Scents and Sense-ability

Nov

2026

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

In Person (view details)

2026-27 Neuroscience Seminar Series

Description

Dr. Denise Ferkey is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Buffalo.

All animals rely on their ability to sense and respond to their environment to survive. However, the suitability of a behavioral response is context-dependent and must reflect both an animal’s life history and its present internal state (e.g. feeding status). Based on the integration of these variables, an animal’s needs can be prioritized to optimize survival strategies. My lab studies how sensory signals are processed and regulated in the nervous system, using the small round worm (nematode) Caenorhabditis elegans as a model because it is the only organism for which the developmental lineage, physical positions and synaptic connectivity of the entire nervous system (302 nerve cells) are known. This allows us to analyze the roles and interactions of signaling components not just in individual cells, but also in the context of defined neuronal circuits within the whole living animal.

Learn more

Hosted by Dr. Jon Pierce

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