We hope this list will make you feel proud to be a microbiologist during Medical Laboratory Professionals Week!

1. They appreciate cultural diversity.
2. They don’t sweat the small stuff. Knowing about the plethora of microorganisms floating through the air or living on a bathroom stall handle doesn’t drive them to compulsive cleaning or reclusiveness.
3. They are artists at heart. Microbiologists can find the beauty in any task like perfectly streaking Staphylococcus aureus on blood agar or spotting Schistosoma in feces. Their creativity and passion for microorganisms is displayed in every remarkable piece of agar art entered in the ASM Agar Art and Microbiologics #CreepyCultures competitions.
4. They don’t shy away from a good fecal matter joke. Most microbiologists do have a more refined sense of humor, but fart jokes are just downright funny – especially when an anaerobe jar containing Clostridium difficile is cracked open!
5. They appreciate the little things in life. Microbiologists understand that even a single-celled organism has a place and purpose in the world.
6. Scary microorganisms don’t faze them. Zombie microbes, necrotizing fasciitis and superbugs: microbiologists’ eyes widen with intrigue at the thought of strains that usually send shivers down the spines of nonscientists.
7. Their discoveries have transformed the world. Can you image living without vaccinations, Penicillin or the knowledge of viruses?
8. Their quest to understand the world at a microscopic level never ceases. Whether they are researching CRISPRs, the importance of our gut microbiomes or how to combat the threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria, microbiologists continuously work toward making the world a better place.
9. They can’t imagine doing anything else. What could be more fascinating than the study of microscopic organisms found everywhere on earth including in the most inhospitable environments?
10. They keep us safe. Many microbiologists, including our team at Microbiologics, work day in and day out to ensure our food, water, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and bodies are healthy, safe and free of harmful microorganisms.

Happy #LabWeek! Thank you for the important work you do every day! Let us know how you plan to celebrate in the comments section below.