Department of Microbiology

Drs. Theo Dreher and Ryan Mueller have identified the precise forms of toxin producing cyanobacteria from Detroit Lake, the source of drinking water for Salem, Oregon. Dreher said knowing which organisms to study will be key to learning how to prevent harmful algal blooms in the future. Once you identify[...]

Fulbright Specialist Dr. Jerri Bartholomew (Professor, Microbiology) recently returned from the Czech Republic where she spent a month working with students and researchers at the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Ceske Budjeovice. She presented a two day workshop on Science Communication helping students explore ways to[...]

Congratulations to Ruth Milston-Clements on her promotion to Senior Faculty Research Assistant II in Microbiology. Ruth has been an outstanding contributor to the successful operation of the AAHL (Aquatic Animal Health Lab) and we are delighted to have her achievements recognized with this promotion.

Congratulations to Microbiologist Stephen Giovannoni who received $260K from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences Inc for a project entitled "BIOS-SCOPE II - A Collaborative Program for the Study of Microbial Oceanography in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre." Also to Microbiologist Christopher Suffridge , Dr. Giovannoni Lab, who[...]

Congratulations to former micro student Brandon Kieft and Dr. Ryan Mueller on their work showing specialization in the use of organic carbon resources by heterotrophic bacteria in the ocean. They have shed light on the mechanisms of carbon cycling in the ocean, using a novel approach to track which microbes[...]

ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award Becca Maher, Graduate Student in Dr. Rebecca Vega-Thurber's Lab, has won the Oregon State University CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award. These dissertation awards are made annually to students who have completed dissertations representing original work that makes an unusually significant contribution to their disciplines.

Congrats to Becky on her promotion to full professor, which was just announced! Becky has risen to the top of the critically important field of coral biology and was appointed the Pernot Distinguished Professor ahead of her promotion to full professor, an unusual accomplishment that recognizes her outstanding performance. She[...]

January 2021: Congratulations to Dr. Rebecca Vega Thurber, Microbiology, on being selected as a recipient of the 2020-21 James and Mildred Oldfield/E.R. Jackman Team Award along with other members of the The COVID Wastewater Team. This award recognizes superior and distinguished interdisciplinary team achievements through teaching, research, international, or extended[...]

Gut bacteria associated with animal-based diet may mitigate risk of cardiovascular disease: “The connection between TMAO and cardiovascular disease has tended to focus the conversation on how animal-based diets cause negative health consequences,” said Dr. Veronika Kivenson, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Science[...]

Congratulations to former Department of Microbiology faculty member Dennis Hruby, who is being honored for his pioneering discovery of a treatment for pox viruses. This is an exceptional achievement and we are all very proud of Dennis. Please check link to website for further information about this achievement and TPOXX,[...]

June 2020: This year we graduated 57 Microbiology majors and 143 BioHealth Sciences majors with Baccalaureate degrees, 3 Microbiology majors with Masters degrees and 1 with a Doctoral degree. In a first ever experience, we are congratulating our graduates remotely, by video . We encourage our graduates to share their[...]

May 21, 2020: Saving Atlantis , a feature documentary produced by OSU filmmakers tracks coral microbiologist Rebecca Vega Thurber and other OSU researchers, uncovering the causes and seeking solutions for the global decline of coral reef ecosystems, is now streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime . Saving Atlantis .[...]

Nash’s ‘Radar O’Reilly’: Longtime building manager keeps watch over labs during campus shutdown Cindy Fisher, building manager at Nash Hall -- Years at OSU: 39 --City of residence: Corvallis: In Nash Hall, the Department of Microbiology has 30 labs spread over three floors. Decades’ worth of samples and specimens are[...]

April 1, 2020: The Department of Microbiology has donated masks, gloves, and gowns to local hospitals in need of PPE for COVID-19 protection for health care workers.

April 1 2020: Dr. Andrew Thurber: An exhibit that was presented at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, "Deep Sea and Me" communicated the diversity of habitats (such as this methane seep) and societal benefits that Oregonians get from the Deep Sea. Photo courtesy of Ocean Exploraton Trust. The Deep Sea[...]

February 2020: A group of researchers, including Dr. Jerri Bartholomew and Dr. Stephen Atkinson from OSU, have discovered that a common salmon parasite in the PNW has lost its mitochondrial genome and cannot use oxygen directly. READ FURTHER

JANUARY 2020: Congratulations to Kim Halsey, who received support from the College of Sciences under the SciRIS-II program. Her project, titled " Predicting the trajectory of toxic harmful algal blooms using multi-omits data integration", will use innovative statistical approaches to merge aquatic microbiome data with environmental properties and chemical[...]

Researchers at Oregon State University have proposed a new genus of bacteria that flourishes when coral reefs become polluted, siphoning energy from the corals and making them more susceptible to disease. The NSF-funded study is published in the ISME Journal (Phylogenetic, genomic, and biogeographic characterization of a novel and ubiquitous[...]

Microbiology celebrated our 2019-20 Graduate Student Scholarship and Fellowship Awards on June 5. Congratulations to W.Wang, J. Buser, Q. Washburn, P Singla, H. Delgado, K. McConnell, P. Smith, D. Barrett and J. Joseph!

OSU microbiologist, Dr. Maude David, is part of a 1.94 million grant to look for possible connections between the human microbiome and autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. The study will include Stanford University School of Medicine and Second Genome. Additional Information

Drs. Theo Dreher and Ryan Mueller have identified the toxin that caused a deadly algal bloom in Detroit Lake and rendered drinking water unsafe. Dreher said knowing which organisms to study will be key to learning how to prevent harmful algal blooms in the future. And that’s sort of important,[...]

Microbiology graduate student Quinn Washburn developed a board game called Oligotrophic designed to help students understand the microbial ecology of the oceans and movement of biomass. Marine microbes live extraordinary lives of their own, albeit ones fraught with danger and opportunity.

James Winton (Ph.D. ’81) remains grateful for how a single microbiology course changed his life. After serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, Winton arrived on campus in the winter of 1971-2 to take some pre-med courses. His first microbiology class struck a spark, and[...]

Micro undergrad student Julianna Donohoe, spent 10 weeks in Madrid, Spain at the Cajal Institute , a leading research center in neuroscience, where she assisted with research on Parkinson's Disease.

Dr. Michael Kent, Microbiology, received the OSU Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award and the 2018 Agricultural Research Foundation Distinguished Faculty Award for his superior academic performance, professional renown and service to the University and the public.

The Helen Alford Hays Microbiology Scholarship: "Prepare Your Minds," Dr. Charles Hays, a Canadian science journalist, advised students during the annual scholarship luncheon. He is the son of Helen Alford Hays, a long-time microbiology instructor and advisor from 1955-1981.

Dr. Maude David and Dr. Kenton Hokanson have recently joined the Department of Microbiology. Dr. David has a joint appointment in the College of Pharmacy and will focus on developing undergraduate curricula in bioinformatics. Dr. Hokanson is an instructor in Microbiology and BioHealth Sciences and will help develop an electrophysiology[...]

Hanby Middle School students get hands on lessons in microbiology. Photos and Story by Christien Laber During a recent visit to OSU, the Hanby Girls STEM group interacted with members of the Department of Microbiology to learn about life at the microscopic level. As part of their two-day tour[...]

Scientists are investigating the role microbiomes play in coral health, trying to identify those microbial traits that make coral reefs resilient as ocean temperatures rise and bleaching events accelerate. One group, the Global Coral Microbiome Project, led by OSU Microbiologist Dr. Rebecca Vega-Thurber is performing a global survey of reefs.[...]

Dr. Michael Kent was presented with the Outstanding Steward of Zebrafish Award by the Zebrafish Husbandry Association (ZHA) at the annual meeting at Aquaculture America 2018 in Las Vegas in recognition of his many years providing training and research in support of the health and welfare of laboratory zebrafish. The[...]

With help from the department, undergraduate Aimee Nguyen attended the SACNAS National Stem Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah in October. SACNAS stands for Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. This professional society's goal is to promote diversity and help minorities advance[...]

Disrupting the Signal: Characterization and Inhibition of the Host-Parasite Sensing Apparatus: Dr. Jerri Bartholomew and Dr. Stephen Atkinson have been awarded a grant from the Binational Agriculture Research and Development Fund in partnership with Dr. Tamar Lotan at the U. of Haifa, Israel to study how fish parasites sense and[...]

Biodiversity in many of these areas is defined by the meager amount of food reaching the seafloor and over the next 80 plus years, in certain parts of the world, that amount of food will be cut in half, said Dr. Andrew Thurber, an OSU marine ecologist and co-author of[...]

Corvallis, Ore. — The discovery of the first active methane seep in Antarctica is providing scientists new understanding of the methane cycle and the role methane found in this region may play in warming the planet. A methane seep is a location where methane gas escapes from an underground reservoir[...]

Rachel Carson wrote, "In nature nothing exists alone." So what's at the bottom of your ocean? Off the coast of California there are hundreds of thousands of barrels of toxic waste from the manufacture of DDT: Full LA Times Article: https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-coast-ddt-dumping-ground/ ; For more of the science behind the[...]