Colleges of Science and Agricultural Sciences Department of Microbiology Newsletter Editor Debbie Farris Copy Editor 4 Katharine de Baun Designer Sharon Betterton SPRING 2017 Department of Microbiology Jerri Bartholomew, Dept. Head 2 On the Move Publisher 10 Our amazing undergraduates balance academic Department of Microbiology life with transformative experiences Nash Hall 226 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331 4 Bright Minds Updates from our graduate students and On the cover: This graphic postdoctoral researchers depicts zebrafish gut microbiota interacting with one another upon exposure 14 8 Help from Our Friends to the antibiotic triclosan. We are growing thanks to the generosity of our The circles represent alumni and friends! specific bacteria that are found in the microbiome and the lines indicate 10 News which bacteria ecologically Innovation, rejuvenation, hires, promotions interact with one another and awards (e.g., shared metabolism, competition). The large colored polygons represent highly 14 From Our Labs interconnected groups of Research gains momentum with fieldwork bacteria. Collectively, this worldwide network illustrates how gut bacteria influence one another upon triclosan exposure and 21 Alumni identifies potential keystone Congratulations to our recent microbiology species of bacteria. graduates and alumni! FROM THE HEAD EVENTS Welcome to our annual newsletter! As New hires include Andrew Thurber, an APRIL 8 we move forward towards a new year, assistant professor for our new aquatic STUDENT SYMPOSIUM it is a good time to look back at all of the microbiology option; Emy Daniels, who 3rd Annual Microbiology Student accomplishments and changes of 2016. replaces Camille; and two professional Association Symposium—open to advisors, Alex Beck and Barbara Kessel. the public It was a great year in terms of student success. We graduated 216 Bachelors, We’ve also been busy with SPARK, a APRIL 13–MAY 27 one M.S. and eight Ph.D. students. We year-long, campus-wide collaboration MICROBIOME EXHIBIT launched new courses for our biohealth between art and science. Working with “Seeing the Unseen,” Collaboration sciences majors and received approval The Arts Center|Corvallis, we hosted with The Arts Center|Corvallis for a pre-med option for microbiology four workshops where visual artists, and part of SPARK, a yearlong majors. For a second year, our students writers, poets and musicians were celebration of the interplay hosted their own research symposium, challenged to translate our science into between art and science drawing speakers from across the their medium. Their work culminates Pacific Northwest. in a show, “The Microbiome: Seeing MAY 5 the Unseen,” as part of a campus- SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON It’s also been a banner year for faculty wide Microbiome Initiative this spring. Honoring Undergraduate travel and research funding. Our Meanwhile, student artists intern in our Microbiology scholarship faculty have conducted research in the labs and at sea, creating art that shines recipients North Atlantic, the Sargasso Sea, the a new lens on our research. Mediterranean and the South Pacific. MAY 11 & 12 They won four major National Science Finally, I want to thank our generous OSU MICROBIOME INITIATIVE (OMBI) Foundation awards on an array of alumni and donors. Limited budgets are Training Workshop (May 11, all day) topics from cheating in bacteria to always a challenge, but with the help of Ed Yong (May 11, 5:30 p.m.) the role of viruses in coral reef health. our donors our undergraduates benefit Horizon Room, Memorial Union Successful patents and new discoveries from new equipment, participate in Research Forum (May 12, all day) abound. Look for these stories in the research, and travel to conferences. research section (pages 14–20). Throughout these pages, we’ll share JUNE 16 many stories about how your support GRADUATION CELEBRATION We’ve had our share of goodbyes and has enhanced our students, our faculty Microbiology and BioHealth hellos, with three retirements and four and our work. Sciences Graduation Celebration new hires. Peter Bottomley retired after 37 years, and Bruce Geller after I look forward to meeting more of you 30 years. Both continue as emeritus in the upcoming year. faculty engaged in active research. Camille Partridge, hired to work in the media kitchen in 1980, also retired. Jerri Bartholomew, Head, Microbiology Department of Microbiology 1 SMALL TALK: STUDENTS On the move Our amazing undergraduates balance academic life with transformative experiences CONNECTING WITH THE PROFESSIONAL students I teach...to introduce them to Oregon and Washington to share their WORLD OF MICROBIOLOGY the wonders of microbes. research with us, on topics ranging from dengue fever to the innate The Microbiology Department is excited I truly enjoyed the conference and all immunity of the eye. With the support about the opportunities we are able to the fascinating presentations. I hope of the Department, MSA hosted a provide to our undergraduate students, that the students going to ASM Microbe successful symposium and we hope to due to generous gifts and strong next year enjoy it as much as I did, continue this tradition in future years. support. One highlight is the chance and that it opens up new avenues of to attend professional conferences. exploration for them, like it did for me.” Other events such as a Thanksgiving This gives students a glimpse into the —Ashley M social, a fieldtrip to 2 Towns Ciderhouse, professional world, with opportunities and a bake sale to benefit the Linn for networking and the chance to STUDENT CLUBS Benton Food Share helped MSA reach its explore new directions. The American goals for the 2015–16 school year. Society for Microbiology (ASM) meetings TheMicrobiology Student Association in Seattle and Boston were funded in (MSA) brings undergraduate students We are incredibly thankful for the part by generous donations from Joel interested in microbiology together to Department’s and MSA’s ability to use Peterson and Sheila Van Zandt. engage in microbiology-related events. microbiology to create a welcoming Our main goals during the 2015-16 community and facilitate lasting Here, in her own words, is how one school year were to provide students friendships. student benefited: with a platform to interact with each other, to help students deepen their —Emaan Khan & Vanlena Le, 2015–16 “I’ve never been to the East Coast passion for microbiology and to give MSA co-Presidents before, so when the opportunity was back to our community. We planned available to visit as part of the trip a variety of events this past year to TheBioHealth Sciences (BHS) Club to ASM, I decided to give it a shot. achieve these goals. was established in fall of 2015 with While I loved Boston, I was even more a mission to help prepare all BHS blown away by the conference itself. In the fall, club advisors Linda Bruslind students for post-baccalaureate health It was far more than even my wildest and Jeneva Anderson took a group of profession careers. We accomplish dreams could have imagined. The students to the American Society of this goal by providing volunteer sheer number of groups represented Microbiology Northwest Conference opportunities, coordinating training was unfathomable, making me realize (ASM NWC) in Seattle, where attendees sessions, inviting guest speakers to how many options I have with my networked with professionals and campus and organizing field trips. major beyond the medical track. I had, heard about a broad range of topics in We also provide space for students prior to the conference, started to feel microbiology. to socialize with like-minded people, disheartened with my major, realizing provide academic support and offer that I do not have the aptitude for MSA wanted to share what we learned a platform for upperclass students to medical school, but this opened my at the ASM NWC and other similar share their academic and out-of-the- mind to all the possibilities. Even better, conferences with the community here classroom experiences, and wisdom, to I was able to connect with a gentleman at Oregon State, so we planned our own new students. at the University of Washington about research symposium in the spring. We doing fluorescent microbial art with the invited 10 speakers from universities in Last fall, the officers of the BHS Club 2 Oregon State University Colleges of Science and Agricultural Sciences coordinated a field trip to PeaceHealth Medical Laboratory in Springfield, OR where they toured the microbiology, flow cytometry, urine analysis, blood bank and pathology departments. This trip was an applicable experience American Society of Microbiology Northwest Conference (ASM NWC) in Seattle for students who hope to work in a medical laboratory setting, and likewise for students who will be ordering diagnostic lab tests during their careers. During spring term of last year, the officers of the club coordinated a CPR training session in collaboration with the American Heart Association and pre-professional clubs across campus to successfully certify more than 40 students. Certification allowed students to easily obtain jobs this past summer. The club is planning a similar event for this academic year. The BHS Club hosted numerous Biohealth Sciences students practice taking Kelly Girouard and Hannah Mathews represent blood pressure Biohealth Sciences Club at the COS science fair professional guest speakers, including dentists, doctors, nurses, as well as representatives from graduate programs