BMMB Graduate Student Association
The Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology Graduate Student Association (BMMB GSA) was founded in 2014 and consists of a maximum of eight elected graduate student officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Climate & Diversity Chair, Mentoring Chair, and First-Year Liaison(s). Elections are held annually in the spring.
Our Mission
The mission of the BMMB GSA is to build and nurture community within the BMMB graduate student body, both professionally and socially, as well as to facilitate communication between the graduate student body and BMMB department faculty and staff. GSA members represent the BMMB graduate student body, promote graduate student interests, and advocate for graduate students on several departmental committees, including the Steering Committee and Climate & Diversity Committee.
To build and support our community, the BMMB GSA sponsors a variety of activities, including:
GSA Monthly Events: Each month the GSA either holds social events and Lion Lunch for the BMMB graduate students and other graduate students in BMMB labs. The monthly events are held on alternating days and at various times to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to attend. And the best part about the GSA monthly events is the FREE FOOD AND DRINK provided by department funds.
Social Events are a great time to socialize with your fellow grad students while doing something fun (trivia night, Happy Hour, hiking, etc.)!
Lion Lunch provides a unique opportunity for students to talk about some aspect of their science in front of solely graduate students. These talks can range from a method talk about a technique used in lab, a research talk to practice for an upcoming presentation, or troubleshooting an experiment that won’t work. The GSA provides food, drinks, and a relaxing environment to help students get productive feedback.
Over the summer, you will be paired up with a current BMMB graduate student to serve as your mentor during Welcome Week, the first year, and beyond. After welcome week is over, your Student Mentor should remain a valuable resource for advice and support, to help you to build a network of peers. To foster the relationship between mentors, mentees, and graduate students outside of your rotations/lab assignments, there is a schedule of monthly off-campus recreational activities arranged by the mentoring program to bring students together.
2020-2021 BMMB GSA Board Members
- President: Holly Kleinschmidt
- Vice-President: Cody Lloyd
- Secretary: Oshadhi Jayasinghe
- Treasurer: Steph Collins
- Climate and Diversity Chair: Myrrh Perez Ruiz
- Mentoring Chair: Sam Hartmann & Max Riedel
Director of Graduate Affairs: Heather Giebink