Microbiology 2020 Newsletter

Fall 2020, Issue 9 Dr. Tyrrell Conway, Department head Greetings from Microbiology When classes were forced online and campus was closed following Spring Break, I remember thinking, “I hope we are not still wearing masks in December”. Well, here we are, near the end of the Fall semester and still wearing masks. Nevertheless, the Microbiology program remains solid and enrollment for Spring courses is strong. Campus- wide COVID guidelines and department-level implementation kept us reasonably safe in our classrooms and laboratories. I couldn’t be more proud of our students for consistently displaying responsible behavior on campus. There are many new faces in our hallways: some are young (Freshmen) and some are a little older (graduate students). We are pleased to welcome two new faculty members, Avi Mitra and Sabrina Beckmann ; you can read more about them and their research programs inside. This Fall 2020 edition of the Microbiology newsletter is a student-led endeavor, headed by Abigail Peters and Honey Vang , both of whom are highlighted inside. They gathered testimonies from our students and faculty that underscore what an academic program can and should mean to the people who make our program what it is. In case you haven’t made it back to campus for a while, here is a glimpse of what our department looks like today. Thanks for reading. Inside this issue: p2: First Year Lab Experience p4: Grad Student Spotlight p6: Alumna Spotlight p7-8: Research Spotlights p10: "Why I Chose Micro" p11: Graduate Student Association p12: Microbiology Club

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