Dr. John M. Martinko received his B.S. in Biology from The Cleveland State University. He then worked at Case Western Reserve University, conducting research on the serology and epidemiology of Streptococcus pyogenes. Martinko’s doctoral work at the State University of New York at Buffalo investigated antibody specificity and antibody idiotypes. As a postdoctoral fellow, he worked at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York on the structure of major histocompatibility complex proteins. Since 1981, he has been in the Department of Microbiology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he was Associate Professor and Chair, and Director of the Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry Graduate Program. His research interests centered on the structure- function relationships of immune system proteins, including immunoglobulins, T cell receptors, and major histocompatibility proteins. His teaching interests include an advanced course in immunology as well as immunology and inflammation instruction to medical students. For his educational efforts, he won the 2007 Southern Illinois University Outstanding Teaching Award. He has been active in a number of educational outreach programs for pre-university students and teachers. Dr. Martinko has also been a faculty member at Bard College in their innovative Citizen Science program, an interactive laboratory, computer and problem-based-learning science curriculum that introduces freshmen students to critical thinking through the discovery and application of scientific principles. He was the Chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at SIUC and continues to act as a consultant in the area of animal care. He is also an avid golfer and cyclist. John lives in Carbondale with his wife Judy, a high school science teacher.