Megan Bryson Published in The Conversation

May 1, 2023 by Bridget Waller

Megan Bryson Published in The Conversation

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Message from the Department Head
In our Spring 2022 newsletter we are proud to share with you some highlights of the exciting and important research being conducted in the Department of Microbiology here at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. A distinguishing characteristic of academic scientists is their passion for integrating discovery with education. Scientists stand at the edge of knowledge, pushing outward toward information and ideas that can and do change the world for the better.

Throughout my career I have been inspired by the students with whom I have interacted, who are learning where that edge is, where to push, and how to be comfortable with not knowing all the answers. Often, undergraduate researchers are just beginning to realize that there even is an edge, and as educators we are metaphorically holding up signs that say “mind the gap.” Graduate student researchers know there is a gap, and have decided to commit themselves to exploring what lies within it. This is a brave decision that causes them to diverge from their peers who are starting or continuing their jobs in the ‘real world.’ For many, becoming a graduate student means daily struggles: trying to make the experiments work, trying to explain to friends and family why the results were devastating or exciting, trying to explain to a mentor why the experiment was done that way in the first place, and trying to balance the many obligations that come with being a scientist, student, educator, and a human being.

In my view, one of the greatest privileges of being a faculty member at an institution like ours is watching graduate students grow in their confidence as they realize that they are the world’s expert in the length of the gap they have chosen to study, and as they hone and expand on their ability to communicate old and new scientific ideas to anyone and everyone.

Graduate students are the linchpins of academic research. They are at the frontline of the gap, spending hours at the bench, computer, and field to wrangle large amounts of data and small amounts of liquid into something interpretable for the world. They are at the frontline of our ‘mind the gap’ campaign, helping convey in the classroom and instructional labs the results and importance of scientific discovery to hundreds of undergraduates, most of whom will not share their enthusiasm. They are at the frontline of our self-awareness and image as a department, reminding us of our obligations, both scientific and nonscientific to all members of society; reminding us often of why we are pursuing new knowledge.

Here in the department, as we start the spring semester of 2022, we have just finished interviewing students for the incoming graduate class of fall 2022. The first-year students are entering their second semester and have made the important decision of joining a lab, which will define the general area of the gap they will be exploring. The second-year students are developing and defending their project goals and approaches as they take their preliminary exam or defend their thesis. And the continuing dissertators are running ahead of their mentors, calling back as they transform the unknown into the known.  

As you read through the newsletter and gain a glimpse into the stories of some of our graduate students and faculty, I hope you will share my gratitude and awe for their choice to dedicate themselves to scientific inquiry. This choice, though difficult, makes all the difference to making sure the rest of us have solid ground beneath us. 

Heidi Goodrich-Blair
David and Sandra White Professor and Head of Microbiology

Shepardson on Turkey’s historic city of Antakya

April 15, 2023 by Bridget Waller

Shepardson on Turkey’s historic city of Antakya

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Marie Curie once wrote “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” While speaking with doctoral researcher Jill Walton, it’s clear she is the embodiment of Curie’s words. As she excitedly tells me about her studies, volunteer work, and outreach dreams, I see her vision for a more intentional use of research, academia, and scholarship to benefit not only scientific knowledge, but also humanity. 

Walton studies the roseobacter clade of marine bacteria in Alison Buchan’s lab. Roseobacter has a unique ability to degrade stable benzene rings, making it a promising candidate for the natural removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are anthropogenic pollutants composed of 2 to 6 fused benzene rings. 

Both roseobacter and PAHs — which come from oil spills, industrial discharge, wastewater, and runoff — are largely abundant in coastal environments. This mutual presence, along with roseobacter’s degradation ability, present a promising situation. 

“Roseobacter and the pollutants are there. They show the ability to degrade smaller compounds, so can they degrade more complex, structurally similar compounds?” Walton summarizes. 

Her overarching goal is to create an effective solution for PAH removal in degraded coastal environments. 

“I’m looking at roseobacter’s ability in a lab environment to degrade these pollutants to see if we can harness its ability to bioremediate these areas,” she explains. “If we know how to stimulate them, we can use what is already there instead of adding nonnative solutions.” 

Little is known about the intricacies of roseobacter’s degradation ability; however, these hurdles do not phase Walton. 

“We just need to put all the pieces together and build the story,” she enthusiastically states. 

Walton’s passion for research and solution-oriented mindset extends outside of the lab as well, resulting in an extensive list of extracurricular involvement. She regularly volunteers at the Sustainable Future Center, serves as the Microbiology Department’s Graduate Students Association Outreach and Engagement chair, and lends her voice to the Student Disability Services (SDS) Student Advisory Board. 

But her engagement does not stop here. Walton is a participant in the Community Engagement Academy offered through UT’s Diversity and Engagement Department where she applies her love for research to outreach initiatives. 

“We have been learning about engaged scholarship,” she explains. “We are focusing on engagement that not only benefits the community, but also our professional interests.” 

Her goal is to utilize her connection with the Sustainable Future Center to implement a community soil and water testing initiative. Walton hopes to provide free testing kits and educational workshops for community members. 

“I don’t want there to be any barriers to participation,” she elaborates. “I am really excited about it! I think it has a lot of potential to be great and an initiative other people will continue when I am no longer here.” 

Walton undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of her. Her passion for scientific discovery and her unrelinquished kindness make her invaluable to both academia and her community.

-By Taylor Mattioli

Spirit Guide: How the Arson of a Black Church in Knoxville Has Affected More Than the Church Community

April 1, 2023 by Bridget Waller

Spirit Guide: How the Arson of a Black Church in Knoxville Has Affected More Than the Church Community

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Alison Buchan, Carolyn W. Fite Professor and associate head of microbiology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was recently elected as a 2022 Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology. This is an honor that recognizes service, leadership, and creative achievement in the field of  microbiology.  

The fellow selection process is based on several factors, such as scientific and innovative achievements. This year, only 65 professors from across the world received the honor.

“I am humbled and honored to join the ranks of the American Academy of Microbiologists,” Buchan said. ”I am grateful to my many past and current mentors, supporters, and also the many talented and inspiring undergraduate and graduate students that I have had the unique privilege to work with over the years.”

Buchan’s expertise in her discipline has a broad scope. She is a microbial ecologist who studies the interactions bacteria have with one another and more recently she is studying the viruses that infect them. She is also trained as a microbiologist (MSc) and a marine scientist (PhD). The multidisciplinary research Buchan has accomplished at UT has given her the opportunity to collaborate with several other scientists such as chemists, geochemists, and modelers.  

“Science is most definitely a team effort and I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with fabulous students, faculty and research staff here at UT.”