Biology Graduate Student’s poster recognized at annual Entomology Meeting | People

Nabanita Mukherjee, a second year masters student at The University of Southern Mississippi, won a second place award for Best Poster in Medical, Urban, & Veterinary Entomology Section of the Entomological Society of America 2012 annual meeting last month in Knoxville, Tenn. 

Mukherjee’s research topic is diversity of microbial communities identified in exotic ticks imported in the U.S. by migrating songbirds. Mukherjee, a native of Kolkata, India, works in the laboratory of Dr. Shahid Karim, associate professor of biological sciences at Southern Miss. 

According to Karim, Mukherjee works in collaboration with several research groups, including Dr. Frank Moore in Biological Sciences. “Ms. Mukherjee analyzed the diverse microbial communities that were present in ticks collected by on songbirds that were migrating from Central and South America. This data included the identification of numerous Rickettsial strains, some of which are possible pathogens,” said Karim. 

For more on this article, click HERE to go to the USM website.