The MicroSocial Seminar Series aims to facilitate scientific exchange and community building across UMD’s microbiome research community. Monthly seminars feature UMD speakers, including students and faculty, who give short research presentations (either 2 x 12 minutes or 1 x 20 minute talks) followed by a social happy 1/2 hour over coffee and snacks. We welcome presentations about in-progress work or recent results, with the goal to provide an overview, receive feedback, promote opportunities for collaboration, or identify community interests and needs that the center may address. Open to all of UMD, the monthly seminar takes place on Tuesdays from 3:30–4:30 p.m.

To present at the MicroSocial Seminar Series, please contact Gabi Steinbach (gabis@umd.edu) to be added to the schedule.

Fall 2025 Schedule 

Date	Speakers	Talk Title	Location
September 9	Raunak Dey, Ph.D. student, Physics Claire Barlow, Ph.D. student, Global Environmental & Occupational Health	“Learning Microbial and Viral Traits From Dynamics” “Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Isolated From Homes Impacted by Sewage and Flooding Events”	IRB 4105
October 7	Erin Harrelson, Ph.D. student, Nutrition and Food Science Nakia Fallen, Ph.D. student, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics	“Genomic Monitoring in Agriculture Systems” “Live Bacteria in Gut Microbiome Dictate Asthma Onset Triggered by Environmental Particles via Modulation of DNA Methylation in Dendritic Cells”	BRB 1103
October 21	Heather Amato, Assistant Professor, Global Environmental & Occupational Health	“Tracing Transmission: Surveillance Approaches for Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface”	BRB 1103
November 4	Yue Jang, Ph.D. student, Nutrition and Food Science Darby Steinman, Ph.D. student, Fischell Department of Bioengineering	TBD TBD	BRB 1103
November 18	Jasna Kovac, Associate Professor, Penn State University	TBD	BRB 1103
December 2	Ingrid Dukundane, Ph.D. student, Fischell Department of Bioengineering Yuzhu Mao, Ph.D. student, Environmental Engineering	TBD TBD	BRB 1103

Spring 2025 Schedule 

Date	Speakers	Talk Title	Location
March 4	Darby Steinman, Ph.D. student, Bioengineering Taiwo Bankole, Ph.D. student, Nutrition and Food Science	“Vaginal Microbes Communicate with Reproductive Tissues via Production of Extracellular Vesicles” “The Effect of Broccoli Glucoraphanin Supplementation on Ameliorating High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity through the Gut Microbiome and Metabolome Interface”	ESJ 2204
April 15	Qingyue Zeng, Ph.D. student, Food Science Dhiraj Chundru, Ph.D. student, Veterinary Medicine	“Microbial Dynamic in Food Waste Compost” “Optimizing Metagenomic Approaches for Enhanced Food Safety in Poultry Production Environment”	ESJ 2204
May 13	Yuzhu Mao, Ph.D. student, Environmental Engineering Aishwarya Pradeep Rao, Ph.D. student, Nutrition Food Science	“Flushed with Data: Tracking COVID-19 to Candida auris in Community Sewage” “Seed to Salad: Detecting Pathogens and Profiling Microbiomes in Microgreens – A Quasimetagenomic Approach”	ESJ 2204

Fall 2024 Schedule