Dr. Amy Cheng Vollmer completed her B.A. in biochemistry from Rice University and her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. After her post-doctoral research in immunology at Stanford Medical School, she spent four year as a member of the Biology Department at Mills College in Oakland, CA. Since 1989, she has been a faculty member at Swarthmore College, where she is chair of her department. At Swarthmore she teaches courses in microbiology, biotechnology, and team-teaches in the introductory biology course. She has also offered courses in bioethics and adult learning courses about bacteria and viruses. Presently, she is planning a new course in astrobiology. Her research focuses in the area of bacterial stress response and she has supervised over 60 undergraduate students in projects in her laboratory. Many of her students have presented their work at national meetings. She has published numerous papers and has authored a dozen chapters and reviews - in areas of teaching as well as research. She lectures on her research, teaching, and promoting science literacy. She is also often invited to speak about mentoring, networking, job hunting and career development. Actively involved in the American Society for Microbiology for many years, in 2006 (in Education, Membership, the General Microbiology Division, and presently on the General Meeting Planning Committee) she was the recipient of the Carski Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award from the ASM’s American Academy for Microbiology. Since 2007, she has served as president of the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology.

"Using Microbiology as a Vehicle for teaching Science Literacy"
Those of us who teach microbiology know that there are not many layers between bacteria, viruses, antibiotics and vaccines and the lives of our students. When we 'make it personal' students are motivated to do the intellectual work to understand a concept. Amy Cheng Vollmer has used microbiology as a vehicle to expand the science literacy among adult audiences: non-science faculty and staff members at Swarthmore College, local Rotary clubs, Life Long Learning courses at Swarthmore and at the University of Delaware. She will offer ideas and examples of how this can be done easily and will encourage audience members do engage in community outreach.

"Using Bacteria in the Detection as Environmental Stress Response"
Undergraduate students in Amy Cheng Vollmer's laboratory has used stress responsive bacteria as reporters for environmental conditions. Stress-responsive promoters from E. coli have been fused to bioluminescent lux reporters so that stress responses can be measured kinetically and quantitatively. Applications include determining how ultrasound kills bacteria, how laser tweezers can induce stress, determining whether components of green tea actually have anti-oxidant activity, and measuring the amount of pollutants in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.