The American Society for Microbiology has awarded its 2023 Honorary Diversity Lecturer Award to Irene Newton, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Biology at Indiana University Bloomington.
Newton and members of her lab study host-associated microbes to understand how they influence the host species’ biology. Working with both honey bees and fruit flies, they’ve discovered microbes that benefit the host and have direct applications to food security and vector control. The Symbiosis field is necessarily interdisciplinary, and Newton bridges the fields of genetics, microbiology, genomics, and evolution to understand the intricacies of host-microbe interactions.
Dr. Irene Newton is a sought-after speaker worldwide—having presented more than 20 keynote or symposium lectures at major scientific meetings in addition to over 30 seminars at research institutions. She has given keynotes at such high-powered events as the International Symbiosis Society meetings; the Gordon Research Conference on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics; and the Model Hosts meeting in Rhodes, Greece. Her talks have been featured online at the Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, the online MicroSeminar series, and the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at University of Oregon, among others.
The ASM presents annual awards and prizes for outstanding contributions to microbial sciences. Recipients are selected from a competitive list of candidates nominated by their peers. The awards recognize leading scientists and researchers in the field for their professional accomplishments and contributions to research, education, clinical laboratories, service, and scientific diversity.
The Honorary Diversity Lecturer Award is presented to a microbiologist from a historically underrepresented group who is both an accomplished scientist and has a proven record of delivering engaging and outstanding lectures.
ASM award recipients receive an honorarium as well as an invitation to present and be recognized at the annual ASM Microbe meeting. The 2023 meeting will be held in Houston, Texas, in June.
The College of Arts