Update index and config and add splash page for dissertation defense …

…invite

_config.yml

@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ minimal_mistakes_skin    : "contrast" # "air", "aqua", "contrast", "dark", "dirt
 locale                   : "en-US"
 title                    : "Sean T. Bresnahan"
 title_separator          : "-"
-subtitle                 : "Bioinformatics, gene regulation, social insect behavior & development"
+subtitle                 : "Bioinformatics, Gene Regulation, Social Insect Behavior"
 name                     : "Sean T. Bresnahan"
-description              : "Bioinformatics, gene regulation, social insect behavior & development"
+description              : "Bioinformatics, Gene Regulation, Social Insect Behavior"
 url                      : "https://seantbresnahan.com" # the base hostname & protocol for your site e.g. "https://mmistakes.github.io"
 baseurl                  : # the subpath of your site, e.g. "/blog"
 repository               : "sbresnahan/sbresnahan.github.io" # GitHub username/repo-name e.g. "mmistakes/minimal-mistakes"

_posts/2024-02-15-defense.md

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+---
+tag: markup
+author_profile: true
+title: MCIBS Dissertation Defense - Sean Bresnahan
+header:
+    image: /assets/images/defense_header.png
+    teaser: /assets/images/defense_header.png
+excerpt: May 30th, 2024, 12-1pm EST, W-203 Millennium Science Complex and virtual by Zoom
+description: May 30th, 2024, 12-1pm EST, W-203 Millennium Science Complex and virtual by Zoom
+layout: single
+read_time: false
+---
+
+## Molecular Mechanisms of Phenotypic Variation in Honey Bees (*Apis mellifera*)”
+
+A Dissertation in [**Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences**](https://www.huck.psu.edu/graduate-programs/molecular-cellular-and-integrative-biosciences), in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from The Graduate School at **The Pennsylvania State University**, by Sean T. Bresnahan.
+
+**May 30th, 2024, 12:00-1:00pm (EST), W-203 Millennium Science Complex**
+
+**Zoom link:** [https://psu.zoom.us/j/96078796621](https://psu.zoom.us/j/96078796621)
+
+**Dissertation Committee:**
+
+- [Christina Grozinger](https://www.grozingerlab.com/) | Publius Vergilius Maro Professor, Department of Entomology | Director of Center for Pollinator Research | Dissertation Co-Advisor | Co-Chair of Committee
+- [Michael Axtell](https://sites.psu.edu/axtell/) | Professor, Department of Biology | Louis and Hedwig Sternberg Chair in Plant Biology | Dissertation Co-Advisor | Co-Chair of Committee
+- [Shaun Mahony](https://mahonylab.org/) | Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
+- [Heather Hines](https://hineslab.org/) | Associate Professor, Department of Biology
+- [Amro Zayed](http://zayedlab.apps01.yorku.ca/wordpress/) | Professor, Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | York Research Chair in Genomics
+
+**Abstract:**
+
+Phenotypic variation is essential for evolution—it is the raw material on which natural selection acts—and has been demonstrated for numerous traits, including behavior in animals. Behaviors are among the most plastic of phenotypes, and individuals from the same population often vary substantially and consistently in their behavioral responses to the same stimuli. In social groups, variation in receptivity to these signals underlies the flexible task repertoires which facilitate collective responses to changing environments. Studying the proximate and ultimate mechanisms underlying variation in complex behaviors among social group members can shed light on the adaptive significance of these traits, how they arise and why and how they persist in different populations. In this dissertation, I evaluate the molecular mechanisms of phenotypic variation in the honey bee (Apis mellifera), which exhibits extreme examples of behavioral variation between nestmates. In chapter 1, I evaluate variation in tissue-specific transcriptional profiles associated with seasonal differences in behavior and physiology between summer and winter bees. In chapters 2-4, I examine multiple behavioral contexts (worker aggression, receptivity to queen pheromone, ovary activation, and queen-worker caste determination during larval development) in which parent-of-origin intragenomic conflicts are predicted to arise and contribute to phenotypic variation. I test predictions of the Kinship Theory of Intragenomic Conflict, which proposes that alleles derived from the mother (matrigenes) versus the father (patrigenes) can have different strategies for maximizing their reproductive fitness—with conflicting effects on development and behavior—and these different selective pressures lead to opposite expression patterns of matrigenes and patrigenes. Since these selective advantages and expression differences arise from the origin of the gene (whether it is derived from the mother or the father) and not the gene sequence, understanding how these parent- of-origin expression differences are regulated and selected for provides a fascinating framework in which to uncover principles of gene regulation, and examine how proximate and ultimate mechanisms interact to influence gene expression and phenotypic outcomes. To this end, chapters 2-4 also evaluate multiple mechanisms of gene regulation that may drive parent-of-origin expression differences in this species, including piRNAs, RNA methylation, and histone post-translational modifications.

index.markdown

@@ -69,6 +69,6 @@ gallery:
     image_path: /assets/images/image-gallery-thumbs/img28.png
 ---
 
-I currently study social insect behavior, development and gene regulation. I use molecular biology and bioinformatics tools, and work with genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic data. My research projects examine the gene regulatory processes that underlie phenotypic and behavioral variation in a model social insect species, the honey bee (*Apis mellifera*). I am currently completing the [Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences](https://www.huck.psu.edu/graduate-programs/molecular-cellular-and-integrative-biosciences) PhD program at Penn State University, advised by Drs. [Christina Grozinger](https://www.grozingerlab.com/), [Michael Axtell](https://sites.psu.edu/axtell/), [Shaun Mahony](https://mahonylab.org/), [Heather Hines](https://hineslab.org/), and [Amro Zayed](http://zayedlab.apps01.yorku.ca/wordpress/) (York University - Toronto, Canada). I also write [bioinformatics software](/software) and mentor undergraduate and graduate students in bioinformatics, data analysis, and molecular biology. I plan to defend my thesis on "Intragenomic Conflict and Phenotypic Variation in Honey Bees (*Apis mellifera*)" in 2024, and am seeking post-doctoral and industry research positions. [See my resume](/assets/docs/Bresnahan_Resume_020224.pdf) for more details.
+I currently study social insect behavior, development and gene regulation. I use molecular biology and bioinformatics tools, and work with genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic data. My research projects examine the gene regulatory processes that underlie phenotypic and behavioral variation in a model social insect species, the honey bee (*Apis mellifera*). I am completing the [Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences](https://www.huck.psu.edu/graduate-programs/molecular-cellular-and-integrative-biosciences) PhD program at Penn State University, advised by Drs. [Christina Grozinger](https://www.grozingerlab.com/), [Michael Axtell](https://sites.psu.edu/axtell/), [Shaun Mahony](https://mahonylab.org/), [Heather Hines](https://hineslab.org/), and [Amro Zayed](http://zayedlab.apps01.yorku.ca/wordpress/) (York University - Toronto, Canada). I also write [bioinformatics software](/software) and mentor undergraduate and graduate students in bioinformatics, data analysis, and molecular biology. I plan to defend my thesis on "Molecular Mechanisms of Phenotypic Variation in Honey Bees (*Apis mellifera*)" in 2024, and am seeking post-doctoral and industry research positions. [See my resume](/assets/docs/Bresnahan_Resume_020224.pdf) for more details.
 
 {% include gallery %}