Read this story on the College of Natural Science website.
Two Michigan State University College of Natural Science (NatSci) microbiologists, Shannon Manning and Gemma Reguera, are 2024 recipients of prestigious awards from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). They are among 17 faculty members who received ASM awards nationally.
Manning, an MSU Research Foundation Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) was awarded the Alice C. Evans Award for Advancement of Women. Reguera, MMG professor and NatSci associate dean of faculty development and affairs, received the D.C. White Award for Interdisciplinary Research.
The awards are given annually to nominees who have contributed significantly to advancing their careers, institutions and the study of microbiology. At MSU, the MMG awards committee led by Professor Cindy Arvidson created and submitted the nominations. Awardees were then chosen by an ASM selection committee.
“At MSU, we know well how Shannon and Gemma contribute every day to our excellence,” said Victor DiRita, Rudolph Hugh Endowed Chair in Microbial Pathogenesis and MMG department chair. “National awards such as these are very competitive and make it clear that others outside of MSU also recognize their talent and contributions.”
Shannon Manning (left) and Gemma Reguera (right) from the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Created in 1983, the Alice C. Evans Award for Advancement of Women honors those who have worked successfully toward full inclusion and forward progression of women in microbiology. They must also be mentors and advocates committed to helping other women succeed. Alice Evans became the first woman President of the Society of American Bacteriologists, later branded the ASM, in 1928. She discovered the bacteria that causes brucellosis in humans and cattle which led to the introduction of milk pasteurization in 1930 in the United States.