The nucleus of the Northeast Branch of the American Society for Microbiology was the Boston Bacteriology or “Bug” Club. In 1948, some of these men (women were initially excluded from the Bug Club) formed the Branch and became its first officers. The Northeast Branch is supported by the American Society for Microbiology but functions independently.

The Branch currently serves members in Maine, Vermont, and the areas of Massachusetts and New Hampshire east of the Connecticut River. The Branch has three affiliated student chapters located at the University of Maine at Orono, ME, the University of New Hampshire at Durham, NH, and the Boston Area Student Chapter located in Boston.

Upcoming meetings

December 4, 2024 – A Virtual Presentation: Microbial and Maternal Bile Acid Metabolism Determine Heightened Newborn Susceptibility to Norovirus Disease with Stephanie Karst, PhD, Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

April 25, 2025 – An in-person all day event jointly hosted by the Northeast and Connecticut Valley Branches of the American Society for Microbiology at Worcester State University