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Josh’s first author work from his PhD is finally out in iScience. Josh and his co-authors show that glutamate transporter EAAT1 cell-autonomously supports NSC self-renewal in the adult dentate gyrus of mice. His co-authors include 2nd author and current PhD student, Ileanexis, several former undergrads (Jacob, who also got his master’s degree with us, Eliza and Dalia), former tech Ashley Walters and our collaborators for uHPLC Valentina Valentini and John Bruno.

Check it out here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223011458

Graphic summary from Josh’s paper

Congrats to Tyler Dause for smashing his thesis defense today and becoming Dr. Dause, PhD! We are all going to miss Tyler as he launches on to his next steps beyond the Kirby lab. Below, see Tyler wears the horns of victory with pride!

Tyler wears the horns of victory!

Tyler wears all 3 of his victory symbols–ears from his masters, a single horn from candidacy and double horns from PhD

Last Thursday evening, the Kirby lab was well-represented by technician Ashley Walters and postdoc Lisa Miller at the evening poster session for CBI Research Day. Below, see Ashley (left) and Lisa (right) along with their beautiful posters. We all had a great time chatting about the brain with our fellow researchers from OSU and a few visitors as well!

Ashley (left), Lisa (right)

Robert Osap, Kirby lab undergrad, presented his senior thesis work today at the Denman Forum in Pomerene Hall. Robert made an informative and lovely poster and fielded questions like a pro. Well done, Robert!

Robert poses dutifully.

Robert explains his research to am enthralled audience.

Some members of the lab were missing from our last lab pic. This has been rectified in the new lab pic.

Kirby lab 2022 (ish)

(Acknowledgments: photoshopping by undergrad Robert Osap)

Congratulations to our winners of the Kirby lab Lab Mistake of the Year for 2022! We had  9 strong contenders submitted this year, with both our runner-up and our 1st place winner making lab history.

The runner up, lab manager Bryon Smith, makes history as the first staff member of the lab to win a prize in this competition since we founded it in 2018. Bryon won because he gave some mouse breeders to another lab member, forgot he gave them to that person and then later euthanized those animals, to the surprise of the person who thought they would be using them.

The 1st place winner makes history in that they are the first winner to come from another lab. The name here has been changed to protect the innocent. Let’s call them Jax. Jax wins for using a kit in our lab (which they had permission to do), but using it in such a way that they used 3x as much as they needed and somehow misplacing several pieces of this kit.

Always remember our Lab Mistake motto: “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing science!” We celebrate our mistakes to normalize them and get us all more comfortable with the awkward, error-prone process of being researchers.

After several years off for COVID, we had a return of the Kirby-Penneys holiday mixer, where we bring together our Kirby lab neuro folks with the Penneys math research group. A fun time was had by all, especially during the White Elephant gift exchange.

Left to right: Sheldon (Kirby alum), Yuting (Sheldon’s friend, also turns out to be a student in Dr. Penneys’ math class, small world), Emma (Tyler’s spouse) and Tyler (Kirby lab 3rd year)

White Elephant gift exchange. It got heated at times but I think we all walked away friends.

Bryon (Kirby lab manager) plots how to build his vision with the lego kit he got in the gift exchange. Patricia (Kirby alum) and Gio (Penneys’ groups 3rd year grad student) look on.

Bryon proudly displays the boat he made from his legos, won by stealing during the gift exchange.

Left to right: Ashley (Kirby lab tech), Nidhi (Kirby lab alum/1st year roton we are trying to woo back), Bryon (Kirby lab manager) and Jacob (Kirby lab alum) all enjoy chatting before things got serious in the gift exchange.

Congrats to 3rd year grad student Ileanexis Rosado-Burgos on passing candidacy last week. Below, we see her celebrating with the traditionally Kirby lab horns of victory. Well done, Ileanexis!

Ileanexis, “relieved” (her words) after passing quals

From left to right: Ileanexis, Tyler, Liz, Robert

We are back from the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience! This year, we had 3 posters:

6th year Tyler Dause presented his work on how neural stem and progenitor cells regulate their own vascular niche in adulthood. This project will be the last touch on Tyler’s thesis, coming Spring 2023!

3rd year Ileanexis Rosado-Burgos presented work begun by alum Dr. Josh Rieskamp (PhD 2021) and continued by her on how neural stem cells respond to glutamate via excitatory amino acid transporters.

Senior undergrad Robert Osap presented the beginnings of his senior thesis work studying how neural stem cell motility is regulated by their own autocrine signaling.

Here are some pics of all these wonderful people

Tyler Dause, 6th year, on the job market!

Robert Osap, senior undergrad, still says he wants to go to med school. We’ll keep working on that

Ileanexis Rosado-Burgos, 3rd year, ready for candidacy in a couple weeks!

Grad student Tyler Dause has been awarded a Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society of Neuroscience. The award provides funding for travel to their annual meeting in San Diego this November, as well as admission to professional development workshops at the meeting. Tyler will, of course, also be presenting his work on neural stem cell interaction with vasculature at a meeting poster session. Congrats, Tyler!