Preliminary Agenda

Thursday, November 10, 2016

4:00 - 6:00 pm	Founders Building Milestone Ceremony (invitation only)
4:00 - 8:00 pm	Registration (Jindal School of Management (JSOM) - Davidson Atrium)
6:00 - 7:00 pm	Welcome Reception (Jindal School of Management (JSOM) - Atrium)
7:15 - 9:00 pm	Opening Ceremony (Davidson Auditorium- JSOM 1.118) Welcome Remarks: Dr. Kelli Palmer, Fall Meeting Chair, Dr. Stephen Spiro, Fall Meeting Co-Chair, and Dr. Ali Azghani, ASM- Texas Branch President Opening Presentation: Dr. Lawrence Reitzer Professor, Biological Sciences The University of Texas at Dallas A Brief History of DNA Repair and the Contribution of UTD Faculty and Students Opening Keynote: Dr. Ryland Young Professor and Director of the Center for Phage Technology Texas A&M University Dynamic Membrane Topology in the Regulation of Phage Lysis

Friday, November 11, 2016

7:00 am – 12:00 pm	Registration (Visitors Center Atrium)
7:00 - 7:45 am	Breakfast (Visitors Center Atrium)
7:00 am – 12:00 pm	Poster Session - Setup (Visitors Center Atrium)
8:00 - 9:30 am	O.B. Williams Award- Oral Presentations in General Microbiology (JSOM 1.107) Session Chair: Bob McLean, Texas State University
8:00 am	Starla Thornhill – Texas State University Cadmium Ion Inhibition of Quorum Signaling and Biofilm Formation in Chromobacterium violaceum
8:15 am	Coreen Slape – The University of Texas at Dallas Regulation of Denitrification in Sinorhizobium meliloti Under Aerobic Conditions
8:30 am	Erick LeBrun – Baylor University The effects of Pre-processing Parameters and Hierarchical Groupings on Statistical Findings in 16S rRNA Data
8:45 am	Hannah Johnson – Sam Houston State University Analysis of Gold Tolerance in Rhodobacter sphaeroides
9:00 am	Lee Pinnell – Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi Bacterial Response to Plastic in a Lagoonal Estuary
9:15 am	Seifeddine Ben Tekaya – Texas State University SybrGreen and Taqman-based qPCR Approaches Allow to Assess Abundance and Relative Distribution of Frankia Clusters in Soils
8:00 - 9:30 am	S.E. Sulkin Oral Presentations in Medical Microbiology (JSOM 1.117) Session Chair: Manish Kumar, Texas State University
8:00 am	Brittany Barreto - Baylor College of Medicine Small RNA GcvB Promotes Mutagenic Break Repair by Opposing the Membrane Stress Response
8:15 am	Dawn M .F. Burns - Sam Houston State University Does Age Effect Salmonella enterica Induced Mortality in Caenorhabditis elegans?
8:30 am	Mattea Allert – The University of Texas at Tyler Examining the microbiomes of two sympatric ants, Trachymyrmex septentrionalis and T. turrifex
8:45 am	Tetiana Hutchison – Southern Methodist University The HTLV-1 latency-maintenance factor p30ll drives aberrant lymphoproliferation and mitochondrial antioxidant-signaling during viral carcinogenesis
9:00 am	Pooja Bhardwaj – The University of Texas at Dallas Chlorhexidine Exposure Impacts Antibiotic Resistance in Enterococcus faecium
9:15 am	Sathyanarayana Sridhar – The University of Texas at Dallas The Effect of Oral Microbiota on the Surface of Dental Implants
9:30 am – 10:00 am	Goldschmidt Lecture (Davidson Auditorium- JSOM 1.118) Session Chair: Dr. Heidi Kaplan, Univ. of Texas Health Sciences Center - Houston 2016-2017 Eugene and Millicent Goldschmidt Award Recipient Naomi Bier – University of Texas Health Sciences Center - Houston The influence of a sugar import system on a virulence regulator in Bacillus anthracis
10:00 am – 10:30 pm	Coffee Break (JSOM Atrium)
10:30 am - 12:00 pm	Faculty/ Postdoctoral Fellow Oral Presentations (JSOM 1.107) Session Chair: Debbie Threadgill, Texas A&M University
10:30 am	K Begum - University of Houston Incidence of CRISPR1-Cas1 and Vancomycin Resistant Genes in Clinical, Animal and Environmental Enterococci
10:45am	Greg Palmer – The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin Freshman Research Initiative: Antibiotics Discovery and Function Stream
11:00 am	Dana Blackburn - Texas A&M University Adherence and Invasion of the Oral Pathogen Campylobacter rectus
11:15 am	Nick Sanford - Texas Tech University Microbiota is a Primary Cause of Pathogenesis in Chronic Wounds
11:30 am	MJ Alam - University of Houston Prevalence and Ribotype Diversity of Toxigenic Clostridium difficile in Animals
11:45 am	Qi Zheng - Texas A&M University The Mutation Frequency May Mislead
10:30 am - 12:00 pm	Undergraduate Student Oral Presentations (JSOM 1.117) Session Chair: Daiyuan (Daisy) Zhang, Del Mar College
10:30 am	Brittany Stewart - Tarleton State University Role of HTLV-1 HBZ Cysteine Residues in Virus Replication
10:45 am	Karthik Hullahalli - The University of Texas at Dallas Exploiting Antibiotic Selection and CRISPR-Cas to Alter Enterococcal Population Structure
11:00 am	Khang Ho – The University of Texas at Dallas Characterization of phiNPV1, a phage with activity against Enterococcus faecalis
11:15 am	Luke Pickerill – The University of Texas at Austin The co-culturing of Streptomyces and its effect on antibiotic production
11:30 am	Quentin DiPasquale - Texas State University Isolation and Characterization of Freshwater Bacteria by Microgravity Enrichment
11:45 am	Tianeaka Moss - University of North Texas Bioinformatic Analysis of Streptomyces Bacteriophage Immanuel3
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm	Lunch (Visitors Center Atrium)
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Vendor Exhibition (Visitors Center Atrium)
1:00 - 3:00 pm	Poster Session (Visitors Center Atrium) Undergraduate Poster Session Presentations Victoria Adeniran – Sam Houston State University The effects of the chemotherapy drug KP1019 on Chlamydomonas Wanji Banda – Sam Houston State University UV Damage and Repair in a RecA knockout strain of Rhodobacter sphaeroides Madeline Bush – Texas Christian University Role of the ClpXP protease in antibiotic resistance in B. anthracis and S. aureus Heather L. Deel – Sam Houston State University A Study of Bacterial Composition During Human Cadaver Decomposition in Southeast Texas Alexia Farmer – Sam Houston State University Evolution of Aurora kinase gene family Shawna Gallegos – Texas Tech University The Competitive Nature of Polymicrobial Interactions in Biofilms Phuong Ho – University of Houston- Downtown Mechanisms That Regulate Herpesvirus Latency and Reactivation Claudia Jarillo - Sam Houston State University Chromosomal Replication-Related Gene Organization in Rhodobacter s phaeroides Nevada King – The University of Texas at Tyler Microbial Hg Methylation in Caddo Lake Christina Koo – The University of Texas at Arlington Identification and verification of housekeeping genes in nitrogen-fixing bacteria Bradyrhizobium japonicum Annie Kwok – Baylor University Antibiotic resistant bacteria in an urban freshwater ecosystem in central Texas Lorie Leyva – Del Mar College Membrane Protein Enhancement of Escherichia coli Using Multiple Plasmids for Production of Isopentenol Cullen W. Lyles – Sam Houston State University A Study of Shifting Bacterial Communities during Human Cadaver Decomposition in Southeast Texas: A Comparison of Burnt versus Non-Burnt Cadavers Megan McCurry – Rice University Experimental Evolution of a Panel of Gram-Positive Bacteria Determines Mechanism of Action of a Novel Antibiotic Blake C. Munoz – Sam Houston State University Succession of soil bacterial communities during human cadaver decomposition in southeast Texas Milimar Murillo – University of Houston- Downtown Chromosomal Replication-Related Gene Organization in Rhodobacter sphaeroides Daniel Nasr – Del Mar College Development of new methods for the isolation of Enterococcus faecalis bacteriophage from the marine environment Sara Ping – The University of Texas at Dallas Determining the prevalence of vancomycin resistant enterococci in routine fecal surveillance cultures Abhishek Potdar- Sam Houston State University Chromosomal Replication-Related Gene Organization in Rhodobacter s phaeroides Reavelyn M. Pray – Del Mar College Influence of Sedimentary Microbial Communities on the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone Peterhao T. Quach – Sam Houston State University Determining Antimicrobial Resistance Genotype of Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg Isolated from Human Patients Amber Siembida – Del Mar College Study of Bacterial Transfer from Exotic Ranch to Live Stock Farm in South Texas Rebeccas A. Vaughn – Sam Houston State University Potential negative effect of antibiotic on intestinal motility Emily N. Williams – Texas Christian University The Effect of Hepatitis C Virus Non-Structural Protein NS5A on Antiviral Gene Expression Aaron V. Cristan – Del Mar College Marine Algal Parasite Hunting: Oomycete and Chytrids Detection in Marine Environments, Classification and Sequencing Graduate Poster Session Presentations Hessah Alzaid – University of North Texas Isolation and Bioinformatics Characterization of Three Novel Bacteriophage from Streptomyces toxytricini Nymisha Avadhanam – The University of Texas at Dallas Control of Iron Regulation and Uptake by Quorum Sensing in Sinorhizobium meliloti Matthew Breuer – Sam Houston State University Potential Programmed Cell Death Genes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Zechariah Carroll – Sam Houston State University Seasonal differences in microbial succession during decomposition in southeast Texas Celso Catumbela – Sam Houston State University Effects of Metacaspase-I Knockout During Heat-Stress Induced Programmed Cell Death in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Jonathan Cisneros – The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley Zika Virus Elicits the Exposure of Phosphatidylserine as a Consequence of Viral Infectio Derek Draper – The University of Texas at Tyler Cloning and Expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Elastase in E. coli for Examining Inflammatory Response of Lung Tissue Derek Fleming – Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Glycoside Hydrolases Degrade Polymicrobial Bacterial Biofilms in Wounds Elaine Fowler – Stephen F Austin State University Assessment and Characterization of Microbial Communities in Salt Affected Soil on Galveston Island Subash Ghimire - Sam Houston State University Examining lifespan and aging of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in different growth conditions Tetiana Hutchison – Southern Methodist University The HTLV-1 latency-maintenance factor p30ll drives aberrant lymphoproliferation and mitochondrial antioxidant-signaling during viral carcinogenesis Mehul Jani– University of North Texas Deciphering pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance islands in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus genomes through gene clustering Vidyalakshmi Jayaraman – The University of Texas at Dallas Anti-bacterial efficacy of gentamycin loaded composite bone cements for prophylaxis in prosthetic joint infection Xianli Jiang – The University of Texas at Dallas Partner Specificity among bacterial two-component system proteins predicted by coevolutionary energies Luke R. Joyce – The University of Texas at Dallas Genome defense systems in Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus oralis infective endocarditis isolates. Prapti Mody – Texas Woman’s University Murine cytomegalovirus increases markers of neurodegeneration in cell culture Caroline Obkirchner – Sam Houston State University Analysis of Heavy-Metal Related Genes in Bacteria Caitlin Older – Texas A&M University Evaluating the effect of breed and environment on the feline cutaneous microbiota Ravi S. Pandey – University of North Texas Towards More Robust Metagenomic Profiling Valerie J. Price – The University of Texas at Dallas Plasmid maintenance results in CRISPR memory loss in E. faecalis Maura Purcell – The University of Texas at Tyler Impacts of Grazing Land Management on the Production and Sequestration of Methane by Soil Microbial Communities Deepthi Ramesh – The University of Texas at Dallas Detoxification of titanium dental implants: evaluation of surface and cell toxicity Tasnuva Rashid – UT – Health School of Public Health Evaluation of a ultraviolet shoe sole microbial decontamination device to reduce Enterococcus contamination Swastika Raut – Baylor University Historic CO2 gradient alters microbial diversity and community composition in a grassland ecosystem Marinelle Rodrigues – The University of Texas at Dallas An rnc-independent orphan Type-II CRISPR system in Enterococcus faecalis Pavan P.K. Sandhu – The University of Texas at Dallas Design of Multifunctional Coatings For Zirconia Dental Implant Applications Sushmita Sudarshan – The University of Texas at Dallas Role of glucose metabolism in swarming motility of Escherichia coli. Jacquelyn K. Vasquez – Sam Houston State University A Study of Shifting Bacterial Communities during Human Cadaver Decomposition in Southeast Texas: A Male and Female Comparison Hannah Zhao – Texas Tech University Metagenomic analysis sheds more light into the roles of obligate anaerobes in necrotizing soft tissue infections Rafael Deliz-Aguirre – Texas A&M International University Phylogenetic analysis of Mollicutes species: New insights into the evolution of minimal pathogenic bacteria Dorothy Madamba – Sam Houston State University The effect of Ignatzschineria (Gammaproteobacteria; Xanthomonadales) on the rate of decomposition Faculty Poster Session Presentations Manish Kumar – Texas State University Expression and purification of two peptide deformylase from C. difficile in E. coli for in vitro assays Debbie Threadgill – Texas A&M University Campylobacter jejuni pathogenesis
3:00 - 3:30 pm	Poster Session - Breakdown (All Posters Must Be Cleared During This Time)
3:00 – 5:00 pm	Pathogens and Pharmaceuticals (Davidson Auditorium- JSOM 1.118) Session Chair: Dr. Stephen Spiro, The University of Texas at Dallas
3:00 pm	Dr. Breck Duerkop – The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Enterococcal Bacteriophage Resistance and Implications to Phage Therapy
3:30 pm	Dr. Anne-Marie Krachler – The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston Targeting Bacterial Adherence Inhibits Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection Following Burn Injury
4:00 pm	Dr. Tiffany Reese – The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Mechanisms That Regulate Herpesvirus Latency and Reactivation
4:30 pm	Elaine Hamm - Accele Biopharma Commercializing Science and How to Avoid Ugly Babies
3:00 - 5:00 pm	Microbiome Research (JSOM 1.117) Session Chair: Dr. Kelli Palmer, The University of Texas at Dallas
3:00 - 5:00 pm	Microbiome Research (JSOM 1.117) Session Chair: Dr. Kelli Palmer, The University of Texas at Dallas
3:00 pm	Dr. Aline Rodrigues Hoffman – Texas A&M University The Skin Microbiome: The Invisible Jungle Inhabiting the Skin of People and their Companion Animals
3:30 pm	Dr. Krithivasan Sankaranarayanan - University of Oklahoma Patterns of variation in the oral and gut microbiomes across diverse human populations
4:00 pm	Dr. Sebastian Winter – The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Food from the Fire: Bacterial Metabolism in the Inflamed Intestine
4:30 pm	Dr. Marvin Whiteley- The University of Texas at Austin Probing Bacterial Social Behaviors During Polymicrobial Infection
5:00 - 5:30 pm	Fall Presentations Awards Ceremony (Davidson Auditorium- JSOM 1.118)
5:30 - 7:00 pm	75th Anniversary Celebration (ATC Lobby)
7:00 - 8:00 pm	Welcome Remarks: Dr. Kelli Palmer, Fall Meeting Chair and Dr. Ali Azghani, ASM- Texas Branch President ASM Distinguished Lecture Presents: Dr. Tara Smith Associate Professor Kent State University College of Public Health Zika and Ebola – Why We’ll Always Have Pandemics (ATC Auditorium, 1.102)

Saturday, November 12, 2016

8:00 - 9:00 am	Breakfast (Visitors Center Atrium)
9:15 - 10:25 am	Education Keynote: Dr. Carla Easter Chief, Education and Community Involvement Branch National Human Genome Research Institute Human Genome Project and Beyond (T.I. Auditorium- Erik Johnson School of Engineering-South, ECSS 2.102)
10:30 - 12:00 pm	Microbiology Education (ECSS 2.412) Session Chair: Dr. Deb Scheiwe, Tarrant County Community College
10:30 am	Dr. Heidi Kaplan – University of Texas Health Sciences Center - Houston Developing a Successful Microbiology Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Our 11-year Experience at McGovern Medical School UT-Houston
11:00 am	Dr. Todd Primm – Sam Houston State University Everything Looks Like a Nail: Expanding Your Teaching Tool Kit with Active Learning Methods
11:30 am	Dr. Robert Bauman - Amarillo College Using Open-Ended Problems to Enhance Undergraduate Learning in Microbiology
10:30 am - 12:00 pm	Host/Microbe Interactions (ECSS 2.415) Session Chair: Dr. Juan Gonzalez, University of Texas at Dallas
10:30 am	Dr. Junqi Song – Texas A&M University - Dallas The Interplay between DNA Damage and Plant Immune Responses
11:00 am	Dr. Jenny Hyde - University of Texas Health Sciences Center - Houston Characterization of B. burgdorferi Temporal and Spatial Gene Expression Gene Expression During Experimental Infection
11:30 am	Dr. Andrew Y. Koh - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Augmenting Gut Immune Effectors to Modulate Candida albicans Gastrointestinal Colonization and Dissemination
12:00 - 12:15 pm	Closing remarks (Dual Closing Remarks Sessions by Designated Chairs)