Lisa was named a 2019 APS Fellow, for  “microscopic theory of flow and rigidity in disordered and biological materials”, from the Division of Condensed Matter Physics.  More information about the award can be found here:

https://news.syr.edu/blog/2019/10/11/physics-department-earns-honors-embodies-syracuse-universitys-research-prowess/

On October 4, 2019, Lisa attended the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Awards reception ( https://www.ucsbalum.com/events/awards/alumni-awards-dinner ) and received the “Emerging Leader” award, for her “early career achievements in physics research and her commitment to advancing STEM to diverse audiences.”

We have posted a manuscript on BioRXiv: Xun Wang*, Matthias Merkel*, Leo B. Sutter*, Gonca Erdemci-Tandogan, M. Lisa Manning, Karen E. Kasza. “Anisotropy links cell shapes to a solid-to-fluid transition during convergent extension”,  https://doi.org/10.1101/781492 (2019).  In this manuscript we use a combination of vertex models and experimental analysis of convergent extension in the fruit fly to understand how the fluid-solid transition is affected by anisotropic stresses.

We posted a joint manuscript between the Manning group (Sussman, Manning) and the Gardel lab (Devaney, Gardel) on BioRXiv, titled, “Cell division Rate Controls Cell Shape Remodeling in Epithelia”, https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/804294v1. We use a combination of vertex modeling and experiments to demonstrate that cell shape (and not number density) governs cell movements in epithelia, and that cell divisions generate the dominant active stress fluctuations that cause cell movements.

Prof. Lisa Manning was just named to Science News’ “Top 10 Scientists to Watch” list:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lisa-manning-sn-10-scientists-watch

Congratulations to postdoctoral associate Matthias Merkel for accepting a position as an independent junior group leader at the IBDM in Marseille, France.  We will miss you, but we’re so happy for your success!

Congratulations to undergraduate SBI REU student Janice Kang, who presented a poster in the University-wide Undergraduate Research Symposium in Aug 2018!  Also, a big congratulations to Preeti Sahu and Gonca Erdemci Tandogan who provided mentorship on your project to quantity the nature of the rigidity transition in models for ordered biological tissues.

Congratulations to Michael Czajkowski, who defended his Ph.D. thesis in Aug 2018. Best of luck in your new postdoctoral position in Zeb Rocklin’s group at Georgia Tech!

Congratulations to postdoctoral associate Matthias Merkel, who was selected as a finalist for the APS Group for Nonlinear and Statistical Physics (GSNP) postdoctoral speaker award.  He is one of five finalists who will be giving a talk in the special award session at the APS March meeting in New Orleans.