Microbiologist at Arizona State Wins NASA’s Highest Honor

Cheryl A. Nickerson, a microbiologist at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, received the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The award is the highest honor given by NASA to commend scientific research. Dr. Nickerson has used the microgravity of spaceflight to study bacterial pathogens and vaccines.

Dr. Nickerson is a graduate of Tulane University. She earned a master’s degree in genetics at the University of Missouri and a Ph.D. in microbiology from Louisiana State University. After teaching at Tulane, she joined the faculty at Arizona State University in 2006.