American Society for Microbiology honors Thomas M. Schmidt

The 2010 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) ASM Graduate Microbiology Teaching Award will be presented to Thomas M. Schmidt, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University (MSU), East Lasing, in recognition of his dedication to students and for fostering an intellectually stimulating environment. This award recognizes distinguished teaching of microbiology and mentoring of students at the graduate and postgraduate levels.

Known for his remarkable ability to explain very complicated material in a clear and concise manner, Schmidt is able to inspire genuine interest in his students. He consistently encourages students to go beyond simple observation and to be quantitative in their research. This approach has resulted in more rigorous thinkers and better scientists. He has advised more than 40 students and is a recipient of MSU's Teacher-Scholar Awards, a highly competitive, university-wide honor. He also co-directed the Microbial Diversity course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, from 2003-2008 where he taught over 100 graduate and postgraduate students.

Schmidt, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, Columbus, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Indiana University, Bloomington, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography, San Diego. His primary research interests are microbial community diversity and function.

Provided by American Society for Microbiology