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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 7h

Looking forward to Jay Vornhagen's @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social seminar today at noon!

Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The MMI Fall Seminar Series kicks off tomorrow as Katy Patras presents the Rod Welch Distinguished Lectureship @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social @katypatras.bsky.social

MMI Seminar Series flyer: Dr. Katy Patras, Baylor College, presents "Microbe-Based Strategies to Eradicate Uropathogens from the Urogenital Mucosa," Sept 18, 12:05 PM, 1520 Microbial Sciences Building.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Vibrio2026 - Submit your abstract by June 15, and join us in Berlin for this wonderful conference in September!! event.fourwaves.com/vibrio2026

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

At the top of the hour... Come see today's exciting @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social seminar by @joeyzacks.bsky.social!

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Interested in a teaching faculty position in Bacteriology at UW-Madison? See the attached announcement! @uwbact.bsky.social

A job posting flyer from the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison advertising a Teaching Faculty II position. The role involves coordinating and teaching microbiology lab courses and/or large enrollment introductory classes. The application deadline is May 5, 2026, at 11:59pm CDT. Applications must be submitted electronically via the Jobs at UW portal; emailed applications are not accepted. Applicants must upload a single document containing a cover letter, CV, and teaching philosophy. The job listing URL is https://jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/teaching-faculty-ii-madison-wisconsin-united-states, Job ID JR10009916. The flyer notes that Madison, Wisconsin is described as a vibrant place to live and work, combining college-town energy, lakeside scenery, and a community-focused atmosphere.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Really excited to host Patty Champion in this week's MMI Seminar Series. Friday at Noon, MSB 1520. @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social

Medical Microbiology & Immunology Seminar March 20, 2026. 12:05 pm, 1520 MSB. "Conserved Mechanisms of Protein Translocation and Regulation in Pathogenic Mycobacteria". Dr. Patricia Champion, Univ. of Notre Dame

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Congratulations to the @uwmadison.bsky.social Badgers Women's Hockey athletes headed to the Olympics! Representing multiple countries, this is the best of the USA and of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Women's hockey players and athletic trainer at center ice after the January 25, 2026 game, for their sendoff to the USA and Czechia Olympic teams.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Save the date... The Symbiosis Gordon Conference is headed back to Tuscany June 20-25, 2027 with @ngerardo.bsky.social as Chair! www.grc.org/animal-micro...

Screenshot of the linked web page showing: Animal-Microbe Symbioses Gordon Research Conference, June 20-25, 2027. Chair Nicole Gerardo, Vice Chair Mark Mandel. Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, Via Giovanni, Pascoli, Lucca (Barga), Lucca, Italy

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Read @jtsangwrites.bsky.social's article about the squid-vibrio symbiosis in the latest @asm.org Microcosm magazine!

Scientists from the Mandel Lab collect Hawaiian bobtail squid at low tide in Oahu

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Karen Visick starts out the morning at #ASMBiofilms with the Costerton Award Lecture! @microklv.bsky.social

Karen Visick speaking about calcium and Vibrio fischeri biofilms

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Another great @mmpconference.bsky.social wraps up… 👏 to organizers Jonathan Allen and Abby Kroken! @akroken.bsky.social

Opening session of the MMPC conference with Abby Kroken and Jonathan Allen on stage and a slide displayed.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

The Computational Modeling in Biology Network (COMBINE 2025) workshop is being held at UW-Madison October 20-23. Great lineup of speakers and workshop leaders. Early registration through this Sunday. co.mbine.org/author/combi...

Flyer for the combine workshop: computational modeling in biology network. Listing speakers and showing details and sponsors.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Join us on Friday at noon for a great seminar from Tera Levin @teralevin.bsky.social! @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social

Announcement: Medical Microbiology & Immunology Seminar Series, September 26, 12:00 pm, MSB 1520. "The Evolution of Immunity and Pathogenesis within Environmental Microbial Battlegrounds". Dr. Tera Levin, University of Pittsburgh.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Are you a bacterial geneticist looking for a football player to root for this year? Obvious choice is LAC McConkey. His name is Ladd McConkey and he plays for LAC. Went to microbiology powerhouse Georgia so that checks out.

Last year's Ladd McConkey football rookie card (WR, LA Chargers).

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Gearing up for a fantastic Fall Seminar Series @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social! Kickoff is this Friday with the Dr. Rod Welch Distinguished Lecture by Vic DiRita!

Medical Microbiology & Immunology Fall 2025 Seminar Series Flyer. Talks are Fridays at Noon in MSB 1520.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Congratulations to Avery Imes and all of our collaborators on this cover & editor's spotlight article in #AEM! More details on the study in the preprint thread linked below. @asm.org bsky.app/profile/mark...

Applied and Environmental Microbiology Journal Cover, Volume 91, Number 8, August 2025. Image shows a hatchling Hummingbird bobtail squid, Euprymna berryi.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Jacob Vander Griend on his successful PhD defense today! Really proud of all of your work on systems-level studies in Vibrio fischeri. @uwmadisonmdtp.bsky.social @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social

Mark and Jake smiling, in the atrium of the Microbial Sciences Building at UW-Madison

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Beautiful night in Madison, Wisconsin.

Photo of the Madison state capital peeking through the Edgewater hotel, from the water.

Photo of University of Wisconsin Memorial Union and sailboats, from the water.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

My lab is doing the hard work to prepare for a conference next month: taste testing to figure out if egg sandwiches should be served on English muffins or donuts.

Egg sandwiches on donuts or English muffins. Some have bacon. One has maple drizzle.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Great to have my former labmate and @uwmadisonmdtp.bsky.social alum Sarah Studer back in Madison. Of course we celebrated with Babcock Ice Cream!

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Join us for Friday's Noon seminar from Laurie Comstock on "Mobile Genetic Elements of Gut Bacteroidales: Phenotypes and Fitness"! @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social

Seminar Flyer: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Medical Microbiology & Immunology Seminar Series. April 11, 2025. 12:00 PM, 1520 MSB, "Mobile Genetic Elements of Gut Bacteroidales: Phenotypes and Fitness". Dr. Laurie Comstock, Professor, University of Chicago

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Very excited for @benwolfe.bsky.social's seminar today in @uwbact.bsky.social, hosted by the @uwmadisonmdtp.bsky.social students!!

Bacteriology Department Seminar. Benjamin Wolfe, Tufts University. "How to manage microbiomes: lessons from a decade of studying (and eating!) fermented foods". Thursday, March 20. 3:30 pm, Ebling Symposium Center MSB

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

With more mollusk genomes available, a new genome-based phylogeny is featured on the cover of Science. Paper from @sigwartae.bsky.social at www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Cover photo by Magnus Lundgren.

Science Magazine cover 28 Feb 2025; "An oval squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana)"

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Today's @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social seminar is from Luisa Cervantes-Barragan from Emory!

UW-Madison Medical Microbiology & Immunology Seminar on February 7, 2025 from Dr. Luisa Cervantes-Barragan, Emory University. Noon in MSB 1520. “Diet-microbiome interactions that shape
the intestinal T cell response”

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Excited for our @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social seminar this Friday at noon from @stallingslab.bsky.social on "Molecular pathogenesis of Mycobacteria"!

MMI Seminar Friday, January 24 at 12:00 pm. MSB 1520. Christina Stallings from Washington University in St. Louis. "Molecular pathogenesis of Mycobacteria"

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Hmm… I don’t see one of the most exciting results in the thread above so adding again: The paper shows that the E. berryi isolates encode a Type VI secretion system and that those systems are functional in culture and during squid colonization.

Figure 7 from the paper showing Type VI secretion system activity in culture and in the squid.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Overall, our work suggests that the Hummingbird bobtail squid (the bigger one!) is likely to be a valuable comparative model for mechanistic studies of symbiosis.

Figure 1 in the paper showing the animals. E. berryi is larger and darker colored compared to E. scolopes.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Finally, early host responses to symbiosis including apoptosis and hemocyte migration are conserved in the Hummingbird bobtail.

Figure 6 in the paper showing apoptosis and hemocyte phenotypes.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Bacterial mutants that fail to engage in flagellar motility, SYP biofilm, or produce the symbiotic luminescence had identical phenotypes in the Hummingbird bobtail as they have in the Hawaiian bobtail squid.

Figure 5 in the paper showing slight defect for lux mutants and severe defects for sypF and flrA

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Fluorescent protein-expressing strains revealed the crypt structure of the Hummingbird bobtail squid light organ, which strongly resembled that of the Hawaiian bobtail (3 crypts x 2 sides = 6 crypts per animal).

Figure 2 from the paper, showing the light organ structure of juvenile E. berryi, with the larger crypt 1 and smaller crypt 2 and crypt 3 on each side of the light organ.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

We started by isolating symbionts from the Hummingbird bobtail squid, and found that like the Hawaiian host, there is strong specificity with only being colonized by Vibrio fischeri.

Figure 4 from the paper: a graph showing that Vibrio fischeri are the exclusive colonizers of E. berryi

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Hector Burgos prepared a tome (!) of protocols on how to generate, compete, and analyze barcoded-deletions in Vibrio fischeri. Check it out if you'd like to apply these approaches! currentprotocols.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

First page from the manuscript, Generation of Barcode-Tagged Vibrio fischeri Deletion Strains and Barcode Sequencing (BarSeq) for Multiplex Strain Competitions, with table of contents listing the 7 protocols and 1 alternate protocol.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

I am excited to host Nkrumah Grant from UIUC for tomorrow's Bacteriology seminar!

Flyer advertising: Nkrumah Grant seminar, "Mapping genetic interactions in Vibrio cholerae to predicted evolutionary" Thursday November 14 at 3:30 pm in MSB Ebling.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 27/04/2024

And kudos to lab alumna Natalia Rosario-Meléndez for a great talk on her work in Jo Handelsman's Lab!

Natalia stops for a second to B. cereus about her work on the THOR community.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 27/04/2024

What a week! Training grant presentation by Delaney Miller, squid-vibrio group talk by @chanholschbach.bsky.social, undergrad research symposium poster from Andrew Luy, and Perlman Symposium Lightning talk (and talk award!!) from Anna Dickfoss!!

Delaney Miller rocking her talk about symbioses in honey bees (from graduate work in Irene Newton's lab) and bobtail squids.

Chandler Holschbach's Zoom talk to squid-vibrio luminaries about c-di-GMP enzyme function.

Andrew Luy's undergraduate poster, on work supervised by former graduate student and current Carroll University Assistant Professor Katherine Bultman.

Anna Dickfoss's Perlman Symposium talk in the Microbial Sciences Building's Ebling Symposium Center at UW-Madison.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 08/02/2024

I am super excited to host Princeton Molbio Assistant Professor (and lab alum) John Brooks in Madison for tomorrow's MMI seminar at Noon in MSB 1420!

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 19/01/2024

Fantastic to have Lauren Palmer @laurenpalmer.bsky.social here today as the graduate student-invited speaker!!

Poster for the MMI Department Seminar Series. January 19, 2024. Noon-1:00 pm. Dr. Lauren Palmer.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 21/12/2023

Thrilled to be part of this wonderful group, celebrating the past year and looking forward to 2024!

Smiling lab people in a living room with a Christmas tree.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 24/11/2023

Congratulations Badgers Volleyball on their sweep against Nebraska. What a match!!

UW Field House arena just after the conclusion of the match showing Badgers Win

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 20/11/2023

Congratulations to Dr. Bultman!!

Dr. Katie Bultman and Baby Bultman in front of a cake that reads, "Congrats Katie!"

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 17/11/2023

Save the date for the 9th Conference on Beneficial Microbes, July 21-25, 2024 in Madison, WI! Keynote speakers Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social and Jeffrey Gordon! More info will be rolling out in the next two months at conferences.union.wisc.edu/microbes/

Conference poster with much of the info in the message. Also notes you can email microbes@union.wisc.edu to join the email list

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 17/11/2023

Really excited for Katie Bultman to present her dissertation work!! This Monday at 10:00 am in MSB 6201.

Poster announcing: Microbiology Doctoral Training Program University of Wisconsin-Madison. Katie Bultman, Mandel Lab. Dissertation Defense Seminar. Distinct biofilm regulatory strategies confer host colonization specificity in Vibrio fischeri. Monday, November 20, 2023 at 10:00 am. 6201 Microbial Sciences Building or Zoom.

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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 20/09/2023

Lots of lab changes this summer and fall.... Huge welcome to new postdoc Delaney Miller! Excited to have onboard rotation students Anna & Trevor, and new undergrad Derek. Sorry to say goodbye to stellar undergrads Dawson & Emily.

Fourteen happy scientists sit outside at the UW-Madison Memorial Union Terrace on a sunny day last week, with Lake Mendota and sailboats in the background.

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