Greg R. Germaine, PhD

Greg R. Germaine was Professor of Diagnostic and Biology Sciences in the School of Dentistry and in the Department of Microbiology in the Medical School. He published seminal studies to explain how fluoride inhibited cariogenic Streptococcus mutans and how lysozyme in the saliva functioned as an antimicrobial agent. His mind was incisive and he always asked probing, insightful questions that reflected extraordinary understanding of the subject at hand. He was interested in everything and could distill the bottom line from complex ideas and discussions. NIH and industry funded his research for his entire career. His work was published in the best specialty journals.

Greg worked and published with anyone who could think deeply and committedly to precise and thoughtful research and encouraged independent thinking from all who were capable. Indeed nearly his entire body of work on the anti-bacterial effects of fluoride was published with his technician and collaborator, Lois Tellefson. He was a superb and loved mentor to many DDS, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows as well as technicians. He was a font of information about how to do a better experiment, design a lab, or knot out any complex problem.

He taught microbiology to several generations of dental and graduate students, including highly specialized topics courses. In these small classes, Greg thrived. He challenged students to probe the literature critically to design experiments and write research proposals.

Greg gave incomparable and selfless service to the School of Dentistry. Greg served as Director of Graduate Studies in Oral Biology, Chair of the Department of Oral Sciences (predecessor to Diagnostic and Biological Sciences), and interim Associate Dean for Research. His analytical skills and objectivity made him invaluable to any planning activity.

Greg was educated at the University of Minnesota, earning his BA, MS, and PhD degrees. During his PhD, he studied and published with Dwight Anderson and Palmer Rogers. For his postdoctoral studies, he voyaged to Australia to study sporulation in Bacillus with WG Murrell at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Division of Food Research, North Ryde, New South Wales. Probably on a surfer beach, Greg met his bride, Liz, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef and writer of cookbooks. They stole away to Bali and then – surprise – to Minneapolis for Greg to begin his career and start their family.

On January 18, 2013 we lost our dear colleague and friend. We will remember his keen mind, spirit of collaboration – just for the love a good problem - and his laugh. He would laugh without inhibition at any joke, no matter how bad. He had no guile or agenda. So the Greg R. Germaine Frontiers in Research annual lecture is named in his honor and for his spirit.