by Nicole Gerardo

Congratulations to grad student Wen-Hao Tan for being selected as one of Emory’s nominees for the HHMI International Student Research Fellowship.

by Nicole Gerardo

Congratulations to grad student Erica Harris for receiving a Mellon Mays Graduate Studies Enhancement Grant to support her research of the gut microbiome of monarch butterflies.

by Nicole Gerardo

I recently received a link to a story about the American Society of Microbiology’s first agar art contest. The art creations are amazing. I think I have some new ideas for our next Art-Science Study System Secret Santa and ice cream Social (ASSSSSS).

Former postdoc Lynn Griffin will be facilitating an initiative at UC Santa Barbara to help advanced students assist students taking introductory biology.

Welcome to Erika, a new FIRST postdoctoral fellow in our lab. Erika joins the lab with a background in symbiosis, having working on coral-algal symbioses in the lab of Monica Medina. She is particularly interested in how environmental context influences symbioses, and has done work on host and symbiont fitness.

Congratulations to Gerardo Lab seniors Itai Doron, Greg Fricker, and Brandon Smith (Brandon is in the center of the below photo from Biology graduation party). 

Congratulations to Greg Fricker, recently graduated Gerardo Lab undergrad, for winning the Darrell Stokes Award. The Stokes award recognizes an Emory University major in biology for scholarship and service.

Erica Harris successfully passed her qualifying exam for her Ph.D. candidacy. She will be developing her research on the monarch butterfly microbiome and its role in disease. This is a collaborative project between our lab and the lab of Jaap de Roode.

The Gerardo lab had a strong representation at the recent Emory Undergraduate Research Symposium. Congrats to Becky, Meera, Brandon and Itai for their efforts.

Meera Patel presenting her research on plant pathogens transmitted by bugs.

Evolutionary biologist, author and science educator Sean Carroll came to visit Emory this week. Several undergraduates and grad students, including our own Erica Harris, had the opportunity to have lunch with him. Thanks for a great visit!