Mike's Research Journey

In 2001, he received the SIUC Outstanding Scholar Award. In 2003, he received the Carski Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching from the American Society for Microbiology. Mike's research is focused on bacteria that inhabit extreme environments, and for the past 12 years, he has studied the microbiology of permanently ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. In addition to his research papers, he has edited a major treatise on phototrophic bacteria and served for over a decade as chief editor of the journal Archives of Microbiology. He currently serves on the editorial board of Environmental Microbiology. Mike's non-scientific interests include forestry, reading, and caring for his dogs and horses. He lives beside a peaceful and quiet lake with his wife Nancy, five shelter dogs (Gaino, Snuffy, Pepto, Peanut, and Merry), and four horses (Springer, Feivel, Gwen, and Festus).