Niagara University Students Present Research at International Microbiologist Conference

Dr. Cassandra Marnocha, associate professor of biology at Niagara University, and rising seniors Casey O'Bryan, Grace Sweeney, and Alexandra Kiedrowski presented their research at the American Society for Microbiology's Microbe 2024 meeting at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga., June 13-17, 2024. This year's meeting brought together more than 5,000 attendees from across the world to discuss their work on microbial sciences ranging from environmental to clinical.

"ASM allowed me to see the importance of being at the forefront of clinical research," said O'Bryan, who plans to pursue a career in medicine. "I also recognized my desire to be able to collaborate with other researchers in this ever-growing field of medicine. But most importantly, this conference has motivated me to continue with research in medical school, in hopes to make my own contributions in the future."

"Attending ASM provided me with the unique opportunity to present my research and network with scientists all around the world," added Sweeney. "My experiences at ASM have served as profound encouragement for me to continue striving for excellence in my academic and professional pursuits."

O'Bryan's poster presentation focused on "Targeted dndC knockout in Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans through CRISPR-mediated homology-directed repair," research he performed with Dr. Marnocha and Dr. Virginia Glazier, associate professor of biology, while Sweeney's research, which she performed with Dr. Marnocha and Dr. William Edwards, professor of biology, studied "Metabolic flexibility of cyanobacteria in meromictic lakes."

Two of Kiedrowski's research projects were presented at the conference: "Microbial ammonia oxidation and iron reduction in a ferruginous meromictic lake," performed with senior Bethany Mangioni and Drs. Marnocha and Edwards, and "Impact of auxiliary metabolic genes on carbon cycling in Devil's Bathtub, a ferruginous meromictic lake," with Drs. Marnocha and Edwards.

In addition to presenting their research, students were able to attend talks by leading experts in fields of clinical microbiology, vaccine development, host-microbe biology, environmental microbiology, and many diverse fields, noted Dr. Marnocha.

Established in 1899, ASM is the home for microbial scientists from around the globe to connect, learn, discover and prepare for the future. ASM and its 32,000 members partner with global organizations to solve the world's most pressing challenges, and its Microbe conference is the premier international science conference for microbiologists.