Professor Dave Berger of the MPPI group in FABI previously attended the 2016 meeting of the Genetics of Maize-Microbe Interactions (GMMI) interest group at Texas A & M University. During COVID, the GMMI switched to Zoom meetings coordinated by Prof. Peter Balint-Kurti, USDA Professor at the Entomology and Plant Pathology Department, North Carolina State University (NCSU), USA. Two speakers present at each session held each month during the academic semesters.  Earlier this year Dave presented on the topic “Is Cercospora zeina a hemibiotroph (and does it matter)?”.  On the same ticket, Prof. Lisa Vaillancourt from University of Kentucky, USA presented about effector secretion by Colletotrichum graminicola in maize. GMMI members generally get together at the Maize Genetics Meetings, and next year’s event will be hosted by NCSU in Raleigh, USA. Contact Dave if you would like to join the GMMI email group.