Monday, September 1, 2014

Catching Up, Part I: Meeting with Former Research Students at ASM in Boston in May.

You know, I keep meaning to post more often.  Then, as John Lennon famously observed, "Life is what happens when you are busy making plans."  So I am trying to post in a more regular fashion. Lots and lots to do, as is true for most of us; life is a juggling act. 

I have two courses this Fall semester:  one is my normal and much beloved Microbiology course (which I continue to want to call "Microbial Diversity," since I only get the one chance to promote Microbial Supremacy™ to students) for juniors and seniors, and a freshman "writing seminar" on Symbiosis and Parasitism (yes, the latter is part of the conceptual Venn diagram of the former, but many students don't yet know that).  So I expect to write quite a bit about these two courses as they unfold with the awesomosity I expect from our students here in Tacoma!

In the meantime, here is a post I meant to write a while back---I have such pride in my former research students, and I enjoy watching them develop their careers and lives.  I shine by their reflected glory!  

Anyway,  I was VERY happy that six of my former undergraduate students had the time to visit with me at the American Society for Microbiology General Meeting in Boston, last May.  I took them all out to dinner in Boston, and it was truly great to put them all at the same table, ranging across a lot of years, to swap stories and successes and challenges.  I have seldom felt prouder of my students, and more humbled by what I do for a living.

Here is the lineup:



From left to right, here are the former students, and what they are currently doing now.

  • Sarah Studer (Class of 2003, Occidental College).
  • Paula Welander (Class of 1998, Occidental College).
  • Desiree Baron (Class of 2001, Occidental College).
  • Andrew Collins (Class of 2007, University of Puget Sound) 
  • Morgan Giese (Class of 2014, University of Puget Sound) 
  • Kim Dill-McFarland (Class of 2011, University of Puget Sound)

Here is what each of them are currently up to:

Sarah is a science policy fellow in DOE's Fuel Cell Technologies Office, in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (formal title:  EERE Postdoctoral Fellow). She provides expertise for biological hydrogen production projects in her division.  Sarah earned her PhD with my friend and MicrobialHero™ Ned Ruby at the University of Wisconsin Madison.  

Paula is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Earth System Science (and by courtesy, in Biology) at Stanford University. Her research team studies the biosynthesis and function(s) of molecular fossils (biomarkers) in bacteria. Paula earned her PhD with my colleague Bill Metcalf at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and did postdoctoral work with Dianne Newman at MIT (now back at Caltech).  Here is Paula's laboratory website.

Desiree is a Research Associate for Daryl Bosco at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, studying the interface between cell biology and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. She earned her PhD with Kent Hill at UCLA, followed by postdoctoral work with Stephen Doxsey.  

Andrew is a fresh new postdoctoral fellow at the Forsyth Institute in Boston.  He will be working with Floyd Dewhirst, Gary Borisy, and Anne Tanner, studying the uncultured and unknown microbiota of the human mouth.  He earned his PhD with my friend Spencer Nyholm at the University of Connecticut Storrs.

Morgan is a fabulous worker looking for a biotech position in the Seattle area at present. Whoever hires her will be lucky indeed. Incidentally, here is a photograph of Morgan at her poster during the General Meeting.  I received some great reports about her professionalism while people chatted with her about her research...and I was not surprised.


Kim is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin Madison, working on her PhD with Garret Suen.  Kim has worked on the microbiomes of a number of biological systems with Garret, ranging from hibernating squirrels to sloths (I'm told) to dairy cows.  

The dinner was a lot of fun, of course.  I had T-shirts made for my students (and it was hard to fit everyone into the photo, as you will see!), and gave everyone appropriate magnets to commemorate the event.  Here is the magnet.



I think the "Bdello Bdinner" is funny.  Adding "Bdoston" to may be over the top.  Oh, well.

This is the best I could get for a group shot in the T-shirts.  The restaurant was crowded.




Since Kim was left out of that shot, here is another photograph of her in her T-shirt. Please notice the FABULOUS mini-microfuge tube earrings.  They fluoresce under UV light, by the way.  Kim is stylish that way.



Embarassingly, I messed up some of the graduation dates on their T-shirts.  Sigh. Though I am often (as my father would put it) "a day late and a dollar short," my heart is in the right place.  Gulp!

A wonderful evening was had, and I am grateful to each and every one of these scientists for making some time to visit with me and bring me up to date.

By the way, I was delighted beyond words that two of my former undergraduate research students, Kim Dill-McFarland (mentioned above) and Jillian Waters (Class of 2008, University of Puget Sound) were at the most recent International Society for Microbial Ecology meetings in Seoul, Korea later last summer.  Here is the "twitter proof" that they were there together (courtesy of the very kind Kim).



After leaving the University of Puget Sound, Jill Waters earned her PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (I have sent four undergraduate students there for PhDs so far!) with the late, great, Abigail Salyers (one of my professors at the Woods Hole Microbial Diversity Course, and a true MicrobialHero™ of mine), and is currently working on a postdoc with the quite fabulous Ruth Ley at Cornell.  Jill always wanted to be (her words) a "poop scientist."  

She is living the dream!

Anyway, there are lots and lots of days where I feel overwhelmed, buried, unsuccessful...fill in the negative blank.  But then I look at these great success stories.  While I think each and every one of them has earned every bit of their accomplishments through their brilliance and hard work, I like to think I had a bit of influence here and there.  Their reflected glory feels pretty nice.

It makes my workdays feel worthwhile, I must tell you.

Next year's ASM General Meeting is in New Orleans.  Perhaps there will be another Bdello Bdinner there, as well.  I certainly hope so!

I'm proud of you all!

1 comment:

I am happy to hear your comments and suggestions. I hope to avoid spammage. We shall see how that works out!