Biology

I earned my B.S. in Biology from EWU in the Spring of 2011.  Some of the research I completed as an undergraduate included:  Notonecta/Daphnia predation; antimicrobial effectiveness of Manuka honey methylglyoxal against Candida albicans; freshwater phosphorus loading in the Spokane River Basin in conjunction with cyanobacteria population growth along a phosphorus nutrient addition gradient; the isolation and amplification of and sequence comparison between Lactuca chloroplast genes (RuBisCo); and microbial load assessment/pathogen screening of locally sold raw milk.  My Graduate research focuses on the molecular characterization of microbial communities in Latah watershed sediments.  Specifically I am interested in the anthropogenic effects on this first level of the biogeochemical cycle and the possibility of gauging stream health with this method.