Penn State Assistant Professor of Chemistry Mark Hedglin will present a technical talk titled, "Dissecting the interplay of macromolecular interactions during human DNA replication pathways." 

The talk will be given at 102 Chemistry building at Penn State University Park campus at 5:30pm on Monday, March 20, 2023. Pizza and socializing (including a "networking" scavenger hunt) will follow the talk. Those who pre-register and/or complete the scavenger hunt at the event will be entered into a raffle drawing for the end of the event.

Pre-register for the event by Sunday, 20 March to reserve your seat, indicate a pizza preference, and get your name entered into the raffle.

Parking for the event is easily found at the Penn State HUB or Eisenhower parking decks. Details can be found here.

The talk will also be broadcast via Zoom webinar: https://american-chemical-society.zoom.com/j/88218036167?pwd=WTMxd3diSjNaV0N6YlNjZE1BOGRpUT09

passcode: 285468 

Dr. Hedglin earned a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Ithaca College in Upstate New York in 2005, graduating Magna Cum Laude and as a member of the Oracle Society and Sigma Xi academic honors Societies. Dr. Hedglin performed research in the laboratory of Dr. Scott Ulrich where he designed, synthesized, and spectroscopically characterized selective inhibitors of human Histone Deacetylase 8 (HDAC8), a chromatin-modifying enzyme involved in regulating the accessibility of the human genome to DNA metabolic enzymes. Also while at Ithaca College, Dr. Hedglin was a member of the Ithaca College Bomber football team where he achieved "Empire 8 Conference President's List"(G.P.A. > 3.50) in all semesters, was voted a two-time member of the GTE District I College Division All-Academic Team, and was a 2004 ESPN Academic All-American.

  Dr. Hedglin received his PhD in Chemical Biology from the University of Michigan in 2010, under the tutelage of Dr. Patrick J. O'Brien. Dr. Hedglin's graduate studies focused on human DNA damage and DNA damage repair. During this time, he developed unique kinetic assays to decipher how a human DNA damage repair enzyme (alkyladenine DNA glycosylase, hAAG) locates rare sites of DNA damage within the massive human genome. These studies revealed that a single-subunit enzyme can employ multiple modes of target site location (sliding, hopping, intersegmental transfer) to efficiently search for subtle and rare sites of damage and bypass other DNA-binding proteins. In 2010, Dr. Hedglin began his postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen J. Benkovic in the Chemistry Department at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and was funded by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award to study human DNA replication. During this time, Dr. Hedglin developed novel biophysical assays to investigate the spatio-temporal regulation and orchestration of human DNA replication pathways. These studies addressed many long-standing and critical questions in the field.  In 2017, Dr. Hedglin transitioned to an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry at PSU and later joined as a tenure-track faculty member in 2018, as an assistant professor of Chemistry and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (at University Park) and an assistant professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (at the College of Medicine). In 2022, Dr. Hedglin was awarded an R35 (MIRA) Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

  The goal of the Hedglin lab is to decipher how efficient and accurate replication of the human DNA genome is achieved within the highly-complex, dynamic, and reactive environment of a human cell nucleus. Achieving this goal is paramount to identifying and deciphering dysfunctions that lead to DNA replication catastrophes, such as mutations and genomic DNA re-arrangements, both of which are hallmarks of cancer. In the Hedglin lab, we interface our expertise and interests in chemical biology, physical chemistry, and structural biology to employ a multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach, that combines biophysical, biochemical, and molecular and cellular biology techniques to; 1) identify cellular factors involved in various aspects of human DNA replication and; 2) re-constitute human DNA replication in various biological scenarios and at various levels of complexity.

The Central PA Local Section of the ACS extends from about Altoona in the west, through Huntingdon and State College, to Lock Haven in the east.

The section comprises about 500 members, about 50% of whom are associated with one of the four-year colleges or universities in our area. Here is a complete demographic scan from 2019 of our section. 

Our Bylaws, approved in 2010, are the rules we go by.  These may be changed at any time by a vote of the membership.