"Microbes, not macrobes, rule the world," proclaims a simple sign affixed to the office door of Assistant Professor of Biology Lisa-Anne Foster. Ask Foster, a microbiologist, why microorganisms rule, and she is likely to recite a laundry list of bacterial wonders. For example, the process of photosynthesis originated with bacteria; plants merely copied it as they evolved. Recycling is effortless for bacteria (some are able to break down petroleum products into simple, more useable forms of energy [carbon] and even clean up oil spills); and without bacteria, baguette, Brie, and champagne—three of life’s necessities—just wouldn’t exist.

"Part of my goal is to show students life would not exist on this planet if it weren’t for bacteria. There are more helpful bacteria than there are harmful bacteria," Foster asserts.

Foster, who joined Trinity in 1996, holds a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and teaches courses in microbiology, cell biology, and immunology. She has always been attracted to science and understanding how things work. A summer job as a phlebotomist during college years brought her face-to-face with the ravages of diseases like AIDS and steered her toward a career in research and disease prevention.

Foster focuses her research on how bacteria obtain essential nutrients while infecting a mammalian host. Specifically, she explores how microorganisms compete with their host for the mineral iron. The results of her research have been published in recent issues of Gene, the Journal of Bacteriology, and Infection and Immunity.

The power of bacteria
To see bacteria at work, students in Foster’s "Microbiology" course become fledgling enologists and monitor the process of fermentation. By adding lab-grade yeast to commercial grape juice, they discover how bacteria convert sugar in the grape juice to ethanol. Students then perform calculations to see how quickly the sugar is metabolized. "Fermentation is probably one of the oldest uses of bacteria by humans," Foster says.

Students in Foster’s classes also learn about the negative consequences of bacteria’s interaction with humanity. In her class for non-science majors, "Microbes and Society," students weekly peruse the Centers for Disease Control Web site, read the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Reports, and write reports on their findings.

A confident and patient teacher
Says Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology and department chair Craig W. Schneider, "Those of us who have observed Lisa teaching in her classes and labs have noted her tremendous patience and skill in leading dialogues on sophisticated techniques, metabolic pathways, molecular genetics, and the spread of infectious disease. Lisa is a confident classroom teacher who sets high, but reasonable, standards for her students. Some are therefore asked to rise above their own expectations, and many have done so. The steady flow of students to Lisa's office is due in great part to her efforts to entice one-to-one faculty-student learning. She spends innumerable hours in private discussions with her students and is justifiably proud of the success of those who expend extra effort outside of class and lab to understand complex and often technological material."

"Lisa's teaching is inseparable from her research activities," according to Professor Schneider. "Thus, a significant part of her teaching has been, and will continue to be, her mentorship of laboratory research students (apprentices) here at the College. Lisa takes great care and offers much attention to her research students. I know from conversations with each of the six seniors she has mentored that the research in her lab was a singular experience for them at Trinity."

Biology major Isaac Bohannon ’00 is one such research student, and she got a head start on her goal of becoming a physician by working in Foster’s lab. "Dr. Foster taught me to always keep the big picture in mind, which definitely makes research and science much more interesting," Bohannon says. "She’s very demanding for good reason. The things she teaches are so complicated. She’s never afraid to tell us what we can do to improve. Working with her in her lab has given me the confidence to make my own decisions."

Patricia Pelczar ’00, a double major in biology and English, took Foster’s classes in cell biology, microbiology, and immunology. Pelczar, who also served as a student teaching assistant in Foster’s class for non-science majors, says, "One of Dr. Foster's greatest strengths as a professor is that she gets students working and thinking on a level that they didn't think they had it in them to attain. She likes to challenge her students, because she knows they are capable of rising to that challenge. With Dr. Foster you don't just learn the material--you know it inside out and upside down. Not only is Dr. Foster a wonderful professor; she is also a great mentor and a good friend!"

Whether they are thinking about bacteria or more broad-based scientific issues, Foster wants her students to develop and apply their critical thinking skills. "So much of the science that’s in the popular press is flawed in some way. I want my students to develop the skills to figure out if a report is accurate and to think critically about what they’re being told. I really want students to look at hard facts, analyze the data, and discern the truth."

Suzanne Zack