Seminar
2026-04-14 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-21 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | 1131 Bioinformatics, 130 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
2026 Spring Seminar Series

27th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research
2026-04-22
27th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research

Date & Time: Wednesday, April 22, 2026, from 12:15–5:30 PM

Location: Alumni Hall at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center

There will be five (5) sequential 50-minute poster sessions, starting at 12:20pm, 1:25 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:35 pm, and 4:40 pm.

Thesis Defense: Matthew Vander Ploeg
2026-04-30 15:00 - 16:00 | 1131 Bioinformatics, 130 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Student: Matthew Vander Ploeg
Defense title “Integrin signaling and platelet migration: mechanistic insights and pathophysiological relevance”.
Bergmeier lab
It will be held at 3:00pm on Thursday April 30, 2026, in Bioinformatics 1131.

Thesis Defense: Sierra Cole (student of Dr. Amy Gladfelter)
2026-05-05 13:00 - 14:00 | Bondurant 2020, 321 S Columbia St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Defense title: “Sequence and structure of protein binding sites in RNA impact biomolecular condensates”

UNC Hooding
2026-05-09 09:00 - 10:30 | Dean E. Smith Center, 300 Skipper Bowles Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
The Graduate School’s Hooding Ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at 9:00 AM. in the Dean E. Smith Center.
Please share your event photos with Carolyn Clabo

Spring Commencement
2026-05-09 19:00 - 20:30
The 2026 Spring Commencement ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Kenan Stadium.
Additional information about 2026 Spring Commencement weekend, including the departmental ceremony schedule, will be released later in the fall semester.

Bagel breakfast
2026-05-13 11:00 - 12:00 | GMB 3rd floor atrium, 120 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States
Spring semester – bagel breakfast series: The bagel breakfast is scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday of every other month during the semester.

All member Town Hall
2026-05-14 12:00 - 13:00
Thursday 12noon in GMB 3007

Wolfenden symposium
2026-05-18 08:30 - 16:00 | Pagano Room, 00-002 Lineberger, 450 West Drive, Chapel Hill, 27599, United States
2-27-2026
Dear Biochemistry & Biophysics and Chemistry Colleagues,

As many of you know, Laurie Betts and I are organizing a symposium honoring the life and work of our late UNC colleague, Dick Wolfenden, one of the great enzymologists and protein scientists.
The symposium will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026, on campus in Bioinformatics 1131.
Luminaries in the fields of proteins and enzymes have agreed to attend, including Dan Herschlag from Stanford, John Richard from SUNY Buffalo, George Rose from Hopkins, and Vern Schramm from Einstein. Each will give a talk in the morning.
The purpose of this message is to invite a selection of current UNC trainees. This is a chance for students and postdocs to absorb several amazing talks in one morning. We already have about 50 folks signed up. Given our budget, we think we can sustain (i.e., provide lunch and coffee for) up to 50 trainees. If you have a student (one or two only, please) who would benefit from these talks please the name(s), email address(es) and your name to our spreadsheet of trainee names.
Laurie and I will send a program in due courses.
Sincerely,
Gary and Laurie
Gary J. Pielak, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished Professor
UNC, Department of Chemistry

UNC School of Medicine Biochemistry and Biophysics, Chemistry Faculty, and our trainees,
There will be a symposium to celebrate the contributions of Richard (Dick) Wolfenden on May 18, 2026. Dick joined the Department in 1970 and was a renowned enzymologist, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and an enormously valued mentor and colleague. He retired in 2018 and passed away recently.
Richard Wolfenden PhD
The one-day event will be on campus in the Pagano Seminar Room of the Lineberger Cancer Center.
More details will come closer to the event. We are grateful to Drs. Gary Pielak and Laurie Betts who co-chair the organizing committee.
Gary Pielak gary_pielak@unc.edu
Laurie Betts laurie.betts0508@gmail.com
Obituary: https://obits.endswellfuneralhome.com/richard-wolfenden You may sign online guest book.

Holiday
2026-05-25
Memorial holiday UNC administrative offices are closed
