(Posted November 19, 2008)

Travis Hull ('09) recently won the 2009 Raymond W. Sarber Award, the most prestigious undergraduate award given by the American Society for Microbiology. This national honor is given to a single undergraduate each year for outstanding research and potential (some years no award is given.) Travis has been conducting microbial genetics research since his sophomore year in the laboratory of Dr. Jennifer Bennett. His current research project focuses on the characterization of bacterial mutants that are defective for spore formation and development. Travis has previously won other prestigious national awards, including a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship (2008), an American Society for Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellowship (2007-2008), and an American Heart Association Research Fellowship (2008) for his academic excellence and research accomplishments shown while pursuing his Biology degree at Juniata. Travis will accept the Raymond W. Sarber Award at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 109th General Meeting to be held in Philadelphia this May. This will be Travis' third ASM General Meeting. He was previously awarded a Corporate Activities Student Travel Grant to present his research in 2007 at the meeting in Toronto, Canada and was an invited student speaker at the meeting in Boston last year. Travis is currently interviewing for MD/PhD programs across the country and plans to pursue a career in infectious disease research as a physician scientist.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.