Alumni & Development
About Leland McClung
Professor Leland S. McClung, Ph.D., came to Indiana University in 1940, where he excelled as a professor, administrator, and researcher. McClung, who was internationally known for his research on anaerobic bacteria, created and then led for 25 years the Department of Bacteriology, which has now evolved into our microbiology program. In addition to building a model curriculum, McClung recruited prominent scientists for the department; the first faculty member he hired, Salvadore Luria, later became a Nobel Laureate.
According to Gary Sojka, former chair of Biology, “Professor McClung’s administrative talents were widely recognzied, appreciated, and sought after outside Indiana University.” Among his many esteemed positions, McClung was Vice President of the Society of Industrial Microbiology in 1958, President of the National Association for Biology Teachers in 1965, and the Archivist for the American Society for Microbiology. He also conducted numerous highly acclaimed summer institutes supported by the National Science Foundation that trained high school biology teachers in microbiology. Because of his experience running these institutes, the NSF later asked him to serve as a consultant to Taiwan and India. In 1980, he was awarded an honorary membership to the American Society of Microbiologists, one of the society’s highest distinctions.
The L.S. McClung Scholarship
Thanks to donors like you, the L.S. McClung Scholarship currently generates an estimated income of $9,800 annually.
About the L.S. McClung Scholarship
The McClung Scholarship was established in 1987 by Cornelius F. Sterling. Sterling was the first Indiana University undergraduate to receive a degree in bacteriology, the precursor to our current microbiology program. The award honors Professor L.S. McClung, who was chair of the Bacteriology Department when Sterling was a student.
The scholarship is available to in-state microbiology majors who excel academically and plan to work in the field of or pursue a graduate degree in microbiology.
Eloise Weir, 2011 L. S. McClung Scholar
 McClung Scholar Eloise Weir. (Photo: Courtesy of E. Weir) |
Eloise Weir started her undergraduate career at Manchester College, and participated in a semester abroad program, in England, at the University of Gloucestershire. Eloise transferred to IU in order to study Microbiology and to become involved with the Business of Life Sciences Program. She received the Microbiology Undergraduate Summer Research Program Award this year. Upon graduation, Eloise plans to work in the pharmaceutical industry to gain experience before pursuing a Master’s degree in Microbiology or Biotechnology.
Mitchell McClean, 2011 L. S. McClung Scholar
 McClung Scholar Mitch McClean is interested in a career in disease prevention. (Photo: Courtesy of M. McClean) |
Mitchell McClean conducts research in Dr. Melanie Marketon’s lab on Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of the plague. He is interested in the medical applications of microbiology, and wants to earn a medical degree and work with an organization like Doctors Without Borders, focusing his career on disease prevention.