Symposium 2026

NPOD 12th Annual Research Symposium
“Research tools and facilities for enhancing biomedical research”

October 27, 2026
Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases Logo

Registration will open soon. 

If you have any questions, please contact Verona (vskomski@unl.edu) for any questions.

The Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases (NPOD) will host his 12th Annual Research Symposium on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at the Nebraska East Union (1705 Arbor Dr, Lincoln, NE 68503).  

The symposium is a free event for faculty, postdocs, students, staff, industry partners, and other interested parties.

 

 

Schedule

 

8:30am        

Registration and Continental Breakfast – Nebraska East Union - Arbor Suite

9:10am         

Janos Zempleni (NPOD Director) – Introductions (Prairie Suite)

9:20am         

Heather Rasmussen (Chair Department of Nutrition & Health Sciences) – Welcome 

9:30am         

Luca Musante (University of Pennsylvania) 
“Modern Nanoparticle Analysis Meets Old School Biochemistry: Characterizing EVs, LNPs, and LVs at the Penn Vet EV Core Facility”

10:30am      

Break

11:00am         

Denise Ramirez (UT Southwestern Medical Center) 
“Resources for large scale 2D and 3D microscopy at the UT Southwestern Whole Brain Microscopy Facility”

12:00am        

Lunch – Arbor Suite

1:25pm         

Graduate Student Flash Talk Presentation: David Gomez Quintero (UNL Food Science & Techn.)
"TBA"

1:30pm         

Ashley Jacobi and Garret Rettig (Integrated DNA Technologies, IDT)
“From bench to breakthrough: IDT’s CRISPR innovation to therapeutic development”

2:30pm         

Poster Session* – Arbor Suite

4:00pm         

Awards and Concluding Remarks – Arbor Suite

 

*Student/Postdoctoral Associate Poster Competition:
Three winning posters will be recognized with a $150 award and a framed certificate. 

The three winners of the Fall Symposium and the three winners of the Spring Retreat will also compete for a $1,500 travel scholarship.

 

Funding for this symposium has been provided by grant support through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30GM154608.
We also like to thank the Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences and the College of Education and Human Sciences for their support.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln
316 Leverton Hall
phone: 402-472-3862
https://npod.unl.edu/

Bald man with glasses and a gray beard, smiling slightly against a plain background.

Luca Musante
(University of Pennsylvania)

Smiling woman with glasses, gray hair, and a patterned blouse against a green background.

Denise Ramirez
(UT Southwestern Medical Center)

Smiling woman with blonde curled hair wearing a blazer and light blue shirt.

Ashley Jacobi 
(Integrated DNA Technology, IDT)

Smiling man with short gray hair wearing a light purple collared shirt.

Garrett Rettig 
(Integrated DNA Technology, IDT)

Funding for this symposium has been provided by grant support through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1P30GM154608.
We also like to thank the Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences and the College of Education and Human Sciences for their support.

 

University of Nebraska-Lincoln
316 Leverton Hall
phone: 402-472-3862
https://npod.unl.edu/