Colloquium

Upcoming Colloquium

DNA Liquids
Dr. Omar Saleh, UC Santa Barbara

March 18, 2024
11:00am in LA4-120

Image
Omar Saleh

Abstract

Liquid droplets of biomolecules (aka 'condensates') serve as organizers of the cellular interior and are of interest in biosensing and biomaterials applications. Here, I discuss a particular model system of biomolecules formed from multi-armed DNA particles ('nanostars') that can condense into liquid phases through interactions of single-stranded sticky ends that decorate each arm. These phases are analogous to biological condensates but are more colloidal, with each nanostar in the dense phase solely occupying its pervaded volume, rather than entangling in a polymeric fashion with its neighbors. As a result, nanostar liquids are tenuous and highly programmable through control of the sticky-ends, along with being functionalizable through sequence-specific interactions with solutes. I will discuss various aspects of these colloidal DNA liquids, including recent work on the role of finite particle valence in controlling nanostar phase and viscoelastic behavior; the formation of multi-phase droplets and the creation of novel multi-chambered liquid structures; and means to activate nanostar droplets through enzymatic interactions.

Image
Fig. DNA droplet.

The Colloquium is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in physics and what physicists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Physics and Astronomy Department at California State University, Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in physics. All students are encouraged to attend for a well-rounded experience and training in physics.

Colloquium Coordinator

For information and suggestions about the colloquium please contact the colloquium coordinator:

Dr. Alex Klotz
Alex.Klotz@csulb.edu

Schedule

The following is the schedule for Spring 2024.

Upcoming Colloquia
Date Title Speaker and Affiliation
March 18, 2024 DNA Liquids Dr. Omar Saleh, UC Santa Barbara
March 25, 2024 (topic: solid state physics) Luis Jauregui, UC Irvine
April 8, 2024 (topic: solid state physics) Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice University
April 15, 2024 (topic: astronomy) Smadar Naoz, UCLA
April 22, 2024 (topic: biophysics) Rae Robertson-Anderson, University of San Diego
April 29, 2024 (topic: particle physics) Juan Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux, UC Irvine
May 6, 2024 End of Semester Presentations Students, CSU Long Beach

Previous Colloquia

Previous Colloquia from This Semester
Date Title Speaker and Affiliation
March 11, 2024 The Gravity Tunnel in a Non-Uniform Earth Dr. Alex Klotz, CSU Long Beach
February 26, 2024 A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? Zach Weinersmith, illustrator and writer for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
February 19, 2024 Driving Quantum Matter to Extremes Dr. Sarah Grefe, CSU Long Beach
February 12, 2024 Solar System Archaelogy: Multi-disciplinary Approaches to Understanding Planetary System Formation and Environmental Science Dr. Gerardo Dominguez, CSU San Marcos
February 5, 2024 Assembly, Disassembly, and Mechanics of Entropic Colloidosomes Dr. Zvonimir Dogic, UC Santa Barbara
January 29, 2024 What Quantum Materials Can Reveal When Interrogated with Photoemission and Electronic Transport Probes Dr. Claudia Ojeda-Aristizaba, CSU Long Beach

The Colloquium Archive has the Colloquia from previous semesters.


Sponsors

We acknowledge with gratitude donations and support from the following present sponsors:

  • H.E. and H.B. Miller and Family Endowment
  • Benjamin Carter
  • American Physical Society
  • Anonymous

We also acknowledge with gratitude our past donors: The Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., The Northrop Grumman Foundation, Sandra Dana, Anonymous.

If you wish to support the Colloquium, please contact the colloquium coordinator or the department chair. Thank you!