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Program

8:00 – 8:30 am

Check-in and Breakfast (coffee/pastries)

2nd Floor Centennial Student Union - CSU 253/4/5

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8:30 – 8:40 am

Welcome

Centennial Student Union - CSU 253/4/5

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8:45 – 9:45 am

Keynote Presentation
Sean Crosson, Ph.D., ASM Distinguished Lecturer
“Molecular Mechanisms of Environmental Stress Resistance in Bacteria”

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10:00-12:00 pm

Oral Session I – Selected from Submitted Abstracts
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Session IA, CSU 253/4/5
Moderator: Joanna Klein
  • ​Santosh Thapa: “Exploring Protein Extractability and Properties of Sunflower Meal: Influence of Size Fractionation and Submerged Fungal Fermentation on Protein Isolates”
  • Kevaughn Prout: “Enhancing β-Carotene Yields from Rhodotorula mucilaginosa via Bioprocess Optimization with Sugar Beet Molasses”
  • Nirat Katuwal: “Extraction of bioactive molecules from agriculture biowaste using green approaches”
  • Hao Wang: “Comparison of high-throughput quantitative PCR platforms for the simultaneous quantification of pathogens, fecal indicator bacteria, and microbial source tracking markers”
  • Lorenzo D'Amico: “Functional characterization of microbial activity in culture using automation and AI-powered spatial and temporal image analysis”
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Session IB, CSU 245
Moderator: Sara Tolsma
  • Shahina Sultana:“Examination of the effects of fimB transcriptional site point mutations on fimB transcription in uropathogenic Escherichia coli”
  • Mikaela Daum: “Discovery of a sRNA Regulating Natural Transformation in a Multidrug-Resistant Isolate of Acinetobacter baumannii”
  • Amanda Haeberle: “Functional genomics investigation of Enterococcus faecalis growth in simulated synovial fluid”
  • Rosa Sava: “Loss of an Lrp family-transcription regulator contributes to suppression of csrA mutants in Acinetobacter baumannii”
  • Manisha Guha: “Gram-positive bacteria are primed for surviving lethal doses of antibiotics and chemical stress”

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12:00-1:30 pm

Lunch & Career Panel
Featuring: Sean Crosson, Amy Molan, Jim Parejko
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1:30 - 3:30 pm

Oral Session II – Selected from Submitted Abstracts
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Session IIA, CSU 253/4/5:
Moderator: Eglantina Lopez Echartea
  • ​Muhammad Yasir Afzal: “What limits the prevalence of fast-growing Bacillus in soils?”
  • Lien Tran: “Investigating the Linkage Between Methanogenesis and Nitrogen Fixation in Freshwater Temperate Wetlands”
  • Sukhvir Kaur: “Bradyrhizobium species population dynamics in established soybean fields, rhizosphere and nodules”
  • Dylan L. Schultz, Iowa State University
    “Unraveling cytoplasmic incompatibility caused by the intracellular symbiont Cardinium hertigii”
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Session IIB (Undergraduate session), CSU 245:
Moderator: Gina McGrane
  • Grace Gutzman: “The Impact of High-Fat and Protein-Deficient Diets on Host Inflammatory Responses & Organ-Specific Visceral Leishmaniasis Progression”
  • Madeline Broghammer: “Human serum albumin alters the conformational and antigenic profiles of HIV-1 Env”
  • Lizzy Arrowood: “Microbial Analysis of Restored Prairie and Crop Soils”
  • Sarah Zar: “Investigating the Mechanism of Synovial Fluid-Induced Aggregation in Enterococcus faecalis”
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3:30 – 5:30 pm

Poster Session
CSU 245
Odd-numbered presenters 3:30-4:30pm
Even-numbered presenters 4:30-5:30pm
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6:00 – 8:30 pm (Dinner at 6:30pm)

Banquet & Awards Ceremony

Mankato Brewery, 1119 Center St, North Mankato, MN

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