Emily Brovey is a PhD candidate in the Microbiology program working in the Kearns Lab. Her research focuses on the genetic regulation of swarming motility and exoprotease production in ancestral Bacillus subtilis. She is vocal advocate for science policy and has played a key role in organizing numerous science outreach events within the department. This award will support Emily as she continues to advance her thesis work.

Shobnom Mustaree is a PhD student in the Rowe-Magnus lab, where she studies motility and biofilm formation in the human and animal pathogen Vibrio vulnificus. Her research focuses on the bicistronic rcbAB operon and how its products synergistically inhibit motility and promote biofilm maturation after surface attachment by modulating intracellular c-di-GMP levels in V. vulnificus. In addition to her research, she has been actively involved in teaching and mentoring undergraduate students in both lecture-based and laboratory courses. This fellowship will support her continued research and development in understanding bacterial biofilm regulation and pathogenesis.

Kehinde 'Kenny' Adebiyi is a PhD candidate in the Microbiology program working in the Kearns Lab. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanism of cell division and its relation to motility in Gram-positive bacteria. He is passionate about teaching, mentorship and social work, and has been a front volunteer in major outreach activities in the department and beyond.

Virginia is a fifth-year grad student in the Dalia lab, where she studies the mechanism of action of a class of bacterial transcription factors that bind to the genome while remaining localized in the cell membrane. This award will support Virginia as she continues her thesis work.

Chase is a third-year Ph.D. student in the van Kessel lab studying how pathogenic Vibrio bacteria respond to population and nutritional signals in their environments enabling them to infect diverse hosts. She is passionate about increasing science outreach opportunities in the community and can often be found performing engaging bacterial demonstrations and lessons to learners of all ages.