Microbiology senior Pierce Meinert earns Comer Medal honor

In the lab, Pierce Meinert spends his time growing cells, harvesting samples and studying how environmental metals affect soil bacteria at one of the most fundamental levels. 

Away from the bench, he balanced that work with demanding coursework and three years in the Auburn University Marching Band. Now, the senior in the College of Sciences and Mathematics is being recognized for the full scope of that undergraduate experience as a Comer Medalist for Excellence in Biological Sciences. The Comer Medal is awarded annually to an outstanding senior and is the university’s longest-running continuously awarded student recognition, first established in 1924. 

For Meinert, the award was both exciting and humbling. 

“It was a little surreal, honestly,” he said. “It’s cool to be recognized as part of something that goes back so far.” 

Meinert began his Auburn career in biochemistry and planned to pursue medicine, but by the end of his freshman year, he found himself drawn more strongly to microbiology. 

“I loved the science of it, but it was a career that I didn’t really want,” he said. “I switched to microbiology, and I’ve loved it.” 

Research quickly became a defining part of that experience. 

As a freshman, Meinert joined Professor Alan Wilson’s lab in the College of Agriculture, where he studied harmful algal blooms and environmentally safer alternatives to traditional treatments. The work gave him an early introduction to both field and laboratory research. 

“I wanted to dip my toes into research, just to see if I liked it,” he said. “I ended up really liking it. I love the hands-on nature of it. We do a lot of outdoor sampling. I love the field work. I love the lab work. I just love it all.” 

As a sophomore, he joined Michelle Gibbs’ lab to take on research more directly aligned with microbiology. There, he studies soil bacteria and how environmental metals may shape the conditions that support plant growth.  

“A lot of research goes into crops,” Meinert said. “We’re supplementing that with microbiology, because what is happening in the soil matters for the plants too.” 

Gibbs, an assistant research professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, said Meinert was the first student in her lab and played an important role in its launch. In addition to helping develop a challenging laboratory technique, he has taken on a role in training other undergraduates and is expected to be first author on a publication from the group’s work. This past year, Meinert received an Undergraduate Research Fellowship to fund his work. He also presented an award-winning poster at the 2026 Auburn Research Symposium. 

Even with two research labs, rigorous classes and his commitment to the marching band, including a year as section leader, Meinert said he found energy in staying busy. 

“It was very difficult,” he said. “But I love what I do. I love school. I love learning. I find it difficult, but I thrive in difficult situations. I work well under pressure. Band was my outlet.” 

While research helped shape Meinert’s future, he said the community he found in the lab shaped his undergraduate experience. 

“Honestly, I think one of the most meaningful parts has been the relationships I’ve fostered in the labs,” Meinert said. “It’s been really cool to share that experience with other undergrads and be around like-minded people.” 

He has presented his work at the Auburn Research Symposium and was recently accepted to present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, another milestone in a college career shaped by curiosity and momentum. 

After graduation, Meinert plans to pursue a PhD in microbiology, with interests in bacterial infection, chronic disease and alternatives to antibiotic treatment. 

And while he grew up in Auburn, he said his time at the university gave him a new appreciation for what was close to home all along. 

“Auburn University has been very good to me,” Meinert said. “No regrets.”