Course ID: SCRM 580
Title: SCRM External Speaker Seminar Series (2
units)
Fall/Spring - Tuesday, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Location: BCC 1st Floor Conference Room
Instructor: Rong Lu
Office: BCC 306
Office Hours: Tuesday 10:00–11:00 a.m.
Contact Info: ronglu@usc.edu, 323-442-0169
Course Description
Students will read and discuss with faculty guidance one or two recent papers by the Tuesday speaker of
the week, and then attend the noon seminar.
Learning Objectives
The purpose of this course is to give students the opportunity to explore and discuss in detail the recent
scientific accomplishments of weekly invited external speakers. Students will gain experience in reviewing
and presenting data from the scientific literature, and will acquire a better knowledge base by which to
appreciate the material presented in the seminar.
Prerequisite(s): None.
Co-Requisite (s): None.
Concurrent Enrollment: None.
Recommended Preparation: None.
Course Notes
None.
Technological Proficiency and Hardware/Software Required
Not applicable.
Required Readings and Supplementary Materials
1–2 recent papers authored by the weekly speaker will be assigned for student reading the week before
each seminar.
Description and Assessment of Assignments
During the 11 a.m.–noon hour, students will present, on a rotating basis, a detailed summary and analysis
of the assigned papers. All students are expected to have read the assigned papers in advance of each class
meeting and to engage in active discussion of the work. Critical elements that should be discussed by the
presenter include: the background (context) and logic of the study, the methodology used, key conclusions
reached, and any perceived deficiencies or unanswered issues. The presenting student will be graded on
their inclusion of these critical elements in their presentation, the clarity of the presentation, and their
understanding of the work (as manifested by their ability to answer questions from other students and
from the faculty moderator). Non-presenting students will be graded on their participation in discussion. All
students will then attend the noon seminar by the speaker.
Grading Breakdown
Assignment
Presentation
Participation
Total
% of grade
85%
15%
100%
Assignment Submission Policy
The schedule for presentations will be assigned at the beginning of the semester. Papers for reading and
discussion will be assigned at least one week in advance of each class meeting.
Additional Policies
Absence for more than three class meetings and seminars without instructor approval will result in a failing
grade.
Course Schedule: A Weekly Breakdown
Because the speakers will change from week to week and year to year, the following list of seminars
during the 2013–14 academic year is provided as an example of the type and diversity of the speakers
who give presentations. Upcoming Tuesdays without listed speakers as of the date of submission of this
syllabus (Jan. 28, 2014) are awaiting final confirmation by the visiting speaker.
Date
Speaker
Speaker Institution
Seminar Title (if available)
Student
presentation about
recent Chin-Lin Guo
papers; Chin-Lin
Guo seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Henk Roelink
papers; Henk
Roelink seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Alexei Aravin
papers; Alexei
Aravin seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Dennis Clegg
papers; Dennis
Clegg seminar
Caltech
Mechanics-driven Self-organization in Tissue-scale
Tubulogenesis
UCB
Responding to Shh in the absence of Ptch1
Caltech
Small RNAs fighting genomic invaders: from bacteria to
metazoa
UCSB
From stem cells to retinal cells and back again: Cellular
therapy for age-related macular degeneration
2013
Tuesday,
September 3
Tuesday,
September 10
Tuesday,
September 17
Tuesday,
September 24
Syllabus for SCRM-580, Page 2 of 7
Tuesday,
October 1
Student
presentation about
recent Philipp Kaldis
papers; Philipp
Kaldis seminar
IMCB, Singapore
Cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) regulate the balance
between symmetric and asymmetric divisions in neural
stem cells
Student
presentation about
recent Andrew
Brack papers;
Andrew Brack
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Su Guo
papers; Su Guo
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Richard
Harland papers;
Richard Harland
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Ralph
Marcucio papers;
Ralph Marcucio
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Jody
Rosenblatt papers;
Jody Rosenblatt
seminar
MGH-Harvard
Muscle stem cell self-renewal and aging
UCSF
Regulation of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation
UCB
When genomes collide, a domineering subgenome after
allotetraploidy in Xenopus laevis
UCSF
Development and Regeneration of the Skeleton
University of Utah
Epithelial apoptosis: death by extrusion
Student
presentation about
recent Gordon
Keller papers;
Gordon Keller
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Yadong
Huang papers;
Yadong Huang
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent HFSP Group
papers; HFSP Group
seminar
Canada
Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells
UCSF
Modeling Neurodegenerative Diseases and Drug
Screening Using Human iPSC-Derived Neurons
Tuesday,
October 8
Tuesday,
October 15
Tuesday,
October 22
Tuesday,
October 29
Tuesday,
November 5
Tuesday,
November 12
Tuesday,
November 19
Tuesday,
November 26
Tuesday,
December 3
Tuesday,
December 10
Syllabus for SCRM-580, Page 3 of 7
Tuesday,
December 17
Student
presentation about
recent Ellis Meng
papers; Ellis Meng
seminar
USC
Implantable Microsystems
Student
presentation about
recent Meelad
Dawlaty papers;
Meelad Dawlaty
seminar
Whitehead Institute
Epigenetic Regulation of Stem Cells and Development by
Tet Enzymes
Student
presentation about
recent Julie
Sneddon papers;
Julie Sneddon
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Laura
Banaszynski papers;
Laura Banaszynski
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Jan
Kitajewski papers;
Jan Kitajewski
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Wenqian Hu
papers; Wenquian
Hu seminar
Harvard
Good Neighbors: Niche-derived Signals in Directed
Differentiation of Pancreatic Beta Cells
Rockefeller
Using Histone Variants to Modify the Epigenetic
Landscape
Columbia
Notch regulates lymphatic development and
lymphangiogenesis
Whitehead Institute
Regulation of Erythropoiesis by Long Noncoding RNAs
and mRNA-binding Proteins
Student
presentation about
recent Michael
Bonaguidi papers;
Michael Bonaguidi
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Yuval
Rinkevich papers;
Yuval Rinkevich
seminar
Johns Hopkins Inst for
Cell Eng
Mechanisms regulating endogenous adult neural stem
cell plasticity: One Cell at a Time
Stanford
Regeneration of Tissues and Organs: From Analysis to
Synthesis
2014
Tuesday,
January 7
Tuesday,
January 14
Tuesday,
January 21
Tuesday,
January 28
Tuesday,
February 4
Wednesday,
Feb 5th
Tuesday,
February 11
Tuesday,
February 18
Tuesday,
February 25
Tuesday,
March 4
Syllabus for SCRM-580, Page 4 of 7
Tuesday,
March 11
Tuesday,
March 18
Tuesday,
March 25
Student
presentation about
recent Tracy
Grikscheit papers;
Tracy Grikscheit
seminar
Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles
Student
presentation about
recent Rajat Rohatgi
papers; Rajat
Rohatgi seminar
Tri-Institution
Retreat
Stanford
Student
presentation about
recent Fabio Triolo
papers; Fabio Triolo
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent John Adams
papers; John Adams
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Songhai Shi
papers; Songhai Shi
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Joe Zhou
papers; Joe Zhou
seminar
University of Texas
Student
presentation about
recent Alex Wong
papers; Alex Wong
seminar
Student
presentation about
recent Valentina
USC-KSOM
Tuesday, April
1
Tuesday, April
8
Tuesday, April
15
Tuesday, April
22
Tuesday, April
29
Tuesday, May
6
Tuesday, May
13
UCLA
Memorial SloanKettering
U Penn
Tuesday, May
20
Tuesday, May
27
Tuesday, June
3
Tuesday, June
10
Tuesday, June
17
Yale
Syllabus for SCRM-580, Page 5 of 7
Greco papers;
Valentina Greco
seminar
Syllabus for SCRM-580, Page 6 of 7
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations
can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to TA) as early in the semester as
possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Website and
contact information for DSP: http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html,
(213) 740-0776 (Phone), (213) 740-6948 (TDD only), (213) 740-8216 (FAX) ability@usc.edu.
Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include
the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be
submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own
academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students
are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook,
(www.usc.edu/scampus or http://scampus.usc.edu) contains the University Student Conduct Code (see
University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A.
Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity in a Crisis
In case of a declared emergency if travel to campus is not feasible, USC executive leadership will announce
an electronic way for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or homes using a combination of
Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technologies.
Syllabus for SCRM-580, Page 7 of 7