Louise Temple

After obtaining her BS in chemistry and biology from Mississippi College and doing some post-graduate work, Dr. Temple took a hiatus from the academic science world at a time when “plasmid” was a little known term.  When she returned a decade later to get an MS in biochemistry from Louisiana Tech University and a PhD from Medical College of Virginia, the genetic revolution was in full swing.  Post-doctoral work provided opportunities to work with Bordetella  and bacteriophages; these research interests continue to the present.  She taught for 10 years at Drew University, a small liberal arts college in New Jersey (1400 undergraduates) and now for 15 years at James Madison University, a comprehensive regional institution reporting 22,000 students this year.  Teaching microbiology, molecular biology, and genomics, and partnering with students and peers in research has been a driving passion for her. She has also been involved in faculty mentoring and active in ASM for many years, and has a network of colleagues around the globe.