Thank you to Dr. Kevin Theis of Wayne State University for delivering today's MGI Research Seminar. His talk was entitled "The hologenomics of reproduction."

Today we kicked off our Work in Progress Seminars for the spring semester with an excellent talk by Dr. Zack D. Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social). He led a terrific discussion about the morality of science and knowing when you should do something vs. knowing that you can.

Welcome back, students, and happy spring semester! We missed you!

MGI Prof. Chris Contag is a significant contributor to this work: MSU researchers have created the first human heart-like “organoids” that enable the study of atrial fibrillation. The models also enable new ways of evaluating heart development, diseases & drug responses.

New in @mbio.bsky.social : MGI PhD student Heather Murdoch of the @abramovitch.bsky.social Lab explores how TB bacteria adapt their metabolism in acidic conditions and what the changes might mean for treatment. Read it here: tinyurl.com/ybsy6hxm

Next up in our Micro Biography series is Adam Kibiloski, an MGI doctoral candidate in the Abramovitch lab (@abramovitch.bsky.social). Read more here: tinyurl.com/24cp4pzy

Congratulations to our graduates! We are so proud of you and can't wait to see the great things you will accomplish!

For more than 5 decades, MSU faculty have shared microbiology expertise with Can Tho University in Vietnam. In this new article, MGI Assoc. Prof. Emeritus & former Assoc. dept. chair Scott Mulrooney reflects on the impact of this enduring collaboration. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/36eczjwa

As part of his class, MGI 991 - Intro to Science, Asst. Prof. Zachary Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social) gives out homemade gifts to his students: Anti-critic shields and hypothesis-killing swords (foam, of course). They are a rite of passage for their experiences in the Practice of Science module.

Why are coral reefs bleaching, and what can we do to stop it? Sarah VanDiepenbos ( @sarahscientist.bsky.social ) is an MGI doctoral student working in Rob Quinn's lab, and she's trying to answer that question.

Thank you to Pei-Chung Lee of Wayne State University for delivering a fantastic MGI research seminar - the last one of the semester. Dr. Lee was hosted by @shames-lab.bsky.social.

How do HPV+ head and neck cancers spread? MGI doctoral student John Garber of the Pyeon lab (@dpyeon.bsky.social) is looking into that question, and he told us about his research at this week's Work in Progress Seminar.

Some bacteria can't be grown in a lab. So how do we study it? MGI Asst Prof Nina Wale @ninawale.bsky.social and her team have found a way using a new flow cytometry technique involving light signatures instead of labels. This could change how we understand microbial life. Published in @mSphereJ.

Congratulations to MGI Professors Sean Crosson and Rich Lenski @relenski.bsky.social for winning awards from the College of Natural Science! Read more here: tinyurl.com/mpf2hzfv

Congratulations to MGI's newest Ph.D. graduate, Dr. Alex Wessel!

🔬MGI doctoral student Julia Kelliher served as lead author on a global effort involving 248 experts from 28 countries to write guidelines standardizing environmental microbiome research. Published today in Nature Microbiology. @natmicrobiol.nature.com 🔗https://tinyurl.com/yh3dzc72

Today's Work in Progress Seminars were given by doctoral students Camille Boucaud of the Heath-Heckman Lab (@drheathheckman.bsky.social) and Rosemary Northcote of the Crosson Lab. Join us next Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear from our graduate students!

🌱🔬 Exciting news from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center! MGI assoc prof Sarah Lebeis has been appointed science director, leading groundbreaking research into the plant microbiome. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/48eynzvr

Sophia Liberto, an MGI PhD student in the Hulin lab, gave a WiPS seminar about her work studying the genetic makeup of a bacteria that causes a canker disease in trees in the Prunus species. She hand-draws her research illustrations, combining her loves of art & science.

Thank you to MSU Integrative Biology Assoc Professor Ingo Braasch (@fishevodevogeno.bsky.social) for giving today's MGI research seminar!

This week's Work in Progress seminars were presented by Joel Marty of the Kaminski Lab and Le Zhan of the Wang Lab. Thank you! Join us each Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear our graduate students present their current research.

The Long-Term Evolution Experiment has returned home. Led by Professors Richard Lenski (@relenski.bsky.social) and Jeffrey Barrick, this groundbreaking work continues to reveal how bacteria evolve in real time. 12 flasks. 1 legacy. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/f6vjyjvr

Next up in our Micro Biography series is Abdul Osman, an MGI graduate student working in the Giri Lab at Henry Ford Health. Read more about his research and goals here: tinyurl.com/26r28dkn

Congratulations to MGI's newest Ph.D. graduate, Dr. Beth Ottosen!

Joshua Obar of Dartmouth College gave today's MGI Research Seminar. The topic was "Trans-Kingdom Interactions: Regulation of Anti-Fungal Immunity & Disease." Thank you for a terrific talk!

Today's Work in Progress Seminars were given by Heather Murdoch of the Abramovitch Lab and Imani Pascoe of the Bonito and Lebeis Labs. Join us at noon each Monday in 1425 BPS to hear our doctoral students present their research!

Congratulations to MGI's newest graduate & Jedi Knight, Jasper Gomez! He successfully defended his dissertation and was knighted by his advisor, Chris Waters, at his seminar today.

MGI graduate student Anuli Khairatkar recently wrote an article entitled "Cancer and the immune system: A Molecular Battleground." The piece was written for a site called Club SciWri that is dedicated to communicating scientific topics simply. sciwri.club/archives/14387

In honor of our 125th anniv., MGI recently held the Whittam-Brubaker Symposium. The celebration kicked off with a welcome from MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz and featured speakers David Relman of Stanford and Karla Satchell of Northwestern. Read more:🔗https://tinyurl.com/5y8ap9ve

Today, MGI Associate Professor Annette Rowe gave her Promotion Seminar: "Eating Rocks! Microbes gaining electrons from minerals, electrodes and other microbes" to a standing-room only crowd. Thank you for a fantastic talk!

MGI Associate Professor Rob Quinn is helping to organize the inaugural Microbes in Microbiomes conference being held this coming February in Miami, FL. Learn more here: microbiologysociety.org/event/societ... @microbiologysociety.org

Today's Work in Progress Seminars were given by Fatma Afify of the Hammer Lab and Kyleen Hall of the Manning Lab. Thank you for your great talks! Join us each Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to learn about what our grad students are up to.

Two MGI faculty members, Phillip Delekta and Greg Bonito, joined MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz on the #SpartanBusTour. They met partners in healthcare, nutrition, education, and more!

This week's Work in Progress Seminar presentations were given by Asia Hawkins of the Haus Lab and Jared Godfrey of the Olive Lab. Well done! Join us each Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear MGI doctoral students present their current research.

Aathmaja Anandhi Rangarajan, a postdoc in MGI Prof. Chris Waters’ lab is lead author on a paper published in MBio, which describes new findings about how metal availability influences bacterial behavior, offering fresh insight into the persistence and spread of V. cholerae. tinyurl.com/t2zwn7ve

This week's MGI Seminar was presented by Billy Tsai of the University of Michigan (@umich.edu). He spoke about "How a DNA and an RNA virus hijack the bidirectional secretory pathway to cause infection." Thank you, Dr. Tsai! billytsailab.org

This week's Work in Progress Seminars were presented by Maddy Quinlan of the Crosson Lab and Jie Wu of the Zhang Lab. Great work! Join us each Monday from noon-1 pm in 1425 BPS to hear our doctoral students present their research.

MGI Professor Jeff Barrick was invested with his Hannah Professorship yesterday. Congratulations, Dr. Barrick! Read more about him and his research here: tinyurl.com/2s36k7nd

MGI Professors have some fantastic hobbies. Prof. Chris Adami will be singing at the Wharton Center this weekend!

We've had several fantastic seminars recently from our very MGI faculty. Two weeks ago, Prof. Chris Waters (left images) spoke, and yesterday, Assoc. Prof. Rob Quinn presented. Thank you, both, for your terrific seminars.

Today's WiPS speakers were Emma Bush of the Zhang Lab and Roksana Riddle of the Contag Lab. Great work! Please join us every Mon from noon - 1 pm in 1425 BPS to hear our grad students tell us about their current research.

Congratulations to MGI PhD student Bassel Abdalla of the Abramovitch Lab who won the Best Oral Presentation Award at last week's Integrated Pharmacological Sciences Training Program Retreat.

Congratulations to Dr. Sergio Hernandez-Ortiz, MGI's newest PhD graduate!

Next up in our Micro Biography series is Alex Wessel, an MGI doctoral student in Chris Waters' Lab. Learn about him & his research right here: tinyurl.com/4kjth4cj

MGI Asst. Prof. Phillip Delekta was recently featured on the Crowdmark Sessions podcast (Episode #5) discussing the challenges of conducting assessments in large classes. Check it out here: crowdmark.com/crowdmark-se...

Today's WiPS presentations were given by Bobby Zuñiga of the Mi Lab and Danielle Gregory of the Manning Lab. Great work! Join us every Monday @ noon in 1425 BPS to hear our students present their Work in Progress Seminars.

What a weekend at the 1st Great Lakes Plant Science Conference! 🪴 MGI Assoc Prof Sarah Lebeis delivered the keynote address, and her doctoral student, Mashal Copperman, earned second place in the poster presentations. 👏Kudos to them both! #GPLSC2025

Congratulations to Dr. Megan Korne, MGI's newest PhD graduate!

This week's WiPS presentations were given by Michael Wischer of the Olive Lab and Kendall Mara of the Dodd/Mani Lab. Thank you for the terrific talks! Join us every Mon @ noon in 1425 BPS to hear our students present their Work in Progress Seminars.

This summer, Sydney Chen and Imani Pascoe, doctoral students in Sarah Lebeis' lab, traveled to Cologne, Germany to present their research at the International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. Representing the Lebeis Lab and MGI with excellence! 🦠🌱