A word from the MIMM Chair Infection and Immunity Seminar ...

News of what's happening around MIMM February, 2017

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CHAIR'S CORNER

A word from the MIMM Chair

Dear MIMMers, I hope the beginning of 2017 is treatingyou well at both the professional andpersonal level. January is already behindus, the Winter term is well on its way andwe are only three weeks away from

reading week (February 27th to March

03rd). The first MIMM annual MilestoneCelebration event was held on Friday

January 27th. Cake and bubbles were

UPCOMING EVENTS

Alumni Wine & cheeseMISA is organizing a Wine & Cheese withalumni members on Thursday, March16th from 5-8pm in the Bellini Atrium.

Infection and Immunity SeminarSeries

The Department of Microbiology andImmunology hosts its annual seminarseries where prominent scientists are invited from world over to present theirresearch within the scope of infection andimmunity. The objective of this series is to allow

served to highlight important careermilestones. Please join me again incongratulating all MIMM members that gotrecognized for their loyal and hard work atMcGill. The people that were celebratedare:

Dr. Jörg Fritz (was granted tenure)Dr. Sylvie Fournier (15 years ofService)Dr. Hervé LeMoual (15 years ofService)Dr. Benoit Cousineau (15 years ofService)Dr. Greg Matlashewski (30 years ofService)Ms Aghdas Zamani (30 years ofService)Dr. Dalius Briedis (35 years ofService).

The Department of Microbiology &Immunology will participate this year in afundraising campaign called “McGill-24”.This McGill-wide initiative consists ofsoliciting potential donors primarilythrough email messages and socialmedia. Stay tuned for more information aswe plan this fundraising campaign for ourDepartment. Finally, enjoy your MIMM FebruaryNewsletter and have a wonderful month. All the best! Ben

STUDENT ASSOCIATIONUPDATES

interaction between undergraduate,graduate students and post doctoralfellows and a world renowned investigatorin the field of infection and immunity. Theforum also provides participants with theunique opportunity to speak withoutstanding scientists and colleagues,thus establishing a basis for future careeropportunities and collaborations.

Scheduled seminar for the month ofFebruary: February 16 - Dr. Jonathan Spicer

For a list of the winter semester seminars,click here.

PUBLICATIONS

Thomassin, J-L., Giannakopoulou, N.,Zhu, L., Gross, J., Salmon, K., Leclerc, J-

M., Daigle, F., Le Moual, H.* and

Gruenheid, S.* (2017). Systematicanalysis of two-component systems inCitrobacter rodentium reveals positive andnegative roles in virulence. Infection andImmunity 85:e00654-16. * Co-corresponding authors. Read this article.

FACE OF THE MONTH

MISA's corner

Hello everyone! MISA is planning a lot of great activitiesfor this semester. An important one to lookout for is our annual alumni Wine &Cheese! Join us on Thursday, March16th 5-8pm in the Bellini Atrium.

In other news, the annual MIMM Gala willbe held on Friday, March 31st atCabaret Lion d'Or! Tickets will be soldshortly in the MISA office (room 423).

Lastly, MISA is organizing the sale ofmore MIMM apparel this semester. We'reselling clothing, mugs and stickers! Coffeewill also be sold out of the MISA officewhile supplies last.

Year WarsThis year, MISA organized YearWars, an event created tostrengthen the relationship betweenU1, U2 and U3 students and develop

Face of the Month: JasminChahal

Tell us about yourself

I am a 2nd (almost 3rd) year Ph.D. studentin Dr. Sagan’s lab. My project includesinvestigating the role of microRNA-122 inthe HCV life cycle. Along with my research, I like to keepmyself busy with extracurricular activities.I’ve been a TA for MIMM 212 for 3 yearsnow and absolutely love it! I’m also one ofthe four coordinators of the outreachprogram called Let’s Talk Science, whichinspires and teaches youth about scienceusing STEM activities. I also try to be as active as possible. I tryto swim and exercise every week. I’vebeen playing soccer since I was four yearsold and I have no plans of stoppinganytime soon!

What do you like about the

a sense of community. Three teamshave been created and will battle itout all semester through organizedgroup activities. The first event was aDodgeball match where the U2 teamtook the win. The winning team willbe getting a pizza lunch party and atrophy to commemorate the firstannual Year Wars. More pictures canbe found on the MIMM Facebookpage.

Life after your B.Sc. On January 25th, MISA organized acareer day event tailored to scienceundergraduate students who wish topursue careers in science-relatedfields outside of academia andmedicine. A set of 5 guest speakerswere invited of various backgroundsand career stages whom havefollowed diverse paths:

Michael Shapiro, B.Sc., B.Eng:Has worked as an independentconsultant/project manager for 20+years. He works with academics andresearch groups alike (such asthe Ontario Institute for Cancer

department/the program? I like that I’m given the opportunity toteach. Being a TA in a lab course givesme the experience that I need to furthermy career in teaching. There are alsoteaching workshops that Dr. Trottier holdsthat not only welcome professors but alsograd students. I also appreciate howapproachable all the students andprofessors are in this program. Since thedepartment is small, everyone gets toknow each other on a more personal level.

How are you involved in thedepartment? I feel like we, as grad students, don’t havemuch down time to do other activities andthat can take a toll on our mental andphysical health. So I try to plan as manysocial activities as possible. I try to getgrad students involved with Let’s TalkScience. I also planned pick-up soccergames in the summer with GiustinoCarnevale, which was a great success. I try to make myself available for anysupport students need. I’ve publishedarticles in Thought Catalog about mentalillness and I’ve tried to be open about myown struggles to aide any other studentsin need of a friend to talk to. I care abouteveryone I work with and I want them tohave a great experience in grad school!

What is your passion? I love teaching! I enjoy working withpeople and helping in anyway I can. I aminterested in bringing awareness to socialcauses. I’ve done the Weekend to End AllWomen’s Cancers for two years, whichincludes raising a minimum of $2000 anddoing a 60-km walk. I also enjoy writing Ifind it very therapeutic. I also love chocolate! If there is anythingthat can brighten up my day, it’s a kitkatbar. :)

Research) for large-scale grantapplications, etc.

Adele Marshall, M.Sc.: Has workedfor Novartis for 30+ years in variouspositions and capacities. She is nowa senior manager in the pre-clinical/clinical trials department.

Glenn Choma, B.Sc., MBA: SeniorProject Manager at Shire Canada, abiopharmaceutical company thatworks specifically on ADHD, renaland gastrointestinal diseases.

Brian Mader, M.Sc.: Has worked atDawson College for 5+ years as abiology teacher and doubles as theScience Activities Coordinator.

Rosie Behar, B.Sc.: Customerservice representative for AshfieldHealthcare, an outsourcingpharmaceuticals company. Informsmedical clinics across Canada aboutvarious pharmaceutical-relatedpayment programs. Graduated fromMIMM in 2014.

In total, 70 Students attended theevent from the Biochemistry,Physiology, Pharmacology, CognitiveScience, Biology, Anatomy andMIMM departments.

SERVICES

MILESTONES CELEBRATION

On January 27th, a MilestoneCelebration took place at the Duffbuilding to acknowledge MIMMmembers for their accomplishmentsand years of contribution to McGillUniversity. The following memberswere recognized: - Dr Jörg Fritz was granted Tenure - Shan Hong Zhang - 10 years ofService - Dr Sylvie Fournier - 15 years ofService - Dr Hervé Le Moual - 15 years ofService - Dr Benoit Cousineau - 15 years ofService - Dr Greg Matlashewski - 30 years ofService - Aghdas Zamani - 30 years ofService - Dr Dalius Briedis - 35 years ofService

For more pictures of the event, clickhere.

Duff Biobar UpdatesThe Biobar stocks useful lab suppliesincluding Kleenex, bleach, gloves, andpaper towels at competitive prices. BioBaroperating hours are from Monday toFriday: 8:00 -12:00 & 1:00 -3:30. More information.

Connect with us!Like our official Facebook page and followus on Twitter for regular updates!

Jobs Available!Still looking for a job? Visit the postingsavailable online or have a look at the jobbinder located in Room 511 of the DuffMedical Building.

Want to contribute an item to the MIMM Bites? Here’s where to send it: [email protected] Check out the latest updates on our website: www.mcgill.ca/microimm

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