Outreach Activities

Outreach & Training

The Dishaw Lab takes outreach seriously. We are committed to communicating our multidisciplinary research, which will contribute to our understanding of host and microbe interactions in the gut and, more specifically, will help define the ecology of microbial colonization on host mucosal surfaces.

Our work is focused on training undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows in the cross-disciplinary field of microbial ecology and immunology.

Communicating & Mentoring

Our work is regularly presented at the international and national levels to our peers; we also present locally, often specifically to undergraduates and even at the k-12 level.

At the undergraduate level, we have specific outreach collaborations with St. Petersburg College and Eckerd College; these programs encourage rigorous honors thesis projects in a laboratory engaged in microbiological, immunological, and marine biological research on a medical campus.

Teaching & Inspring

Our collaborations to reach out to undergraduates is designed to inspire the next generation of STEM scientists and inspire some students that may even be “on the fence” about a career in science.

We have also incorporated microbiome technologies in our guest lectures for the St. Petersburg College Biotechnology Course, take part in local science-themed activities such as the annual Saint Petersburg Science Festival, and also integrating microbial ecology modules into the USF Oceanography Camp for Girls each year of the program.

Update July 2021: we just completed another summer of Oceanography Camp for Girls at USF. It was a big success and also represents the 30th year of this program at USF. See here for a blog about our module, and read up on the OCG anniversary.