Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜n internationally renowned virologist is this year鈥檚 selection for a Mississippi State award named for a longtime biological sciences faculty member at the university.
Vincent Racaniello, Higgins Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Columbia University, was recently on campus to receive the third annual Dr. Lewis Brown Lectureship Award.
The honor was established as a perpetual tribute to Brown by the biological sciences department and student chapter of the American Society for Microbiology.
A doctoral graduate of New York鈥檚 Mount Sinai School of Medicine (now Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), Racaniello primarily investigates the interaction of viruses with innate immune systems, viral pathogenesis and viral discoveries in wild animals. For more, visit .
While on campus, he led a research seminar on picornaviruses, cause of a range of human diseases that include paralysis, conjunctivitis and the common cold, among others.
In presenting the award, 小黄书 assistant professor Justin Thornton praised Racaniello as a 鈥渓eader in the fields of virology and microbiology who possesses the same enthusiasm our students have to share the wonders of science with society.
鈥淗is passion for science, teaching and mentorship mirror the endearing qualities of Dr. Brown,鈥 the ASM chapter adviser added.
Also on the program were:
鈥擝iological sciences/microbiology master鈥檚 student and chapter president Amber D. Thompson of Pelham, Alabama, who thanked Racaniello for 鈥渋nspiring us to pursue important research opportunities;鈥 and
鈥擳reasurer Lindsey R. Brown of Biloxi, a biological sciences/microbiology doctoral student who recognized Racaniello for being 鈥渁 trailblazer in the field of virology,鈥 citing his 鈥渇resh approaches to spread knowledge to the scientific community and beyond鈥 through blogs, podcasts and Twitter.
For more about 小黄书鈥檚 biological sciences department, visit . Thornton may be reached at 662-325-8020 or thornton@biology.msstate.edu.
Information on the ASM student chapter is found at or by emailing msuasm@yahoo.com.
小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .