News
July 2023 Hiking around Twin Arches close to Tennessee-Kentucky border.
June 2023 Jaan, Max and Jaana are awarded a NSF grant to study chromosome organization in E. coli.
May 2023 Keegan Dolan joins the lab to do a summer project sponsored by the Physics Department. Welcome!
April 2023 We are having group meeting off the Chromosome Trail in Knoxville Urban Wildreness. Outdoor meetings are more fun!
January 2023 Paper "Using conditional independence tests to elucidate causal links in cell cycle regulation in Escherichia coli" is published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, USA. The paper resulted from collaboration between Ariel Amir's and our group.
December 2022 Arieh Zaritsky, Itzhak Fishov, Vic Norris, Rami Pugatch, Chenli Liu and Jaan organize EMBO workshop "Bacterial cell biophysics: DNA replication, growth, division, size and shape" The workshop takes place in beautiful Ein Gedi at the coast of Dead Sea and is attended by about 100 participants. This is over long time again an in person meeting. The workshop is remembered not just by great talks but by numerous discussion sessions.
November 2022 Mu-Hung and Chat pass their comprehensive examinations one week apart. Congratulations!
August 2022 Paper "Cell cycle-dependent recruitment of FtsN to the divisome in Escherichia coli" led by Jaana is published in mBio. This paper resulted from collaboration with Joe Lutkenhaus group (University of Kansas).
March 2022 Paper "Coupling between DNA replication, segregation, and the onset of constriction in Escherichia coli" led by Sriram is published in Cell Reports. This paper is in collaboration with Ariel Amir Group (Harvard University).
December 2021 Paper from collabrotion with Ariel Amir group (Harvard University) "Distinguishing different modes of growth using single-cell data" is published in eLife. Turns out that E. coli growth is not exponential, as usually assumed, but speeds up in the lates stages of cell cycle.
October 2021 Prof. Hanna Salman from the University of Pittsburgh gives Physics colloquium at UTK.
August 2021 Prof. Max Lavrentovich and graduate student Mu-Hung Chang join our efforts in understanding how chromosomes are packed in a bacterial cells bringing in a rigorous theoretical focus for this research. Welcome!
June 2021 Jaan gives presentations at the EMBO Workshop on Cell Size and Growth Regulation, and ASM Microbe meeting.
May 2021 Jaan, Bernhard Wolfrum (TU Munich), Tetsuhiko Teshima(TU Munich) and Da publish a perspective article "Lab-on-a-chip based mechanical actuators and sensors for single-cell and organoid culture studies" in the Journal of Applied Physics. The article is featured in SciLight News.
March 2021 Prof. Jie Xiao from Johns Hopkins University gives a Physics Colloquim at UTK. Alas, because of ongoing pandemic, the colloquim is virtual.
June 2020 Chathuddasie Amarasinghe (Chat for short) joins the lab. Welcome! She starts out in modeling chromosome organization in bacteria.
March 2020 As scheduled and despite pandemic, Da defends his disseration "Escherichia coli chromosomes in the crowded cellular environment". Since the pandemic has just started the defense is via Zoom. Congratulations, Da!
March 2020 Bryant defends his dissertation "In vivo microscopic studies of FtsZ self-assembly dynamics in Escherichia coli". Bryants defense is also via Zoom. Congatulations, Bryant!
January 2020 Bryants paper is published in Current Biology and Da's paper in Molecular Microbiology. The papers come out just in one day apart. Good job!
January 2020 Hannah Hagewood, a Physics major, joins the lab. Welcome!
January 2020 Jaan presents at Aspen workshop on New Models for Cell Growth
November 2019 Group trip to Mammoth Cave National Park at Kentucky.
Finally everybody is safely out from the cave and back in sunlight ...
Massive cave / empty underwater river goes on miles. Paved section of it. The group has dissapeared into darkness.
October 2019 E-book "The Bacterial Cell: Coupling between Growth, Nucleoid Replication, Cell Division, and Shape, Volume 2 comes out after more than two years of compilation featuring contributions from 18 groups. The book is freely available from here.
September 2019 Mathew Bush majoring in chemical engineering joins the lab. Welcome!
July 2019 Jaan gives presentation in Telluride workshop on Molecular Crowding and seminar at Taltech, Estonia
June 2019 Da and Jaan attend Gordon conference on Chromosome Dynamics in Newry, Maine.
May 2019 Jaana and Jaan visit Arieh's lab at Ben Gurion University at Negev and give each seminars.
Itzhak, Arieh, Mario and Jaan after Jaan's talk. Ben Gurion is overlooking.
Mar. 2019 Dr. Sriram Tiruvadi Krishnan joins the lab as postdoctoral researcher. Welcome!
Feb. 2019 Da and Bryant attend Biophysical Society meeting in Baltimore and give talks on their research.
Jan. 2019 Two teams of VolsTeach students join the lab. One of the teams takes on studying FtsZ dynamics in cell division and the other chromosome compaction during the osmotic shock.
Oct. 2018 Paper by Jaana, Bryant and Jaan on FtsZ regulation in E. coli is accepted to Molecular Microbiology. As it goes, the level of this key protein varies during E. coli cell cycle. The variation is achieved by upregulating FtsZ synthesis in the first half of the cell cycle and by its rapid degradation in the last 10% of the cell cycle. ClpPX protease is reponsible for the degradation.
Sept 2018 Jaan and Jaana are awarded NIH R01 award to study coordination between cell divison and chromosome segragation/replication in E. coli.
July 2018 Arieh and Jaan are awarded US-Israeli Science Foundation grant.
June 2018 Jaan gives presentation at the Radcliffe Insitute in Harvard at Interdisciplinary Seminar on Bacterial Cell Cycle Regulation.
June 2018 Group trip togehter with Max Lavrentovich group to Cherokee Village, North Carolina and to Great Smokey National Park.
Cherokee Village in North Carolina
Hiking Applachian Trail towards Mount Gephart at the border of Tennessee and North Carolina
May 2018 Alexa Kusick joins lab for the summer. Welcome!
April 2018 Paper by Da, Ann, Evalynn, Scott and Jaan on bacterial growth limitations in microfluidic devices is accepted to Frontiers in Microbiology.
Sept 2017 Jaan presents at the Great Wall meeting in Faro, Portugal.
Aug 2017 Dr. Maxim Lavrentovitch joins Department of Physics and Astronomy as Assistant Professor in theoretical biophysics. Welcome! The biophysics faculty in the Department is twice as large now.
Aug 2017 Bryant passes is comprehensive exam. Good job!
May 2017 Hunter Culvert and Tavian Holbrook join the lab for the summer; Tavian as REU student.
April 2017 Dr. Ariel Amir from Harvard University visits and gives Physics Colloquium.
April 2017 Evalynn presents her results at EURECA Symposium.
Evalynn at EURECA Symposium
March 2017 Jaan gives Physics Colloqium at the Western Kentucky University at Bowling Green.
Feb 2017 Paper on large-scale chromosomal movement during E. coli cell division by Jaana, Matthew, Jordan and Jaan is published in PLOS Genetics. Check out how chromosomes move between daughter cells from here.
Feb 2017 Ann starts as a postmaters research associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Jan-May 2017 Two Teams of VolsTeach students join the lab. Vinny, Rosemary and Jonthan model FtsZ treadmilling, and Keith and Robert image this process in an optical microscope.
Jan 2017 BCMB undergrads Tavian & Baker join the lab. Welcome!
Jan 2017 Da passes his comprehensive examination. Well done!
Jan 2017 Arieh, Conrad, Ariel and Jaan launch sequel to Frontiers of Microbiology issue that completed last year. This issue is titled: The Bacterial Cell: Coupling Between Growth and Major Cell Cycle Processes, 2nd Volume
Dec 2016 Ann defends her M. Sc. thesis “Development of Microfluidic Platforms for Studies of Cellular Organization in Escherichia coli”. Congratulations!
Sept 2016 Jaan presents at the Chromosome Organization Workshop at Woods Hole.
Aug 2016 Matthew joins Dr. Amy Gladfelter Lab at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill as a postdoc.
May 2016 Evalynn joins the lab as a new REU student. Welcome!
March 2016 Jaan gives Physics Colloqium at the University of Memphis and seminar at the Ohio State University at Cincinnati.
March 2016 Matthew defends his dissertation "Biophysical Studies of Cell Division Protein Localization Mechanisms in Escherchia coli". Congratulations!
Dr. Bailey and his supporting lab members after the succesful defense
Apr 2016 Branndon presents his research from last summer in EURECA Symposium.
Jan-May 2016 Jeff, Ryan and Sarah from VolsTeach program carry out their computational project on DNA organization in the lab.
Jeff presenting his team's poster and computer simulation
Jan-May 2016 Jordan O'Neill, a BCMB major, joins the lab. Welcome!
Jan 2016 Editorial article by Jaan, Conrad and Arieh is accepted by Frontiers in Microbiology. The whole completed e-book can be found from: Frontiers Website
Dec 2015 Paper by Jaana, Dan, Da, George and Jaan on organization of replication terminus region of E. coli chromosome is accepted in Nucleic Acids Research.
Sept 2015 Dr. Jane Kondev from Brandeis Univeristy visits lab and gives Physics colloquium.
August 2015 Da's manuscript on cell squeezing with microfluidic valves is accepted in Journal of Vaccuum Science and Technology B. The paper is the most read in the journal in Oct. 2015.
Group in Summer 2015
July 2015 Jaan presents at the Chromosome Dynamics Gordon Conference in Waterville Valley.
June 2015 Our user proposal to Oak Ridge Nanofabrication Lab is approved for 2015-16.
May 2015 Branndon joins the lab as REU student. Nathaniel, a fresh graduate from Bearden High School, also joins. Welcome both!
May 2015 Will graduates from Chancellor's honors program with thesis "Positive Regulation of Localization of Cell Division Proteins in Escherichia coli". Congratulations!
April 2015 Jaan and Da present at Electron, Ion and Photon Beam Technology meeting in San Diego.
April 2015 Dr. John Marko from Northwestern University visits lab and gives Physics Colloquium.
Apr 2014 Cynthia presents her work at EURECA Symposium.
March 2015 Jaan and Matthew review article on coordination between chromosome segregation and cell division is accepted in Frontiers in Microbiology.
March 2015 Dr. Arieh Zaritsky and Dr. Conrad Woldringh visit the lab. Conrad gives seminar on his recent work on E. coli chromosome segregation.
Conrad and Arieh near Abrams Falls in Smokey Mountains National Park.
Feb 2015 Matthew attends BPS Annual meeting in Baltimore.
Nov 2014 Jaan visits Dr. Ganhui Lan at George Wahington University.
Oct 2014 Dr. Sean Sun from Johns Hopkins visits lab and gives Physics Colloqium.
Sept 2014 Jaan gives Microbiology colloquium at UTK.
August 2014 Graduate students Anna Jennings and Bryant Walker join the lab. Welcome!
July 2014 Laser upgrade to optical microscope arrives.
Group in Summer 2014
June 2014 Jaan's user proposal to Oak Ridge Nanofabrication Lab is approved.
May 2014 Cynthia Nkem joins the lab as REU student
May 2014 Arieh Zaritsky, Conrad Woldringh and Jaan launch a special topic issue in Frontiers
"The Bacterial Cell: Coupling between Growth, Nucleoid Replication, Cell Division and Shape"
May 2014 Matthew’s paper on division plane localization "Evidence for divisome localization mechanisms independent of the Min system and SlmA in Escherichia coli" is accepted in PLOS Genetics!
May 2014 Group trip to Nanthala River
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Apr 2014 Clayton and Laura present their work from last summer at EURECA Symposium
Apr 2014 Clayton presents work from last summer titled "Development of Microfluidic Chips for Imaging Sub-Cellular Processes in a Bacterial Cell " at MSR 2014 meeting at San Fransisco
Mar 2014 Alex Hill, a microbiology major, joins the lab
Feb 2014 VolsTeach team (Amirah, Daniel, Jill and Lauren) joins the lab to do a project on Gibson Assembly for their Research Methods course
Jan 2014 Dr. Harold Erickson from Duke University visits lab and gives Physics Colloqium
Dec 2013 Jaan and Matthew attend Zing confrence at Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nov 2013 Dr. Arieh Zaritsky from Ben Gurion University, Isreal visits the lab. Arieh gives seminar in BCMB Department.
Oct 2013 UT Office of Research, College of Arts and Sciences, and Physics Department support purchase of lasers to LCB
Aug 2013 Graduate student Da Yang joins the lab
Aug 2013 Jaan is UTK's Quest Scholar of the week
Aug 2013 Dr. Ryan Hefti a fresh Ph. D. from University of North Carolina, Chralotte joins the lab
June 2013 Jaan's user proposal to Oak Ridge Nanofabrication Lab is approved.
May 2013 Iya Stover (laboratory science program), Will Deaderick (microbiology) and Laura Mumley (chemical engineering) join the lab for the summer
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May 2013 Jaan gives a talk, and Clayton and Matthew present a poster at ORNL "2013 Bio-Nano Symposium"
May 2013 Boyd graduates with bachelor degree from microbiology. Congratulations!
Mar 2013 Liam presents his work on TAAPT 2013 meeting at Middle Tennessee University
Mar 2013 Tennessee Today features story about Jaan
Mar 2013 Jaan wins NSF CAREER award
Nov 2012 Group trip to Racoon Mountain caverns
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Sept 2012 Clayton Greer, a mechanical engineering undergraduate, joins the lab
Sept 2012 Matthew passes his qualifying exam. Congratulations!
Aug. 2012 Jaan presents at "Plant and Microbial Cytoskeleton" Gorodon Conference
Aug. 2012 Lab space is finally renovated and experiments can start!
June 2012 Jaan's user proposal to Oak Ridge Nanofabrication Lab is approved.
May 2012 Liam Schramm from Oak Ridge High School joins the lab
May 2012 Boyd Warren, a microbiology undergraduate, joins the group
May 2012 Jaan gives colloquium talk at Oregon State University at Cornvallis
Jan 2012 Nikon fluorescent microscope arrives to the lab
Nov. 2011 Jaan gives seminars at BCMB Department and at UTSI campus
Sept 2011 Lab starts; Graduate student Matthew Bailey is the first student to join