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Xavier Bonner IME scholar of the month October 2020

4 years ago

scholar of the month: Initiative for Minority Excellence-Xavier Bonner

Xavier Bonner is a doctoral student in the Swanstrom lab. While an undergraduate student at Morehouse College, he participated in a research program co-sponsored by the Biophysical Society and UNC-Chapel Hill. “This experience not only cemented my dedication to attaining a Ph.D. in biochemistry but also developed my passion for solving problems we face in the biochemistry/biophysics field,” he says. Bonner serves as the first president of the student-led Society for Black Biomedical Scientists at UNC-Chapel Hill.

office of university diversity and inclusion message banner

4 years ago

Message from UODI: Jacob Blake and Racial Trauma

Special Advisor to the Provost & Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion/ Interim Chief Diversity Officer, Sibby Anderson-Thompkins, and Senior Director of Education, Operations and Initiatives, Gretchen C. Bellamy, have prepared a message that addresses the continuing racial atrocities against Black people that are occurring across the country. The cumulative impact on the mental, emotional and physical well-being of Black, Indigenous and People of Color is profound. Over the course of the next few months, the University Office for Diversity and Inclusion will continue to drive efforts to challenge systemic racism and support collective healing. Click below for the entirety of the message and details about these efforts.

postdoc Dr. Yanqiong Zhang in Liu lab, Dr. Zhe Ma in Damania lab and a BBSP student Ying Wang

4 years ago

Liu and Damania Labs identified new proteins controlling cGAS activation

Hyperactivation of innate immunity results in autoimmune diseases, while deficiency in innate immunity is prone to tumorigenesis. Thus, the activity of innate immune signaling is tightly controlled but the regulatory mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Recently, the labs of Liu and Damania published a study in iScience revealing a role of the bacterial protein streptavidin in binding and facilitating cGAS activation.