Program Events
M&I Graduate Student Retreat
We began a new event in 2022, to be held annually, that enables scientific exchange, social connectivity and cohesiveness between our graduate students. This retreat was held at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and attended by 24 students (May 20, 2022). The retreat focused on both scientific discourse and team building for the current cohort. Students were given significant input into the activities of the day to ensure that it met their needs and expectations. Each student was given the opportunity to share a “lightning talk” describing their ongoing research to their peers, many of whom they had not interacted with in person.
M&I Welcome BBQ
This annual event is a M&I tradition, which allows the department to welcome new students to Stanford University, and to M&I. This also allows the incoming class to get to know their peers, as well as the rest of the department. The catered event was held September 20, 2022 on the Alumni Lawn, as we welcomed a class of 6 incoming students- Jasmine Arunchalam, Desmond Edwards, Emma Esterman, Sebastian Somolinos Cedeno, Katie Travisano, and Miles Tuncel.
M&I Department Scientific Retreat
First year students use this opportunity to get to know their fellow graduate students, as well as to learn more about faculty and lab research interests. It allows entering students to familiarize themselves with the wide range of research areas offered in the program, and help them to determine the topic they may want to continue studying for their thesis research.
Student-Hosted Visiting Scientist Series
Once or twice a year, the trainees in the program invite visiting scientists to present a seminar on their work. This is entirely student-organized, with the visiting scientist spending the day with students and postdocs in a series of one-on-one and group meetings, and dinner. Trainees in the M&I Program are required to schedule meetings with speakers and present their work in this forum. We guide the trainees to invite speakers that represent diversity broadly defined, including a wide range of topics within the realm of host-microbe interaction, race/ethnicity, gender identity, career stage, and more.
For the upcoming academic year, the trainees have selected the following two speakers:
Gretchen Diehl, PhD
Catherine and Frederick R. Adler Chair for Junior Faculty
Tania Rosario, PhD
Assistant Professor, Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Genetics, University of Georgia
Previous Visiting Speakers
2021-2022 |
Rachel Dutton (Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, UC San Diego)
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2020-2021 |
Ceaser De La Fuente (Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania)
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2019-2020 |
Andrew Goodman (C.N.H. Long Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis and Director of Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University); Christoph Thaiss (Assistant Professor of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania)
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2018-2019 |
Manuela Raffatellu (Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UC San Diego); Vincent Racniello (Higgins Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University) |
Ethics, Science, and Society Course
This is a 3-day/10-hour interactive course taught by Microbiology & Immunology department faculty for any trainees supported by the training grant, as well as those trainees in their 3rd years who are due for a refresher course, which focuses on topics in Rigor & Reproducibility in research. Lecture/discussion topics included “Data Management” and “Collaborative Research” which emphasize best practices and common pitfalls in achieving high quality research.
