News from the Chair

Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyFall 2015 Newsletter

In this IssueNews from the Chair...1-2

ASM Milestones...........2-4

Faculty News................4-7

Postdoctoral Fellows...8-9

Ph.D. Program...........9-11

Masters Program..........10

Undergraduate News....12

Alumni News.................13

Seminars.......................14

Events............................15

Donations and Gifts.....16

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to introduce our Fall newsletter for 2015. As always, we have a startling amount of news since we last landed in your mailbox. I would like to take this opportunity to look back, inform you of what’s happening presently, and take a glimpse into the future.

A favorite movie of mine remains Back to the Future. The protagonist, Marty McFly, was scheduled to have arrived in the future on October 21, 2015. In real life, the next day, October 22, 2015, the American Society for Microbiology honored our department as a Milestones in Microbiology Site, only the 11th such site in the country. Among the “fi rsts” we celebrated from our past was the fi rst course taught on the subject of bacteriology (Sanitary Science) in the U.S. in 1881; and the “Laboratory of Hygiene & Physics” was completed in 1888 as the fi rst building in the U.S dedicated to bacteriology research (at a cost of $35,000!). A year later, the fi rst experimental bacteriology course in the U.S. (Practical Bacteriology) was taught in that building. In 1902, Professor Frederick G. Novy was named the fi rst chair of the newly formed Department of Bacteriology, the fi rst such department in the U.S. Of course, there have been many notable scientifi c milestones and achievements in the 113 years since then. UM President Mark Schlissel and former ASM President Moselio Schaechter were on hand for the October 22nd ceremony and plaque dedication. Events that followed included the Neidhardt-Freter Symposium, podcast recordings of TWiM (This Week in Microbiology) and TWiV (This Week in Virology), including co-host faculty Michele Swanson and Kathy Spindler, respectively. On Saturday, October 24th, our department hosted the Michigan Branch of the ASM’s Annual Symposium at the Michigan Student Union featuring Michigan alumni as speakers.

Back to present day, with respect to our graduate program, we were training 43 Ph.D. students and 4 Master’s students in the 2014-2015 academic year. Ten Ph.D. students defended their dissertations. Four Master’s students also graduated. Four new Ph.D. students and 3 Master’s students matriculated in the fall of 2015, bringing us back up to 37 Ph.D. students. Six second-year Ph.D. candidates joined their new laboratories and are beginning their research investigations. Importantly, we have successfully placed our graduates. As a rough indication of placement, of the last 70 students to graduate, 34 are now postdoctoral fellows in the next phase of their training across the country; there are 11 scientists in industry, 10 assistant professors (or higher rank), 6 in administrative positions, 4 physicians, 2 science writers, and 3 “other” including military offi cers. This emphasizes how our training has changed to prepare our students for a wider range of employment opportunities in science.

In the labs of our primary and joint faculty, we currently have 43 postdoctoral fellows who provide a driving force for our research. Fourteen are on external funding in the form of specifi c fellowships. Six are on NIH training grants and one holds a K99/R00 (a highly competitive grant). Eight hold non-NIH fellowships from foundations. The remaining postdocs are supported by the labs of our faculty on sponsored research. Our department-based postdoctoral association holds career development sessions on interviewing, teaching, giving chalk talks, negotiating a start up package, setting up a research lab, mentoring undergraduates, and preparing for promotion. The medical school offi ce of postdoctoral studies, led by Michele Swanson, also holds career development seminars for our postdocs.

www.med.umich.edu/microbio

OVER 100 YEARS OF SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDICAL SCHOOL

Focusing on faculty funding, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology is currently ranked 15th nationally among all such departments in National Institutes of Health funding. We moved up 18 ranks in 2012 and subsequently moved up four ranks to 11th in 2013. This jump was due in part to the awarding of a $4.5M P50 grant under the direction of Alice Telesnitsky. Based on new awards in the pipeline, I should be able to report by next year that we have moved into the top 10 departments in the country. We are grateful to our administrative and research staff who continue to provide outstanding support to our research and educational missions.

Looking to the future, winning the grant funds to conduct our research and moving up in rankings is just a starting point. The real impact on our world is the ground-breaking discoveries in basic and translational research reported in our publications and presentations. Beyond this is the impact of our work on other scientists who build on our discoveries, and of course, training the next generation of scientists. We currently have 26 primary faculty members appointed on the instructional track and 9 research track faculty. We welcomed Kaushik Choudhuri, an immunologist, as our newest assistant professor in the department, who earned the status of the school‘s only Biological Sciences Scholar selected for this year. Over my last 11 years as chair, we have built a strong community of scholars. Indeed, beyond two retirements, none of our faculty has left our institution until now. After honing his leadership skills at Michigan, we congratulate our colleague, Victor DiRita, who has moved to Michigan State University to become the Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. This is a well-deserved honor, and although we miss him as a colleague here, his move brings the promise of new cooperation between two outstanding departments that are only just over an hour drive apart. Please enjoy catching up on our news and let us know what you are doing. When you are in the area, don’t hesitate to drop by and say hello and see for yourself the exciting work that is going on daily.

Go Blue!

Harry L.T. Mobley, Ph.D.Frederick G. Novy Distinguished University Professor and Chair

In 1902, the first Department of Bacteriology in the United States was founded. One hundred thirteen years later, on October 22, 2015, that department, now the University of Michigan Department of Microbiol-ogy and Immunology, became the twelfth “Milestones in Microbiol-ogy” site. The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Milestones program recognizes institutions with a strong history of significant contributions advancing the field of microbiology. The application, prepared by Vic DiRita, Jeremiah Johnson and Kari Debbink out-lined M&I’s distinguished history. It began in 1881 with one of the first bacteriology courses in the United States, “Sanitary Science,” taught by Victor Vaughn. In 1902, UM named Professor Frederick G. Novy as chair of the first Department of Bacteriology in the U.S. While at UM, Novy brought his brief training under Robert Koch and Louis Pas-teur to bear, developing some of the earliest techniques for the study of anaerobes, spirochetes, and trypanosomes. Dr. Novy later became the fifth president of the Society of American Bacteriologists, a predecessor of ASM. Other distinguished UM microbiologists include Dr. Paul De Kruif, author of Microbe Hunters; former ASM president Dr. Frederick Neidhardt; Dr. Rolf Freter, a pioneer of microbiome research; and Dr. Thomas Francis, Jr., a leader in research on influenza and epidemiology and mentor to Jonas Salk during development of the polio vaccine.

ASM Milestones in MicrobiologyMaking History in Microbiology: Dedication as a “Milestones in Microbiology” Site

Jeremiah Johnson, Moselio Schaechter, Heather Smith, Harry Mobley, Kari Debbink, and Vic DiRita

Moselio Schaechter and Harry Mobley

3

Powel Kazajian, Professor of Internal Medicine, kicked off a three-day celebration of UM Milestones in Microbiology by outlining the history and accomplishments of Frederick Novy, which was Powel’s disserta-tion topic for his history doctorate. Harry Mobley then spoke at the “plaquing” ceremony, highlighting M&I’s ongoing contributions to microbiology. He also pointed out that we had a descendent of Fred-erick Novy attending the event, Heather Smith, also a microbiolo-gist! Heather is Novy’s great-great-granddaughter and was thrilled to learn first-hand how his work laid the foundations for microbiology. We were honored to have the University of Michigan President, Mark Schlissel, a Professor of M&I, attend and give congratulatory remarks. Reminiscing on his background in virology, Dr. Schlissel joked that he is one of only a few university presidents who would catch Harry’s plaquing reference. The president is “proud of our historical role in this field” of microbiology and emphasized microbiology’s role in the evolution of molecular biology and its contributions to precision medi-cine. Douglas Eveleigh, Chair of the ASM Milestones in Microbiology Committee, and former ASM president Moselio Schaechter presented the Milestones in Microbiology plaque after contributing their own fond remembrances of UM’s contribution to microbiology. The plaque, detailing key historical points, can be found at the entrance to M&I’s office, an effort by ASM to increase professional and public recognition of the significance of microbiology.

A live recording of This Week in Microbiology (TWiM) immediately followed the plaque unveiling ceremony. In TWiM episode #114, host Vincent Racaniello and co-hosts Michele Swanson and Elio Schaechter highlighted research by UM’s Vincent Young, Mary O’Riordan and Harry Mobley. The department’s annual Neidhardt-Freter Sympo-sium concluded Thursday’s events. The symposium, now in its fifth year, was established as a venue for leading bacterial physiology and pathogenesis researchers to share their research with UM while honor-ing esteemed former colleagues Dr. Neidhardt and Dr. Freter. Manuela Raffatellu from the University of California, Irvine, and Sam Miller, of the University of Washington, shared their work on Salmonella with the department. Manuela recalled that a parting gift from her post-doctoral mentor had been a copy of Neidhardt’s text Escherichia coli and Salmonella (EcoSal), and selection for the lectureship meant a lot to her. Sam Miller recounted that during a previous seminar visit in 1992, he interacted with both Rolf Freter and Fred Neidhardt, and thus it was a special honor to return for the Symposium. Friday featured the live re-cording of Vincent Racaniello’s This Week in Virology (TWiV) episode #360 with co-host Kathy Spindler and featured guests Adam Laur-ing, Akira Ono, and Mike Imperiale. The Milestones in Microbiology celebration concluded on Saturday with the Michigan Branch of ASM Fall 2015 meeting, hosted at the University of Michigan Union. With a “Spotlight on Bacterial Pathogenicity,” three UM alumni, Andrew Ca-milli, Melody Neely, and Neal Hammer were plenary speakers at the Branch meeting. For those interested in learning more, the schedule of events and recordings of Powel Kazanjian’s talk, the plaquing cer-emony, TWiM and TWiV can be found at http://umhealth.me/M-in-M

Continued on pg 4

Mark Schlissel

Moselio SchaechterDouglas Eveleigh

Powel Kazajian and Heather Smith

TWiX hosts: Michele Swanson, Moselio Schaechter, Vincent Racaniello and Kathy Spindler

Faculty News

ASM Distinguished Lecturers

Vincent Young David Sherman

Kaushik Choudhuri, M.B.B.S., D.Phil., joined M&I as an Assistant Professor in May 2015. He received his medical degree from King’s College of the University of London. Following clinical practice in internal medicine (Hammersmith Hospital, London) and neurology (National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, Queen Square), he joined Anton van der Merwe’s laboratory at the University of Oxford for graduate work in molecular immunology. There he studied the molecular mechanisms by which T lymphocytes sense and respond to pathogenic threats. He completed his Ph.D. in 2007, followed by a brief postdoctoral stint at Oxford studying the physical nature of cell-cell adhesive junctions. Kaushik then joined Michael Dustin’s laboratory at New York University School of Medicine as a postdoctoral fellow. Merging his experience with T cells and cell-cell junctions, he investigated the biophysics and cell biology of the T cell immunological synapse: the specialized cellular junction at which antigen-recognition and all major T cell effector functions take place. Kaushik’s laboratory at the University of Michigan is broadly interested in T cell biology and molecular mechanisms of antigen recognition. His lab uses highly interdisciplinary

approaches centered on advanced quantitative and structural imaging (TIRFM, super-resolution microscopy, single-molecule tracking/FRET, and electron microscopy) to address unresolved questions at the center of T cell immunology. Outside the lab, Kaushik enjoys the visual arts (and is delighted to have discovered the Detroit Institute of Arts so close to Ann Arbor), a good book (made of paper), and tries to go scuba diving when he can (Thailand, Red Sea…) --Kathy Spindler

Beginning with Victor Vaughn’s integration of bacteriology into pub-lic health and Novy’s pioneering work teaching basic science to a new generation of medical students, our department has a long tradition of leadership and innovation. This celebration gave us the opportunity to remember the accomplishments of our past faculty, staff, and trainees. Scientists who continued to foster the spirit of basic research and Novy’s “fundamental desire or demand for knowledge of hidden facts, which bore upon microbes.” We now look forward, and up, striving to build upon the foundation laid for us. -- Ada Hagan

Kaushik Choudhuri

New Faculty in M&I

This year the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) honored Microbiology and Immunology Professors Vincent Young and David Sherman by selecting them as Distinguished Lecturers. The ASM Distinguished Lecturer program helps ASM branches

secure outstanding microbiologists as speakers for local meetings. Both David and Vincent are excited to be chosen as Distinguished Lecturers and look forward to participating. Vincent says he appreciates each opportunity to speak with, and represent the University of Michigan to, undergraduates. His approach for a great talk is ensuring that each member of the audience leaves with something new, regardless of his or her scientific background. David sees this as an opportunity to highlight natural products as a future focus of research. By sharing his research and its potential for research opportunities with a younger generation of researchers, he hopes to spark their interest. He aims to engage his audience with the different scientific approaches used in natural products research to pique their scientific curiosity. Serving a two-year term that started in July 2015, both Vincent and David have already been contacted for speaking engagements through 2016. --Ada Hagan

Douglas Eveleigh, Powel Kazajian, Moselio Schaechter, Mark Schlissel, and Harry Mobley

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Host Microbiome Initiative

The Host Microbiome Initiative (HMI) at the UM Medical School has completed its second successful year. Led by Harry L.T. Mobley, Ph.D., chair of Microbiology & Immunology, Thomas M. Schmidt, Ph.D., professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine/Division of Infectious Diseases, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and M&I, and Vincent B. Young, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine/Division of Infectious Diseases and M&I, the HMI continues to foster research on the role of microbes in human health and disease. This initiative is building upon long-standing strengths in microbiology, microbial pathogenesis, immunology, and clinical medicine at the University of Michigan Health System. With generous support from the Office of the Dean and all the medical school departments, the HMI continues to accelerate our understanding of how communities of microbes interact with their host.

Some key accomplishments of the HMI in the second year include:

● Faculty recruitment goals were completed, augmenting the ability of the UMMS faculty to carry out diverse microbial studies in relationship to human health.

● 63 manuscripts were published by HMI participants on microbiome-related topics. ● $48.9 M in grant proposals were submitted, supported in part by HMI. ● $24.7 M in awarded or to-be-awarded grants, supported in part by HMI. ● A $750,000 agreement with Proctor & Gamble to foster collaborative microbiome research.

Going forward, the efforts of the HMI to extend microbial research will be focused in three main areas, each directed by an HMI leader. First, Dr. Young is leading the Microbiome Explorer Program (MEP). The MEP was initiated in response to the recognition that only a small percentage of investigators include a microbiome arm in their work. The MEP was designed to decrease the “activation energy” required to include a microbial approach in ongoing research. To accomplish this, Dr. Young engaged investigators on campus to consider adding microbiome-oriented analysis to their current research, working with them to develop a plan allowing microbial analysis. The HMI covers the costs for sample DNA extraction/preparation, sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis. To date, over 20 investigators have participated in the MEP, and this has already resulted in manuscripts and grants for investigators incorporating microbiologic aspects to their ongoing work.

Dr. Schmidt is leading the second program, establishing large cohorts of individuals to be followed longitudinally for overall health and its relationship to their microbiome. The first project studied a cohort of 37 UM undergraduate students to determine if the gut microbiome composition can predict the impact of fiber supplementation on butyrate production. Increased butyrate production by the gut microbiome is correlated with a wide variety of beneficial effects on the gut. Results have been promising: within days of adding resistant starch to the diet, the gut microbiome community changed, as assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing, with a concomitant increase in butyrate concentrations. Further, Dr. Pat Schloss is recruiting to build a cohort of 250 Michigan families to assess microbiome alterations in response to changes in diet and health.

Third, Dr. Mobley is leading an effort to reduce and control healthcare-associated infections in the hospital setting. The purpose of this program is to leverage the advanced technology and approaches made possible by the HMI to study the pathogenesis and epidemiology of bacterial pathogens plaguing our hospitals. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Clostridium difficile, and carbapenem-resistant enteric species such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii are among the pathogens being studied. An example of this approach is the use of transposon-directed insertion site sequencing (TraDIS; also known as TnSeq) to delineate the bacterial genes that are required for colonization, persistence, spread, and pathogenesis of urinary tract, lung, and bloodstream infections. Another example is the use of whole bacterial genome sequencing to understand the evolution and epidemiologic spread of these hospital-acquired pathogens.These coordinated efforts by different HMI programs continue to drive microbiology research at UM and will ensure that M&I will be at the forefront of improving human health. --Vincent Young and Harry Mobley

Vincent Young and Harry Mobley

Thomas Schmidt

Two members of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology demonstrate why faculty at the University of Michigan are world-renowned. Professors Kathy Spindler and Michele Swanson, are co-hosts of the popular microbiology podcasts “This Week in Virology” (TWiV) and “This Week in Microbiology” (TWiM), respectively. In 2008, Vincent Racaniello, a distinguished virologist at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, started TWiV with co-host Dickson Despommier, also of Columbia. The weekly virology podcast became a success and a year later Vincent and Dickson launched the monthly podcast “This Week in Parasitism” (TWiP). TWiM, a biweekly podcast, followed in 2011. On each episode, Vincent and his co-hosts, including Michele and Kathy, discuss new research by describing the experimental methods and findings and making the concepts available to a wide audience.

The diversity of topics and thought-provoking discussions appeal to a varied audience. Indeed, with 10,000 or more downloads per episode, and more than five million downloads total, the TWiV/TWiM/TWiP (“TWiX”) audience is extremely broad. Listeners, including high school students, public school teachers, retirees, graduate students, colleagues in microbiology and non-science professionals, frequently engage with the podcasts through letters, comments, and social media. Most shows include answering listener emails, and TWiV will occasionally do “all email shows” to catch up on the volume of correspondence. The audience is also geographically diverse, with listeners from around the world. It was a pleasant surprise for both Michele and Kathy to be contacted by TWiX fans visiting the Ann Arbor area. The interaction with listeners is one of the favorite parts of the podcasts for both the hosts and the TWiX audience.

Unsurprisingly, Vincent and the co-hosts put careful thought into preparing for each episode. In addition to reading the research papers, as they might for any journal club or teaching, Kathy and Michele prepare supplementary material such as useful analogies, explanations of techniques or interviews with lead authors. The profiles of the lead authors (usually graduate student and postdocs) are a popular feature on TWiM, spearheaded by Michele as a way to demystify laboratory research for the general public. Kathy and Michele view their work on the podcasts as an opportunity to stay abreast of new research while honing their teaching skills. Improving their ability to communicate science to non-specialists is important to this pair of accomplished researchers. For example, Kathy listens to her TWiV podcasts, searching for ways to develop as an effective communicator. Ultimately, the opportunity to remind the public about the value of basic research is what keeps them coming back, episode after episode. Graduate students in Microbiology and Immunology say it’s encouraging to see these two women academicians, only two doors down from each other, as leaders in international science communication. All episodes of TWiV, TWiP and TWiM are archived and freely available at the American Society for Microbiology’s Microbe World (http://www.microbeworld.org) and iTunes. Tune in: They’d love to hear from you! --Ada Hagan

Victors in Science Communication

Michele Swanson and Kathy Spindler

Akira Ono, Adam Lauring, Michael Imperiale, and Kathy Spindler on TWiV #360 at UM Milestones in Microbiology

Vincent Racamiello, Michele Swanson, Moselio Schaechter, Mary O’Riordan, Harry Mobley and Vincent Young on TWiM #114 at UM Milestones in Microbiology

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Vern Carruthers – Elected as a Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology; named Director, UM Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis Training Program Kathleen Collins – Mayer Lecturer, Wellesley College; appointed UM Internal Medicine Collegiate Professor of HIV Research Stephen Cooper (Professor Emeritus) - Play “Confessions A Deux” was produced and favorably reviewed in London; play “Spiritual Bliss” had a public reading at Performance Network, Ann Arbor Suzy Dawid – Recipient of the UM Department of Pediatrics Children’s Health Research Award Oveta Fuller – Selected as Fellow, Inaugural Rudi Ansbacher Leadership Training for Women in Academic Medicine Michael Imperiale – Appointed as Founding Editor-in-Chief, mSphere; appointed to Board of Directors, Van Andel Institute Graduate School, Grand Rapids; appointed to Committee on Science, Technology and Law (National Academies); appointed to Planetary Protection Subcommittee, NASA. Phil King – Promoted to Professor, M&I with tenure Nicole Koropatkin – Keynote Lecturer, 11th International Carbohydrate Bioengineering Meeting, Helsinki, Finland Yasmina Laouar – Recipient, Endowment for the Basic Sciences Teaching Award Adam Lauring – Appointed Associate Editor, PLoS Pathogens; named Associate Director, UM Molecular

Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis Training ProgramHarry Mobley – Keynote Address, 67th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Hygiene and Microbiology, Münster, Germany; presenting Distinguished University Professor University-wide Lecture March 29, 2016, in honor of his selection as Distinguished University Professor in 2014.Beth Moore – Appointed Associate Editor, Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol.Mary O’Riordan – Appointed Associate Dean for Graduate and Post-doctoral Studies, UM Medical School Akira Ono – Appointed Editor, mSphereMalini Raghavan – Appointed to the American Association of Immunologists Committee on the Status of Women; appointed to the UM Senate Assembly Committee; elected to UMMS Advisory Committee on Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure (ACAPT)David Sherman – Selected as an ASM Distinguished Lecturer Kathy Spindler – Appointed Program Chair, American Society for Virology Christiane Wobus – Recipient of Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, GermanyVincent Young – Selected as an ASM Distinguished Lecturer; selected to chair and host the 2017 International Meeting on the Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis of the Clostridia (ClostPath); selected for the Infectious Diseases Week (IDWeek) Program Committee

Faculty Promotions, Honors and Awards 2015

The mission of the Microbiology and Immunology Postdoctoral Association (M&IPA) is to provide M&I postdocs a platform to discuss career-related opportunities, to network with each other and exchange information, and to represent the interests and issues of postdocs within the department. All M&I postdocs are welcome to join our community and attend our monthly meetings.

This year the M&IPA is led by Chelsie Armbruster from Dr. Harry Mobley’s lab. As president, Chelsie created new leadership roles to engage more postdocs in guiding the group. Kari Debbink serves as vice president, Darrell Cockburn works as a liaison to the University-wide Postdoctoral Association, and Wei-Yun “Winnie” Wholey is the postdoc administrator. The monthly meetings were used a forum for guest speakers to discuss career opportunities and to give career development advice. Invited speakers included Dr. Nick Lukacs, Dr. Harry Mobley, Dr. Evan Snitkin, and Mike Callahan. Discussion topics included the promotion process from postdoc to research investigator and along the research track at the University of Michigan, how to deliver an outstanding chalk talk when interviewing for a faculty position, professional development opportunities for postdocs, and strategies for building and maintaining a professional network. The M&IPA also sponsored a happy hour over the summer to promote informal networking. In addition, a number of postdocs (Chelsie Armbruster, Jeff Perry, Darrell Cockburn, Sebastien Crepin, Marie-Eve Charbonneau, Yao Xiao, Anna Seekatz, Denise Bronner, Kari Debbink, and Jeremiah Johnson) were part of the planning committee for the Michigan ASM branch meeting hosted by UM in October 2015.

This year the M&IPA was honored to host two Postdoc Invited Speakers for the 2015 seminar series: Dr. Alan Sher, Chief of the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at NIH, and Dr. David Russell, the William Kaplan Professor of Infection Biology at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. M&I postdocs met individually with these amazing researchers to discuss research interests and career paths, receive advice on a wide range of professional development topics, and gain valuable insight into the challenges and rewards of a career at NIH compared to academia. We look forward to hosting Dr. Lauren Bakaletz, Director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Vice President of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital as our fi rst Postdoc Invited Speaker for the 2016 seminar series.

M&I postdocs continue to perform high quality research, publish high-impact articles, and present at national and international conferences. As always, our postdocs were well represented at the 115th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference, with numerous posters and oral presentations at both meetings. M&I postdocs also presented their research at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Meeting on Molecular Pathogenesis: Mechanisms of Infectious Disease, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Meeting on Pathogenesis & Host Response, the Gordon Research Seminar in Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes, and the American Society for Virology meeting. Several postdocs were awarded competitive travel grants to attend these conferences, and Yao Xiao from the Martens lab received a scholarship to attend the Frontiers in Host Microbe Interactions summer course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. M&I postdocs were also selected to chair sessions of various meetings. Chelsie Armbruster from the Mobley lab co-chaired a session at the 1st ASM Conference on Polymicrobial Infections, and Darrell Cockburn from the Koropatkin lab was elected as the 2017 Chair of the Gordon Research Seminar in Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes.

In addition to communicating our research at conferences, many M&I postdocs were awarded prestigious grants and fellowships this past year. Chelsie Armbruster from the Mobley lab was awarded a highly competitive NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence award. Denise Bronner from the O’Riordan lab and Zana Lukic from the Collins lab were appointed to an NIH T32 Immunology training fellowship. Sebastien Crepin from the Mobley lab was awarded a renewal of his postdoctoral fellowships through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research of Canada and Fonds de recherche du Québec Nature et technologies. Marie-Eve Charbonneau from the O’Riordan lab renewed her postdoctoral fellowship through the Fonds de

Postdoctoral Fellows

Microbiology and Immunology Postdoctoral Association

9

recherche santé Québec. Kari Debbink from the Lauring lab was awarded a two-year postdoctoral translational scholarship program fellowship from UM’s Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR). Juan Marzoa Fandino joined the Mobley lab and was awarded a postdoctoral support grant through the Galician Programme for Research, Innovation, and Growth, and Ou Zhang from the Carruthers lab received an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship.

Several M&I postdocs and research investigators were promoted during 2015 or accepted new positions. Sanjeeva Wijeyesakere from the Raghavan lab was promoted to Research Investigator. Michael Taveirne from the DiRita lab accepted a position as a teaching assistant professor at North Carolina State University and Casey Theriot from the Young lab accepted an assistant professor position in the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. Saguru Subashchandrabose from the Mobley lab accepted an assistant professor position at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Paul Carlson from the Hanna lab accepted a position as a principal investigator with the FDA. Jeremiah Johnson from the DiRita lab is now a Research Investigator at Michigan State.

We express our sincere thanks to the department chair, Dr. Harry Mobley, for his continued support of the M&IPA and his dedication to promoting our professional development. We also thank all of the office staff members for their assistance. --Chelsie Armbruster

Ph.D. Program

The Organization for Microbiology and Immunology Students (OMIS) is a student-led organization that provides an avenue for graduate student collaboration and communication within our department. Additionally, OMIS is a great resource for promoting feedback between faculty and students, because OMIS representatives are able to present student interests and concerns during department faculty meetings. This year, Matt Foley and Hayley Warsinske serve as co-presidents of OMIS and are already hard at work improving the student experience and developing new student initiatives. Together, they organized the first student panel to help guide new students through preliminary exams.

The University of Michigan Department of Microbiology and Immunology has a proud history of student accomplishment, including a long-standing history of obtaining traineeships from UM training programs. The Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis Training Program awarded traineeships to David Lin, Chris Sumner, and Evie Coves-Datson and renewed funding for Robert Glowacki and Amanda Wong. The interdisciplinary Genetics Training Program similarly renewed funding for Matt Pauly and JT McCrone. Ellyn Schinke, a dual degree trainee obtaining a Ph.D. in M&I and a M.S. in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology from the School of Public Health (SPH), was awarded a position in the SPH Integrated Training in Microbial Systems Training Program. Jhansi Leslie was a recipient of the 2015 Endowment for the Basic Sciences Development of Graduate Education Award, and recent graduate Jingga Inlora was a Rackham Predoctoral Fellow in her final year.

Graduate students won many prestigious awards from outside the University this year. Aric Schultz received an American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship. Thomas Zaikos was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Student Research Fellowship. Olivia McGovern received a Ruth Kirschstein NIH NRSA Fellowship and earned a “Best Poster” award at the Woods Hole Molecular Parasitology Meeting. Chelsea Rule obtained a faculty position in the Citizen Science Program at Bard College. Although she is still a graduate student, Chelsea has taken a three week intensive study concerning the conduct and content of science, preparing her to teach at Bard. Chelsea Rule and Denise Bronner gave well-attended oral presentations at the American Society for Microbiology general meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. --Matt Foley and Hayley Warsinske

Organization for Microbiology and Immunology Students

Ph.D. Graduates - January 2015 through October 2015

Denise Bronner “Endoplasmic Reticulum and Mitochondria: An Inflammatory and Deathly Partnership.” March 27, 2015. Mentor: Mary O’Riordan Jingga Inlora “The Roles of Lipids and RNA in Regulating Retroviral Gag Membrane Binding and Targeting.” April 16, 2015. Mentor: Akira OnoAndrew McDermott “Mechanisms of Neutrophil Recruitment and Immunopathology During Acute Clostridiumdifficile Colitis.” April 22, 2015. Mentor: Gary Huffnagle Michael Schofield “Accessing Bioactive Natural Products from Cultured and Uncultured Microorganisms.” March 20, 2015. Mentor: David Sherman Alyxandria Schubert “The Role of Gut Microbiome in Colonization Resistance against Clostridium difficile.” April 24, 2015. Mentor: Pat Schloss Zack Abbott “Legionella pneumophila Uniquely Exploits the CsrA Superfamily to Accomplish Its Regulatory Goals.” May 7, 2015. Mentor: Michele Swanson David Collins “Vpr Mediates Immune Evasion and HIV-1 Spread.” May 11, 2015. Mentor: Kathleen Collins Kaitlyn Flynn “The ICE-βox Integrative Conjugative Element of Legionella pneumophila.” May 13, 2015. Mentor: Michele Swanson Wei Ping Teoh “Regulated Intramembrane Proteolysis of the Virulence Activator TcpP in Vibrio cholera.” June 4, 2015. Mentor: Victor DiRita Brittan Scales “Comparative Genomics of Clinical Isolates of Pseudomonas fluorescens, Including the Discovery of a Novel Disease-Associated Subclade.” September 11, 2015. Mentor: Gary Huffnagle

Zachary Barth, B.S. in Biology, College of New Jersey, Ewing Township, NJ Evie Coves-Datson, B.S. in Microbiology and B.S. in French, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Allison Dupzyk, B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA David Lin, B.S. in Biotechnology, University of California, Davis, CA; M.S. in Biology, California State University, Fullerton, CA Chris Sumner, B.S. in Biochemistry, William Jewell College, Liberty, MO Shawn Whitefield, B.S. in Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Master of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Welcome M&I Class of 2014!

Zachary BarthKim Seed

Evie Coves-DatsonDavid Markovitz

Allison DupzykBilly Tsai

David LinAndrew Tai

Chris SumnerAkira Ono

Shawn WhitefieldEvan Snitkin

Eric Bartnicki, B.S. in Biology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MITai-Wei Li, M.S. in Zoology and Cell & Molecular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, TaiwanAli Mirza, M.S. in Medical Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MIBrad Pingel, B.S. in Microbiology and Theatre & Drama, Iowa State University, Ames, IA Christina Sarkissian, B.S. in Science (Bio/Physical/General) & Spanish, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI Alex Schmidt, B.S. in Mathematical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Eric Bartnicki Tai-Wei Li Ali Mirza Brad Pingel Christina Sarkissian Alex Schmidt

Welcome Master’s Students of 2015!

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Amanda Elmore, World Champion Rower

Merle Davis, Charlie White, Michael Phelps, and our own Amanda Elmore all have something in common. They all have trained to be Olympic athletes while pursuing their education at the University of Michigan. If everything goes according to plan, Amanda will compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and go on to finish her Ph.D. in the laboratory of Pat Schloss.

Amanda followed her brothers’ oar strokes and took up rowing in college. Hailing from West Lafayette, Indiana, she walked on to Purdue’s Women’s Crew team her freshman year. She participated for two summers in the US Rowing 23-and-under national team. After graduating from Purdue with a B.S. in biology, Amanda started graduate school at UM in fall 2013, taking classes and doing rotations in M&I. Upon matriculation to UM, Amanda had one year of NCAA eligibility (because Purdue crew is a club sport), and she rowed for UM in her first year of graduate school. In February 2014 she was invited to join the USA senior women’s crew team! Offered the opportunity of a lifetime, Amanda chose to join the team and continue graduate school on a part-time basis. Pat Schloss remembers Amanda asking if it would be okay to train for the Olympics, “What was I going to say, ‘No, you can’t pursue your dream’? Amanda has lived a rich life as a student-athlete and has excelled in everything she’s done – I knew we could make this work.” Amanda took her M&I prelim exam early, and in June 2014 she moved to the US Rowing training center in Princeton, New Jersey. This past year she has trained five and a half days a week, and in her “spare” time carried on research in the Schloss lab. She participates in weekly lab meetings by Skype and is making progress in a bioinformatics project identifying genes for in vivo survival of Fusobacterium nucleatum.

In the summer of 2015, Amanda earned a position rowing for the US Rowing National Team in the women’s quadruple sculls at the World Championships. An exciting week in Lac Aiguebelette, France, culminated on September 5, 2015, when the team won the gold medal, the first ever for the USA in this event! This qualifies the USA women’s team for the 2016 Olympic event, and Amanda will continue training in hopes of earning an Olympic team berth.

Amanda is very happy to be in the M&I doctoral program and feels fortunate to have the unqualified support of Pat Schloss, members of his laboratory, and M&I in her dual endeavors. In turn, the Department is very proud of her and is pulling for her to continue succeeding as a world-class athlete and scientist. --Pat Schloss and Kathy Spindler

The annual undergraduate research symposium was held on August 12, 2015. Organized for the last several years by Nicole Koropatkin, this year there were talks by five undergraduates performing research in M&I faculty members’ labs. A donor fund started by Alice Telesnitsky enabled the “2015 Undergraduate Research Award.” The inaugural awardee is Regina Pacitto, a junior from Howell, Michigan majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Italian. She began working in Joel Swanson’s lab her freshman year as part of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). Regina’s talk was entitled, “The role of p110 isoforms in MEF and macrophage macropinocytosis.” Regina is interested in a career in drug development and pharmaceutical research, and she plans to obtain a doctorate of pharmacy.

A Decade of the Inter-college, Inter-department Microbiology Major

The inter-departmental, inter-college undergraduate Microbiology major just celebrated its 10th year. A multi-faculty collaborative initiative led in 2004-2005 by Professor Gary Huffnagle (M&I and Internal Medicine) resulted in development of one of the first UM inter-college undergraduate majors. Incorporating courses and faculty from the College of LS&A, the Medical School, and the School of Public Health, it expanded M&I’s undergraduate involvement beyond its active role in UROP. The Program in Biology in the College of LS&A administers the microbiology major. Gary chairs a steering committee of faculty from the Departments of M&I, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB), Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), Epidemiology (SPH), and Internal Medicine. M&I contributes a number of upper level courses to the major, including Micro 415 (Virology), 440 (Immunology), 430 (Microbial Symbiosis), 405 (Infectious Diseases), 460 (Eukaryotic Microbiology) and 320 (Bacterial Growth and Function). The latter two courses are joint efforts with Internal Medicine. These courses complement the supportive research environment provided by faculty in M&I for UM undergraduates. Currently, over 80 students are enrolled at the sophomore, junior and senior levels, with over 40 Bachelor of Science in Microbiology graduates per year. So, across 10 years…that’s 400 more UM-trained microbiologists to make the world a better place!

Microbiology 450, an Experiential Learning Course

In 2014-15, Microbiology 450, “Global Impact of Microbes: Fieldwork,” was again offered to upper class microbiology undergraduates. Since the course began in 2010, 42 UM undergraduate students have traveled to Zambia, working for 24-28 days as research assistants in an HIV/AIDS project. Team members assist with workshops and rigorously measure outcomes of the science-based education intervention, “Trusted Messenger Intervention,” collaborating with established religious leader networks. The M&I course is supported by grants from the UM Center for Research on Learning and Teaching as a part of “Globalization of the Curriculum” and the International Institute “Experiential Learning Transformation.” Dr. Oveta Fuller, the course director, has standardized and expanded Micro 450 as an M&I faculty-led course for contextual understanding of factors influencing infectious disease control, transmission, and prevalence.

Anisha Patel, a UM senior, was one of 6 undergraduates participating in Micro 450 in summer 2015. She lived with a university family in Lusaka. She says, “Micro 450 allowed me to immerse myself in the study of HIV as fieldwork while experiencing a Zambian lifestyle. I was moved by efforts of strong leaders to improve their knowledge of the (HIV) virus so they can work together on ways to better serve needs of their community. Through our fieldwork research I was able to clearly see the vast impact of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other microbes in the context of real life.” Michael Jacobson participated in Micro 450 in summer 2010. Michael credits the Zambia immersion experience in 2010 with inspiring him to work in global health policy. To those considering the immersion course, Michael says, “This fieldwork is not a vacation; it’s hard work and an exciting investment in yourself that will bring major returns.” After graduating from the Ford School of Public Policy in 2013, he completed two years as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public Health Associate Program Award (PHAP) fellow. This is a highly competitive program accepting 2.5% of applicants. The CDC PHAP website (www.cdc.gov/phap) features a story about Michael. In fall 2015, Michael came back to UM as a graduate student in Health Policy and Management.--Kathy Spindler, Gary Huffnagle, and Oveta Fuller

Undergraduate News

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Kaitlin Flynn (Ph.D. 2015, M. Swanson), is a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Pat Schloss, UM. Shilpa Gadwal (Ph.D. 2014, Sandkvist) is currently a Career Advancement Fellow at the American Society for Microbiology in Washington, D.C. Rajshekar Gaji (Postdoc, Carruthers) was recently appointed as a Research Assistant Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine. Mariam Gonzalez-Hernandez (Ph.D. 2014 [Immunology], Wobus) is a Scientist I at Meso Scale Diagnostics in Rockville, MD.Marta Gonzalez-Hernandez (Postdoc, Wobus) is a Scientist II at Rubicon Genomics, Inc., Ann Arbor. Brian Hammer (Ph.D. 2001, M. Swanson) was promoted in 2014 to Associate Professor in the School of Biology at Georgia Tech. Neal Hammer (Ph.D. 2009, Chapman) is starting a position as Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University. Darren Higgins (1995, DiRita), Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School, is the Scientific Founder of Genocea Biosciences, a vaccine company in Cambridge, MA that raised over $65 million in an IPO in 2014. Jingga (Lora) Inlora (Ph.D. 2015, Ono) is a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Snyder in the Department of Genetics. Jeremiah Johnson (Postdoc, DiRita) accepted a position as Research Investigator in the Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics at Michigan State. Silas Johnson (Ph.D. 2012, Telesnitsky) taught for a year (sabbatical replacement) at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. He is now an Assistant Professor at Hillsdale College, his undergraduate alma mater. Amrita Joshi (Ph.D. 2000, M. Swanson) is a Research Investigator, Department of Pathology, UM Bjorn Kafsack (Ph.D. 2008 [Johns Hopkins University], Carruthers/Postdoc, Carruthers) was recently recruited as a tenure track Assistant Professor at the Cornell Weill School of Medicine in New York City. Mark Koenigsknecht (Postdoc, Young) is now a postdoc with Duxin Sun at the UM School of Pharmacy. Julie Laliberte (Postdoc, Carruthers) continues to be a productive member of the scientific team at Swift Biosciences. Ari Molofsky M.D./PhD. (Ph.D. 2005, M. Swanson) was promoted in 2015 to Assistant Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at UC San Francisco. Melody Neely (Ph.D. 1998, Friedman) has moved from her Associate Professor of Immunology and Microbiology position at Wayne State University to become Research Professor at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX. Her new position is research-intensive, and she is looking forward to focusing on opportunities to promote women in STEM disciplines.

Angela Reeves (Ph.D. 2012, Young) has recently taken a position with Abbott Laboratories (Chicago). She is an Outreach and Planning Committee member for the Scientist Mentoring and Diversity Program for Medical Technology (SMDP MedTech), a program of the International Center for Professional Development, Murrieta, California. James E. Rogers (Ph.D. 1993, Engleberg) is now the Director and Exectutive Secretariat of the National Advisory Committee on Microbial Criteria for Foods, US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, in the Office of Public Health Science in Washington, DC. James has also recently been named the Deputy Director of the Science staff in the same office. Marijo Roiko (Ph.D. 2013 [CMB], Carruthers) is now the Microbiology Program Director, Altru Health Systems, Grand Forks, North Dakota. J-D Sauer (Ph.D. 2006, M. Swanson) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jeannine Scott (Ph.D. 1997, Imperiale) is now the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics counselor at Michigan State, where she advises undergraduates. Saguru Subashchandrabose (Postdoc, Mobley) accepted a position as assistant professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Katie (Mason) Summers (Ph.D. 2010, Huffnagle) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). Stefan Taube (Postdoc, Wobus) is an Assistant Professor of Structural and Molecular Virology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany. Michael Taveirne (Postdoc, DiRita ) accepted a position as a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at NC State. Wei Ping Teoh (Ph.D. 2015, DiRita) started postdoctoral training with Juliane Bubeck Wardentburg at University of Chicago. Casey Theriot (Postdoc, Young) has started a position as an Assistant Professor of Population Health and Pathobiology at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Natalie Whitfield (Ph.D. 2009, M. Swanson) is an Assistant Professor of Pathology, Division Chief of Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, and Director of the Infectious Disease Research Core, Arizona Health Science Center, Tucson. Mengxi Xiang (Postdoc, Imperiale) is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham. Ping Ye (Ph.D. 2001, Kirschner) is now a Research Scientist, DoD Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute,Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, in Frederick MD.

Alumni News

International Women’s Day Workshop For more than 100 years, International Women’s Day (IWD), held on March 8, has been recognized as a day of remembrance for the plethora of women’s past and current achievements in the economic, political, and social spheres. IWD began in 1909 in the United States to celebrate efforts for labor reforms for women in the workplace. Today, IWD has gained global recognition and it is a national holiday in many countries. The global 2015 theme was “Make It Happen,” to encourage effective action for advancing and recognizing women.

Our department has been a strong supporter of women, evident from the fact that of the 26 primary instructional track faculty in Microbiology and Immunology, 13 are female. This year our department celebrated IWD by holding the second annual forum for female scientists, which featured a roundtable discussion of issues pertaining to women in STEM fields. The panel speakers included UM faculty members Nicole Koropatkin, Ph.D., Mary O’Riordan, Ph.D., Kate Eaton, Ph.D., Denise Kirshchner, Ph.D., and Kim Kearfott, Ph.D., who offered anecdotal advice and strategies for strengthening professional development. This year, small group discussions were incorporated into the forum, which enabled participants to share their own personal experiences with topics raised during the forum with faculty mentors. It was obvious through this event and the ensuing discussions that our department puts substantial support and effort towards encouraging women at every professional level in science. --Courtney Luterbach

SeminarsFall Symposium of the MicrobiomeOn September 10, 2015, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, together with the Department of Pathology and support from the Host Microbiome Initiative, hosted the Fall Symposium of the Microbiome in the Biomedical Science Research Building Kahn Auditorium. This well-attended event featured interdisciplinary talks and a poster session emphasizing the complex interaction of microorganisms in the gut and their impact on human health. The event moderator, Dr. Eric Martens (M&I), introduced a panel of internationally recognized speakers who presented their leading-edge research on the host microbiota.

The speakers included B. Brett Finlay, Ph.D., University of British Columbia, “The role of the microbiota in asthma”; Michael A. Fischbach, Ph.D., University of California-San Francisco, “Insights from a global view of secondary metabolism: Small molecules from the human microbiota”; Cathryn R. Nagler, Ph.D. The University of Chicago, “Innate immune regulation of sensitization to dietary antigens by commensal bacteria”; Federico E. Ray, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Dissecting diet-microbe interactions and their impact to cardiometabolic health”; Justin L. Sonnenburg, Ph.D., Stanford University School of Medicine, “Deconstructing, engineering, and rewilding the intestinal microbiota”; and from our department, Nicole M. Koropatkin, Ph.D., University of Michigan, “How gut Bacteroides eat your veggies: A molecular view of carbohydrate uptake by human gut bacteria.”

Additional talks were given by postdocs and graduate students from the University of Michigan including Mahesh S. Desai, Ph.D., “Dietary fiber-deprived gut microbiota degrades the protective mucus barrier and promoter pathogen susceptibility”; Hiroko Nagao-Kitamoto, Ph.D., “The role of intestinal dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease”; Melody Zeng, Ph.D., “Control of systemic infection by microbiota-induced humoral immunity”; and Nielson T. Baxter, M&I Ph.D. candidate, “Using gut microbiota to detect colorectal cancer.” --Courtney Luterbach

Brockman LectureThe Department of Microbiology and Immunology established the distinguished Brockman lecture series in 1984 in honor of Dr. William Brockman. Dr. Brockman was a pioneer in virus biology and a professor in the department from 1976-1984. Each year, an individual with outstanding contributions to the field of virology is invited to present a seminar and is honored with an honorarium. Dr. Julie Overbaugh, a member of the Human Biology Division and the Public Health Sciences Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, was the 2015-2016 Brockman lecturer. Dr. Overbaugh presented her research entitled “Charting a course in interdisciplinary research by building bridges with a clinical trial of mother-infant HIV transmission” on October 1, 2015. In her exceptional talk, Dr. Overbaugh emphasized how interdisciplinary and international collaborations have helped understand the production and contributions of HIV neutralizing antibodies in infants and adults. She has also investigated the role of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity antibodies in HIV infection and disease. Dr. Overbaugh’s work is advancing HIV prevention and vaccine research. Her talk was a great addition to the Brockman lecture series. --Kalyani Pyaram

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Microbiology and Immunology Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) This year marks the 5th season of the “Micro CSA.” Initiated by Dr. Alice Telesnitsky in 2011, the CSA began as a fundraiser

for international student support through the M&I Michigan Infectious Diseases International Scholars (MIDIS) fund. The Micro CSA has expanded to include fundraising for any UM program (such as Michigan Radio [WUOM] or the UM Museum of Art). It has inspired a tradition of cooperation, with about 25-30 members of M&I participating each year, including faculty, postdocs, students and staff. In addition to financial donations to UM, participants generously give their time and effort to maintain and harvest the CSA garden planted and managed by Alice on her Ann Arbor community garden plot. Everyone’s hard work can be seen early on Monday mornings, mid-July through October, when carts overflowing with each week’s harvest deliver baskets of produce and flowers throughout the department. Members exchange recipes using seasonal vegetables and fruits, some of which are

new cultural flavors for many of us! The Micro CSA is a great collaborative addition to the professional aspects of M&I. Besides giving us fresh, healthy things to eat, the Micro CSA has raised ~$15,000 in discretionary funds for special M&I programs. --Courtney Luterbach

March Tea Time MadnessThe tradition of M&I Tea brings all of the department folks together for a chat over a cup of hot tea during the “dark months,” as conceived and initiated by Michele Swanson in February 2008. It runs from the end of October until March. Each week a different lab hosts the Tea on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-3:30 p.m. The 2014-2015 Teas were thoroughly enjoyed by all staff, faculty, trainees and students - as a time to unwind, interact, discuss science, and have fun with other fellow researchers. The culinary skills of individuals were also on exhibit, with tasty homemade snacks and goodies brought in by each group.

Adding to this warmth is the highly competitive (yet friendly) Nerf basketball tournament aptly named ‘The March Madness Championship,’ organized by the Martens lab during March. In this single elimination tournament, one member from each lab steps forward for a best of three contest against another lab. 2015 was the second year of this championship after it was kick-started in 2014 by Eric Marten’s lab, and the madness has already taken over! The 2015 championship Final Four who made it to M&I glory were Aric Schultz from the Carruthers lab, Zack Abbott from Michele Swanson’s lab, Ursula Waack from the Sandkvist lab and Matt Foley from the Koropatkin lab. In the finals, Aric Schultz emerged as the victor to raise the 1st place trophy, while Zach Abbott finished runner-up. --Kalyani Pyaram

What’s New in Med Sci II???The M&I department mailroom has been remodeled! What you may remember as a large space with many mailboxes has given way to a new and appealingly remodeled sitting space with an open kitchen while keeping condensed mailboxes and the copier. This renovation now gives us 24/7 keyless access to the coffee room, refrigerator, sink, and microwave, and it offers some resting space for the researchers working late. The remodeling was conceived and proposed by Alice Telesnitsky. What was once just a mailroom has been transformed into a break/lunch space and a place for casual discussions.

Additionally, the M&I conference room on 5th floor of Med Sci II now has a wall dedicated to the MacNeal Dissertation awardees, opposite the wall with photos of past department chairs. Every year an outstanding doctoral dissertation is chosen for the MacNeal Award, and the awardee is invited to come back to the department to give a talk. The awardee is also honored with an honorarium. Denise Kirschner proposed having photos of the MacNeal awardees in the room, and Kathy Spindler helped make it happen. The fourteen professionally framed photos of all the MacNeal awardees to date are aptly placed in the conference room, an inspiring sight indeed. --Kalyani Pyaram

Events

Carruthers Lab Koropatkin Lab

Sandkvist Lab Swanson Lab

Carruthers Lab Swanson LabChampionship Game

University of Michigan Nondiscrimination Policy Statement

The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity, and Title IX/Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Office for Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388, institutional.equity@umich.edu. For other University of Michigan information call 734-764-1817.

Regents of the University: Mark J. Bernstein, Michael J. Behm, Laurence B. Deitch, Shauna Ryder Diggs, Denise Ilitch, Andrea Fischer Newman, Andrew C. Richner, Katherine E. White; Mark S. Schlissel, ex officio

Newsletter Editorial StaffKathy Spindler, Editor

Ada Hagan, Doctoral student Courtney Luterbach, Doctoral student

Kalyani Pyaram, Postdoc Heidi Thompson, M&I Office

Donations and Gifts

The Department of Microbiology gratefully acknowledges the generosity of donors to the Department in 2014-2015. The Department manages several endowments that provide support for student stipends, tuition expenses, and other scholarly activities in the Department. These funds are essential to further our mission of academic excellence. Details can be found at our website: www.med.umich.edu/microbio/endowments/

Donors to Microbiology & Immunology October 31, 2014 – September 30, 2015

Laura C. AlexanderMargaret O. AllenRoderick L. AllenChelsie E. ArmbrusterGracia C. BarryAndrew BlumenthalCindy CarruthersVernon B. CarruthersJoAnn O. ChieJoseph M. ChieKari DebbinkBeverly J. DostalJack D. DostalKate A. EatonElizabeth E. EhrenfeldKay Fuller

Danielle E. GoodmanMichael J. ImperialeNicole KoropatkinThor KrembelMary E. LambertDaniel A. LawrenceEric C. MartensHarry L. MobleyNatalie MobleyMelody N. NeelyFrederick C. NeidhardtRuthann NicholsSally OeyJustine M. PinskeyK. Venkatesh PrasadElizabeth E. Proulx

Frank M. ProulxMalini RaghavanMaria B. SandkvistMichael A. SavageauAnn E. SavageauLuene A. SmithFloyd SmithKatherine R. SpindlerYvonne Y. SunMichele S. SwansonAlice P. TelesnitskyNancy W. WallsChristiane E. WobusThomas Zaikos