GelminiL@macewan.ca), stating if you want Vegetarian
Who should go?
-Those interested in Chemistry (isn’t that everybody?) Professors, PDF, gradstudents and undergrads
-Teachers/students
-People interested in learning how Chemistry can help solve problems.
Where: Faculty Club at the U of A- Papaschase Room
When May 9th, 2017 (register before May 2nd for discount)
Cost: $25 for students $35 for members/PDF $40 for non-members
Time: 5:30 PM Networking
6:15 PM Dinner
6:45 PM AGM
7:00 PM Speaker – Dr. Robert Campbell (See abstract and bio below)
8:00 PM Networking
NOTE: PRICES INCREASE BY $5 if you RSVP after May 2
MENU: Caesar Salad, Shaved Asiago Cheese
Half Breast of BREAST OF CHICKEN A LA RIVIERA Dipped in light egg wash,
pan fried Mushroom Sauce with Shiraz Wine Herbed Roast Potato & Fancy carrots & Broccoli
Peach Melba Chocolate Strawberry & Whipped Cream Coffee or Tea
or Vegetarian Samosas, veggies
Abstract of Dr. Campbell’s Talk
Neurophotonics: Using photons to visualize and control neuronal activity
Molecular engineering of improved fluorescent proteins (FPs) and innovative FP-based reporters has been a major driving force behind advances in cell biology and neuroscience for the past two decades. Among these tools, FP-based reporters (i.e., FP-containing proteins that change their fluorescence intensity or color in response to a biochemical change) have uniquely revolutionized the ability of biologists to visualize the otherwise invisible world of intracellular biochemistry.
Similarly, light-activated protein-based actuators now enable researchers to control cellular activities with precise spatial and temporal resolution. In this seminar I will describe our most recent efforts to use protein engineering to make a new generation of versatile FP-based tools optimized for in vivo imaging and manipulation of cellular activity. Specifically, I will present our efforts to convert red and near-infrared FPs into reporters for calcium ion, membrane potential, and neurotransmitters and describe our recent efforts to exploit FPs for optical control of protein activity and gene expression.
Biography
Dr. Robert E. Campbell is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta (2003 – present).
He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry with Martin Tanner at the University of British Columbia in 2000 and undertook postdoctoral research at the University of California San Diego in the lab of the late Roger Y. Tsien, one of the 2008 Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry. His research is focussed on the development of optogenetic tools for cell biology applications. His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards including the Teva Canada Limited Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Lectureship Award (2016), the Rutherford Memorial Medal in Chemistry from the Royal Society of Canada (2015), and a Canada Research Chair (2004-2014).