网红头条

KENNESAW, Ga. | Aug 9, 2019

First KSU undergraduate to earn American Society for Microbiology fellowship

网红头条 undergraduate Daisy McGrath would like to work in bioinformatics for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She is one step closer to reaching that goal as the first KSU student and the only student from Georgia to receive a 2019-2020 from the American Society for Microbiology.
 
McGrath, who is pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in with a biotechnology concentration and a minor in , is one of 20 students nationwide to receive this highly competitive fellowship this year
 
The ASM fellowship provides McGrath the opportunity to pursue 10 weeks of full-time summer research at KSU with faculty mentor Tsai-Tien Tseng, associate professor of biology. McGrath received a stipend and travel support to the ASM Microbe Academy for Professional Development and the ASM Microbe Meeting, both in 2020.
 
鈥淚 feel extremely grateful to receive this national scholarship, and it makes me feel that the hard work is worth it,鈥� said McGrath, who is from Milton, Ga. 鈥淭he scholarship allows me to conduct research outside the traditional school year so I can spend more time to learn necessary skills for my career, as well as provide new insight into the ever-growing biological base of knowledge.鈥�
 
Using specialized software and custom-built computers in Tseng鈥檚 lab, McGrath is trying to identify the genetic composition of uncharacterized bacteriophages or phages (viruses that infect bacteria) in microbes of dairy-based homemade products such as nunu, fermented milk popular in West African countries. Since these naturally occurring biocontrol agents target specific strains, they could potentially be used in food safety applications and/or combat antibiotic resistance.  
 
鈥淭hese phages may become more ideal to use than chemicals to fight food contamination since they are natural enemies to bacteria and not harmful for human consumption,鈥� she explained.
 
This research is a continuation of a project McGrath started last summer as a , a scholarship program based in KSU鈥檚 . She presented the preliminary results at the 2019 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, which was hosted by KSU, and also with Tseng at the recent 2019 ASM Microbe Meeting.  
 
McGrath said that she hopes this research will lead to a streamlined genetic sequencing methodology that can be used for detecting new phages to combat bacterial pathogens such as E. coli in other types of food.

鈥淯ndergraduate research has given me a whole different perspective on learning, changing my way of thinking and making the experience more enjoyable because I can see the different career paths I can take with bioinformatics,鈥� she said.  
 
McGrath, with guidance from Tseng, has also been accepted to KSU鈥檚 for fall semester. She is the University鈥檚 first student enrolled in the accelerated graduate program, in which undergraduates take graduate-level courses during their senior years.  
 
鈥淚 am very proud of Daisy, and I am very happy that I am able to put my own training and past experience in helping Daisy get this fellowship,鈥� said Tseng. 鈥淢y goal is to provide an environment to foster her intellectual curiosity and develop her research talents to become one of the best next-generation scientists in her field.鈥�

鈥擩o毛lle Walls 

Photography by David Caselli

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 网红头条 offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 网红头条is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 网红头条is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.