Isa is in the Biology and Forensics graduating class of 2026! She’s been with us for the past 2-3 years caring for the fish, genotyping, and leading her own SOURCE funded project. We will miss her and can’t wait to see all that she does in graduate school at SU in Forensics! Congrats Isa!
BioArt Mixer #22: Rewriting Intelligence Across Nature, Story, and AI
Join us for the next BioArt Mixer, an interdisciplinary conversation exploring how concepts of learning extend across physics, biology, narrative, and artificial systems.
📅 April 24, 3:30–4:30 PM
📍 Bowne Hall, Room 414, Syracuse University
What if Learning Is a Property of Matter?
Rewriting Intelligence Across Nature, Story, and AI
This session features a conversation between Debbie Urbanski and Jen Schwarz, followed by Q&A and refreshments.
We often localize learning within brains—or in artificial neural networks modeled after them. This discussion instead asks whether learning may be a more fundamental property of matter itself: emerging in systems that encode history, respond to perturbation, and reorganize through interaction. Framed through both scientific and narrative lenses, the event explores how learning may be written into the fabric of physical and conceptual worlds.
Schwarz’s work in theoretical physics examines how diverse systems—from particle assemblies to cellular collectives—can encode memory and exhibit adaptive behavior through physical processes. Urbanski’s speculative writing, including After World and her recent collection Portalmania, approaches similar questions through narrative, imagining intelligence and learning beyond human-centered frameworks.
The BioArt Mixer series, initiated by Heidi Hehnly and Boryana Rossa in collaboration with the Bioinspired Institute, brings together perspectives across disciplines to foster new ways of thinking at the intersection of science and art.
All are welcome.
Our Lab at the NY Zebrafish Meeting
At this year’s NY-area zebrafish conference, our group was well represented by Prabhu, Albert, Amy, and Joey—each contributing in distinct and meaningful ways.
Prabhu delivered an engaging and well-received talk on the role of the centrosome in Left-Right Organizer function.
Albert presented a poster focused on vEM approaches in zebrafish embryos, showcasing detailed structural analyses and methodological advances.
Joey and Amy, attending their first NY area zebrafish-focused meeting.
(Photo of Prabhu included below.)
Welcoming Joey McDonald to the Lab
We are pleased to welcome Joey McDonald to the lab for his rotation this semester. Joey will be investigating the role of centrosomes in left–right axis determination, a central question in our efforts to understand how cellular architecture and cytoskeletal organization contribute to tissue-level asymmetry during development.
During his rotation, Joey will gain experience in zebrafish-based experimental approaches and advanced imaging strategies used to study Kupffer’s Vesicle morphogenesis and cilia function. We look forward to his contributions and to supporting his development in cell and developmental biology research.
