Although no longer an active member of the author team, Eugene (Gene) Nester wrote the original version of the present text with Evans Roberts and Nancy Pearsall more than 30 years ago. That text, Microbiology: Molecules, Microbes and Man, pioneered the organ system approach to the study of infectious disease, and was developed specifically for allied health sciences. Gene did his undergraduate work at Cornell and received his Ph.D. in microbiology from Case Western University. He then did postdoctoral work in the Department of Genetics at Stanford University with Joshua Lederberg. Following that, he joined the faculty in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, where he remains active as an emeritus member. His laboratory demonstrated that Agrobacterium transfers DNA into plant cellsthe basis for the disease crown galla system of gene transfer that has become a cornerstone of plant biotechnology. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Australia Prize and the Cetus Prize in Biotechnology, and was elected to fellowship in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the National Academy of Sciences in India. Coauthor with her husband, Eugene. Denise Anderson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, where she teaches a variety of courses including general microbiology, medical bacteriology laboratory, and medical mycology/parasitology laboratory. Equipped with a diverse educational background, including undergraduate work in nutrition and graduate work in food science and in microbiology, she first discovered a passion for teaching when she taught microbiology laboratory courses as part of her graduate training. Her enthusiastic teaching style, fueled by regular doses of Seattles famous coffee, receives high reviews by her students. Outside of academic life, Denise relaxes in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle, where she lives with her husband, Richard Moore, and dog, Dudley (neither of whom are well trained). When not planning lectures, grading papers, or writing textbook chapters, she can usually be found chatting with the neighbors, fighting the weeds in her garden, or enjoying a fermented beverage at the local pub. Retired from University of Washington, Seattle, WA
