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PMB

The department of Plant and Microbial Biology works to advance knowledge of basic plant and microbial biology. Teaching and research programs in the department cover molecular, biochemical, cellular, developmental, physiological, organismal, ecological, and evolutionary biology of plants, algae and fungi. Here you will find a collection of news, features and opportunities for and about PMB.

CBSelfie with Molly Tillmann

Molly Tillmann, a Ph.D. student in Plant and Microbial Biology, first got her start in ecology interning at Cedar Creek for two summers as an undergraduate student. In her graduate work, she studies how plants can develop roots from aboveground organs.

Molly TIllman poses in the lab

CBSelfie with Joshua Havill

A third year PhD student in Plant and Microbial Biology, Joshua Havill is trying to save hops… and thus beer. He started studying hop powdery mildew, a poorly-understood disease that plagues hop growers, as an undergraduate transfer student. 

Joshua Havill 

Lab: Muehlbauer Lab

Entered Program: Summer 2017

Coping With Toxicity

Plant and Microbial Biology faculty member Jannell Bazurto studies how a bacterium utilizes methanol, despite toxic intermediates. 

Jannell Bazurto

Plants emit oxygen. But that’s not the only chemical they send into the atmosphere. As it turns out, plants release a wide range of chemical compounds that attract pollinators, deter pests and support beneficial microbes.

A Microbe-Driven Meltdown?

A new study will examine how microbial communities living in the snow and ice pack impact glacial melt.

Trinity Hamilton on Glacier at Mt. Hood
Trinity Hamilton conducting field work at Mt. Hood. Photo Credit: Jeff Havig