@msumgi.bsky.social
The official Bluesky account of the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology of Michigan State University.
Jeff Barrick smiles at the camera. He is wearing a dark blue suit and blue patterened tie. He has short brown hair.
MGI is thrilled to welcome back Jeff Barrick as a Hannah Distinguished Professor. His arrival is not only a personal homecoming, but also the return of one of the most influential experiments in evolutionary biology: the Long-Term Evolution Experiment. #LTEE
πhttps://tinyurl.com/2s36k7nd
The image features a person with long brown hair and glasses smiling in an outdoor setting. They are wearing a green and black checkered jacket. The background is blurred, with greenery and bright flowers suggesting a garden. At the bottom is a dark green section with white text and a large quotation mark, next to which is a QR code. Text at the bottom reads: "With the targets that I am identifying, I know that we can create more sustainable drug targets that can shorten tuberculosis treatment." Heather Murdoch, MGI doctoral student.
Next up in our MGI Micro Biography series is Heather Murdoch, a doctoral student in Rob Abramovitch's (@abramovitch.bsky.social) lab.
Read more about Heather and her research here: tinyurl.com/32t8rddn
Congratulatory announcement for Dr. Thomas Kim from the Michigan State University department of microbiology, genetics, & immunology with his portrait.
Congratulations to Dr. Tom Kim, MGI's newest PhD graduate!
01.08.2025 11:43 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
Poster for MGI Research Seminar at Michigan State University featuring Dr. Amit Meir from the University of Glasgow on herpesvirus evolution.
Dr. Amit Meir (@amitmhbh.bsky.social) is coming from the @uofglasgow.bsky.social to give an MGI Research Seminar on Mon., Aug. 4th. She'll be talking about "A fish (virus) out of clade: structural insights into herpesvirus evolution."
Join us! 11 am - noon, 1425 BPS.
If you went back 500 million years and re-ran evolution, would life be totally different today?
MGI's Rich Lenski (@relenski.bsky.social) and Zack Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social) weigh in via this @vox.com podcast 12 tiny worlds:
megaphone.link/VMP6403302711
Read more here: www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
24.07.2025 13:49 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Elizabeth Heath-Heckman stands outdoors and smiles at the camera. She is wearing a blue, coral, pink, and white floral shirt.
Schematic of RNAi Method and Morphogenic Pathway Presented by Darin et al. Marine bacteria (Left) were engineered to express dsRNA and werethen fed to experimental H. elegans larvae to decrease the expression of MyD88. Further analysis revealed that MyD88 is a part of the signaling cascade neededboth for bacterial MACs to drive morphogenesis and to defend against death upon exposure to P. aeruginosa. The postulated pathway driving morphogenesisis shown, and two of the genes at bottom, IL17 and RUNX, were shown to be downregulated in MyD88- knockdown animals. Image credit: Adapted from ref. 11.
MGI's Elizabeth Heath-Heckman (@drheathheckman.bsky.social) recently authored a @pnas.org commentary highlighting new research which reveals that Hydroides elegansβa marine tubewormβrelies on the immune signaling protein MyD88 to undergo metamorphosis in response to bacterial cues.
24.07.2025 13:39 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 2 π 0
WILX has a with a great interview with Dr. Pyeon about this new grant, too!
From wilx.com
Cancer cells, shown in red, prevent the presentation of antigens, shown in green, and evade T cells, which kill cancer cells as a part of the bodyβs immune system. Image courtesy of Lexi Vu in the Pyeon lab at Michigan State University.
MGI's Dohun Pyeon (@dpyeon.bsky.social) is the PI on a new $3M grant to study HPV-positive head and neck cancers. The research is supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
πhttps://tinyurl.com/yjem9ae8
From the Red Cedar to KΔneβohe Bay, MSU, Duke, and HawaiΚ»i researchers - including MGI's Rob Quinn and Sarah VanDiepenbos - have discovered that corals can pass heat resistance to their offspringβoffering new hope for reef survival in a warming world.
πhttps://tinyurl.com/3s45zfmx
Phillip C. Delekta looks at the camera. He is wearing a white shirt and red tie and is standing in front of a window.
Congratulations to MGI Asst Prof Phillip C. Delekta on being named a 2025 Lilly Teaching Fellow, a prestigious honor that recognizes his commitment to excellence in undergraduate education!
Read more here: tinyurl.com/y7cnakub
Drs Troy Burtchett, Neal Hammer, and doctoral student Jessica Lysne stand next to each other. They are in front of a window and are all smiling at the camera.
MGI researchers have uncovered hidden enzyme redundancy in S. aureus, revealing new potential targets for antibiotics. Their findings could help combat drug-resistant infections like MRSA. Published in @mbio.bsky.app and supported by the NIH.
Read more: tinyurl.com/3s689wsh
The image shows Kendall Mara smiling at the camera. She is standing in front of trees and grass. She is wearing a burnt orange tank top, a cross necklace, and has black and white tattoo sleeves and long hair. There is a quote saying "From a young age, I was really hands on with farm animals... I was deeply affected when an animal got sick or passed, and witnessing this sparked my interest in understanding the organisms that cause disease in animals" Kendall Mara, MGI doctoral student. There is also a QR code with text that says "Read more" with an arrow.
Next up in our MGI Micro Biography series is Kendall Mara, a doctoral student in the Dodd Lab.
Read more about Kendall and her research here: tinyurl.com/y2r6h92b
Two cows stand next to each other in a field. One is black and white and the other is brown.
MGI Prof Emeritus James Tiedje published new research spanning 14 yrs and > 4000 manure samples. The takeaway? Livestock waste is a major reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes - some of which can potentially transfer to bacteria that infect humans.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/4mskr2bf
The image is a congratulatory graphic featuring a portrait of a man smiling. He is wearing a red sweater and is outdoors, with a background of greenery, hinting at a park-like setting. The top section has the text "Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology Michigan State University" along with the university logo on the left. Centered at the top is the word "Congratulations!!!" in a handwritten font style. Below, a dark green box with a lime green highlight displays "Dr. Manos Kokarakis." Beneath, in a separate dark green section, the text reads "Dr. Kokarakis successfully defended his doctoral dissertation."
Congratulations to MGI's newest graduate, Dr. Manos Kokarakis! His dissertation is entitled, "AHL Quorum Sensing Systems Utilization in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942."
30.06.2025 17:46 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
Dr. Rangarajan stands with a large, person-sized, heart-shaped sign reading "ASM Microbe." She is smiling broadly.
Dr. Aathmaja Rangarajan, an MGI postdoctoral researcher in the Waters Lab, shares highlights of her first trip to ASM Microbe last week. The trip was supported by the ASM Peggy Cotter Travel Award.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/rwdmcnm
This image shows the ballfield at the Lugnuts stadium. The sun is peeking out behind some clouds and illuminating the edge of the cloudline. The teams are playing baseball on the diamond, and the
Vic DiRita hugs Big Lug, the Lugnuts mascot. Big Lug is a purple dinosaur with blue spots and lugnuts for nostrils. He has stringy orange hair.
Team MGI had a blast cheering on the Lansing Lugnuts as they took down the Dayton Dragons last night! Bonus highlight: Victor DiRita got to meet the one and only Big Lug!
27.06.2025 12:46 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Sarah Gonzalez sits on a rock wall. The wall looks wet, and it extends up behind her as well. There are plants growing among the rocks. She's wearing athletic clothing, a backpack, and a baseball cap.
MGI assoc prof Matt Schrenk and grad student Sarah Gonzalez are studying microbial biofilms in extreme Earth environments to unlock clues about life on Mars! Their work in Costa Ricaβs high-pH springs could inform missions in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Read more: tinyurl.com/yc4zjrwc
Ned Walker gives the keynote address. He's standing behind a lecturn, and there is a large screen behind him. He's wearing a colorful patterned shirt, khaki pants, and sandals.
A gorgeous hotel next to the sea. It's very sunny and there is a beautiful grassy area and a palm tree. You can see the waves in the distance and it looks like cliffs down to the water.
MGI's Ned Walker, an MSU University Distinguished Professor, gave a keynote address at the 9th #APLMA conference in Bali (June 16), addressing malaria vector control. Leaders from 13 Asia-Pacific nations & global health orgs gathered to tackle progress & persistent challenges. #malaria
23.06.2025 18:21 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Terry Dardas & his family are joined by MGI doctoral student Tom Kim. They are standing in front of the red sculpture in front of BPS.
Today we welcomed a special guest at MGIβDr. Terry Dardas, an alum who earned his MS ('64), PhD ('67), and MD ('69) from MSU! ππ§¬
MGI doctoral student Tom Kim gave Dr. Dardas and his family a tour, and they met with our chair, Dr. Vic DiRita.
The image shows a person with long, dark hair standing outdoors. They are wearing a purple V-neck T-shirt and a necklace, smiling with their hands on their hips. In the background, there is a garden with trees, grass, and flowers, along with a building featuring large windows. Below the person, there is a green text box with white text, decorated with quotation marks. The text briefly discusses research on the Gram-negative bacteria Brucella. A small QR code is present next to the text with "read more" written above it.
Next up in the MGI micro biography series is Rosemary Northcote, a doctoral student in the Crosson Lab.
Read more about Rosemary and her research here:
tinyurl.com/edn3brdv
Congratulations to MGI doctoral student Vanessa Estrada on being selected for a Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship from the Lupus Foundation of America!
05.06.2025 16:56 β π 2 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
A student raises her hand and Djeneba Diallo calls on her during the outreach program. They are in an elementary classroom.
A student looks on as Dr. Hardy helps him load a slide into the microscope.
A student looks through a microscope and Djeneba Diallo looks through another microscope.
A close-up picture of a slide in a microscope.
MGI associate professor Jonathan Hardy and recent MSU human biology graduate Djeneba Diallo went out to Eisenhower Elementary in Flint, MI to introduce sixth-graders to the world of microbiology!
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mr3ab7zu
A group of MSU researchers is working to understand how certain bacteria produce an iconic neurotoxin known as tetrodotoxin. What does that have to do with these adorable newts?
Read the article to find out: tinyurl.com/y9r8vppk
Camille Boucaud is standing in a garden and smiling at the camera. She's wearing a green and white dress and is crossing her arms.
Next up in our Micro Biography series is Camille Boucaud, an MGI doctoral student in the Heath-Heckman Lab.
Read about Camille here: tinyurl.com/mwdjwttu
An MGI PhD student receives her hood from her advisor, Dr. Gemma Reguera. They are both smiling.
An MGI PhD student receives her hood from her advisor.
An MGI PhD student receives his hood from his advisor.
An MGI PhD student receives his hood from his advisor.
06.05.2025 13:53 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
A professor in regalia with her back to the camera holds up a sign reading "Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology."
The top of someone's cap is decorated to read "It's in my DNA!"
MGI Chair Vic DiRita stands behind a lecturn with the MSU seal on it. He is wearing regalia.
A new graduate in green cap and gown with a multicolored stoll holds two diplomas and has a huge smile on her face.
06.05.2025 13:53 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
MSU President Guskiewicz gives an address at the Masters graduation ceremony. He's standing behind a lecturn with a large MSU seal displayed behind him. He and everyone on the stage are wearing regalia.
Three masters' students stand in their caps and gowns with their diplomas in their hands.
A masters graduate shakes hands with Dean Eric Hegg as she receives her diploma.
A group of MGI undergrads in green caps and gowns looks up. One girl in particular has a smile on her face and is looking up. Her face is featured in the picture.
πCongratulations MGI Class of 2025! π
We are so proud of all of our Undergraduate, Masters, and PhD graduates. Here's to new beginnings and a lifetime of possibilities! We know you are going to do great things.
A collection of engraved glass awards sits on a table. There are post-it notes throughout with writing on them as well.
33 exceptional students were recognized at the 2025 MGI Awards Ceremony on April 22. The event was made possible thanks to the generous donors who endowed these awards. Thank you!
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mbc6m7mp
The image is a congratulatory graphic from Michigan State University's College of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology. At the top left corner is the college logo and name in green text. Below, in handwriting-style green text, it says "Congratulations!!!" The main focus is a rectangular photo of Morgen Clark smiling and holding a small bottle with transparent liquid, wearing a white lab coat and glasses. To the left of the photo, on a green background, is the name "Morgen Clark" in large, bold letters. Below, it reads "Dr. Morgen Clarke successfully defended her doctoral dissertation." The design features a green and light green color scheme, with a circular logo in the bottom right corner.
Congratulations to MGI's newest graduate, Dr. Morgen Clark! Clark successfully defended her dissertation research, entitled "Adaptive mechanisms for metal detoxification by electroactive bacteria." Her work was done in the Reguera Lab (@microgem.bsky.social).
30.04.2025 13:34 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 1 π 1
