Education:

2008

M.S., Biological Sciences - California State University, Chico, CA

1998

M.S., Exercise and Sport Studies - Smith College, Northampton, MA

1996

B.A., Economics and French - Smith College, Northampton, MA

Research Interests:

My graduate work was in the field of microbial ecology. My primary research focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the feeding behavior of the tintinnid ciliate Favella, an important consumer of algae in marine coastal waters. The marine environment is important ecologically, and understanding key organisms and the molecular mechanisms mediating their interactions with prey is an essential step to understanding the dynamics of the ecosystem as a whole. I also studied the environmental bacterium Pseudomonas putida, which is able to metabolize hypophosphite, a reduced form of phosphorus. This type of research can add to the limited body of knowledge about phosphorus cycling in the environment, improve methods of bioremediation of toxic industrial waste, and change the use of reduced phosphorus herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers in agricultural practices.