Community of Scholars

The "Community of Scholars Seminar Series" is a series of interdisciplinary research talks held each spring on campus.  The seminars offer opportunities for Ohio State Marion students and faculty to deliver professional talks on their research or other academic activities. One aim of the seminar series is to foster an atmosphere of collegiality and interdisciplinary discussions on topics of interest to faculty and students. In addition, the seminars are an opportunity for interested students to learn about the research process from peers and so students are particularly encouraged to attend.

Our next Community of Scholars Seminar

Mon., April 14, 12:30 p.m., (Science and Engineering Building, Room 205) 
Lillian Schneider, "Computational Study of Cannabinoid Receptors CB1 and CB2"

About the presentation:  Marijuana has been used both recreationally and therapeutically, including to alleviate cancer symptoms. The plant produces several interesting compounds, including the psychoactive D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the structurally similar cannabidiol (CBD) which have also been chemically extracted from the plant and administered in pure form. THC and CBD interact with receptors within the cannabinoid system, the major ones being cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2). Both are seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). This report used the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancers (COSMIC) to map and analyze mutations arising in CB1 and CB2. Identified were several hotspot mutations in both CB1 and CB2. In silico 3-D structure protein analysis reveals that these hotspots cluster on the intracellular regions of the cannabinoid receptors and certain residues may be likely to destabilize the interaction with the G-alpha protein. Our analysis identifies two CB1 residues 
(R336 and M337) that are most likely to interact with G-alpha. Docking analysis reveals that hotspot substitution mutations at these two positions may affect G-alpha binding. Hotspot mutations in CB2 were not predicted to be as potentially destabilizing as those identified for CB1. Our data suggest that CB1 and CB2 mutations acquired during cancer development may impact the therapeutic effectiveness of cannabinoids. An additional study composed of molecular cross docking between CB1, CB2, and glucagon-like peptide type 1-receptor (GLP-1R) ligands was conducted. Like CB1 and CB2, GLP-1R is a GPCR. Due to the structural similarity and recent rise in cannabis use as well as GLP-1R targeted weight loss drugs, this study aimed to identify potential linkage between the systems. Results indicated that danuglipron, a small GLP[1]1R agonist, had a higher binding affinity for CB1 and CB2 when compared to cannabinoid ligands.
 

Spring 2025 Seminar Speakers Schedule

Mon.,  Jan. 27, 12:30 p.m., (Morrill Hall, Room 160) 
Justin North, "The History of the Council of Jewish Women of Marion" 

About the presentation:  North will be discussing the Council of Jewish Women. The council was created in 1885 and ended in 1954 when they merged with the Temple Israel Sisterhood. During their time as a council, they were a member of the broader National Council of Jewish Women, which still exists to this day. The council also did much community work for the local children and to the liberated people of Europe during World War II. The Council of Jewish Women, Marion did much for the community.  By the end of the 1940's, the council was more focused on working with the temple congregation as the Temple Israel in Marion was in the process of being developed. As the council moved to become more local, this is when they made the decision to leave the national council and form the sisterhood.  
 

Tue., Feb. 4, (Science and Engineering Building, Room 205) 
Majd Al-Marrawi, "Structural analysis of DNA damage repair mutations in human cancers" 

About the presentation:  Yeast is a single cellular organism with cellular physiology similar to human cells. Basic principles of cellular biology can be studied in yeast and extrapolated to human disease. This study examines structural conservation between human and yeast DNA damage proteins. Using in silico modeling methods we show a remarkable conservation of structure and by extension, function, of two key proteins involved in repair of chromosome breaks (PRMT5 and RUVBL1). The functions of these proteins are to prepare the breaks for repair and mutations have been shown to cause improper repair and genomic instability, hallmarks of cancer cells. We also use artificial intelligence algorithms that predict how likely mutations in these genes are to promote cancer and will present and discuss these data. This study highlights the value of simple organisms such as yeast as a models for human DNA repair processes and offers new insights into mechanisms underlying cancer development. 

Majd Al-Marrawi is a neuroscience undergraduate researcher at The Ohio State University, investigating the molecular mechanisms of cancer-related mutations in protein complexes.

Tue., Feb. 11, 12:30 p.m., (Morrill Hall, Room 160) 
Sharon Gattshall, "Without a Voice, The Trial of Bill Anderson and His Fight for Freedom at the Birth of the Civil Rights Movement in Marion, Ohio 1839"

About the presentation:  In 1839 Bill Anderson a runaway slave traveled to Marion, Ohio and asserted that he was a free man. Before long, men from Virginia came to capture Bill and return him to slavery. But the Black Laws of Ohio required a court trial for Bill to prove his ownership. Over 150 people came to Marion to hear the trial, and a surprising verdict set off a mob riot in the streets of Marion. Most people in Marion have not heard of this important event that happened at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, as this history was lost to a small plaque at the Marion Courthouse, with inaccurate facts.  This new research focuses on Bill Anderson life, his perspective, his power, and influence, and provides new insight into the role of Ohio Black communities in its support of the Underground Railroad, the intense debates among Ohioans over their Black Laws, growing influence of abolitionism, and the problematic ways that later historians interpreted this event as an example of white heroism. Sharon Gattshall is an academic advisor at The Ohio State University at Marion who has earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in higher education. She continues to take courses to continue learning and will earn a second bachelor’s degree in history soon.

Wed., Feb. 19, 12:30 p.m., (Morrill Hall, Room 125) 
Micah Harris, "Crawford County War Trophies: Experiencing Public History"

About the presentation:  In the summer of 2024, history student Micah Harris served at the Galion History Center as a public history intern. During his time there Harris worked alongside locals, adjacent to the organization, to learn more about the responsibilities of a museum curator. A significant portion of the internship focused solely on studying Crawford county WWII veterans and the items they brought home with them. Artifacts from the terrors of Nazi Germany to the Empire of the Rising Sun will be featured. Encounters with the stories behind each and every artifact he uncovered in Galion with will be explored. Most importantly, however, you will learn the logistics that go into preserving and organizing the fantastic collection that house them. 

Wed., Feb 26, 12:30 p.m., (Morrill Hall, Room 160) 
Dallas White, "To Give It All For The War: The Women of Marion, Ohio and the World War Two Homefront., 1941-1945"

About the presentation:  This project examines the various ways women in Marion, Ohio sacrificed parts of their identity and lives while supporting the government call to support World War Two. Based on the archives of the Marion Women's Club and articles from the Marion Star newspaper, I explore how women sacrificed their sense of safety and their sense of comfort during the war years. I also explore how their traditional place in society as private homemaker was sacrificed and transformed as they were asked to take on more public leadership positions in war volunteer efforts. This study particularly focuses on the unpaid volunteer efforts performed by women in this era, instead of paid factory work, as women's public volunteerism and civic work during World War II has been understudied by historians of American women.

Thu., March 6, (Science and Engineering Building, Room 205) 
Anna Valentine, "Identification and characterization of ADAR1 mutations and changes in gene expression in human cancers"

About the presentation: In addition to accumulation of mutation, dysregulation of gene expression also drives cancers. Gene expression constitutes mRNA production (transcription) and protein production (translation). However, once mRNA is transcribed, it is not immediately ready for translation. It has to be processed into mature mRNA through a series of editing steps which include splicing as well as other sequence alterations. ADAR1 is an enzyme involved in RNA sequence editing, and its mutations are found in various cancers, though its role in tumor formation remains unclear. Using cancer genome databases, we identified frequent mutations in this gene, including one at position 767 (R767), which likely destabilizes ADAR1’s interaction with its RNA target. Other analyses show that ADAR1 protein levels in the cellaffect BLCAP levels, a tumor suppressor. This suggest that ADAR1 directly regulates BLCAP.Genetic interaction analysis suggests that when ADAR1 is impaired BLCAP as well as to other suppressor genes become essential for cancer cell survival. This study highlights the importance of proper mRNA editing in human cells and how dysregulation of this function can cause cancer.

Thu., March 20, 12:30 p.m., (Science and Engineering Building, Room 205) 
Hunter Bliss, "Genetic Interactions with DNA Double-Strand Break Repair Genes"

About the presentation:  This presentation will explore PRMT5’s role in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair and its implications for cancer therapy. A pan-cancer analysis of 27 key DSB repair genes, including BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, and ATR, identified frequent co-mutations involving PRMT5, particularly in cancers with high mutation burdens. Notably, PRMT5 mutations negatively interact with KAT5, a gene essential for chromosome remodeling in homologous recombination (HR). These findings suggest that PRMT5 plays a critical role in DNA repair and could be a potential therapeutic target, especially in cancers with KAT5 deficiencies.

Mon., March 24, 12:30 p.m., (Science and Engineering Building, Room 205) 
Computer science and engineering major, Abraham Mussie, 
"Advancing Image Segmentation with Deep Learning: From Butterfly Datasets to Medical Imaging"

About the presentation:  Segmentation is a fundamental technique in image processing, used to partition an image into meaningful regions for analysis. This method is widely applied in various fields, from medical imaging to computer vision tasks like object detection, tumor segmentation, etc.  This talk will focus on the use of U-Net, a deep learning model, for image segmentation. By applying U-Net to the Butterfly dataset, the talk will demonstrate its ability to extract key features and identify regions of interest, showcasing the versatility of segmentation techniques across different domains.

Authors: Abraham Mussie, Golrokh Mirzaei (advisor).

Wed., April 2, 12:30 p.m., (Science and Engineering Building, Room 205) 
Kiersten Dailey, "Investigation of crossover between cannabinoid receptors and GLP1R" 

About the presentation:  GLP1R has become a target of interest for weight loss drugs. At the same time, as the legalization of cannabis becomes more widespread, cannabinoids THC and CBD have become products of interest, as well. Interestingly, both GLP1R and the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) belong to the larger family of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). The scientific literature has already proposed links between these two systems, however their association with one another has not been well studied. Our work involved developing a library of ligands that have been shown to associate with either the CBs or GLP1R and perform molecular docking experiments across the three proteins. By using a high-throughput approach, we can begin to understand how ligands thought to target one of these proteins may also interact with another and vice versa.

Mon., April 14, 12:30 p.m., (Science and Engineering Building, Room 205) 
Lillian Schneider, "Computational Study of Cannabinoid Receptors CB1 and CB2"

About the presentation:  Marijuana has been used both recreationally and therapeutically, including to alleviate cancer symptoms. The plant produces several interesting compounds, including the psychoactive D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the structurally similar cannabidiol (CBD) which have also been chemically extracted from the plant and administered in pure form. THC and CBD interact with receptors within the cannabinoid system, the major ones being cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2). Both are seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). This report used the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancers (COSMIC) to map and analyze mutations arising in CB1 and CB2. Identified were several hotspot mutations in both CB1 and CB2. In silico 3-D structure protein analysis reveals that these hotspots cluster on the intracellular regions of the cannabinoid receptors and certain residues may be likely to destabilize the interaction with the G-alpha protein. Our analysis identifies two CB1 residues 
(R336 and M337) that are most likely to interact with G-alpha. Docking analysis reveals that hotspot substitution mutations at these two positions may affect G-alpha binding. Hotspot mutations in CB2 were not predicted to be as potentially destabilizing as those identified for CB1. Our data suggest that CB1 and CB2 mutations acquired during cancer development may impact the therapeutic effectiveness of cannabinoids. An additional study composed of molecular cross docking between CB1, CB2, and glucagon-like peptide type 1-receptor (GLP-1R) ligands was conducted. Like CB1 and CB2, GLP-1R is a GPCR. Due to the structural similarity and recent rise in cannabis use as well as GLP-1R targeted weight loss drugs, this study aimed to identify potential linkage between the systems. Results indicated that danuglipron, a small GLP[1]1R agonist, had a higher binding affinity for CB1 and CB2 when compared to cannabinoid ligands.