President Guskiewicz Visits the MSU Electric Fish Lab

jason gallant November 04, 2026

MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz visited the Electric Fish Lab on Monday, November 2, as part of his visit to the College of Natural Science. College of Natural Science Dean Eric Hegg joined him for the tour.

Whiteboard reading Welcome to the Electric Fish Lab, Dr. Guskiewicz and Happy Día de los Muertos , decorated with hand-drawn sugar skulls, papel picado, flowers, hearts, fish and MSU — A Día de los Muertos welcome board, signed by Dr. Gallant’s daughters, greeted our visitors.

Dr. Jason Gallant, smiling, talks with President Kevin Guskiewicz in a doorway in the lab — Dr. Jason Gallant and President Guskiewicz talk during the tour.

In the fish room, surrounded by racks of aquaria, the group gathered around an oscilloscope to see the electric signals our fish produce.

President Guskiewicz leans in to look at an oscilloscope in the fish room beside Dr. Gallant, between racks of aquaria, as Dean Eric Hegg and other visitors look on — Dr. Gallant, President Guskiewicz and Dean Hegg (right) in the fish room.

President Guskiewicz and Dean Hegg also met Arely Cruz-Perez, a research technician studying the genetic basis of aflagellate sperm in mormyrids, and Swarnima Mukherjee, a Ph.D. student interested in the evolution of mormyrid reproduction.

Arely Cruz-Perez, in a red shirt, gestures while talking with President Guskiewicz and another visitor in the lab — Arely Cruz-Perez talks with President Guskiewicz.

Swarnima Mukherjee and Arely Cruz-Perez, both smiling, talk with President Guskiewicz beside a computer displaying a microscope image — Swarnima Mukherjee and Arely Cruz-Perez with President Guskiewicz at the microscope workstation.

Swarnima Mukherjee gestures while talking with Dean Eric Hegg in the lab — Swarnima Mukherjee talks with Dean Hegg.

Swarnima Mukherjee smiles while standing in a lab doorway — Swarnima Mukherjee during the tour.

Thank you to President Guskiewicz and Dean Hegg for visiting, and to everyone in the lab who shared their work!

Photos by Finn Gomez.