by Nicole Gerardo
Postdoc Hassan Salem has officially left us for a journey to Berlin. He will continue his work while getting an opportunity to interact with leaders in the fields of symbiosis and evolutionary biology, including Nancy Moran, Joan Strassmann, Koos Boomsma, Howard Ochman and Dave Queller. Right now, it appears that they are helping him perfect his basic drawing skills. 
By Nicole Gerardo
In September 2017, Erica Harris and I were fortunate to be able to attend a wonderful symposium in Blossin, Germany on Ecological Immunology that was organized by Oliver Otti, Paul Schmid-Hempel and Jens Rolff. It was practically half immunology and half symbiosis, so I felt right at home. Invigorating science all around… oh, and a nice swim in the lake. Here’s a picture of the group.
Miguel Reyes gave his first poster presentation of his Gerardo Lab research. He is officially an insect researcher now!
by Nicole Gerardo
Postdoc Miguel Reyes headed to Washington DC earlier this week to participate in in the Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institute. This is a well-deserved honor, and an exciting opportunity for Miguel. Only one problem: he has to wear a suit… in the summer… in Washington, DC!
Here is a description of the program: “The Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institute (LPSLI) provides premier training for motivated underrepresented minority (URM) scientists, laying the foundation for them to lead institutional transformation. In collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the LPSLI is an intensive five-day course featuring small group exercises, keynote speakers, leadership development planning, networking opportunities, and extensive community building among selected participants.”
Congratulations to Hassan Salem and Aileen Berasategui for their recent wedding! We are so happy that this wonderful couple is part of the Gerardo lab. 
Caitlin Conn, currently finishing up her graduate work at the University of Georgia, received a phone call from an NSF program officer today! She was awarded an NSF Special Collections Postdoc to work on Escovopsis, a pathogen associated with fungus-growing ants. We are so excited that she will be joining us!
Congratulations to Erica Harris. She received a MMUF Dissertation Grant from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. This will support her work on the rols of the monarch butterfly microbiome in disease resistance. Woot!
Congratulations to Wen-Hao Tan and Kim Hoang for passing their qualifying exams!
by Nicole Gerardo
Congratulations to former grad student Nelle Couret, who just received a Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology at the University of Rhode Island. Excitingly, the position will transition into a tenure track faculty position at URI!