What’s New
Congratulations to Michael Imperiale, Ph.D. who has been awarded a 2009
Rackham Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award. This award honors
senior faculty who have consistently demonstrated outstanding
achievements in the areas of scholarly research, teaching and mentoring
of students and junior faculty, service and a variety of other
activities that have brought distinction to themselves and to the
University of Michigan.
Congratulations to Joel Swanson, Ph.D. as the recipient of the first
Endowment for the Basic Sciences Teaching Award for Microbiology and
Immunology. This award recognizes Joel's stellar contribution to
teaching, training, and mentoring through the Cellular Biotechnology
Training Program of which he is the director.
Harry Mobley, Ph.D. has been elected as President-Elect of the American
Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs (AMSMIC). He will
plan and preside over the 2011 meeting of the medical school department
chairs.
Congratulations to Stephen Cooper, Ph.D., who has been conferred upon
him the status of Professor Emeritus by the Regents of the University of
Michigan.
Michele Swanson, Ph.D. will deliver the Division D Lecture, "Transmission as a Key Component of Microbial Pathogenesis" at this years' American Society for Microbiology in Philadelphia on May 20, 2009.
Congratulations to David Sherman, Ph.D. who was elected as a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Election as an AAAS Fellow, a tradition that began in 1874, is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
Kathy Spindler, Ph.D. received the Distinguished Citizen Award in the Field of Science from the Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity, an international women’s organization that promotes academic excellence, leadership and personal development.
Congratulations to Alumni John-Demian Sauer, Ph.D. (mentor, Michele Swanson) and Michael McConnell, Ph.D. (mentor, Mike Imperiale) as recipients of the Ward J. MacNeal Distinguished Dissertation Award.
Groundbreaking work on HIV by the laboratory of Kathleen Collins, M.D., Ph.D. is summarized in an article in Medicine at Michigan.
Michele Swanson, Ph.D., Chris Alteri, Ph.D., and Amanda Lloyd, Ph.D. are featured in an article on Basic Science in Medicine at Michigan.
Congratulations to Vic DiRita who was elected as the Divisional Group II Representative for the American Society for Microbiology. Vic will lead the microbial pathogenesis sector of ASM representing seven divisions and 15,000 members.
Congratulations to Joan Christensen on receiving the Department's 2007 Staff Member of the Year Award.
Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Students Neal Hammer and Andrea Radtke are among five students awarded the Excellence in Research and Science Awards for 2007 from the University of Michigan Medical School.
Congratulations to Brenda Franklin for earning the 2007 Staff Member of the Year. The award, presented by Dean Woolliscroft, recognizes a single person for the entire Medical School. We are all thankful for the terrific job done by our entire staff.
Professor Gary Huffnagle was was interviewed by Russ Mitchell on the CBS Early Show on June 13. He discussed his new book, "The Probiotic Revolution". (click here for article and video of interview)
Congratulations to graduate students Kristie Keeney and Kelsey Sivick for winning awards for best oral presentation at the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology held June 6-10 in Estes Park, Colorado.
Congratulations to Dr. Michele Swanson who has been selected to receive a University of Michigan Faculty Recognition Award for the 2006-2007 academic year.
Congratulations to Michael Imperiale on receiving the 2007 University of Michigan Cancer Center Leadership Award.
Dr. Gary Huffnagle quoted on Newsweek's March 13, 2007 web sitein an article entitled Up Close and Edible: Yogurt.
Microbiology and Immunology is delighted to welcome Drs. Yasmina Lauaor and Christiane Wobus winter term 2007. Yasmina's lab studies Immunology/Mechanisms of Immunosuppression and Christiane's lab is working on Mechanisms of norovirus entry into host cells in vitro and in vivo.
David Sherman was featured in the Ann Arbor News Connection Section on February 19 for his research in finding cancer fighting compounds.
An interview with Phil Hanna on his anthrax research appeared in the Connection Section in the February 5, 2007 edition of the Ann Arbor News.
Michele Swanson has been elected Chair-Elect of Division B (Microbial Pathogenesis) of the American Society for Microbiology.
Oveta Fuller was the featured speaker at the 2007 Undergraduate Research Opportunity (UROP) Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium held on January 17.
Congratulations to Jay Keasling, Ph.D., a graduate of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, laboratory of Dr. Stephen Cooper. Dr. Keasling was awarded DISCOVER Magazine's first Scientist of the Year Award and is featured in the December issue.
Congratulations to Jane Holland, our Chief Administrator for Microbiology and Immunology, who has guided departmental business at The University of Michigan Medical School for 30 years as of August 23, 2006.
Microbiology and Immunology is excited to welcome Dr. Vernon Carruthers who offically joined our faculty in June. Vern's lab investigates pathogenesis of parasitic infections.
Jane Holland has been selected by The University of Michigan Vice President for Research, Dr. Stephen Forrest, to receive the 2006 Distinguished Research Administrator Award.
DENDRITIC CELL-PATHOGEN INTERACTION WORKSHOP Come join us, Monday, May 8, 2006 for a one day workshop on Dendritic Cells interactions and the host-pathogen interface. For more information click here.
Congratulations to Andrea Radtke, a graduate student in Mary O'Riordan's lab, who has been selected to present her work at the 106th American Society for Microbiology general meeting to be held in Orlando May 21-25. Her abstract was among six out of 160 qualifying abstracts selected for a Finkelstein Award in the field of microbial pathogenesis.
An article, entitled "In Pixels and in Health" about Denise Kirschner's mathematical modeling of infectious diseases appeared in January 21, 2006 edition of Science News Online.
Mike Imperiale has been named as editor for the Journal of Virology beginning July 2006. He joins Denise Kirschner, Co-Chief Editor for The Journal of Theoretical Biology and Vic DiRita, Editor for Infection and Immunity as M&I Editors.
Fred Neidhardt has been elected into the University of Michigan Medical Hall of Honor curated by the Medical Center Alumni Society. Also included as 2005 inductees are Microbiology and Immunology's Walter Nungester, Michael Savageau, and Thomas Weller.
Professor Emeritus Frederick C. Neidhardt and colleagues Moselio Schaechter and John L. Ingraham announce the publication of their ASM Press textbook, “Microbe," which is described as "a brand-new, general microbiology textbook intended for upper-division undergraduate courses,.....with a distinct ecological and evolutionary orientation."
ASM News (August 2005 Issue) features cover art by Joseph Waliga from the Kirschner lab. An accompanying article by Denise Kirschner, Vic DiRita, and JoAnne Flynn describes the use of mathematical modeling to describe complex systems such as TB granuloma formation.
We congratulate Michael Imperiale, Ph.D. for his appointment to a 4-year term on the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. The 24 member board recommends specific strategies to the federal government on the oversight of federally approved research whose results could potentially be used as a biological threat, known as “dual use” research.
The Department welcomes to our faculty Akira Ono, Ph.D., an expert in the area of virus-membrane interactions and virus infectivity. Dr. Ono has elucidated fundamental aspects of HIV replication and has contributed to the understanding of HIV-1 Gag protein function and the mechanism by which HIV-1 particles assemble in infected cells.
The Department welcomes to our faculty Maria Sandkvist, Ph.D., an expert on the export of protein toxins from Gram-negative bacterial pathogens by the type II secretion pathway. As a model system, Dr. Sandkvist studies the mechanism of cholera toxin secretion from Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera.
Dr. Mary O'Riordan has been selected to receive a 2005 ICAAC Young Investigator Award for outstanding achievements from the American Society for Microbiology. Dr. O'Riordan will accept the award and deliver a presentation at the December 2005 ICAAC Meeting in Washington, DC.
New for 2005, our department is offering 400-level microbiology undergraduate courses. Please visit our course listing page.
If you are interested in applying to our Ph.D. program, please visit the Program in Biomedical Sciences website and click on the How to Apply button. All admissions are handled through this office. Deadline for domestic applications is December 30. We strongly encourage students to submit applications prior to this deadline to be considered for the early recruiting weekend.
All international students are required to complete the PIBS pre-application located on the website under how to apply.
FYI: Recruiting Weekends for Microbiology and Immunology will be February 10-12, and March 10-12, 2006. If you are applying to our program, we encourage you to keep these weekends open.
All application materials should be sent to PIBS.
Each week our department sponsors a faculty seminar as well as postdoctoral and student seminars, Micro 812. These seminars are on Thursdays and Fridays respectively and are held in Room 5623 Medical Science Bldg. II, at noon. Please click on the links to see the current schedule.
