Dr. Phillip Delekta

Dr. Phillip Delekta is an Assistant Professor working in MGI. Here are his answers to the Micro Biography questions: 

How and when did you become interested in the field(s) of microbiology, genetics, and/or immunology?

One word: pigeons. In grade school, I would watch history documentaries. I was especially interested in WWI and WWII. One documentary included the U.S. Army Signal Corps’ Pigeon Service and the use of birds’ speed and homing ability to carry messages and take aerial photos. The discussion about the ability of pigeons to navigate home appealed to my other childhood interest of biology. This led me to the world of pigeon racing and showing. I soon discovered that, like other domesticated animals, there are many different breeds with wildly different phenotypes. These phenotypes range in breeds that are about 4 times heavier than a street pigeon to breeds with extra tail feathers which the birds will display as if they were small turkeys. The seemingly endless variation in phenotypes was very intriguing, and I soon started breeding them. In the 4^th grade, I was reading articles on pigeon genetics and health in various pigeon magazines. The first science book I ever read was Origins and Excursions in Pigeon Genetics by W.F. Hollander (Iowa State University), and I keep this book in my office as a reminder of how my interest in biology started. Not only did raising pigeons get me exploring the genetics and infectious diseases of pigeons, but it also led to my first forays into science education: each semester of high school, my biology teacher, Mrs. Panning, would have me bring in some various breeds I raised to give a talk on genetics. The above experience started me on my paths both in research and education. For an excellent review article on pigeon genetics with some great pictures see “Pigeonetics takes flight: Evolution, development, and genetics of intraspecific variation” (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.11.008).

 

Were there any particular people or events who were influential in your journey?

First, my parents, who put up with my pigeons and other odd interests that involved science. Also, my father, who was trained as a mechanic, would have me help him work on the family cars. This taught me how to observe a problem and then take it apart to troubleshoot an issue, which are skills a scientist uses continuously in research. I was fortunate enough to have two childhood influences who were scientists and college educators. My uncle, Ed Cogger, received his PhD from MSU in poultry science and would go on to be a professor at California State Polytechnic University. Dr. Jack Gobetti was the father of one my close friends and was a professor at the University of Michigan Dental School. They both made research and teaching in academia sound fun and rewarding. As an undergraduate at MSU, I worked in the lab of Dr. Jerry Dodgson and worked daily with his lab tech Bill Pain. They both taught me bench skills and how to think like a scientist. I enjoyed working in the Dodgson lab and found MMG faculty in the neighboring labs to be supportive of me and the other undergraduate researchers. This community helped encourage me to pursue graduate school. Since then, I have been fortunate to have many good mentors and friends in science that have helped me along this path.

How did you come to be a part of this department?

After my initial postdoc ended unexpectedly with the lab closing, I obtained a second postdoc in Dr. Neal Hammer’s lab. I am grateful for this opportunity, as it was an uncertain time in my career path and the opportunity to work in the Hammer lab helped me regain my bearings. Helping Neal establish his lab was an exciting challenge with many good memories. Neal was a very supportive mentor and gave me the flexibility in his lab to develop my teaching career while doing bench work. This led to opportunities to teach for BioSci and MGI as a postdoc. When the opportunity came to join the faculty of the department, I was excited to do so.

What is your main role / research area right now and why is it important?

My primary responsibility is in MGI’s educational mission. I am the course coordinator of MGI 301, Introduction to Microbiology. As coordinator, I am responsible for microbiology education for ~1000 undergraduates each academic year, who come from nearly all undergraduate colleges at MSU. The goals of MGI 301 are to provide students with the resources and support for mastery of the fundamental molecular biology of bacteria and viruses and further advance students' development as scientists and lifelong learners through regular application of scientific practices. As course coordinator, I provide leadership on course pedagogy, oversee course administration, and lead the instructional team toward these student outcomes. I also teach MGI 494L, Summer Undergraduate Research Institute in Genomics. Students in this course get to experience an organic research experience. They work in small teams to conceptualize a research project and then experience both the rewards and frustrations of real research. In doing so, students learn at the bench how to think and function as independent scientists as their projects unfold in unexpected ways. It is an exciting class both for me and the students as every day brings new challenges and interesting observations.

I also support undergraduate education in a number of ways outside the classroom. These include serving on committees that involve undergraduate curriculum development and student accommodations for disabilities in the classroom. Both of these committees are very impactful on the educational experience of undergraduates at MSU. I also have been developing research about undergraduate education based on observations in my course which include questions around modality of teaching, retention of material between courses, and student interventions for flipped classrooms.

How do you see your role / research evolving?

I hope to continue to provide leadership in science education in the department and more broadly at the university level. I am also interested in developing courses and programs to make authentic research experiences more accessible and more successful for undergraduate students. Currently, I am exploring how undergraduate lab courses might incorporate projects from research labs in MGI and how lab courses could be used to better prepare undergraduates to be productive members in the research labs in our department.

What types of activities are you involved in outside of work?

Raising a family is the largest activity I have outside of work. Beyond that, I enjoy a number of outdoor activities including fishing and birding, especially while in the U.P. I also have an interest in the microbiology of fermenting foods, ranging from brewing beer to fermenting pickles and sauerkraut.

Is there anything else you’d like to share? 

I will leave with the quote I often use on the last day of MGI 301. I ask the graduating students to stand up and be recognized for their hard work towards their degree, and then I give this my advice as they leave MSU:

"This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." Sir Winston Churchill