News and Events

Students who presented at the 9th Mini-Symposium for young investigators.

Yiran “Taylor” Han at the 9th Mini-Symposium for Young Investigators

These awardees were recognized at the 9th Mini-Symposium for Young Investigators meeting that took place on March 11, 2025 at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center in NYC.  Our very own Yiran “Tayor” Han (MBBC/ECON) was one of two pre-doctoral students who were recognized for delivering the best oral presentation at the mini symposium.  Taylor was awarded the first-place pre-doctoral award which included a $200.00 cash prize!

Taylor is also coauthor on a published manuscript that came out this week in the Journal of Bacteriology (also attached).  First author is Middlebury recent graduate Myrto Ziogas (MBBC), and other Middlebury coauthors include Igor Todorovic (MBBC) Katie Kraczkowsky (NSCI), and Taylor Han (MBBC/ECON double).  

Myrto Ziogas delivers a speech at a podium.

Ziogas ’22 Presents at 8th Mini-Symposium for Young Investigators

Myrto Ziogas (MBBC’22) delivered an oral presentation at the 8th Mini-Symposium for Young Investigators in New Orleans, LA. Myrto’s talk, titled “Characterizing a Novel SloR Recognition Element in the S. mutans mntH Promoter” won first place in the “Best Student Presentation” category.

Myrto graduated from Middlebury College in 2022 with a major in MBBC. Since graduation she has been working as a laboratory technician in the Boston area. Currently, she is deciding where she wants to go to graduate school since she has been accepted to the Molecular Genetics and Microbiology graduate program at Duke University, and to similar programs at UC-Davis and University of Southern California.

Professor Spatafora and students in Washington D.C.

American Society for Microbiology in Washington, DC

In June 2022, research students India Drummond (MBBC ’21.5), Emily Bulczynski (MBBC ’22) and Jenny Pushner (MBBC ‘21.5) traveled with Professor Grace Spatafora to the American Society for Microbiology meetings in Washington, D.C., to present the results of their senior work.

Professor Spatafora and students in Washington D.C.

Also in attendance was Spatafora researcher Ali DePaolo (MBBC ‘23).  Their posters received many visitors including Middlebury College alumni Emily Putnam (MBBC ‘10), Julia Schwartzman (MBBC ‘09), and Daniel Tetrault (MBBC ‘2020). While not attending the meetings a good time was had by all at the National Mall.

Upcoming Events

  • Biology Seminar Series - Eric Moody MIDD

    Specifics of the lecture will be added when available, please check back or check the Biology department events page.

    McCardell Bicentennial Hall 220

    Open to the Public

  • Aquatic Ecology Student Project Presentations

    Have you ever heard the story of the Middlebury River? What about Lake Dunmore? In this informal session, students from BIOL 304: Aquatic Ecology will be sharing the work they’ve done this semester to tell the stories of various aquatic ecosystems in Vermont based on concepts we’ve learned in class over the semester.

    McCardell Bicentennial Hall Tormondsen Great Hall

  • Biology Seminar Series - On the (im)possibility of elephants

    Biology Seminar, Saul Lecture - Dr. Vincent Lynch, University of Buffalo

    Cancer, aging, Peto’s paradox

    Evolutionary theory predicts that large animals, because they have more cells than smaller ones should have higher cancer prevalence than the small ones; similarly long-lived animals, which have a long time to acquire cancer causing mutations should have higher cancer prevalence than short lived ones but do not. In fact the cancer prevalence in mammals averages 50-10%. What mechanisms underlie this apparent disconnect between theory and observation?

    McCardell Bicentennial Hall 220

    Open to the Public

  • The quest for, and impossibility of, immortality. Dr Vincent Lynch, University of Buffalo

    Biology Seminar, Saul Lecture: Dr. Vincent Lynch, University of Buffalo

    The quest for, and impossibility of, immortality.

    A public lecture, sponsored by George B Saul II lecture fund and the Biology Department.

    Why do we get sick, old, and die?

    Theoretically there is no reason organisms cannot live forever. However, except for maybe one animal, every thing that has ever lived, and will live, will get old, sick, and die.  But if immortality is possible, why hasn’t it evolved?

    McCardell Bicentennial Hall 220

    Open to the Public

  • Biology Graduate School Panel

    Join the Biology SAC to hear professors speak about their educational and career experiences. Feel free to come with your questions! 

    McCardell Bicentennial Hall 317

  • “Where the tree ends and your head begins” – Listening to Gloria Anzaldúa’s Multi-Species Meditations

    This practice-based activity is open to anyone on campus, but especially those interested in thinking about ecology beyond traditional Western disciplinary lenses. We will use drawings and sound to consider the boundaries between more-than-human nature and embodied experience that Gloria Anzaldúa set out in her mediations, which proposed a feminist approach to the spaces and places at the U.S-Mexico border.

    Axinn Center 229

    Open to the Public

    Free

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

McCardell Bicentennial Hall
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 05753

Michelle Matot, Academic Coordinator

McCardell Bicentennial Hall 456

(802) 443-5451

mmatot@middlebury.edu

Amanda Crocker, Program Director

McCardell Bicentennial Hall 353

(802) 443-3638

acrocker@middlebury.edu