Biochemistry and Molecular Biology- Oklahoma State University

Dear All,

Our own Dr. Uma Aryal has hit the big time and scored with NIH R01 funding!

Make sure you say congrats when you see Uma, this is an incredible accomplishment!

Go Dr. Uma Aryal!!!

Best
Dr. G.

The second USDA-NIFA funded Agriculture Microbiome Program (AMP) was held from May 31 through June 5. This year, 24 secondary students and three STEM teachers participated. We were especially pleased to welcome back two students from the inaugural AMP cohort, whose experience and enthusiasm helped mentor and support students new to the program.

I believe the participants had an outstanding experience, and I was incredibly proud of all they accomplished throughout the week.

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Drs. Mattison and Eck for their steady leadership, dedication, and commitment from start to finish. Their efforts were instrumental to the program's success.

I am also grateful to all the OSU faculty leaders for your contributions and participation. Your support and involvement were essential in creating a meaningful and impactful experience for our students.

I would especially like to recognize our undergraduate leaders—Kat, Larkin, Alexis, and Brandon—as well as our graduate AMP student leaders, Lou and Ben. Each demonstrated exceptional talent, professionalism, and leadership both inside and outside the classroom. Their contributions were central to the success of the program and to the positive experience of our participants.

A special thank you goes to Shanelle Casselman in the BMB office and Janet Rogers in the Proteomics and ABI DNA sequencing core facility for their outstanding support and hard work behind the scenes. Their efforts helped ensure that every aspect of the program ran smoothly.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the week was seeing participants fully engage with complex microbiology and molecular biology concepts. Their accomplishments validated the innovative approach we developed and confirmed what we believed was possible when students are challenged and supported in meaningful ways.

Finally, it was a pleasure to have USDA-NIFA-FANE leader Dr. Sallee attend the participant presentations. We greatly appreciate his willingness to spend time with us, support our students, and learn more about the impact of the program.

Thank you all for helping make the second AMP program such a tremendous success.

Best wishes to all!
Dr. G.

Absolutely amazing - measuring gene activity across an entire mouse! Have a read!

‘Milestone’ research method measures gene activity across whole mice New way to analyze frozen tissue slices could reveal bodywide effects of drugs, diseases

The Department enjoyed celebrating the accomplishments of our graduate students, junior faculty, Regents Professor Robert Matts, and Professor and Director Randy Allen. Dr. Matts, known for his expertise in heat shock proteins and protein biochemistry, and Dr. Allen, recognized for his work in plant genetics and molecular biology, have both made invaluable contributions and will be deeply missed. We wish them all the best as they transition to emeriti status and they will always find a home in our Department.

Hanging out with THE Sukesh!!!! Have fun in medical school Sukesh - Conquer it!

Every semester, we celebrate a moment that is both joyful and bittersweet. We watch our students graduate and go on to do amazing things, and while we are incredibly proud of your success, we also feel the loss of your daily presence. Over time, you’ve become much more than students—you’ve become part of our BMB family.
Getting to know each of you has been a privilege, and it’s not something we take lightly when we say that you will truly be missed. You have shaped this community in ways that will continue long after you’ve moved on.
Congratulations to each of you on everything you’ve achieved and all that lies ahead. Please don’t become strangers—your connection to BMB doesn’t end here. You will always have a home with us.

Life without 20 amino acids might be possible? - curiosity-driven research can open up new frontiers!

AI helps create bacterium that’s partially missing a universal amino acid Advance could suggest new ways to synthesize proteins with bespoke functions in medicine and biotechnology

Thank you to our wonderful donors who attended the 2026 Scholarship Banquet: Donna and Edwin Koeppe and Barbara Perkins!

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01226-z

So sad to lose a good one.

Genome pioneer Craig Venter dies: here’s how he transformed science Venter redrew the boundaries of biology — sequencing DNA at unprecedented speed, engineering synthetic life and charting ocean microbes.