Student Awarded Microbiology Research Fellowship

2015 Nov 5

Saint Joseph's University senior chemical biology major Joseph Johnson, of Levittown, N.Y., was selected by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) to receive the 2015 ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Highly competitive students who wish to pursue graduate careers in microbiology, fellowship recipients have the opportunity to conduct full-time summer research at their home institution with an ASM mentor, and present their research results at the 2016 ASM Microbe Meeting in Boston, Mass., if their abstract is accepted.

Under the mentorship of Catalina Arango, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, Johnson is writing an honors thesis focused on microbial genetics.

"This prestigious award will allow Joe to present the results of his honors thesis research in one of the largest professional microbiology meetings in the world, 'Microbe,' the ASM annual meeting, in June of 2016," says Arango.

Johnson, who also minors in behavioral neuroscience, English, and Theology and Religious Studies, is a teaching assistant for Exploring the Living World, the biology lab for non-science majors. He hopes to attend graduate school next year in pursuit of a doctorate in biomedical science.

"I hope to make a career in academia, advancing scientific knowledge through biomedical research, contributing to our understanding of disease, and training the next generation of scientists," says Johnson. "I am honored to be recognized for my work, and I am excited to make further advances in science alongside my colleagues as I develop into a scientific researcher."

Each fellow receives up to a $4,000 stipend, a two-year ASM student membership and funding for travel expenses to attend the ASM Research Capstone Institute and ASM Microbe Meeting.

This year, 94 applications were received and 43 were awarded. Of the 43 awardees, 31 students are from research and doctoral-level universities and 12 students are from undergraduate and master's granting institutions.

ASM is the largest single-life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. The society's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications and educational opportunities.