My work at Colorado State University

1. College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology
1682 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-168
(970) 491-2531FAX: (970) 491-1815
www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/mip/
October 26, 2015
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my enthusiastic recommendation for Robin Reed who is applying for a job in your
laboratory. I am a physician scientist with a specialty in Infectious Diseases and have a dual appointment
in Infectious Diseases Practice and also at Colorado State University (CSU), which is where I met Robin.
I am a member of the Mycobacterial Research Laboratories at CSU (www.mrl.colostate.edu).
I have known Robin for several years and actually recruited him from Washington to start up a lab in the
Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department at Colorado State University. He was selected
from a pool of many talented applicants. The lab has transitioned due to my inability to maintain funding
and he has pursued other job opportunities. I know he really wishes to continue meaningful lab work. So
is seeking a productive work experience in your laboratory.
Robin is a wonderful person, and I can’t state this strongly enough. He was a joy to be around. He is an
extremely hard worker and really takes to learning new tools and procedures in the lab. He is a dedicated
Laboratory Technician and has experience as a Chemist and Research Scientist. He has worked as a
QC Technician has a degree in Biology and Microbiology from CSU. He also has attained a ASCP
certification in Medical Laboratory Technology. He has worked in a wide array of settings including
academic research labs, clinical labs, federal labs and industrial labs. In my lab, he competently learned
to perform many diverse procedures related to in vitro testing of compounds against a wide range of
pathogenic bacteria. He has learned to carry out Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) assays on
various species of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) which can be a tricky procedure given different
growth requirements and incubation times for the various species of NTM. He was responsible for
testing NTMs using a variety of known drugs and experimental compounds and his previous experience
with pharmaceutical compounds was really helpful. He also was responsible for maintaining stock
organism inventories, ordering laboratory supplies, cleaning and maintenance of laboratory equipment
and glassware and providing proper documentation of the standard operating procedures and equipment
documentation logs. He was certified and trained in the safe study of BSL-2 level organisms and on
procedures using a Biological Safety Cabinet and hazardous and biological waste disposal. He
performed exceptionally well when documenting in his lab notebooks. He conducted his own research on
these organisms and compounds and became proficient in Chemdraw, Microsoft Word, Excel and
PowerPoint. He is able to accurately and carefully repeat assays and is very diligent and pays attention
to details.
He has worked with and for clinical laboratorians and basic scientists. I have seen him interact with all of
them consistently and with respect including his peers and supervisors. Robin never missed work. He
was even known to come in on weekends if experiments dictated this. Again, on a personal note, he is
one of the most pleasant and easy to work with individuals I have known and had the pleasure of working

2. with. He is very helpful to others, thinks of issues in advance and trouble shoots without being asked.
In closing, I would like to reiterate that I enthusiastically support Robin as a competent, skilled and
thoughtful researcher and laboratorian. I know he would make a successful and meaningful contribution
to the laboratory.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann De Groote M.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology