Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025
All times are in Central Standard Time
12:30 – 1:30 PM Registration and check-in at Allerton Park and Retreat Center
(Allerton: 217-333-3287; 515 Old Timber Rd, Monticello, IL)
1:30 – 1:45 PM Welcome and Opening Remarks
1:45 – 3:00 PM Platform Session I: Developmental Biology and Metabolism
Moderator: Yikang Rong (University of Southern China)
1:45 PM | [1] Rapgap1 negatively regulates Drosophila embryonic epithelial wound healing | Jiarui Jiang Rothenberg lab, University of Iowa |
2:00 PM | [2] Investigating the origin and specialization of new body parts in Drosophila | Gavin Rice Kansas State University |
2:15 PM | [3] Investigating The Early Damage Response In Drosophila Wing Imaginal Disc Regeneration | Snigdha Mathure Smith-Bolton lab, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
2:30 PM | [4] Age-dependent ectopic activity of Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein promotes loss of homeostasis in the Drosophila male germline stem cell niche through niche-to-stem cell conversion | William Sanders Demarco Lab, University of Louisville |
2:45 PM | [5] Lactate dehydrogenase as a potential anti-aging target in the Drosophila intestinal stem cell niche | Kyle Hart Demarco Lab, University of Louisville |
3:00 – 3:15 PM Break
3:15 – 4:30 PM Platform Session II: Neurobiology
Moderator: Gavin Rice (Kansas State University)
3:15 PM | [6] HDAC6 selectively regulates nanoscale active zone remodeling during synaptic homeostatic plasticity | Sarah Perry Austin Peay State University |
3:30 PM | [7] How Serially Homologous Neuroblasts Produce Different Temporal Cohorts Along the Drosophila Larval Body Axis | Deeptha Vasudevan Heckscher Lab, University of Chicago |
3:45 PM | [8] Dual Targeting by miR-190 Controls Eye and Head Fate: A Post-Transcriptional Link to Craniofacial and visual system defects | Manivannan Subramanian Singh Lab, University of Dayton |
4:00 PM | [9] A Fly's eye view: How CLASP/Chb dysfunction weaves brain wiring and retinal developmental defects | Sunanda Yogi Singh Lab, University of Dayton |
4:15 PM | [10] The Drosophila melanogaster enzyme Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH1) interacts with Target of rapamycin (Tor) to control larval brain growth | Shefali Shefali Tennessen Lab, Indiana University |
4:30 PM | Flash talks – poster highlights | Multiple speakers |
4:45 – 4:55 PM Break
4:55 – 5:00 PM Introduction of Keynote Speaker
5:00 – 6:00 PM Keynote Address: Tissue regeneration in Drosophila imaginal discs: Genetic and genomic approaches reveal control of patterning and cell fate.Rachel Smith-Bolton, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
6:00 – 6:15 PM Business Meeting
6:15 – 7:30 PM Dinner
7:30 – 8:45 PM Poster Session #1: odd-numbered posters
8:45 –10:00 PM Poster Session #2: even-numbered posters


