Archives

Former Graduate Students

Zachary Cooper Studied microbial ecology and evolution in sea ice and cryopeg brines using community, population, and bacterial-isolate genomics. Zac was a part of the Dual-Title PhD in Oceanography and Astrobiology with research focused on understanding life in Earth's analog environments for icy worlds in the Solar System. He earned his Master's degree in December of 2018 and passed his general exam in March of 2020. Zac defended his PhD dissertation in Dec 2021. April 2022 Zac is starting a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Georgia in Athens researching surface ocean bacterial carbon cycling with Dr. Moran's group. (zac.cooper AT uga.edu)
Gordon “Max” Showalter Defended his Master’s Degree on Feb 21, 2017, completing his work on bacterial swimming behaviors (motility) in cold and subzero temperatures to help understand microbial colonization of sea ice and pursue the use of motility as a biosignature in extreme and extraterrestrial environments. Max defended his PhD dissertation in Oct 2020.
Erin Evan Firth, MS. 2016, studied the seasonal synergy between bacterial osmoprotection and algal production in sea ice.. Erin is currently a research scientist with Dr. Karen Junge at the Polare Sciences Center in the UW Applied Physics Lab. (pontus AT uw.edu)
Jeff Bowman, Ph.D. 2014, studied survival mechanisms of bacteria in cold, salty environments, supported by NSF-IGERT and the UW Astrobiology Program. Jeff is currently an Assistant Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. (jsbowman AT ucsd.edu)
Marcela Ewert Sarmiento, Ph.D. 2013, studied ice selection of exopolymers and microbes, supported by a Vatican Observatory fellowship in Astrobiology and the School of Oceanography, (currently teaching at Edmonds Community College, marcella.ewert AT edcc.edu)
Jesse Colangelo-Lillis, MS, 2012, studied cold adapted bacteriophage systems, supported by NSF-IGERT and the UW Astrobiology Program, (currently at the University of Colorado Boulder, (jesse.colangelo AT colorado.edu)
Colleen T. E. Kellogg, Ph.D., 2011, studied microbial diversity and extracellular enzyme activity associated with particles on Arctic shelves (currently a research scientist at the Hakai Institute Vancouver, BC, (colleen.kellogg AT hakai.org)
R. Eric Collins, Ph.D., 2009, studied wintertime Arctic sea ice community succession and the potential for gene exchange using molecular methods (currently an Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Arctic Marine Microbial Ecosystem Services at the University of Manitoba, eric.collins AT umanitoba.ca)
Llyd E. Wells, Ph.D., 2006, studied cold-active bacteriophage and their hosts (currently teaching at St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM, (llyd.wells AT sjc.edu)
Adrienne Huston, Ph.D., 2003, studied thermal characteristics of enzymes (currently at Verenium Corporation, (adriennehuston AT gmail.com)
Karen Junge, Ph.D., 2002, studied bacterial activity and diversity at subzero temperatures in Arctic sea ice (currently at the UW Applied Physics Lab Polar Science Center, (kjunge AT apl.washington.edu)
David Allen, M.S., 2002, studied low-temperature motility and chemotaxis of a psychrophilic marine microorganism Colwellia psychrerythraea strain 34H. (currently a senior program officer at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine).
Yves-Alain Vetter, Ph.D. 1998, studied extracellular enzymes as an optimal foraging strategy for bacteria (currently working in Seattle - Evolution Projects
Patricia L. Yager, Ph.D. 1996, studied the role of bacteria in Arctic carbon cycling (currently Professor of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, (pyager AT arches.uga.edu)
Jill L. Schmidt Murray, MS 1996, studied new ways of evaluating bacterial abundance in marine sediments (Ph.D. 2001, with P. Jumars; currently Project Coordinator with the City of Santa Barbara’s Clean Creeks/Water Quality Improvement Program, (JMurray AT SantaBarbaraCA.gov)
Will Ritzrau, German Fullbright Fellow at UW, 1991-1992, studied bacterial activity on resuspended sediments (Ph.D. 1994, University of Kiel; currently employed in Germany as a computer specialist, (will.ritzrau AT sap.com)
Michelle Bieniek, MS, 1995, studied protist grazing effects on bacterial PAH degradation (currently in the private sector in San Diego)

Former Postdoctoral Associates

Zachary Cooper Worked on a taxonomic characterization of novel Marinobacter strains from cryopeg brines. He is currently a Research Associate at the Institute of Systems Biology in Seattle.
Gordon “Max” Showalter Worked on building a viral ecology model for cryopeg brines. He is currently a policy advisor with the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
Josephine Rapp. currently a post doctoral researcher at Laval University, Quebec Canada. Josi conducted field and lab work to characterize microbial functional potential in Alaskan sea ice and cryopeg brines using metagenomics as part of the Gene Flow project.
Anders Torstensson. Was a part of the Mosaic Expedition aboard the icebreaker Polarstern in 2020. Participant of the Expedition: Arctic Ocean 2018 aboard the icebeaker ODEN. Postdoctoral member of the Subzeo, Hypersaline Arctic Research Collaboration (SHARC) Project funded by the Moore Foundation. Worked with Jodi Young and Jody Deming on the uptake, production and recycling of compatible solutes in sea ice algae as part of the Future of Ice Initiative.
Karen Junge, currently at the UW Applied Physics Lab Polar Science Center, studied bacterial activity at subzero temperatures in the Deming Lab, (kjunge AT apl.washington.edu)
Joseph G. Marx, currently with the Federal Bureau of Investigation; studied exopolymer and enzyme production by Colwellia psychrerythraea strain 34H under extreme conditions in the Deming Lab.
Christopher Krembs, currently lead Oceanographer at the Washington State Department of Ecology; studied exopolymers in sea ice in the Deming Lab.

Former UW Astrobiology Rotation Students/Visiting Students

Paul Kintner (UW AB program) examined the fractionation of bacteria in sea ice as it freezes with respect to freezing rate and the presence of gels.
Brett Morris (UW AB program) Developed algorithmic detection of bacterial motility and taxis using the digital holographic microscope SHAMU (source code: shampoo).
Wolf Gordon Clifton Examination of the growth of cold-adapted bacteria under different pressures and temperatures.
Lorrie Maccario (PhD student at the Environmental Microbial Genomics Group in Lyon, France), collaborated with us on compatible solute transcriptomic work, as well as phototaxis studies on the green snow alga, C. nivalis (lorrie.maccario AT ec-lyon DOT fr). CONGRATULATIONS! Lorie passed her PhD defense Sept 2015!
Regina Carns, Examination of the influence of extracellular polysaccharides on ions in sea ice brine pockets (rcarns AT uw DOT edu).
Chantz Thomas worked with Jeff Bowman on the potential synthesis of pre-biotic organic molecules at the surface of sea ice. Chantz is also a graduate student in Chemistry at UW (chantzt AT uw DOT edu).
Zach Adam Design and construction of a “cold-finger” experimental apparatus allowing the investigation of the partitioning of inorganic salts between ice and brine phases and the partitioning of proteins between these phases as ground-truthing exercises for astrobiological investigatin of extra-terrestrial ices. (currently at the Office of Commercial Space Trasportation with the Federal Aviation Administration, zach.adam AT faa.gov)
Steve Vance Collection and filtration of microbial life in perennial sea ice in Franklin Bay with assistance from other shipboard researchers during Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Expedition Leg 3 (Nov-Dec 2003), Franklin Bay, Northwest Territories. (currently at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, steven.d.vance AT jpl.nasa.gov)
John Armstrong Growth characteristics of cold-adapted bacteria at low temperatures. (currently teaching at Weber State University, UT, jcarmstrong AT weber.edu)

Former Undergraduate and High School Students

Audrey Moran Summer 2023. Worked on quantifying cell concentrations using fluorescence microscopy of sea-ice brine samples collected from first-year ice.
Aditya Sai Fall 2022. Sai, a Leo Cup award recipient, was working for senior credit on a project looking at potential increased emulsification of kerosene by Colwellia cell-free supernatants during freezing. (adit0311 AT uw.edu).
Kai Teiwaz Spring 2020. Worked on bacterial abundances for our Ocean Memory RV Rachel Carson samples. (Xteiwaz AT uw.edu).
Annie Shoemaker Spring 2020. Worked with Zac Cooper on the growth conditions of a Psychrobacter isolate (CB7) from the Alaskan cryopeg. Workied with Anders Torstensson (Summer 2018-2019) generating growth curve data for bacterial isolates in culture with psychrophilic diatoms, as well as some temperature characterizaton of these isolates. Currently a graduate student at Montana State University.
Liz Miller Summer 2018. Workied on characterizing our sea ice brine isolate, Psychrobacter sp. - P7E, using temperature range of growth, salinity range of growth and acclimatizaton testing. (miller.eliz.c AT gmail.com). Liz is currently a graduate student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Kobe Ryan - ASTR 499 research credit, "UV irradiation of cold-adapted bacterium Colwellia demingiae" (Koberyan AT comcast.net)
Violet Schermer - high school intern - ran EPS standards and assisted with HEALY EPS samples, pressure vessel maintenance, and was tip-stacker extraordinaire! (violetschermer AT gmail.com)
Anais Gentilhomme - Ocean 444 senior thesis, “The effects of lead (II) nitrate on EPS production by Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H and the metal-binding capacity of the EPS in artificial seawater” (anais AT gentilhomme.com). Anais recently defended her MS in Oceanography at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (2020) studying genome signatures of optical growth temperature in the family Colwelliaceae.
Leyia Johnson (UW undergraduate) work/study student examined long-term stored pressure vessels for interesting cold-adapted, enriched bacterial isolates. (Leyia AT usa.net).
Joseph Schermer summer high school intern, 2014, studied temperature and salinity parameters of specific cold-adapted marine bacteria.
Adrienne Scott community college intern, 2013, examined oil-dispersing potential of cold-adapted marine bacteria.
Pierre Monnat, summer high school intern, 2004, studied carbon requirements for Arctic bacterial isolates
Mike Cordray, summer undergraduate, 2003 and 2004, work study analyzing Arctic samples by Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH)
Sarah Bowerman, winter-spring quarter undergraduate, 2002, work study analyzing Arctic samples by Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH)
Chris Powell, 2002, work study on the Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos (DGoMB) project estimating sediment bacterial biovolumes
Nichole Mogen, summer undergraduate, 2002, work study on the Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos (DGoMB) project estimating sediment bacterial biovolumes
Georgia Lemen, summer high school intern, 1999, studied growth characteristics of cellulose degrading mesophilic bacterial isolates
Wendy Smith, summer undergraduate, 1996, studied bacterial densities and rates of phenanthrene degradation in Puget Sound sediments
Lesa Sutton, undergraduate helper, 1997-1998, studied extracellular enzyme activities by bacteria in pure culture
Lisa Hodges, undergraduate helper, 1997-1998, studied bacterial activities in Arctic samples (currently employed at CDC in Altanta)
JoHanna Brickle, undergraduate work study, 1997-1999, worked on bacterial abundance and culturability in sea ice
John Murray, undergraduate helper, summer undergraduate helper, 1994, worked on bacterial biovolume at low temperature

Former Undergraduate and High School Students

Brett Morris (UW AB program) Developed software for numerical reconstruction in digital holographic microscopy (source code: shampoo). (bmmorris AT uw.edu).