The Microbiology Graduate Student Organization (MGSO) is proud to announce our newly elected executive board members and officers for 2026-2027! As an official American Society for Microbiology (ASM) student chapter, MGSO has always been dedicated to fostering a collaborative, supportive, and welcoming environment for new and current graduate students across Iowa State University’s Interdepartmental Microbiology (IM) Graduate Program.
Executive Board Members:
President: Binayak Raj Pandey
Vice President: Carter Casey
Treasurer: Catherine Batchelder
Secretary: Angelica Mae Palabrica Tongco
GPSS Senator: Kota Nakasato
Officers:
Membership Chair: Alexa Newgard
Social/Events Chair: Chloe Schaffer
Social Media Chair: Kulindu Vithanachchi
Webmaster: Kota Nakasato
We are thankful to previous executive board members and officers who served MGSO and fostered student engagement! We are also thankful to our advisors Dr. Nick T. Peters (DOGE, IM Graduate Program) and Dr. Nancy Boury, for their continuous support.
Whether you are looking to network with researchers across different home departments, participate in community outreach, or simply enjoy the free pizza with soft drinks at our monthly meetings, we encourage you to get actively involved in the organization.