Welcome to the latest Plant and Microbial Biology alumni newsletter with th
Welcome to the latest Plant and Microbial Biology alumni newsletter with th
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NC State University

Fall 2025 Alumni Newsletter

 
 
 
Message from the Department Head
 
Welcome and a brief update from Bob Franks, Plant and Microbial Biology’s Department Head.
 
Read the latest from Dr. Franks arrow
 
 
Dean Garey Fox and Terri Long
 
Long to Lead Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
 
Terri A. Long, a respected CALS faculty member and platform director for Education and Workforce Development for the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative will take the helm as the head of…
 
Learn about her work arrow
 
 
 
Fall Ice Cream Social Newsletter
 
We welcomed new and returning faces with our 25th annual Ice Cream Social! Our newsletter captures the latest lab updates for this fall.
 
Catch up with the department arrow
 
 
A man holds a glass jar of milk in a laboratory.
 
Gut Check
 
José M. Bruno-Barcena’s love of cheese, cultivated in his hometown of Cabrales, Spain has grown into a full-fledged fascination with bacteria and the use of fermentation and microbes to support gut health as we age.
 
Explore his research arrow
 
 
A woman smiles through pine needles.
 
From Pine Cones to Kilns: A Plant Biologist’s Passion for Pottery
 
A doctoral student in plant biology, Erin Emott has successfully blended her love of art and the natural world, earning two Visual Artist Awards through Arts NC State.
 
Jump into the studio arrow
 
 
 
Sparking Student Entrepreneurism
 
An award from the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative is supporting two Ph.D. students, including Harry Ervin from the Hawks lab. His work pursues ways to create a product derived from beneficial fungi that can be applied by farmers in their fields and greenhouses.
 
Learn about their projects arrow
 
 
 
A-maize-ing Summer Research in St. Louis
 
Caitlyn Elliott spent her summer in St. Louis at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in the lab of Dr. Katie Murphy.
 
Explore her summer project arrow
 
 
 
2025 CALS Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Honored
 
The CALS Alumni and Friends Society presented the Outstanding Alumni and Outstanding Young Alumni awards, recognizing excellence and achievements of former students in CALS. Two PMB alumni, Catherine Aimone and Lizzie Johnson Harrell were recognized at the ceremony!
 
Read their stories arrow
 
 
 
Mark Your Calendar for CALS Wolfpack Harvest
 
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State University is launching a new fall tradition with Wolfpack Harvest, an event designed to bring together alumni, students, faculty and friends of the college to celebrate everything that makes the CALS Pack special.
 
Register today arrow
 
 
Send us an Update arrow
 
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