Faculty Spotlight: Martin Wu
Faculty Spotlight: For Martin Wu, Microbiology Is All Around
By Zeina Mohammed
Martin Wu grew up around test tubes and lab work. As a kid in Hubei, China, his mother worked on microbes and grew mushrooms; his father focused on producing renewable energy from the methane gas produced in sewage waste.
From a young age, it was clear that applied biology was all around him. Now, as a biology professor, he helps his students see real-world applications for the microbiology concepts he has taught at the University of Virginia since 2009.
“I think it’s important to link what you teach in class to real-life experience,” he said. “When students leave UVA, they should be able to remember what they have learned in class five years later without difficulty.”