Daniel B. Kearns, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology, has been elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, an honorific leadership group of the American Society for Microbiology.
An expert geneticist and specialist in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, Kearns performs research that strives to identify, characterize, and understand new genetic components of multicellular behavior in strains of B. subtilis. He is particularly interested in creating a model that explains the interplay between swarming motions and biofilm formation in these bacteria.
In addition, Kearns' research has led to new insights into how the flagellum that powers the movement of this bacterium through liquid stops spinning through a protein, named EpsE, that behaves similarly to the clutch in an automobile.
David P. Giedroc, Lilly Chemistry Alumni Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry and an adjunct professor in the Department of Biology, was also elected 2018 fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Other recent IU electees to the academy include Stephen D. Bell and David M. Kehoe in 2015 and Adam Zlotnick in 2017. Bell and Kehoe are both professors in the Department of Biology. Zlotnick is a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry as well as an adjunct professor in the Department of Biology.
A total of 96 fellows were elected to the American Academy of Microbiology in 2018. Fellows of the academy are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-reviewed process based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. There are more than 2,400 fellows representing all subspecialties of microbial sciences, including basic and applied research, teaching, public health, industry, and government service.
The American Academy of Microbiology, formed in 1955, is the largest single life science society, composed of more than 50,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.
From the News at IU Bloomington story: "Two IU Bloomington professors elected fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology."
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