Dave graduated from GVSU in 2007 with a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology. He then obtained his M.S. in Forensic Science at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009. Dave was hired by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) and deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan with the Expeditionary Forensic Laboratory to perform DNA testing in order to assist in war-related efforts for criminal prosecutions. For his service in Afghanistan, Dave was awarded a Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism and the Department of the Army Achievement medal for Civilian Service. Q & A with Dave Diekema about forensic science

CMB undergraduate Elizabeth Stinson was awarded best undergraduate poster at the spring meeting of the Michigan branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The awarded poster "Analyzing the Interaction Between Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the Effects of Oxygen Limitation" also features contributions from Chris Howard and TJ Ramnarine.

Nine Grand Valley State University students have been named Gilman Scholars for the summer 2012 semester, and will use their scholarships to study abroad. Grand Valley ranks among the top schools in terms of Gilman Scholarship winners. Collectively, the nine students will get $34,500 in scholarships. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is operated by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute for International Education.

2012 CMB Outstanding Senior for Academic and Scholarly Excellence goes to Tim Godfrey

Senior Project: Identification of the Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein Gene Family in Phalaenopsis hybrids Activities/Awards: Grand Valley State University Dean's List: December, GVSU Student Summer Student Scholar: May 2011-August 2011, Scholarship recipient; American Society of Plant Biologist SURF award, scholarship recipient: summer 2011; Poster presentation, West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference: Oct 2010 and Oct 2011; Powerpoint presentation, MI Academy of Science, Arts and Letters: March 2012; Poster presentation, American Society for Plant Biologists Meeting: July 2012 Plans after graduation: PhD program at Penn State University.

CMB master student Kibrom Gebre-Egziabher presenting at the 2011 Annual Biomedical Conference for Minority Students held in St. Louis, MO, Nov 9-13, 2011. He is also the winner of the outstanding poster presentation award at the 2012 GVSU Graduate Showcase. Presentation: K. Gebre-Egziabher, J. Resau, K. Plaut, O. Patel . Exposure to hypergravity during pregnancy and early lactation alters abundance of cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix proteins in a rat model.

CMB seniors Ashley DeWitt and Justin Hackett presented their research at the American Society for Cell Biology annual conference held in Denver, Colorado. With over 7000 participants, the annual American Society of Cell Biology conference highlights cutting edge research from cell biologists all over the world.

Ashley DeWitt*, Elizabeth Kranz*, Jennifer Phelan*, Brandon Nader*, Kathleen L. Gould, & Dawn M. Clifford Hart. Phospho-regulation of the anillin-related scaffolding protein Mid1 in fission yeast.

Justin Hackett*, Jennifer Phelan*, Kathleen L. Gould, & Dawn M. Clifford Hart. Fission yeast cyclin-dependent kinase, Cdc2, regulates the Mid1 scaffolding protein during cytokinesis.

This award is based on the following criteria, which are not ranked by order of importance, nor exclusive:

• Uses multiple approaches in classroom/laboratory instruction and evaluation
• Stimulates intellectual curiosity in students
• Shows evidence of being current in field/discipline
• Demonstrates commitment to student learning as instructor, role model, or positive influence on career development of students
• Reflects on past teaching experience to improve current practice

Cell and Molecular Biology major, Tim Godfrey was one of only four students in category B institutes to receive in the competition for this year's American Society of Plant Biologists Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships.

Timothy Godfrey, Grand Valley State University
Mentor: Sheila Blackman Project: Identification and surveillance of the LEA proteins in Orchidaceae I am extremely thrilled and grateful to have been awarded this unique opportunity from ASPB. I look forward to conducting this exciting research this summer as well as presenting the project at the ASPB 2012 annual meeting. I'd like to give my most sincere appreciation to my mentors, Dr. Sheila Blackman and Dr. Pei-Lan Tsou, as well as to ASPB for making this possible.

Cell and Molecular Biology major, Thomas Rogers was one of only two students in Michigan to receive an Honorable Mention in the competition for this year's prestigious Goldwater Scholarship competition.

Thomas plans to pursue a PhD in Molecule Biology or Cancer Biology so that he can make an immediate impact in biomedical research and teaching at the university level. See his publications for details: Katakowski M, Zheng X, Jiang F, Rogers T, Szalad A, Chopp M. MiR-146b-5p suppresses EGFR expression and reduces in vitro migration and invasion of glioma. Cancer Invest. 2010 Dec;28(10):1024-30. Epub 2010 Sep 27. Katakowski M, Buller B, Wang X, Rogers T, Chopp M. Functional microRNA is transferred between glioma cells. Cancer Res. 2010 Nov 1;70(21):8259-63. Epub 2010 Sep 14. Thomas Rogers presenting at the West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Conference. Held at Van Andel Research Institute, October 2010.

Cell and Molecular Biology major, Doug Peterson was one of the students to receive in the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship.

The Woodrow Wilson Foundation works to redesign curricula to improve teacher preparation and create clinical experiences in schools to help teacher candidates succeed with diverse populations. It awards college seniors and career changers transitioning them to math, science and technology (STEM) teachers by providing $30,000 fellowships to help them complete the master's program. In return, Fellows commit to teach for at least three years in a high-need secondary urban or rural school in the partner state. Grand Valley State University is one of six Michigan universities chosen to participate in this innovative program to prepare science and mathematics secondary teachers.

Current Position: Senior Molecular Biologist Syzygy Biotech Solutions https://www.syzygybiotech.com/ She is also awarded for the Presidential Research Grant in Jan 2010 and Sept 2010. Conference Presentations: Jennifer L. Jakubowski and Dawn M. Clifford Hart. Association of the Anillin-related Protein Mid1 With Actin. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Anaheim, CA, April 24-28, 2010 Jennifer L. Jakubowski. Association of the Anillin-related Protein Mid1 With Actin. Michigan Graduate Education Day, Lansing, MI, April 13, 2010 Jennifer L. Jakubowski and Dawn M. Clifford Hart. Association of the Anillin-related Protein Mid1 With Actin. Michigan Academy of Science, Arts & Letters Annual Meeting. Grand Rapids, MI, March 26, 2010

Senior Project: Phospho-regulation of the anillin-related scaffolding protein, Mid1 Activities/Awards: Grand Valley State University Dean's List: December 2007- 2011, Recipient, Michigan Promise Scholarship ($2000): August 2007-May 2009, Recipient, Grand Valley Award of Excellence ($4800): August 2007- 2011, President, GVSU Dance Troupe: September 2007- 2011, Member, GVSU Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Club: September 2009- 2011, GVSU Student Summer Scholar ($4800): May 2010-August 2010, Scholarship recipient, Big Ten plus Grad School Expo ($200): September 2010, Nominee, CUR/NCUR Celebration Speaker: September 2010, Poster presentation, CUR/NCUR Celebration: October 2010, Poster presentation, West Michigan Regional: October 2010, Undergraduate Science Research Conference, Poster presentation, American Society for Cell Biology Meeting: December 2010 Plans after graduation: Vanderbilt University: Integrated Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences for Ph.D.

2011 Catalyst Award for Scholarly Excellence goes to Doug Peterson

Doug Peterson presenting at the American Society of Cell Biology annual meeting held in Philadelphia, December 2010.