I grew up in a Maryland suburb of Washington D.C. My undergraduate degree is in Microbiology from the University of Maryland. I attended graduate school at Indiana University where obtained a Ph.D. in Microbiology with a minor in Biochemistry.  My postdoctoral work included research on Pseudomonas aeruginosa at the University of Iowa and research on mammalian cytyogenetics at the University of California at San Diego. I also studied Staphylococcus aureus plasmids at the Public Health Institute of the City of New York. Most of my research has concerned microbial molecular biology. I continued research on oral microbes at the University of Missouri Dental School, where I taught dental and graduate students. More recently, I have worked on biodefense related research at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida. Biology is a fascinating subject that has an impact on our lives everyday. One cannot talk about diseases, public health or even gourmet wines and cheeses without touching on Biology.  I hope that you will find this class exciting and relevant.