ISU Microbiology Graduate Program

Iowa State University welcomed more than 7,000 students this week for the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference, and for a group of curious young leaders, the experience included a hands-on dive into the invisible world of microbes.
Inside the Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) teaching lab and research space, Dr. Melha Mellata, Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology, and her graduate student, Caleb Skow, hosted an engaging microbiology outreach event to connect classroom science with real-world agriculture and food safety.
https://www.ppem.iastate.edu/news/2026/balloons-bacteria-ffa-students-explore-microbiology-iowa-state

IM Students Present at IBSS 2026!!
Students from the Interdepartmental Microbiology graduate program participated in the 4th Annual Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Symposium (IBSS 2026), held April 16, 2026, at the Memorial Union. The symposium brings together researchers from across biological sciences at Iowa State University to share their work and connect across disciplines.
At this year’s event, Tyler Simpkins and Nayrmaliz Marrero presented posters highlighting their research. Events like IBSS offer valuable opportunities for students to share their work, engage with other researchers, and take part in interdisciplinary scientific discussion.

We had a fantastic time at this year’s spring retreat!
A huge thank you to everyone who presented their work and contributed to such engaging discussions, as well as to all who attended and helped create a supportive and energizing environment.
We’d also like to extend a special thank you to our keynote speaker, Dr. Alexander Meeske from the University of Washington, for sharing his work on Anti-CRISPRs!
We’re grateful for such a strong and collaborative community, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s retreat!

Please join us in celebrating Marissa Roghair Stroud on the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation🥳🤩 We are excited to see what’s next for Marissa as she starts her journey as an official Ph.D.

Students from the Interdepartmental Microbiology graduate program recently attended the 13th biannual All Iowa Virology Symposium, where they joined researchers from across the state for two days of scientific exchange and discussion focused on virology!
Three IM students presented their research. Carter Casey from the Olmedo-Velarde Lab gave an oral presentation titled “Virus Prevalence in Iowa Soybeans and Grapes.” Tyler Simpkins from the Blitvich Lab presented a poster titled “Proximity-Based Mapping of the NS3 Protein Interactome: Comparing Dual-Host and Insect-Specific Flaviviruses.” Kota Nakasato from the Olmedo-Velarde Lab also presented a poster, “An Infectious Clone and Nextstrain Workflow for Soybean dwarf virus Enable Genomic Surveillance and Functional Follow-Up in Iowa.”
The symposium gave students an opportunity to learn about current research, hear from experts across multiple areas of virology, and connect with other scientists and trainees. The event also gave IM students a chance to share their work and represent the program within Iowa’s virology research community.

https://iowavirology.cvm.iastate.edu