Marjorie M. (Kelly) Cowan
Regional Campus Dean - Miami University Middletown,
and Professor of Microbiology
Phone:
Email:
66 Pearson Hall
529-2028
Academic Interests
Kelly has been a faculty member in the microbiology department of Miami University since 1993. While at Miami, Dr. Cowan has published several book chapters, a major review article, and two dozen research articles stemming from her work on bacterial adhesion mechanisms and plant-derived antimicrobial compounds. Her anti-adhesion research has been externally funded and is the subject of two patents.
Kelly is also an avid teacher and pedagogical researcher. Her articles have appeared in the Journal of College Science Teaching, the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching and The Teaching Professor. She is the recipient of a Celebration of Teaching Award sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities.
She is national chair of the Undergraduate Education Committee of the American Society for Microbiology and immediate past chair of ASM's Division W. She is past president of the Ohio Branch of the American Society for Microbiology. From 2003-2005 she served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of Miami University Middletown; she currently serves as campus dean.
Her McGraw-Hill textbook, Microbiology: A Systems Approach is in its second edition. She is also the author of Microbe Files: Case Studies for the Undergraduate (Pearson).
Selected Publications
- Rendle, P.M., A. Seger, J. Rodrigues, N.J. Oldham, R.R. Bott, J.B. Jones, M.M. Cowan, B.G. Davis. 2004. Glycodendriproteins: A synthetic glycoprotein mimic enzyme with branched sugar-display potently inhibits bacterial aggregation. J. Am. Chem. Soc.126: 4750-4751.
This paper was chosen as one of the most significant research stories of 2004 by Chemical and Engineering News:
- Budu, C.E., J. Luengpailin, M.M. Cowan and R.J. Doyle. 2003. Virulence factors of Porphyromonas gingivalis are modified by polyphenol oxidase and asparaginase. Oral Microbiol. Immunol. 18:313-317.
- Cowan, M.M., K. Abshire, S.L. Houk, S.N. Evans. 2003. Antimicrobial efficacy of a silver-zeolite matrix coating on stainless steel. J. Industrial Microbiol. Biotechnol. 30:102-106.
Textbooks
Cowan, M.M. and Talaro, K.
Microbiology: A Systems Approach. 2nd Edition,
2009. McGraw-Hill.
Cowan, M.M.
The Microbe Files: Case Studies in Microbiology for the Undergraduate.
2002. Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, CA.
On the Radio
- Dr. Kelly Cowan on NPR's "Talk of the Nation"
Faculty: Cowan