Doctoral student Jonathan Martinson will give a free public lecture about changes in the microbiome of the human digestive system at Montana State University on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Martinson, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the recipient of a Kopriva Graduate Fellowship, will present "How Does Your Gut Microbiome Change Through Time?" at 5:15 p.m. in the Byker Auditorium in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Building. A reception will follow.

Over the past two decades, tremendous progress has been made in identifying the microbial species that inhabit the human gut, as well as their overall effect on human health. However, little is known about how the gut microbiome varies over time and what factors precipitate changes to bacterial strains.

To address this knowledge gap, Martinson collaborated in a research project in associate professor Seth Walk's MSU laboratory that analyzed stool samples from eight healthy adults over two years. He examined bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, which reside in virtually all people. By investigating the factors that allow Enterobacteriaceae strains to reside in the human gut for long periods, Martinson hopes to improve microbiome-directed therapies.

Martinson's lecture is presented by the Kopriva Science Seminar Series, which is funded through an endowment created by Phil Kopriva, a 1957 microbiology graduate from MSU who died in 2002. Kopriva also created an endowment to fund the Kopriva Graduate Fellowship Program, which provides support and opportunities for graduate students in the College of Letters and Science, particularly in the biomedical sciences. The series features seminars by MSU graduate students, faculty members and guest speakers.

For more information about this and other Kopriva lectures, please visit www.montana.edu/lettersandscience/kopriva/.