Sharon Altmann is a fifth year graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has been active in SDE/GWIS for most of her graduate school career, and served as the Vice-President and the President of Beta Chapter before being elected National Membership Secretary. Sharon received her BA in biology from Carleton College in Minnesota before joining the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program at UW-Madison. She studies antiviral compounds that block infection by vaccinia virus, a kissing cousin to smallpox. In addition to her membership in SDE/GWIS, Sharon is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and the Golden Key International Honours Society. When not working in the lab or maintaining the SDE/GWIS membership database, Sharon dabbles in digital photography and competes at the amateur level in ballroom and latin dance.