Dr. Melanie R. Mormile, interim associate dean for research and external relations for the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business, has been appointed as president of the Missouri Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Her two-year term began June 2018.

Mormile has been an ASM member for 32 years, serving the 25-member Missouri Branch in previous capacities as secretary, president-elect, president and branch councilor. In her current term as president, Mormile wants to increase participation in branch meetings and membership.

Mormile also serves as the faculty advisor for Helix, an undergraduate organization sponsored by ASM. Helix members attend the annual branch meeting. In 2017, students Ashley Segobiano, a senior in biological sciences, and Kody Bassett, a master’s degree student, presented research posters at the meeting.

The ASM, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the largest single-life science society in the world, composed of over 30,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.