September Science on Tap with Catherine McCaughey: A big passion for ‘little animals’

Title: A big passion for ‘little animals’

Abstract: We are surrounded by millions of invisible microbes that play important roles in everything from our daily routines to global nutrient cycles. For generations, scientists have dedicated themselves to the study of these invisible microbes or ‘little animals’ as they were once known. Today, popular science and news articles abound with stories of the essential roles bacteria play in human health. While bacteria were once thought only to be a threat, we now know that even the healthy human body contains more bacterial cells than human cells. We are just beginning to understand our own complex relationship with microbes and the ubiquitous roles they play across global ecosystems. In this talk I will discuss how a passionate curiosity about microbes captivated me at a young age and took me from the classroom to the bottom of the ocean and eventually into a chemistry lab.