In Andrew Haddow’s office at Kennesaw State University, a white board lists scholarship deadlines, summer program applications, and lab work progress. Haddow, assistant professor of microbiology, uses the board to help students track their projects and navigate academic requirements.
“We have what I call ‘do-outs,’ which helps them track their projects, and then we cross things off the list together,” Haddow said. “They sit in my office, and we talk through everything, whether they’re applying for fellowships or working through their experiments – anything I can do to help students succeed.”
Haddow joined KSU in 2021 after his time as a senior scientist with General Dynamics at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). Since arriving at KSU, his laboratory has provided undergraduate students with research opportunities that often lead to graduate studies.
Two recent biology graduates, Rose Sofia and Sofia Cuenca Rojas, are among those moving forward into advanced degrees—Sofia in biological sciences at Auburn University and Cuenca Rojas in entomology at the University of Florida. Sofia highlighted the benefits of peer mentoring within Haddow’s lab structure.
“Dr. Haddow purposely set up the lab so that grad students mentored us instead of him holding our hands, and that built up my independence,” she said. “Working with live animals was cool, and I liked researching something tangible. I could see the causes and effects with mosquitoes over time.”
Cuenca Rojas noted how her experiences helped clarify her research interests.
“My work with Dr. Haddow exposed me to the interactions of mosquitoes with everything around them,” she said. “To truly get an understanding of these issues, you need to take into account all the ways mosquitoes interact with their environment.”
The laboratory also participates in programs such as Birla Carbon Scholars—a partnership where 12 students receive stipends from India-based Birla Carbon to conduct summer research projects before presenting findings during the following semester. Recent projects have included studying how temperature changes and environmental pollutants impact mosquito populations.
Environmental science student Brooklyn Galvan joined Haddow’s lab through KSU’s First-Year Scholars Program via the Office of Undergraduate Research. After presenting her work at a university symposium in spring 2024 and continuing under Sophomore Scholars program support, Galvan is preparing for fieldwork after two years focused on laboratory research.
Galvan described Haddow’s mentorship: “First, he’s a very open person. You can tell he’s passionate about his research,” Galvan said. “Second, whenever he’s meeting with students, he always advocates for us to aim high. He goes above and beyond what you expect from a professor.”
Ashley Belinfante was one of the first undergraduates involved in research through Haddow’s facility. She completed a project analyzing mosquito-borne virus risks using vector species data during her participation in SURP (Summer Undergraduate Research Program). Now working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Iowa investigating bacterial infections in swine under an Oak Ridge Institute fellowship (ORISE), Belinfante credits her success to guidance received from Haddow.
“If I hadn’t gone through his lab, I wouldn’t have ended up where I am. He pointed me in the direction of this fellowship opportunity, as well as the grad school I’m going to,” she said. “So, I can definitely see how his direct involvement has shaped my early career. He speaks so highly of things. It makes you want to explore new options.”
Belinfante will begin doctoral studies this fall at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
“I came to Kennesaw State because I want to make a difference and help students,” Haddow said. “We’ve had a lot of wins in our lab, and I get so much satisfaction from their success.”
