History of Microbiology
| 1865 | Cornell University is founded by Ezra Cornell |
| 1904 | The College of Agriculture becomes a New York State sponsored institution (predecessor of the current College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) |
| 1906 | William A. Stocking, a founding member of the American Society of Bacteriologists, is appointed Assistant Professor of Agricultural Bacteriology. Stocking studied dairy streptococci. Among the notable members of the department is Robert S. Breed, who worked at the Geneva Agricultural Experiment Station and was one of the founding editors of Bergey's Manual |
| 1906 | The department of Dairy Industry, which administered the first Bacteriology classes taught on campus, occupies Roberts Hall |
| 1923 | A new building, Stocking Hall, is constructed for Dairy Science |
| 1924 | James M. Sherman, a bacteriologist trained at the Univ. Wisconsin in Madison, arrives as Chairman of the Department of Dairy Science. This department administers all courses in the Department of Bacteriology including: General Bacteriology, Household Bacteriology, Agricultural Bacteriology, Food and Sanitary Bacteriology, Dairy Bacteriology, and Soil Bacteriology. Sherman's primary area of interest was the streptococci, with interests in other fermentative Gram-positive bacteria |
| 1929 | Under Sherman's leadership, a semi-independent program in bacteriology has grown including eight full professors, two assistant professors, and three instructors. New courses include Microbial Methods, Physiology of Bacteria, Taxonomy of Bacteria, Cytology and Higher Bacteria and Related Organisms |
| 1930s | The growing bacteriology group includes such notables as: Clifford N. Stark, author of more than 90 papers during his 25 year career at Cornell; Otto Rahn, author of the 1932 monograph Physiology of Bacteria; and George A. Knaysi, a pioneer in the field of microbial cytology |
| 1937 | Sherman is elected President of the Society of American Bacteriologists (predecessor to the American Society for Microbiology, or ASM). Sherman was also the author of the first article (The Streptococci) in the Bacteriological Reviews (now Microbiological and Molecular Biological Reviews). Another honor bestowed upon him is the naming after him of Propionibacterium shermanii, the organism whose production of carbon dioxide bubbles leads to the holes in Swiss cheese |
| 1940s-1950s | Notable members who join the faculty of the "Laboratory of Bacteriology" (within the Department of Dairy Industry) include I.C. Gunsalus, Harry W. Seeley,Jr., Eugene A. Delwiche, and Paul J. VanDemark. In 1948, Max Zelle is appointed Professor of Bacterial Genetics, the first such position in any college in the United States |
| 1944 | I. C. Gunasalus and coworkers elucidate the biological role of pyridoxal phosphate (vitamin B6). |
| 1959 | Stanley A. Zahler, a bacterial geneticist, replaces Zelle as professor of bacteriology |
| 1964 | Cornell University establishes the Division of Biological Sciences. The former Laboratory of Bacteriology becomes the Section of Microbiology under the leadership of Harry Seeley. New faculty joining the Section include L. M. Slobin and A. Jane Gibson. Norman C. Dondero replaces Knaysi upon his retirement |
| 1972 | In a short-sighted decision, the Section of Microbiology is eliminated. Existing faculty are reassigned to the Sections of Biochemistry (Gibson, MacDonald and Slobin), Genetics (Zahler), and the Department of Food Science (Seeley, Naylor, Delwiche and VanDemark). Ereign Seacord joins the teaching support staff |
| 1977 | Dean Keith Kennedy establishes the Department of Microbiology within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The new Department includes H. W. Seeley, Jr. (Chairman), professors E. A. Delwiche, N. C. Dondero, H. Brooks Naylor, P. J. VanDemark, and lecturer Carole Rehkugler. It is interesting to note that all six of these scientists received their graduate degrees at Cornell University. Cathy Shappell joins the staff as department administrator |
| 1978 | Robert P. Mortlock is recruited from the University of Massachussetts to serve as Chairman for the new Department of Microbiology. E. Peter Greenberg and William C. Ghiorse join the Department as Assistant Professors. Patti Lisk joins the administrative staff the following year; Jackie Armstrong arrives in 1983 |
| 1980 | Stephen H. Zinder replaces Harry Seeley, who retires after 37 years on the Cornell University faculty. David Hinman joins the teaching support staff the following year, and John Merrill does so in 1984 |
| 1986 | Valley Stewart joins the faculty, replacing E. A. Delwiche who, together with N. C. Dondero, had retired the previous year. The faculty now includes: R. P. Mortlock (Chairman), P. J. VanDemark, W. C. Ghiorse, E. P. Greenberg, S. H. Zinder, V. J. Stewart, Caroline S. Harwood, and C. Rehkugler |
| 1987 | Paul VanDemark receives the ASM Carski Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching and the New York State Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Teaching in acknowlegment of his years of teaching microbiology to generations of Cornellians. Shirley Cramer and Doreen Dineen join the administrative staff |
| 1988 | Stephen C. Winans joins the faculty as and assistant professor. This same year, E. P. Greenberg and C. Harwood leave Cornell to join the faculty at the University of Iowa. Paul VanDemark retires due to illness, followed shortly by his death |
| 1989 | William Ghiorse assumes the chairmanship of the Department. Mary Lou Tortorello and Joanne Bartkus, later replaced by Marcia Cordts and Susan Merkel, are hired to teach Introductory Microbiology Lecture (Micro 290) |
| 1990 | Department moves to Wing Hall, recently vacated by Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. Over the next seven years, Wing Hall is renovated |
| 1990 | John D. Helmann joins the faculty. James B. Russell, an associate professor employed by the USDA and previously affiliated with the Animal Science Department, joins the faculty |
| 1992 | James P. Shapleigh joins the Department. Eugene L. Madsen, a former post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Ghiorse, is appointed as a research assistant professor |
| 1992 | The Department of Microbiology joins the Division of Biological Sciences and becomes the Section of Microbiology |
| 1993 | Carole Rehkugler receives the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of 20 years of teaching in the introductory microbiology laboratory course |
| 1997 | Valley Stewart assumes the chair of the Section of Microbiology. Wing Hall renovation is completed. The introductory laboratory course (BioMi 291), which had been taught in room 301 Stocking Hall for close to 70 years, is now taught in Wing Hall |
| 1998 | Valley Stewart leaves Cornell University for a position at U.C. Davis. Steve Zinder becomes Chair of the Section of Microbiology in the midst of a contentious, college-wide review of the Division of the Biological Sciences |
| 1999 | The decision is made to abolish the Division and the Department of Microbiology is (re)born. The first three faculty to join this new Department include Eugene L. Madsen, Anthony G. Hay and Esther R. Angert. Robert Mortlock retires, and begins teaching his "Microbes on the Planet Earth" as a summer course |
| 2000 | A faculty search is begun for a microbial genomicist |