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It’s CSUNposium week! The 2026 CSUNposium, the 30th annual showcase of CSUN students’ creative and research projects, runs all day Friday in the University Student Union. CSUN Biology is well represented this year as usual, with 3- and 10-minute talk sessions starting at 8:30 AM and poster presentations from 10 to 11:30 AM and 1 to 2:30 PM. Check out the detailed program to find individual student presenters, or search for “Biology” to build an all-day itinerary.
Graduating seniors are encouraged to share their stories as part of this year’s CSUN Grad Story survey.
The Biology Department is excited to have added the first-ever Master’s Hooding ceremony to our Commencement Day plans. Master’s students graduating in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026 should have received an invitation to commemorate their achievement with their thesis advisor as part of the Department awards ceremony at 10:30am on Friday, May 15. Advisors will place Master’s hoods on students, or offer another meaningful gift or gesture of their choosing, and there will be a reception with light refreshments in the Botanic Garden afterwards. Please RSVP using this form.
Student parents are encouraged to check out support communities, resources, and accommodations provided through the Parent Scholars Resource Center, a new hub launched this year with Campus Quality Fee funding.
The department mourns the loss of Lea Richardson, a postdoc in the Yoder Lab, who passed away last week. A sympathy card for Lea’s family is available for signatures and notes in the Biology Department office.
The Biology Colloquium seminar series continues this week with back-to-back presentations by CSUN Biology professors David Bermudes and Steve Dudgeon. Dr. Bermudes, who is also Chair of the Department, studies bacterial and fungal biology, and his talk will be titled “About a Mushroom: Sex and the Single Spore Omphalotus olivascens.” Dr. Dudgeon studies the ecology of colonial and clonal marine organisms, and was recently on rotation as a program officer at the National Science Foundation; his talk will be titled “My Time at the National Science Foundation.” Colloquium seminars are held this semester at 2:30pm in Chaparral Hall room 5125.