GALVESTON, Texas - Trainees feeling the effects of Hurricane Ike working in infectious disease received welcome news today. Dr. Alison O'Brien, president of the American Society for Microbiology, informed UTMB infectious disease leadership that it will receive $60,000 in direct financial aid for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows personally affected by Hurricane Ike.
"We appreciate the ASM's assistance for those of our students and fellows who were displaced by Hurricane Ike, many of whom lost some or all of their personal belongings," said David W. Niesel, chairman of the department of microbiology and immunology. "These funds will help our trainees meet expenses during this critical time as they begin to get back on their feet and back to their studies."
Students and fellows working in infectious disease will apply for ASM hurricane relief funds on an individual basis, with $3,000 being the maximum granted per student.
"Our students, who already face the numerous challenges of scientific inquiry, now also face the hardship imposed by the storm," said Rolf Konig, associate professor of microbiology and immunology. "The generous contribution by the ASM will allow our students to focus on their research studies and limit time lost to a minimum."
Niesel added, "As Galveston Island and UTMB continue to recover from the storm, we are committed to getting our pre-doctoral and postdoctoral trainees back to continuing their careers and their lives as soon as we can. Help like this from ASM represents the true meaning of ‘scientific community.'"