Tait Algayer will present her poster, “The plasticity of estuarine arthropods: how arthropods from various biomes respond to elevated CO2 levels” at the CERF 2021 conference in November! Congratulations, Tait!
We are thrilled that Tait Algayer joined the lab to pursue her PhD. Tait graduated from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) with a B.S. in Biology. At TCNJ, she worked under the guidance of Dr. Gary H. Dickinson to research the body-region-specific effects of ocean acidification on exoskeletal properties in the Alaskan snow crab, Chionoecetes oplilio. During her undergrad, Tait also worked part-time as a biological technician for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At NOAA, she assisted Dr. R. Chis Chambers with the design and implementation of seawater experiments examining the effects of anthropogenic stressors on development in early life-stage fishes. We are thrilled to have Tait in the lab!
Joanna participated in the MarineOmics RNAseq Panel 2021, to discuss best practices in RNA-seq with other experts in the field.
Great summary of our recent publication with the Jansen lab in JEB https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/224/12/jeb242927/269177
Our study of methylation on wild-caught and lab-reared F2 hydrogen-sulfide adapted fishes is out in PNAS. A link to the paper is here. Here’s a nice blog piece. Joanna, Michael (Michi) Tobler and Michael Skinner conceived of the study. Lenin Arias Rodriguez, from Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco in Villahermosa, Tabasco, MX, Michi and Joanna performed field work. Ingrid Sadler-Riggleman and Corey Quackenbush performed the laboratory work and optimized the MeDIP-seq library preparation. Daniel Beck, postdoc with Michael Skinner, performed the computational analyses. We all learned a lot from the collaboration. The results have generated even more questions for us and we are looking forward to following up on some of the questions!
There was also an article in the Daily Evergreen (the WSU student newspaper).
Joanna received funding through WSU’s Cougar Cage competition to research eight bear proteins that may help reverse obesity and insulin resistance. Her research will likely have important implications for diabetes treatment in humans. Congratulations, Joanna! Read the full award announcement here.
Kerry was awarded the Richard R. and Constance M. Albrecht Scholarship through the WSU Graduate School for the 2021-22 academic school year. Congratulations, Kerry!
Alexandra Fraik recently won the National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology that focuses on the investigation of the rules of life governing interactions between genomes, environment and phenotypes. Her fellowship research will be conducted at University of Idaho with Dr. Paul Hohenlohe investigating the replicability of hybrid genome evolution between naturally and anthropogenically hybridizing trout species. Her project will be highly collaborative, continuing her work with the NOAA NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center with Dr. Krista Nichols and Dr. Marty Kardos and with Dr. Carl Ostberg at USGS. Congratulations, Alex!
On April 19th, Alex successfully defended her dissertation entitled “How does genomic variation underlying locally adapted populations shift following a rapid environmental change?”. Congratulations, Dr. Fraik! Alex is hoping to continue working on Steelhead genetics in a postdoctoral position.
On April 12th, Michael successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Investigating population genetics and seasonal variation of transcription in brown bears (Ursus arctos).” Congratulations, Dr. Saxton! We will miss your positive presence in the lab, and we wish you the best in Alaska!
