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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 3h

❌Due to unforeseen circumstances, Thursday's seminar has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience!

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Students, submit an abstract by Nov. 1 to share your research at the poster session! bit.ly/4dwYxg2

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Learn more about Dr. @susanamingote.bsky.social's work supported by the R01 grant from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging. tinyurl.com/2e5dye2j

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

📣Join us on Thursday, October 8, for our next Neuroscience Seminar featuring Yale School of Medicine's Dr. Junjie Guo @junjieguo.bsky.social. He will share his insights on how C9orf72 repeat expansions drive ALS/FTD, as well as their work on identifying therapeutic targets.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Please visit bit.ly/4zdwiwf for more details and register!

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Congratulations to Professor @susanamingote.bsky.social for receiving an R01 NIH grant! The Mingote Lab will examine how changes in a group of dopamine-producing brain cells they identified and the brain circuits that the cells connect to contribute to age-related cognitive decline.

Portrait of Professor Susana Mingote smiling confidently with arms crossed in a professional setting.

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CUNY Graduate Center @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Ph.D. student Sophia I. Betzios is studying the role of microglia in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

📣Join us on September 10 for our next Neuroscience Seminar featuring Dr. Christina Kim @tinakim-neuro.bsky.social from Princeton University! She will present her work on isolating drug-activated ensembles.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

We are delighted to welcome @jwrenkim.bsky.social to the Neuroscience Initiative at the ASRC. Dr. Kim joins us as an Assistant Professor of Biology, specializing in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at The Graduate Center. We are thrilled to have him join our research community!

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Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

@asrc-gc.bsky.social represents at the bench sciences fair of the @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social

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CUNY Graduate Center @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Join us in welcoming our new faculty members: Dumitru Călugăru, @jwrenkim.bsky.social, Dimitrios Sounas, Ana Maria Delgado, Orisanmi Burton, Julia Huyck, Matthew Stover, and Prasad Iyer. We are thrilled to have you at the CUNY Graduate Center! www.gc.cuny.edu/news/cuny-gr...

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Congratulations to Patrizia Casaccia, director of the Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC and Einstein Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at the CUNY Graduate Center, on receiving the 2026 Landis Award! bit.ly/4ztCwbt

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Congratulations! Patrizia Casaccia, Einstein Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at the CUNY Graduate Center and director of the Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC, awarded the Scientific Research Award by Associazione CulturiAMO. bit.ly/4wYzJFj

Portrait of Patrizia Casaccia smiling in a professional setting, honored for her neuroscience research.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

🎉Congratulations to our own Drs. Anfal Abuhilal, Anna Flury and Jackie Tomaio!🎉

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J. Wren Kim @jwrenkim.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Neuronal stimulation induces immediate early genes (IEGs) such as Fos. But what about the continuous, spontaneous activity that neurons experience most of the time? Does ongoing network activity also shape gene expression? If so, which genes are regulated? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

A Neuronal Gene Expression Program Underlying Sustained Network Activity

Neurons function within interconnected networks and must continuously adjust their firing properties to maintain stable network activity. Although these adjustments require long-lasting molecular chan...

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

“I would advise an incoming researcher to take full advantage of the ASRC’s core facilities and interdisciplinary culture and, perhaps, to take a chance on a lab that’s out of their comfort zone," says Flury, who graduated from the CUNY Graduate Center with a Ph.D. in Biology.

Anna Flury in a lab coat standing in a research facility next to a quote about embracing interdisciplinary science at the CUNY ASRC.

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Congratulations to Professor Jia Liu of the CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative for being promoted to Research Professor! Learn more about Professor Liu and her work at: bit.ly/4uhFCeU

Professor Jia Liu wearing a gray sweater and standing indoors with a modern glass background.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

🧠 Spring 2026 Seminar Series 🧠 How does the social environment shape our choices? Join us as Dr. Dominic Fareri explores "Social influences on reward-based decision-making," pulling from behavioral & fMRI studies. 📅 June 4, 2026 🕛 12:00 PM EST 📍 ASRC 1st Floor Auditorium / Zoom

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Please join us on May 28, 2026, for a seminar on the latest single-cell application updates at the ASRC Epigenetics Core. Featuring: Visium HD spatial transcriptomics on the Visium CytAssist platform & Flex single cell gene expression on the Chromium iX controller. More details at shorturl.at/wDaAp

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CUNY Graduate Center @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Your Fitbit could be used for picking up more than steps. Yoko Nomura and researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center are studying how wearable devices can reveal the hidden toll of heat and air pollution on the body and mind

gc.cuny.edu

Smartwatches and GPS Show Promise for Tracking Environmental Impacts on Health in Real Time

CUNY pilot study demonstrates a new approach bridging wearable technology and environmental epidemiology.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

📣Upcoming Neuroscience Seminar🧠 Join us to hear Dr. Mike Beckstead discuss how VTA dopamine neurons become "hyperexcitable" in Alzheimer’s models - a stark contrast to Parkinson’s. 🗓 Thu, May 7 | 12 PM 📍 ASRC Auditorium or Zoom

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

May the Force—and mechanobiology—be with you! 🧠✨ Join us this Monday (May 4th) as Emily Prentice explores how OPCs act as biosensors in the developing brain. At the intersection of physics and biology, there is much to discover. 📍 ASRC Auditorium 🕛 May 4th, 12 PM - 1 PM

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

New study from Patrizia Casaccia's lab (director of the CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative & Einstein Prof. of Biology & Biochem), with lead author Sami Sauma & MALDI Imaging directors Ye He & Rinat Abzalimova, reveals a link between brain sugar levels & myelin development. bit.ly/4upNdst

The distribution of distinct metabolites in brain sections, using MALDI Imaging. The relative amount of each metabolite is represented by a color scale.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

👏👏👏Congrats to our Biology PhD students for winning many of this year's awards at GC CUNY! Neha Punia, Dissertation Year Fellowship; Leen Aljayousi, Mina Rees Dissertation Fellowship; Lele Xu, Doctoral Student Research Grant (DSRG)

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CUNY Graduate Center Office of Fellowships and Financial Aid @gcfinanicalaid.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Join our team! We are looking for 1-2 doctoral students to join our staff as Presidential Fellows for 26-27. Deadline to apply is 4/13. Additional details and other opporunities can be found here: www.gc.cuny.edu/fellowships-...

gc.cuny.edu

Current Fellowship Opportunities

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Friend or foe? Let @pinar-ayata.bsky.social lab's soon-to-be doctor Anna Flury take you to the dark side of microglia at her pre-defense seminar on Tuesday, March 31. Join in person or via Zoom.

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

We're still beaming over last week's unforgettable visit from over 70 BioQuest students! 😁 These curious middle & high schoolers celebrated #BrainAwarenessWeek at the CUNY ASRC with a full schedule of hands-on activities led by neuroscientists and staff. Browse to see the future leaders of STEM. 🌍🩺🧬

A child holding a model brain while three children interact with it and an adult watches.

A child grips a cup with a robotic gripper what an adult and another child watch.

A scientist points to a screen displaying a diagram of the brain while a child watches.

The CUNY ASRC Auditorium full with seated guests.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

📣Big milestone alert🚨! Please join us for Jackie Tomaio's PhD Thesis Defense Seminar on Tuesday, March 24. Come support our newest soon-to-be doctor🎓 !

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The City University of New York @cuny.edu · 25/02/2026

📚 Make the most of CUNY’s resources like libraries, tutoring centers, and career services. These tools can boost both your academic and personal success! cuny.edu/survivalguide

Promotional graphic for CUNY, featuring stylized text saying 'Take advantage of Resources' alongside an illustration of a light bulb and an hourglass celebrating, emphasizing the various resources like libraries, tutoring centers, career services, and counseling offered by CUNY colleges for academic and personal success.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

🧬 Is beauty in the eye of the beholder or the object itself? Join us on Thursday, March 5 for a fascinating talk by Dr. Edward Vessel @edwardvessel.bsky.social on the "interactionist approach to the neuroscience of aesthetics"!

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Don't miss Dr. Patrizia Casaccia this Thursday, Feb 5! 🧠 The founding director of ASRC Neuroscience Initiative will discuss "A multiscale approach to myelination and myelin-related disorders." Join us to learn about the latest in neuroscience research!

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Interested in perfecting your time management skills? @writingcentergc.bsky.social is hosting a workshop on Feb. 10 for students eager to learn how to prioritize writing goals and deadlines. Participants will draft a plan to hit their writing goals. Register: bit.ly/4qAJruK

Person in a teal sweater working on a laptop at a wooden desk in a quiet library setting with books stacked nearby.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

📢Join our first seminar in 2026! Anna Orr, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Weill Cornell, will give a talk on “Astrocytes in Neurocognitive Function and Dementia Pathogenesis” on Thursday, January 15.

Flyer for January 15 , 2026 seminar of the Spring 2026 Seminar Series

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

New year, new look! 😎 Visit asrc.gc.cuny.edu to explore our new homepage and catch up on the latest CUNY ASRC news.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

📢Join us tomorrow for our last seminar in 2025! Michelle Monje, MD PhD, from Stanford University will present "Neuron-glial interactions in health and disease: from cognition to cancer".

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Check out Prof. Shana Elbaum-Garfinkle lab's (CUNY ASRC Structural Biology Initiative) recent collaboration with Profs. Patrizia Casaccia (founding director of the Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC) and Jia Liu, and Hye-Jin Park in Nature Communications Biology! go.nature.com/4ou2CUZ

Computer generated illustration of heterochromatin

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

#CUNYTuesday is an opportunity to support students across the CUNY-verse. At the ASRC, we nurture some of the most inquisitive minds in STEM. Help our student scientists unlock their potential with your gift today. bit.ly/47QoiV0

bit.ly

Donate to ASRC x #CUNYTUESDAY

Join me in giving to The Graduate Center's campaign ASRC x #CUNYTUESDAY

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Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center @asrc-gc.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Prof. @pinar-ayata.bsky.social, CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative, and colleagues identified a previously unrecognized protective state of microglia (the brain’s primary immune cells) that may open new avenues for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Check out their paper in Nature! go.nature.com/3JMJovx

go.nature.com

Lymphoid gene expression supports neuroprotective microglia function - Nature

PU.1low CD28-expressing microglia may act as suppressive cells in Alzheimer’s disease, mitigating its progression by reducing neuroinflammation and amyloid plaque load, indicating potential immunother...

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Biology Ph.D. Program at CUNY Graduate Center @biologygccuny.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Congratulating our Biology September graduates! Best wishes for your future endeavors. 🎓🔥 #PhDone #DoctorateLife

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

📢Join us this Thursday, October 16th, for our next special seminar with Dr. J. Wren Kim from UC Berkeley!

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

📢Join us this Thursday, October 9th, for our next Seminar! Featuring Dr. Antonio Aubry, Instructor, Dept. of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

📢Join our next Neuroscience seminar of the Fall 2025 series with Dr. Ella Doron-Mandel from Columbia University, on Thursday, September 25!

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

📣📣Please join us for our first Neuroscience Seminar in Fall 2025 featuring Dr. Ioana Carcea, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School!

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

📣Defense Alert! Join us on Monday, August 4th for Anfal Abuhilal’s Dissertation Defense Seminar! Come and support Anfal!

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Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Music has power! Join us this Tuesday 7/15 for a special talk featuring Dr. Concetta Tomaino, Executive Director and Founder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, on Music🎵& Neurologic Function🧠! Details: asrc.gc.cuny.edu/event/music-...

asrc.gc.cuny.edu

Music & Neurologic Function – The Advanced Science Research Center

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