Source: Katie Kindt, Ph.D.
All NIH staff and the public are welcome to attend.
On Monday, June 24, 2024, in a hybrid lecture open to all NIH staff and the public, Katie Kindt, Ph.D., a Senior Investigator at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), will explain how her lab uses molecular and microscopy-based methods to examine sensory cell function and development in the zebrafish model system.
The virtual lecture will be open to all, with live captioning available. In-person attendance is available to NIH staff only.
- What: “Zebrafish Can Help Us ‘See’ How Hearing Works.” This lecture is part of the NIDCD Beyond the Lab, Understanding Communication Disorders speaker series.
- Who: Katie Kindt, Ph.D., Senior Investigator at NIDCD.
- When: Monday, June 24, 2024, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
- Where: On the NIH videocast website. For NIH employees attending in person, Building 31, 6C Room A/B.
The sensory cells of the inner ear, called hair cells because of hair-like structures that sit on top of each cell, detect sound and help maintain balance. These cells transform sound and head movement into electrical signals that are sent to the brain. In mammals, the inner ear is embedded in bone, which makes it difficult to observe and conduct research on hair cells.
Zebrafish are used as a model for studying hair cells and the process of hearing because they are fully transparent as they develop, which allows researchers to see how hair cells change and function as a zebrafish matures. Dr. Kindt will share how her lab uses live imaging to observe, in real time, how hair cells change and respond to the environment.
This seminar is part of the Beyond the Lab, Understanding Communication Disorders speaker series. Each seminar is led by a researcher or staff member from NIDCD, part of the National Institutes of Health. The speaker series is an opportunity for everyone inside and outside of NIH—administrative staff, support staff, scientists, and the public—to learn about NIDCD research in communication disorders, which affect about 20 percent of U.S. adults at some point in their lives.
The live videocast will be captioned and recorded for later viewing. American Sign Language interpreting services are available upon request. Individuals who need interpreting and/or other reasonable accommodations to participate in this event should contact Lonnie Lisle by June 7 to ensure interpreter availability.
About the Speaker
Katie Kindt, Ph.D., received a B.S. in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of California, San Diego, where she studied the function and development of mechanosensory circuits in Caenorhabditis elegans in the laboratory of William Schafer. During a postdoctoral fellowship with Teresa Nicolson at the Vollum Institute, she used a combination of scanning electron microscopy and in vivo calcium imaging to investigate the role of the primary cilium in developing hair cells. Dr. Kindt joined NIDCD as an investigator in 2013. Her laboratory, the Section on Sensory Cell Development and Function, uses molecular and microscopy-based methods to examine sensory cell function and development in the zebrafish model system.