Susan Bornstein-Forst - College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters
Title: Professor, BiologyEmail: sbornsteinforst@marianuniverstiy.edu
Degree: Ph.D.
Susan Bornstein-Forst
Dr. Susan Bornstein-Forst came to Wisconsin in 1991 after completing NIH supported post-doctoral research at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York City. Since her initial appointment at Marian University, Dr. Bornstein-Forst has pioneered more than 25 new courses and programming in biology. She has a strong track record of structured mentorship and has devoted her career to undergraduate research in applied microbiology. Her teaching pedagogy is based upon an inquiry-to-application approach using student-active learning. As a professor, she teaches upper level courses such as Bacteriology and Immunology, and typically provides pre-service training for 4-8 students/semester in her laboratory throughout the year. Dr. Bornstein-Forst has been awarded more than $3 million in federal grant funding including two grants from the National Institute for Health for research on microbial source tracking and for two TRiO programs supporting student achievement. From 2007-2012, Dr. Bornstein-Forst served as the principle investigator and Director of the first TRiO program at Marian, named the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program. Dr. Bornstein-Forst served as McNair Scholars Program Director from 2007-2012 and was the principle investigator on Marian’s first Upward Bound Math Science grant. Most recently, she was awarded two grants for a Bridge to Success workshop that provides pre-professional training to Fond du Lac area women. Dr. Bornstein-Forst is a recognized mentor for the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM) and for the Society for Invertebrate Pathology (SIP). Many students who are trained at Marian receive fellowships from ASM and SfAM. These students have presented their findings on microbial contamination of food and water at international conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Bornstein-Forst has developed extensive academic-community partnerships with companies such as Monsanto, Miller Brewing, and Johnsonville Sausage, as well as with other academic institutions, including the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Marquette University, and Michigan State University. Many Marian students are participants in a National Science Foundation program for Connecting Researchers, Educators, Students, and Teachers (CREST) in which students learn how to build and use protein models. As an educator, administrator and researcher, Dr. Bornstein-Forst strives for the highest level of academic performance for her students and herself.