Welcome to Allegheny Branch, American Society of Microbiology (ABASM)

2026 Annual ABASM Meeting

November 6th and 7th, 2026
Mount Aloysius College, Cresson, PA

Undergraduates, graduates, and professionals in education and industry are invited to attend and present.

Registration: coming Sept 1

Overview of Program:
Friday Nov. 6 5:00 pm Registration begins
5:00-6:00 pm Dinner
6:00-7:00 pm Dr. Cynthia Brame (virtual)
Learning Assistants: A mechanism to promote belonging, confidence, and engagement in a variety of course contexts
7:00-8:00 pm Students- resumes/interviews
Faculty- assessment
Saturday Nov. 7 8:00-8:45 am Registration/Poster setup
9:00-10:00 am Dr. Scott Lindner
Ready, Steady, Go – How malaria parasites prepare for the unpredictable moments of their transmission
10:00 am-4:00 Poster and Oral Presentations

Detailed program will be shared October 25 once all registrations are collected.

Hotel Information:

November 6, 2026 (Arrival) - November 7, 2026 (Departure)

Deadline to book under the hotel block: October 15, 2026

Guests are responsible for all charges.

Hampton Inn Altoona, 180 Charlotte Drive, Altoona, PA 16601

To reserve a room, call 814-941-3500 or book online at MAC-Hampton Inn Altoona

There is no Group Code. The guest can mention that they're booking under the Mount Aloysius Group.

2 Q, Non-smoking - $129.00

Comfort Inn Ebensburg, 111 Cook Road, Ebensburg, PA 15931

To reserve a room, call 814-472-6100.

There is no Group Code. The guest can mention that they're booking under the Mount Aloysius Group.

2 Q, Non-smoking - $125.00

Congratulations to ABASM Peggy Cotter Award Winners 2026!

Catherine Armbruster, Ph.D., Assistant Professor,

Dept. of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University

An-Chi Cheng, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate,
Dept. of Medicine & Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh

Qihao Wu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy | University of Pittsburgh

Peggy Cotter Awards for Early Career Branch Members, fully funded by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), are named for ASM Past President Dr. Peggy Cotter. Dr. Cotter is deeply committed to mentoring early career scientists and providing them with opportunities to further their career development.