University of Scranton

02/22/2026 | Press release | Archived content

20 Years of Brains, Bugs and Budgets: My Journey To The Electric City, presented by Dan Marenda, Ph.D.

Dan Marenda, Ph.D., associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, epigenetics, Syracuse University; Post-doctoral Fellow, neurobiology and behavior, Emory University School of Medicine, will present the first faculty research seminar on Feb. 27 beginning at 3:10 p.m. in Loyola Science Center, room 233. All are welcome to attend.

Dr. Marenda is married to a poet, and in this presentation, he will craft short stories in poetic verse that highlight his research career, spanning epigenetic factors that control axon pruning in the brain, to creating a model of Alzheimer's disease in the fruit fly, to the accidental patent for a human-safe insecticide. He will end the seminar by discussing favorite projects funded during his time as program director at the National Science Foundation.

Upcoming Programs for Spring 26

The Research Seminar Series was established to provide a time and place for faculty and staff to exchange research information.

In its essence, the series is intended to build community and collegiality by setting a venue to communicate scholarly work to others.

Feb. 27: Daniel Marenda - 20 Years of Brains, Bugs, and Budgets: My Journey to the Electric City

March 6: Margarete Zalon, nursing, Waking the Sleeping Giant: Nurses at the Ballot Box

March 27: Declan Mulhall et. al. - Einstein Day

April 17: Declan Mulhall, physics/engineering - TBA

April 24: Sheli Pratt-McHugh, library - TBA

May 1: Joyanna Hopper et. al. - Earth Day

May 15: Katherine Stephanelli, counseling and human services - The Impact of Mindfulness Programming on Stress, Anxiety and Resilience in Undergraduate Students

Join the Faculty Seminar Series on select Fridays from 3:10 - 4:30 pm, Loyola Science Center, room 233. Refreshments will be served.

Questions? Contact series coordinator Amelia Randich at [email protected].

University of Scranton published this content on February 22, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 26, 2026 at 16:12 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]