Professor Mark Forsyth believes in the power of grabbing his students’ attention early on.  During the opening minutes of his first Microbiology lecture this semester, he vividly detailed the deadly diarrhea caused by Vibrio cholerae, a toxinogenic bacterium that can reside in the human small intestine and is responsible for infectious cholera.  He then went on to describe a closely related species, Vibrio fisheri, which is completely harmless to humans.  Just when students might have started to lose interest, Professor Forsyth suddenly produced a large flask filled with a cloudy liquid.  He explained that it could easily be filled with millions of disease-causing bacteria and questioned the class as to how one could determine whether this disturbing suggestion was indeed true. 

With a flick of the light switch, Forsyth answered his own question – the vial in his hand began to glow with a faint blue-green light.  As he had explained just moments earlier, V. fisheri have the ability to emit luminescence under darkened conditions, and it was therefore these innocuous organisms that were being displayed.  The dramatic conclusion of the demonstration allowed the class to experience firsthand both the great importance of and huge amount of biodiversity that typify the microbial world.

As one of the newest members of the Biology Department, Professor Forsyth brings with him an enthusiasm for teaching and a true desire to generate interest among his students in the field of microbiology.  With an undergraduate degree in zoology from the University of Maine, he then went on to achieve a Ph.D. in bacteriology at the University of Connecticut’s Department of Pathobiology in 1991.  Upon completion of his degree, he stayed on at Connecticut to work on a postdoctoral fellowship related to respiratory diseases.  He next moved to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he resumed postdoctoral research on infectious diseases, specifically gastrointestinal.  Forsyth was eventually appointed as a member of the faculty at Vanderbilt and served there as research assistant professor until 2000.

At William and Mary, the bulk of Professor Forsyth’s research is related to an infectious bacterial species known as Helicobacter pylori, which resides in the human stomach and can bring about problems ranging from ulcers to gastric cancer or, sometimes, no effect.  Forsyth is interested in learning how this microbe is even able to survive as a pathogen in such a harsh environment, as well as why its harmful effects are so variable among different individuals and ethnic groups.  Based on the hypothesis that H. pylori must have some way of perceiving surrounding conditions and then adjusting gene expression to compensate, Professor Forsyth and his assistants are experimenting with mutants that have various sensory systems disabled to see which of these systems are involved.

Although he did not even take his first microbiology class until after completing his undergraduate education, it is plain to see that Professor Forsyth is captivated by all aspects of his field, especially those related to disease and infection.  At William and Mary, he has the opportunity to explore these interests both as a researcher and as a teacher, and also to work collaboratively with other faculty members.  However, perhaps the greatest factor in his decision to accept a position at W&M is his belief that one must surround oneself by excellence to truly achieve personal success.  According to Professor Forsyth, this requirement is abundantly met by the students and coworkers that he has encountered in his time here.
 
    

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