LOOKING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION CARL WOESE AND THE NEW BIOLOGY 09.18 – 20, 2015 ALICE CAMPBELL ALUMNI CENTER GO.ILLINOIS.EDU/NEWBIOLOGY #WoeseIGB “ IF I HAVE SEEN FURTHER THAN OTHERS, IT IS BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTI N.” CARL R. WOESE THE CARL R. WOESE INSTITUTE FOR GENOMIC BIOLOGY IS PROUD TO HOST “LOOKING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: CARL WOESE WELCOME AND THE NEW BIOLOGY” TO MARK THE RENAMING OF OUR INSTITUTE. This symposium will highlight not only some of the historical aspects of work on microbiology, evolution and molecular biology as researched by Carl Woese and colleagues, but also some of the most exciting modern research directions that have been inspired or impacted by his work and ideas. We’re excited to have you join us and look forward to engaging with you as we hear from our esteemed presenters over the course of the symposium. WELCOME 3 AGENDA 4 – 9 MAP 8 BEST WISHES, SPEAKERS 10 – 17 The Organizing Committee CARL R. WOESE 20 – 25 WOESE FELLOWSHIP 24 – 25 ISAAC CANN NIGEL GOLDENFELD ARCHAEA TREE ENSEMBLE 26 – 27 IGB OVERVIEW 28 ZAN LUTHEY-SCHULTEN RACHEL WHITAKER SPONSORS 29 WELCOME 3 More about Penny Chisholm on page 10 9 FRIDAY PUBLIC LECTURE 7:30 P.M. “ Tiny Cells, Global Impact: A Journey of Discovery with a Microbe from the Sea” Penny Chisholm 18 Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies 15 Massachusetts Institute of Technology AGENDA FRIDAY AGENDA 5 BREAKFAST OPENING REMARKS SESSION 1: EVOLUTION AND THE TREE OF LIFE SESSION CHAIR: ZAN LUTHEY-SCHULTEN BREAK 7:30 A.M. 8:30 A.M. 8:45 - 9:20 A.M. 9:20 – 9:55 A.M. 9:55 – 10:30 A.M. 10:30 – 10:45 A.M. Peter Schiffer “ Pushing the Limits of Diversity “ Phylogenomics and the “ The Alien-Looking Codon Vice Chancellor for Through the Lens of Woese” Tree of Life: Progress Usages of Recently Acquired Research and Challenges” Genes Are Not Alien” University of Illinois Mitch Sogin Simonetta Gribaldo Gary Olsen Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry Department Department of Microbiology of Microbiology Brown University Biocomplexity Theme, Carl R. Woese Institut Pasteur, Institute for Genomic Biology Paris, France University of Illinois SESSION 2: RIBOSOMES AND THE GENETIC CODE SESSION CHAIR: ZAN LUTHEY-SCHULTEN LUNCH 10:45 – 11:20 A.M. 11:20 – 11:55 A.M. 11:55 – 12:30 P.M. 12:30 – 1:30 P.M. 9 “ Ribosome Origins “ Inferring the Complexities of Early Life From Simple Facts— “ Bringing Genome Evolution Into Focus Through and Evolution” A Woeseian Approach to Evolution and Universal Biology” the Lens of CRISPR-Cas” George Fox Nigel Goldenfeld Rachel Whitaker Department of Department of Physics Department of Microbiology Biology and Biochemistry Biocomplexity Theme Leader, Biocomplexity Theme, SATURDAY Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology University of Houston University of Illinois University of Illinois SESSION 3: MICROBES AROUND US SESSION CHAIR: BRUCE FOUKE SESSION 4: MICROBES WITHIN US BREAK 19 1:30 – 2:05 P.M. 2:05 – 2:40 P.M. 2:40 –3:15 P.M. 3:15 – 3:30 P.M. 3:30 – 4:05 P.M. “ A National “ Carl Woese and the Beginnings “ From Illinois to the “From the Human Microbiome Agenda” of Metagenomics” Sea: Novel Microbiome Microbiome Project to the Diversity in Marine Earth Microbiome Project” Jo Handelsman Norman Pace Symbioses” Associate Director for Science Department of Molecular, Rob Knight Colleen Cavanaugh White House Office of Science Cellular and Developmental Biology Departments of Pediatrics and Technology Policy University of Colorado Boulder Department of and Computer Science & Organismic and Engineering Evolutionary Biology University of California, Harvard University San Diego 15 SESSION CHAIR: BRUCE FOUKE BREAK DINNER RECEPTION DINNER PROGRAM 4:05 – 4:40 P.M. 4:40 – 6:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. “ Chromosome Evolution: Looking Carl R. Woese Archaea Tree Ensemble in the Opposite Direction” Institute for Genomic Biology Gene Robinson, Introduction Larry Gold, Dinner Remarks Harris Lewin 1206 W. Gregory Director, Carl R. Woese Department of Molecular, Department of Evolution and Ecology Drive, Urbana Institute for Genomic Biology Cellular and Developmental Biology AGENDA University of California, Davis Department of Entomology University of Illinois University of Colorado Boulder SATURDAY AGENDA 7 GREEN ST ILLINOIS ST BREAKFAST SESSION 5: THE ARCHAEA MATHEWS AVE MATHEWS 7:30 – 8:30 A.M. 8:30 – 9:05 A.M. LINCOLN AVE “Ribosomal RNA: The Kernel of Life” Harry Noller Department of Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology OREGON ST University of California, Santa Cruz GOODWIN AVE NEVADA ST SESSION CHAIR: ISAAC CANN BREAK 9:05 – 9:40 A.M. 9:40 – 10:00 A.M. “ Towards a Computational Model of a Methane W. GREGORY DR Producing Archaeum” 9 Zan Luthey-Schulten Department of Chemistry Biocomplexity Theme, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology SUNDAY University of Illinois SESSION 6: THE FUTURE SESSION CHAIR: ISAAC CANN 10:00 – 10:35 A.M. 10:35 – 11:10 A.M. 20 “ Synthetic Biology: “Inspired by Carl: Exploring the Microbial Life Redesigned” Dynamics Within” WALKING DIRECTIONS Jim Collins Larry Smarr ALICE CAMPBELL ALUMNI CENTER Department of Jacobs School of Engineering, TO CARL R. WOESE IGB Biological Engineering Department of Computer Science 11 MIN Massachusetts Institute and Engineering of Technology University of California, ALICE CAMPBELL ALUMNI CENTER San Diego 601 S LINCOLN AVE, URBANA, IL 61801 Head south on S Lincoln Ave toward W Oregon St DISCUSSION / CLOSING REMARKS LUNCH 0.1 mi Turn right onto W Nevada St 11:10 A.M. 11:30 A.M. 0.2 mi 15 Gene Robinson Turn left onto S Goodwin Ave 0.1 mi Director, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology Turn right onto W Gregory Dr Department of Entomology IGB will be on the right University of Illinois CARL R. WOESE IGB 1206 W GREGORY DR, URBANA, IL 61801 AGENDA MAP 8 SUNDAY AGENDA 9 FRIDAY PUBLIC LECTURE SPEAKERS SATURDAY SESSION 1 FRIDAY PUBLIC LECTURE SATURDAY SESSION 1: EVOLUTION AND THE TREE OF LIFE PENNY CHISHOLM MITCH SOGIN Department of Biology Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Biochemistry Brown University “ Tiny Cells, Global Impact: A Journey of Discovery with a Microbe from the Sea” “ Pushing the Limits of Diversity Through the Lens of Woese” The overarching goal of the Chisholm lab’s research is to advance Sogin combines training in molecular evolution and microbiology to understanding of the ecology and evolution of microbes in the oceans investigate the diversity and evolution of single-cell organisms. Sogin’s and how they influence global biogeochemical cycles. Over the past pioneering use of molecular phylogeny produced the reference framework few decades they have focused attention on the cyanobacterium for understanding the evolution of microbial eukaryotes. He documented Prochlorococcus, which is the smallest and most abundant microbe the earliest diverging eukaryotic lineages, provided the first evidence in ocean ecosystems—sometimes accounting for half of the total of a specific link between animals and fungi to the exclusion of all photosynthetic biomass. This minimal phototroph can create a living cell other eukaryotes, discovered a novel assemblage of heterotrophic and with 1700 genes, sunlight, and inorganic compounds. photosynthetic eukaryotes (the Stramenopiles), and demonstrated that the They are developing Prochlorococcus as a model system for studying AIDS pathogen Pneumocystis shares a recent common evolutionary history life across all spatial scales, from genomes to the biosphere, and across with fungi instead of with parasitic protozoa that cause malaria. evolutionary and daily time scales. Expanding systems biology across these dimensions will help better elucidate the fundamental principles shaping life processes and the biosphere. SIMONETTA GRIBALDO Department of Microbiology Institut Pasteur, Paris, France “ Phylogenomics and the Tree of Life: Progress and Challenges” The Microbial Phylogenomics group explores the biodiversity of microorganisms through phylogenomics approaches. They are particularly interested in reconstructing the evolutionary relationships among organisms at large-taxonomic scale (Order, Phylum, Domain, Tree of Life), highlighting the existence of novel microbial lineages, studying the origin and evolutionary history of key cellular processes, and investigating major transitions in the history of life on our planet. 10 SPEAKERS 11 SPEAKERS SATURDAY SESSIONS 1, 2 & 3 GARY OLSEN he has contributed to the modern understanding of high temperature Department of Microbiology superconductors, to biology, where his current work focuses on Biocomplexity Theme, evolution, microbial ecology and astrobiology. Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology University of Illinois RACHEL WHITAKER “ The Alien-Looking Codon Usages of Recently Department of Microbiology Acquired Genes Are Not Alien” Biocomplexity Theme, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology Olsen’s research focuses on the functions, evolutionary histories and University of Illinois structures of genes and proteins. Mainly based in genomics, there is an additional emphasis on comparative genomics and genome evolution. “ Bringing Genome Evolution Into Focus Through His approach is a combination of experimental work and computational The Lens of CRISPR-Cas” analyses of genomes and proteins. The Whitaker lab focuses on the evolutionary ecology of microbial populations. They combine field sampling of natural populations with SATURDAY SESSION 2: RIBOSOMES