Event Description

Research Cafe: March 8, 2023

3:00 - 4:00pm

679 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (Room #10)

Center for Advanced Biotech and Medicine, Busch Campus

Zoom option available.

~Snacks & coffee provided!~

Register to attend in person or on Zoom.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to join the School of Graduate Studies as we enjoy, dialogue about, and learn from two fantastic graduate students -- Shawn Rumrill (Ph.D. student, Chemistry & Chemical Biology) and Sergej Grunevski (Ph.D. student, Cognitive Psychology) -- who will share their research in a friendly and low-stakes setting. Learn more about the presenters and their presentations below!

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1.) "Structural implications of a second strand HIV-1 reverse transcription initiation complex +/- NNRTI for slow nucleotide incorporation and high sensitivity to NNRTI inhibition" by Shawn Rumrill

Abstract: A major target of antiretroviral therapy is the reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme, which converts viral RNA into the DNA provirus, with nearly 50% of FDA approved HIV treatments targeting RT. Of these, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are potent allosteric inhibitors of RT, but questions remain open about where and how they act in different stages of the viral lifecycle and reverse transcription. Biochemical studies have shown that plus-strand initiation of reverse transcription (initiating “second strand” DNA synthesis) is particularly sensitive to inhibition by NNRTIs, with more modest inhibition occurring in minus-strand synthesis. As such, our work investigates the structural features of a simplified plus-strand RT initiation complex (+miniRTIC) with and without an NNRTI (rilpivirine) to explore potential mechanisms that underlie these biochemical observations. Accordingly, we determined the first structure of HIV-1 RT with a DNA template and a polypurine tract RNA primer, representing the +0 state of plus-strand initiation. These structures provide new insights into the initiation state of RT, whereby the NNIBP more closely resembles an NNRTI-bound state, even in the absence of NNRTI, thus explaining increased susceptibility to inhibition. Further understanding of subsequent incorporation states may reveal new avenues for targeted therapy development.

Presenter Bio: Shawn Rumrill is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Here, he uses biophysical techniques to understand the structure, function, and mechanisms of HIV and other proteins related to human health and disease. Outside of research, Shawn has a history of student involvement and leadership in organizations and student worker positions, include the Rutgers Graduate Student Association.

2.) "The dynamics of craving and willingness-to-pay for drugs and food in daily life" by Sergej Grunevski

Abstract: Craving refers to the intense desire for a particular substance or activity. Many people experience healthy cravings for food and snacks, whereas others report excessively high craving for drugs that predisposes them to relapse. Recent laboratory studies show that craving may bias behavior by influencing subjective value: people are willing to pay more for craved items during the momentary state of craving. The purpose of the current study was to extend these findings outside the lab by repeatedly surveying daily craving and willingness-to-pay for drugs and snack foods via smartphones as healthy people and people with opioid use disorder engaged in their everyday lives. In this talk, I will discuss similarities and differences between person-level and moment (day)-level experiences of craving, as well as the relationship between craving and willingness-to-pay within and across commodities. Overall, the purpose of our work is to understand the timescale of association between craving and subjective value for drugs and food, how craving for a specific commodity may influence willingness-to-pay for another commodity, how these processes are influenced by drug use, exposure to drug cues, and mood, and how predictive they may be of future relapse.

Presenter Bio: Sergej Grunevski is a first-year Ph.D. student in Cognitive Psychology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. His primary graduate mentor is Dr. Anna Konova, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, whose main research focus is addiction & decision neuroscience. Prior to coming to Rutgers, Sergej received his B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Kansas and then worked as a research coordinator for three years at the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment under Drs. Richard Yi and Tim Pleskac.

About Research Cafe

Research Café brings together the entire graduate student community of Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Piscataway campus to strengthen scholarly literacy and interdisciplinary research communication by providing a platform for budding researchers to connect, share their in-progress research or scholarship, and benefit from peer feedback in a friendly and low-stakes setting. 

Research Café is a monthly, one-hour event to occur at rotating locations across the Rutgers New Brunswick/Piscataway campus (a Zoom option will be available, too). Each event will feature:

1. Presentations (10-12 min. each) from two graduate students from across disciplinary areas ranging from engineering and biology to history and anthropology.
2. A Q&A dialogue with peers and attendees.
3. Conversational time over refreshments and snacks.

Sign up to attend in person or on Zoom at https://grad.rutgers.edu/research-cafe. 

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Questions? Contact the program coordinators:

Sonal Gahlawat at sg1389@scarletmail.rutgers.edu, Briana Bivens at bb770@grad.rutgers.edu, and Ramazan Güngör at rg835@grad.rutgers.edu.

Event Description

Research Cafe: February 8, 2023

3:00 - 4:00pm

679 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (Room #10)

Center for Advanced Biotech and Medicine, Busch Campus

Zoom option available.

~Snacks & coffee provided!~

Register to attend in person or on Zoom.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to join the School of Graduate Studies as we enjoy, dialogue about, and learn from two fantastic graduate students -- Angeline Nies-Berger (Ph.D. student, French) and Jamie Kwon (Ph.D. student, Planning & Public Policy) -- who will share their research in a friendly and low-stakes setting. Learn more about the presenters and their presentations below!

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1.) "How can a neglected text of a 17th century female author inform current feminist practices?" by Angeline Nies-Berger

Abstract: I will present the ambition of my work: first, how it is significant for the field of 17th century studies, and in particular studies of Madeleine de Scudéry’s otherwise very famous works. Then, I will show why my analysis of this 17-th century text can help develop a feminist framework for analyzing contemporary material (whether textual or cinematographic).

Presenter Bio: After studying French Literature in France and starting my graduate-level studies in the USA in English, I finally found my way at Rutgers's French department. I am working on a 17th century text, "Les Femmes illustres" by Madeleine de Scudéry (1642), under Dr. Jennifer Tamas's mentorship. I intend to contribute to unearthing women's works of the Early Modern period (and before) to show that, contrary to what we usually believe, women always wrote. I also want to show what older texts can teach us about contemporary writing techniques, particularly the reappropriation of female representation in both literature and film.

2.) "Disability, traveling, and access to opportunities: The role of economic resources" by Jamie Kwon

Abstract: Many of the 44 million people with disabilities in the U.S. experience transportation challenges that hinder their ability to fully participate in society. While most studies focus on physical barriers to transportation (e.g., lack of wheelchair-accessible lifts at public transit stations), my dissertation explores how limited economic resources exacerbate physical barriers. I analyze data from nationwide time-use diaries to illustrate how disparate economic resources widen the travel gap between people with and without disabilities. I also interview people with disabilities to understand the benefits and challenges of purchasing a wheelchair-accessible modified vehicle. This research demonstrates how supportive economic policies can complement existing Americans with Disability Act requirements (e.g., installing sidewalk curb ramps). Specifically, my work will recommend changes to current grant programs for vehicle modification that will facilitate travel and increase access to jobs, healthcare, and other opportunities for people with disabilities.

Presenter Bio: Jamie Kwon is a disability and transportation researcher with a focus on poverty and access to privately owned wheelchair-accessible vehicles. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Her dissertation is supported by Howard Leventhal Scholarship at the Institute of Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers. Starting next March, she will be working at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire to continue her work on disability, access to private vehicles, and employment.

About Research Cafe

Research Café brings together the entire graduate student community of Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Piscataway campus to strengthen scholarly literacy and interdisciplinary research communication by providing a platform for budding researchers to connect, share their in-progress research or scholarship, and benefit from peer feedback in a friendly and low-stakes setting. 

Research Café is a monthly, one-hour event to occur at rotating locations across the Rutgers New Brunswick/Piscataway campus (a Zoom option will be available, too). Each event will feature:

1. Presentations (10-12 min. each) from two graduate students from across disciplinary areas ranging from engineering and biology to history and anthropology.
2. A Q&A dialogue with peers and attendees.
3. Conversational time over refreshments and snacks.

Sign up to attend in person or on Zoom at https://grad.rutgers.edu/research-cafe. 

--- 

Questions? Contact the program coordinators:

Sonal Gahlawat at sg1389@scarletmail.rutgers.edu, Briana Bivens at bb770@grad.rutgers.edu, and Ramazan Güngör at rg835@grad.rutgers.edu.

Event Description

Digital materials like Microsoft Word docs, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and videos are commonly used in face-to-face and online classes alike. But what many don’t realize is these documents may be difficult to access for students with disabilities. For students to learn in your course, the first step is ensuring access to content. In this workshop, we will go over best practices, tools, and strategies to ensure that your audience can gather information regardless of device, software, or disability. For this hands-on session, please bring your own device to try creating accessible materials, as well as examples of images, documents (Word and/or PDF!), or videos from your own courses.

The workshop will be hosted on Zoom or WebEx.

Event Description

This webinar will give an introduction and overview of Prezi’s newest applications:  Prezi Video - “lets you interact with your content live as you stream or record (instead of adding it later), for more natural, seamless, and compelling videos.” Prezi Videos can be produced from scratch, or you can, with one-click of your mouse, transport your Prezi Present file into a Prezi Video file.   Prezi Design – an editor that “lets anyone make professional-looking charts, reports, maps, infographics, and more, then share them anywhere in any size.”

The workshop will be hosted on Zoom or WebEx.

Event Description

Universal Design for Learning is a framework designed to created flexible learning environments that support and accommodate diverse learners. It focuses on identifying core learning goals, and providing multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement in an effort to break down barriers to those goals. UDL strategies help to provide pathways to learning that are essential for students with disabilities, and beneficial for all. In this session, you’ll learn a bit about what UDL is all about and practical tips for how you can implement it in your own classroom. Come prepared with a device to explore the UDL Guidelines on your own, and ideas for a lesson or activity you’d like to revise to be more flexible and inclusive!

The workshop will be hosted on Zoom or WebEx.

Event Description

This workshop will explore the incorporation of audio and video into PowerPoint presentations for the PC. We will cover the different audio and video formats that are compatible with PowerPoint and available web resources for downloading free content.

The workshop will be hosted on Zoom or WebEx.

Event Description

VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia web-based application that allows you to place collections of media-like images, videos, documents, and presentations at the center of a conversation. It can be an easy way to differentiate instruction while providing engaging choices to "show" learning, engage in conversation, and think openly and critically about content. In this workshop, you will learn how to use VoiceThread for your online courses and how to integrate it with your Sakai page.

The workshop will be hosted on Zoom or WebEx.

Event Description

This workshop will explore the PivotTable - a dynamic and sophisticated analytical tool in Excel. With a PivotTable you can quickly summarize and visualize large amounts of data with just a few clicks.

The workshop will be hosted on Zoom or WebEx.