UToledo College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

08/31/2026

🧬 What happens when a genetic mutation disrupts early brain development?

Researchers at The University of Toledo are using a human brain organoid model—a lab-grown, simplified version of the human brain—to study PCDH19 Clustering Epilepsy, a rare and severe childhood epilepsy that can also be associated with autism.

Congratulations to Dr. Wei Niu and Lab, University of Toledo Department of Biological Sciences, on their National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke R15 grant award for the project, “The Role of Protocadherin 19 in Human Cortical Development”. The project was awarded for three years (08.15.2026 to 07.31.2029) with total funding to UToledo of $587,758!

By studying how changes in the PCDH19 gene affect early brain development, this research aims to uncover what causes the disorder and provide insights that could lead to new, targeted treatments.

🔬 Understanding how the brain develops could be a key step toward preventing or reversing the effects of this devastating condition.

This project establishes the first human brain organoid research platform for undergraduate education at The University of Toledo, offering the students hands-on training in cutting-edge neuroscience techniques, including human stem cell culture, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, confocal imaging, and bioinformatics analysis. Through this research, the students will gain interdisciplinary research experience that will prepare them for advanced graduate and professional programs, directly supported by the educational mission of the NIH R15 AREA mechanism.

The University of Toledo Research & Innovation

08/28/2026

😎 Beautiful day on campus to welcome our newest students to the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics! 🚀

We loved seeing so many enthusiastic new students getting to know our faculty, staff and amazing NSM Student Ambassadors ~ Fall 2026 is off to a great start!



The University of Toledo Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Toledo University of Toledo Department of Biological Sciences UToledo Physics and Astronomy Mathematics & Statistics The University of Toledo Undergraduate Admission Ritter Planetarium and Brooks Observatory

08/28/2026

🌎 Congratulations to Dr. Kennedy Doro!

Dr. Doro, Department of Environmental Sciences, has been selected as one of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) College of Fellows Distinguished Lecturers for 2026–27!

Through this prestigious program, Dr. Doro will share his research and career journey with students at colleges, universities and other educational institutions across the country — inspiring the next generation of Earth and space scientists.

The lecture series also provides an opportunity to showcase UToledo's leadership in environmental geophysics, hydrogeophysics, subsurface hydrology and interdisciplinary environmental research on a national and international stage.

Congratulations, Kennedy, on this well-deserved honor! 🌟

The University of Toledo Research & Innovation

08/27/2026

🧠 From the classroom to the research lab, Sampriti Senapati is helping advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.

As a neuroscience senior at The University of Toledo, Sampriti is researching the role of Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II (CAMK2) in Alzheimer’s disease under Dr. Robert Smith.
Her work combines wet- and dry-lab techniques to examine post-mortem brain samples and better understand changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment.

What makes her experience especially powerful? Sampriti joined a faculty research lab before the end of her first semester at UToledo — with no prior wet-lab research experience.

And she says the opportunity to get involved early made all the difference:
“I didn’t have to wait until I was a junior or senior here — having had literally no prior wet-lab research experience, I was able to get experience in very impactful research.”

Today, Senapati (one of four campus nominees in 2025 for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate awards for students pursuing research careers in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics) is contributing to collaborative manuscripts and preparing to present a first-author abstract at the Society for Neuroscience meeting this fall.

🔬 Hands-on research. Real-world experience. Opportunities to make an impact.

This is the Power To Do.

Read Sampriti’s story in UTNews: bit.ly/3SZpqlV


University of Toledo Department of Biological Sciences The University of Toledo Research & Innovation The University of Toledo Undergraduate Admission The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences

08/27/2026

Turning AI Into a Tool for Discovery 🔬🤖

Meet Alex Bordovalos, a UToledo physics Ph.D. student (and alum, B.S. ’20; P.S.M. ’22) who is using artificial intelligence to tackle a major bottleneck in materials research and manufacturing.

Alex is developing an AI tool to automate the analysis of spectroscopic ellipsometry — a technique used to measure materials that can be many times thinner than a human hair. His goal? Make the process faster and more accessible for researchers and manufacturers in the semiconductor and energy industries.

His journey started with an industry internship through UToledo’s Professional Science Master’s in Photovoltaics program, UToledo Physics and Astronomy, and has now grown into doctoral research involving half a million simulations. Next, Alex is taking the leap from simulated data to real-world testing using cadmium telluride solar cells that are, conveniently, readily available at The University of Toledo.

From hands-on industry experience to cutting-edge AI research, Alex is showing what’s possible when physics, technology and experiential learning come together. 🚀

Read Alex’s story in UTNews: bit.ly/4gmlSDd

The University of Toledo Alumni and Foundation The University of Toledo College of Graduate Studies The University of Toledo Research & Innovation

08/26/2026

🧠 How do our brains build the right connections?

During development, growing neurons need to find the right paths to form the complex networks that make our brains work. The University of Toledo researchers are studying how tiny molecules called microRNAs help guide these connections.

Congratulations to Dr. Guofa Liu and Lab, University of Toledo Department of Biological Sciences, on their National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke R15 grant award for the project, “MicroRNA Regulation of Guidance Receptor Expression in Spinal Commissural Axon Guidance”! The project was awarded for three years (08.15.2026 to 06.30.2029) with total funding to UToledo of $560,925!

By understanding this process, researchers hope to uncover new insights into brain development—and eventually identify ways to correct problems with nerve connections linked to neurodevelopmental disorders.

🔬 Small molecules. Big impact on how our brains develop.

Pictured: Dr. Guofa Liu with students at the 2026 NSM Research Expo.

The University of Toledo Research & Innovation

08/25/2026

Still need to sign up for classes The University of Toledo?

The University of Toledo Undergraduate Admission's is hosting Rocket One Stop TODAY for students who have not signed up yet and would like to begin on Monday, August 31.

This event will run from 2p-7p today, on main campus in the Field House!

Join us for Rocket One Stop on Tuesday, Aug. 25 in Memorial Field House. It's your time to enroll or get questions answered so you can be prepared for Fall 2026. https://www.utoledo.edu/admission/ros/

08/24/2026

🌿 Protecting Northwest Ohio’s natural ecosystems starts with understanding the threats.

Invasive species—from plants and insects to fungi—can disrupt delicate ecosystems, reduce biodiversity and create lasting environmental and economic impacts.

In this video episode, Current Threats: The Invasion (part of The Living Wild, part of Nature in Action, a multimedia partnership between WGTE Public Media and Metroparks Toledo), Dr. Jon Bossenbroek, Department of Environmental Sciences at The University of Toledo, explains how invasive species arrive, how threats such as emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly and oak wilt are affecting our region, and what researchers and conservation partners are doing to protect native species.

The good news? Small actions can make a big difference. Planting native species, cleaning outdoor gear and learning how to prevent the spread of invasives can all help protect our natural areas. 🌎

Watch to learn more about the work happening to preserve the biodiversity of Northwest Ohio and beyond.

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08/20/2026

NSMs Instrumentation Center (I-Center) at The University of Toledo recently hosted its second annual 1-Day Scientific Instrumentation Summer Camp, which was a great success!

We had a great day of summer camp fun with students in grades 10-12 taking part in STEM activities and getting experiential, hands-on learning experiences with cutting-edge scientific instrumentation.

Students had a blast using the scanning electron microscope, powder and single-crystal X-ray diffractometers, confocal microscope, MALDI mass spectrometer, and DNA extraction and purification via PCR and western blots.

Thank you to our Instrumentation Center staff Kristin Kirschbaum, Brit Eggly, Chris Gianopoulos, Andoni Mucci and Manjula Kandage for planning and hosting this camp and huge thank you to the student guests!

Additionally, the Instrumentation Center staff was excited to hear from one of the camp participants who wants to continue working with them to develop a research project – it’s great to see the camp had such an impact.

We hope to see you all back on campus again soon.

University of Toledo SCOPE Program

08/19/2026

🧬 From understanding immunity to developing better vaccines

As measles cases continue to rise across the country, the importance of vaccination—and the science behind our immune response—is once again in the spotlight. The Blade recently spoke with local health experts about the importance of childhood vaccination.

At The University of Toledo, Dr. Steve Sucheck, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is helping push vaccine science forward.

The Sucheck Lab is currently researching a vaccine to prevent infection from the bacteria pseudomonas aeruginosa — an endeavor that he said scientists have been pursuing for more than 50 years — as the bacteria grows more resistant to antibiotic therapy. He is most familiar with subunit vaccines, which present only pieces of a pathogen to the immune system.

Some subunit vaccines, called conjugate vaccines, attach the portion of a pathogen to a carrier protein to help create a strong immune response.

“And then you’re vaccinated with that. You get a very small amount of it, and that material is taken up by your immune cells. And it’s also recognized by B cells in the body, which produce the antibodies, the protective antibodies,” Dr. Sucheck said. “And then those antibodies that are generated by your B cells can neutralize the virus or the bacteria through different mechanisms.”

It’s a powerful reminder that the science happening in UToledo laboratories today can help shape the future of medicine and public health.

🔬 Research. Innovation. Impact. That’s the Power To Do!

Read the full story from The Blade: bit.ly/4znLU0g

The University of Toledo Research & Innovation City of Toledo Toledo City Paper