E c o M i c r o

Maria Cristina Thaller

I’m a retired full professor of Microbiology, formerly in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Tor Vergata University of Rome.

There I worked as assistant professor and associate professor. I moved from "La Sapienza" to "Tor Vergata" in 1995, becoming full professor and now I am setting up a laboratory that I finally get few years ago, thanks to the commitment of our "Director".

In the time laps between "La Sapienza" and the gaining of a laboratory in Tor Vergata, I have been "adopted" by a nice, generous and brilliant ecologist (Luciana) who has an enthusiastic curiosity for the microorganisms, and who shared with me her room. Our interaction, personal and professional, opened my mind and my interests, and between our laboratories there is a constant exchange of motivated and enthusiastic students, a great team able to deal with many different issues.

In the last year I got involved in the educational themes, concerning the school-University relationships, both by teaching in the Master entitled “Profession: trainer in sciences education” and being the president of the Course Council for “TFA”, a post-graduate School aimed to the qualification as teacher for Natural Science, Geography and Microbiology in the high school. I am Catholic, I love books and music (occasionally I play guitar, but only when absolutely alone) and I enjoy cooking (just something creative, I hate routine..). I let out my creativity also drawing "cartoons" that I use during my lessons and, whenever I can, in the "DIY".

My personal life, after many years of intense nomadism, is in Rome, although I have married Luigi Filippo, a kind of Marsican Brown Bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) so that I’m often in Abruzzo. My two sons, Francesco and Chiara, fill my life with joy for the way they are, even before for what they do (they study, respectively, Patristic Theology and Law).