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UF Health University of Florida
Dr. Mingyi Xie's Laboratory Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Lab photos

2026

Summer lab fun photo collage featuring social activities and milestones from June through August. The collage contains five group photographs documenting laboratory community events. June 13, NBA Finals watch party in the lab: Several lab members gather in an office space to watch a basketball game on a television. Office chairs, desks, shelving, and stacked boxes are visible around the room. A television screen in the background displays a game in progress. June 20, Happy Hour at Swamp Head: Eight lab members sit together at a long wooden outdoor table at a restaurant or brewery patio. Food, drinks, and glassware are spread across the table. Large windows and greenery are visible in the background. July 25, Rock climbing: A group photo is taken inside an indoor climbing gym. Colorful climbing holds cover a tall climbing wall extending upward behind the group. Participants stand and kneel at the base of the wall. July 29, Lavi farewell: Lab members stand around a round table in a bright room with large windows. A cake sits on the table while the group gathers around one seated individual, marking a farewell celebration. August 14, Posing for BMB Science Day: A group poses in front of oversized orange “UF” letters, the University of Florida logo. Some individuals stand beside the letters while others sit or stand within the structure of the display. Large text on the collage reads “Summer lab fun.” Event labels identify each activity and date: June 13 NBA Finals watch party in lab, June 20 Happy Hour at Swamp Head, July 25 Rock climbing, July 29 Lavi farewell, and August 14 Posing for BMB science day.
The University of Florida Genetics Institute (UFGI) is pleased to announce that Conner M. Traugot, a doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. Mingyi Xie, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Kenneth and Laura Berns Award for Excellence in Genetics. Established to recognize outstanding graduate students whose research exemplifies excellence, innovation, and impact in genetics, the Berns Award honors the scientific legacy of Drs. Kenneth and Laura Berns while celebrating the next generation of leaders in genetic research. Traugot was selected following a competitive review of outstanding nominations from across the University of Florida. His research has made important contributions to understanding how Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) hijacks host cellular machinery to regulate viral gene expression and replication.
July 2026, Conner won the UFGI Berns Award
A collage of six photos documenting participation in the RNA Society Meeting in Montreal, held May 26–31. Top left panel: Two individuals stand in a conference poster hall, facing a large scientific poster mounted on a board. One individual points toward specific sections of the poster while discussing the research. Nearby posters and attendees are visible in rows, with striped carpet flooring typical of a convention center. Top center-left panel: A single individual stands smiling beside a large research poster displayed on a board. The poster includes graphs, charts, and blocks of text, with a university header visible at the top. Top right panel: A group of six people stand closely together indoors at the conference venue, all wearing name badges. The background shows a busy meeting space with other attendees and dim overhead lighting. Bottom left panel: Four people stand together in a bright convention lobby area beneath a large “WELCOME” sign. Each individual wears a conference badge, and luggage or backpacks are visible. Directional signage and escalators appear in the background. Bottom center panel: A group of six people sit around a restaurant table filled with shared dishes, including a hot pot in the center and plates of sliced meat and vegetables. Drinks and utensils are arranged around the table. Bottom right panel: Three people stand outdoors at a scenic overlook with a stone railing. A city skyline stretches into the distance under a partly cloudy sky. Visible text on the figure includes: “May. 26–31, RNA society meeting in Montreal” (top heading) “Peike and Conner presenting posters” “Ming reunion with the Steitz lab” “Xie lab reunion with Nick” “Extracurricular activities” “At the top of Mont Royal”
Pickleball tournament. The image is a rectangular collage documenting an outdoor pickleball tournament. At the top center, large gray text reads: “May. 16, Pickleball tournament.” The center of the collage contains the largest photo: a group of approximately fifteen participants standing and kneeling together on a pickleball court. Several participants are holding blue, purple, green, or multicolored pickleball paddles. The group is positioned in front of a net and a chain-link fence. Behind the fence are trees and a bright sky. Surrounding the central group photo are multiple smaller photos showing individual and paired pickleball play. These photos include participants serving, returning shots, holding paddles, and moving across the court. Yellow pickleballs are visible in several action shots. The players are wearing casual athletic clothing such as T-shirts, shorts, leggings, sneakers, caps, and sleeveless tops. The setting appears to be an outdoor sports facility with green and blue court surfaces, painted court lines, black wind screens, chain-link fencing, and bright daylight. The overall collage emphasizes participation, activity, and a community pickleball event. Faces in the image are intentionally blurred, helping protect participant privacy.
CSHL
grad student lunch
ASBMB 2026
lunar new year
lab safety

2025

click a photo to scroll through galleries!

lake
Pumpkin carving
texas
Postdoc appreciation
nick graduate
Nick graduation
manatee
Manatee tour
spring 2025
Spring group pictures

2024

Michael grade
Michael Yao Graduation
fall winter 2024
Fall and Winter photos
cshl Asia
CSHL Asia meeting in Suzhou
edinburgh
RNA society meeting in Edinburgh
aacr cash
AACR and CSHL meeting
graduate student appreciation
Graduate student appreciation lunch
nick predicted
Nick won Cancer Center predoc award

2023

xx
Pumpkin carving party
xxx
lab photos for cancer center
cshl
Xie lab attending CSHL conferences
xx
Tianqi Graduation ceremony
x
Lab outing in a movie theater
xxx
3rd BMB Undergrad Research Symposium
scripps
UF Scripps RNA symposium

2022

lab picture day
lab picture day
genetics symposium
2022 Florida Genetics Symposium
pumpkin
October 28th, Pumpkin Carving Day
postdoc appreciation
Random lab pictures in the fall
tenure
July 2022, A surprise party for Ming’s tenure and promotion
rna meeting
June 2022, the RNA Society Meeting
cshl
May 2022, Regulatory and Non-coding RNAs meeting at the Cold Spring Harbor lab
blueberry
Lab activities in the spring

2021

graduation
Chris Graduation Ceremony
lab lunch
Lab lunch and board games
defense
Chris dissertation defense
pumpkin
Pumpkin Carving
group pic
Lab picture
puzzle
Lab activity during the pandemic: Jigsaw Puzzle

2020

game night
Lab game night
zoom
Weekly data meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic
Xie and Opavsky Labs celebrate the 2020 Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year Party at Ming’s

2019

2019 end of the year buffalo wild wings party: congrats to Jimmy on his offers from 5 dental schools, including Harvard, UPenn, and Columbia!
End of the year party with takeout from Buffalo Wild Wings
lunch
Lab lunch and picture day
2019: always the first to try new restaurants, including Nine Spices Fondue (a Chinese hot pot restaurant), and Cheesecake Factory, where we waited a full hour in line and ended up at two separate tables, joined by Ming's son Gavin!
Always the first to try new restaurants in Gainesville!
April 11, 2019: at the second annual BMB undergrad research day, Taha won the best poster award
2nd BMB undergrad research day
Joan symposium
Steitz symposium
Lab members enjoying our 2019 lunar new year decorations and dinner celebration
Celebrating the 2019 Lunar New Year

2018

2018
End of the Year, buffalo wild wings party
Our lab members celebrating "National Pumpkin Day" in October 2018
Oct. 26th, National Pumpkin Day party
lab picture 2018
Lab Picture day
Members experiencing our first data meeting with a large-screen television monitor
First data meeting on a big screen HDTV
meetings
Xie lab attending scientific conferences
undergrad
BMB Undergraduate Research Day
Lab members celebrating the 2018 Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year Celebration

2017

Celebrating the 2017 end of the year
End of the Year Party
2017 Lab Picture Day: group photos of lab members in an outdoor landscape
Lab Picture Day
2
August 21. Solar eclipse
2
Summer lab fun
Celebrating the 2017 Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year

2016

tree
Lab tree, descendant from Steitz Lab
10 lab
Oct. 2016, We are up and running
beginning
The beginning of Xie lab
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