In 2001 he received the SIUC Outstanding Scholar Award. In 2003 he received the Carski Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching from the American Society for Microbiology. Mike’s research is on bacteria that inhabit environments, and for the past 12 years he has studied the microbiology of permanently ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. In addition to his research papers, he has edited a major on phototrophic bacteria and served for over a decade as chief editor of the Archives of Microbiology. He currently serves on the editorial board of Environmental Microbiology. Mike’s non-scientific include forestry, reading, and caring for his dogs and horses. He lives beside a peaceful and quiet lake with his wife, Nancy, five shelter dogs (Gaino, Snuffy, Pepto, Peanut, and Merry), and four horses (Springer, Feivel, Gwen, and Festus).