Open House on Friday, May 30 at Noon - 5 pm

Thank you for visiting our first open house!
  • Friday, May 30 at noon - 5 pm
  • Knudsen 4-173 (and B-171, A-154, A-166)
  • Lunch, drink and snacks are provided.

Guided Tours:
We will offer a guided lab tour every 30 minutes, starting at 
  • 12:00, 12:30, 1:00. 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, and 4:00, 4:30 pm
  • A tour will start at Knudsen 4-173, and would take 15 - 20 minutes. 

Seminar:
We will present our activities on the same day at 3 pm:Title:
  • Elegant Mind: Exploring the origin of life and consciousness through the neural systems of C. elegans. 
Abstract:
  • “Why are we here? What are we?”  These fundamental questions, concerning the origin of life and consciousness, are investigated through behavioral analysis of the small nematode organism, C. elegans. The organism is fully sequenced, with an established connectome of 302 neurons. The dynamic functions of the nervous system, however, cannot be addressed from the connectome alone. It remains to be uncovered how these biologic functions are influenced by the environment for adaptation and learning. 100 students in lab focused on understanding such dynamic functions of the C. elegans nervous system, and studied how behavioral functions change through environmental interaction. Topics of study include 2D and 3D navigation under stimulations of E/B-fields, UV/visible lights, and temperature change. This talk presents the students’ findings of amazing and unexpected behaviors. Lastly, an ambitious plan is presented to advance the frontier of science concerning the origin of life and consciousness.

Our Labs:
The labs are located at four different rooms at Knudsen Hall.  You are welcome to stop by any labs, any time during the open house. 
  • 4-173 Central Lab           for education, meeting
  • A-154 Biology Lab          for sample preparation
  • A-166 Behavior Lab        to study motion of C. elegans
  • B-171 Microscope Lab   to study neural networks