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Joan W. Bennett did her graduate work at the University of Chicago and then spent several years at a postdoctoral research associate at the Southern Regional Research Laboratory in New Orleans, Louisiana, before joining the faculty at Tulane University in 1971. During her years at Tulane she taught courses on genetics, did research on toxic molds, and became active in several professional societies including both the American Society for Microbiology (President 1991-1992) and the Society for Industrial Microbiology (President 2001-2002). The year 2005 was memorable for her: she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the flooding after Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home. She moved to New Jersey with her husband, spent six months as a visiting professor at Rutgers University, and then joined the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (formerly Cook College) on July 1, 2006, as a Professor in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology. She also serves Rutgers as Associate Vice President for the Promotion of Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics. |
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Waksman Award Lecture
The best-known fungi (mushrooms) are clearly macroscopic and the scientists who study them call themselves mycologists. Scientists who study microscopic fungi like molds and mildews often label themselves as plant pathologists, geneticists, or industrial microbiologists rather than as mycologists. Microscopic fungi offer many advantages as experimental systems for genetics and as production hosts in industry. Fungal metabolites include penicillin, the most famous of antibiotics; lysergic acid, the most famous of hallucinogens; aflatoxin, the most carcinogenic of all natural products; and ethanol, almost everyone’s favorite way to get high. This lecture will present an assortment of fun facts about fungi and the people who study them. |
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