Life Sciences Club Revives Margaret Ottie Lecture
By Kirsten Heuring
Media Inquiries- Interim Director of Communications
Graham Hatfull relies on undergraduates to help him find novel treatments for opportunistic infections.
Hatfull, professor of biological sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, works with bacteriophages, viruses that specifically infect bacteria but leave other cells alone.
Kit Zivin, a senior in Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Biological Science and co-founder of the new Life Sciences Club, said Hatfull's work made him a good fit for the Margaret Ottie Undergraduate Lecture Series.
"We wanted to find speakers who not only had interesting research they were doing but also a strong foundation in working with undergraduates and making programs for undergraduate students," Zivin said.
Hatfull was the first Ottie Lecture Series speaker since 2016. The series was created in 1997 and is named after Margaret Ottie, a 1928 graduate of Carnegie Mellon's Margaret Morrison Carnegie College. The lecture supports speakers invited by undergraduate students in the Mellon College of Science. The Life Sciences Club revived it this year as part of their effort to connect undergraduates with opportunities for learning and engagement outside the classroom.
"We were learning about bacteriophages in our experimental genetics lab class, got intrigued and wanted to pursue the subject further. That brought us to Dr. Hatfull's online lectures," said Ethan Caine, a senior in Carnegie Mellon's Department of Biological Science and co-founder of the Life Sciences Club.
Hatfull investigates the use of bacteriophages to treat mycobacteria, such as tuberculosis, that are often resistant to antibiotics. Bacteriophages inject their DNA into the bacteria cells and kill them by turning them into phage factories.
To find bacteriophages of interest, he created the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program, which allows undergraduates from any university to learn how to characterize bacteriophages. More than 50,000 students have participated in the program since 2018.
He has worked with doctors across the globe to use bacteriophages to treat patients who develop tuberculosis after receiving lung transplants. Students participating in SEA-PHAGES found multiple bacteriophages used in treatments. So far, the treatment has been implemented in over 20 patients, and the majority had positive clinical results.
Hatfull also met for breakfast with undergraduates, where they could ask questions and learn more about his work. Caine and Zivin said that they were pleased with the events.
"Dr. Hatfull's lecture was packed, which was definitely fun to see," Zivin said. "We had quite a few students show up to the breakfast Q&A as well, which was really exciting. They got to talk to him one on one in a much more chill environment. It was great to have a relaxed environment for students to ask questions and talk with someone doing such interesting research."
Caine and Zivin are transfer students into the Department of Biological Sciences. Caine originally was studying physics, and Zivin was studying mathematical sciences. They found themselves drawn to biological sciences and transferred to the department.
Based on their own interdisciplinary college experiences, Caine and Zivin wanted to ensure students from any discipline could explore biological sciences. Together, they created the Life Sciences Club as a way to provide a community for undergraduate students that also combined professional development and opportunities to meet professors with relaxed social gatherings. The club is open to students across Carnegie Mellon with an interest in learning more about research in life sciences.
"Ethan and Kit put in an impressive amount of effort in founding their interdisciplinary student organization, the Life Sciences Club, to provide opportunities for interested students to learn more about biological research in a casual setting," said Amanda Willard, director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Biological Sciences. "They hosted a number of social events throughout the academic year, including faculty panels, journal clubs, movie nights, and trivia competitions. The leadership they displayed and their connection to a dedicated group of students interested in biological research, made them the perfect candidates for organizing the search for a speaker for our Margaret Ottie Undergraduate Lecture Series in Biological Sciences."
Both Caine and Zivin said they are happy with the work they've done, and they hope that they have laid the groundwork for the Life Sciences Club to continue helping students even after they graduate.
"It was really gratifying — the support we've received both from other undergraduates and the faculty," Caine said. "We want to continue hosting events that are relevant, useful, thought provoking, and connect folks with members of the department in a structured-but-relaxed setting."
Outside of the Ottie Lectures, the Life Sciences Club has other events planned, including regular pizza socials, study sessions with professors and a field trip to the Center for PostNatural History, founded by CMU Associate Professor of Art Richard Pell. The next Ottie Lectures will take place in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026.