Mike Lott’s biography
Mike Lott is a Laboratory Manager and Analytical Chemist with over 25 years’ experience in the field of Stable Isotope analysis. He has experience in academic, private, and government research sectors. Mike earned BS degrees in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Utah where he developed a love for instrumental analysis. He is passionate about understanding how things work so that he can find ways to improve and adapt processes to gain insight into the world around him. Mike likes a good mystery, especially where there is an interesting solution. He has spent time exploring diverse materials such as counterfeit currency, illicit drugs, plant and animal tissues, and a variety of synthetic compounds. In his free Time, Mike loves to work with wood, grow things in his garden, and hike, but most of all he enjoys spending time with his family. -The Dad gig is wonderful and the Grand-Dad one is even better!
Publications
Howa JD, Barnette JE, Chesson LA, Lott MJ, Ehleringer JR, TATP isotope ratios as influenced by worldwide acetone variation. Talanta (2018)181, 125-131
Chesson LA, Barnette JE, Bowen GJ, Brook JR, Casale JF, Cerling TE, Cook CS, Douthitt CB, Howa JD, Hurley JM, Kreuzer HW, Lott MJ, Martinelli LA, O’Grady SP, Podlesak DW, Tipple BJ, Valenzuela LO, & West JB (2018) Stable isotope analysis in plant and animal ecology – With application to forensic science in the Americas. Oecologia, 187(4), 1077-1094
L.A. Chesson, J.D. Howa, M.J. Lott, J.R. Ehleringer, Development of a methodological framework for applying isotope ratio mass spectrometry to explosive components, Forensic Chem. (2016) 9–14.
J.D. Howa, M.J. Lott, L.A. Chesson, J.R. Ehleringer, Isolation of components of plastic explosives for isotope ratio mass spectrometry, Forensic Chem. (2016) 6–12.
M.J. Lott, J.D. Howa, L.A. Chesson, J.R. Ehleringer, Improved accuracy and precision in δ15NAIR measurements of explosives, urea, and inorganic nitrates by elemental analyzer/isotope ratio mass spectrometry using thermal decomposition, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 29 (2015) 1381–1388. doi:10.1002/rcm.7229.
J.D. Howa, M.J. Lott, J.R. Ehleringer, Observations and sources of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio variation of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), Forensic Sci. Int. 244 (2014) 152–157.
J.D. Howa, M.J. Lott, L.A. Chesson, J.R. Ehleringer, Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of factoryproduced RDX and HMX, Forensic Sci. Int. 240 (2014) 80siti
J.D. Howa, M.J. Lott, J.R. Ehleringer, Isolation and stable nitrogen isotope analysis of ammonium ions in ammonium nitrate prills using sodium tetraphenylborate, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 28 (2014) 1530–1534.
Kreuzer HW, Quaroni L, Podlesak DW, Zlateva T, Bollinger N, McAllister A, Lott MJ, and Hegg EL (2012) Detection of metabolic fluxes of O and H Atoms into intracellular water in mammalian cells. PLoS ONE 7(7): e39685.
Ehleringer JR., Casale JF, Barnette JE, Xu X, Lott MJ, and Hurley JM (2011) 14C calibration curves for modern plant material from tropical regions of South America. Radiocarbon 53(4):585-594.
Ehleringer JR, Casale JF, Barnette JE, Xu X, Lott MJ, and Hurley JM (2011) 14C analyses quantify time lag between coca leaf harvest and street-level seizure of cocaine. Forensic Science International doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.05.003.
Barnette JE, Lott MJ, Howa JD, Podlesak DW, and Ehleringer JR (2011) 2H and 18O isotope values in hydrogen peroxide. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 25:1422-1428.
Popp BN, Graham BS, Olson RJ, Hannides CS, Lott MJ, Lopez-Ibarra GA, Galvan-Magana F, and Fry B (2007) Insight into the trophic ecology of yellowfin tuna, Thunus albacares, from compoundspecific nitrogen isotope analysis of proteinaceous amino acids. Terrestrial Ecology 1:173-190.
Kreuzer-Martin HW, Lott MJ, Ehleringer JR, and Hegg EL. (2006) Metabolic processes account for the majority of intracellular water in log-phase Escherichia coli cells as revealed by hydrogen isotopes. Biochemistry 45:13622-13630.
Schauer AJ, Lott MJ, Cook CS, and Ehleringer JR (2005) An automated system for stable isotope and concentration analyses of CO2 from small atmospheric samples. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 19:359-362.
Ward JK, Harris JM, Cerling TE, Wiedenhoeft A, Lott MJ, Dearing MD, Coltrain JB, and Ehleringer JR (2005) Carbon starvation in glacial trees recovered from the La Brea tar pits, Southern California. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 102:690-694.
Kreuzer-Martin HW, Chesson LA, Lott MJ, and Ehleringer JR (2005) Stable isotope ratios as a tool in microbial forensics – Part 3. Effects of culturing on agar-containing growth media. Journal of Forensic Sciences 50:1372-1379.
Casale JF, Ehleringer JR, Morello DR, and Lott MJ (2005) Isotopic fractionation of carbon and nitrogen during the Illicit processing of cocaine and heroin in South America. Journal of Forensic Sciences 50(6):1315-1321.
Williams DG, J.B. Coltrain JB, Lott MJ, English NB, and Ehleringer JR (2004) Oxygen isotopes in cellulose identify source water for archaeological maize in America Southwest. Journal of Archaeological Science 32:931-939.
Kreuzer-Martin HW, Chesson LA, Lott MJ, Dorigan JV, and Ehleringer JR (2004) Stable isotope ratios as a tool in microbial forensics – Part 2. Isotopic variation among different growth media as a tool for sourcing origins of bacterial cells or spores. Journal of Forensic Sciences 49:961-967.
Kreuzer-Martin HW, Chesson LA, Lott MJ, Dorigan JV, and Ehleringer JR (2004) Stable isotope ratios as a tool in microbial forensics – Part 1. Microbial isotopic composition as a function of growth medium. Journal of Forensic Sciences 49:954-960.
Kreuzer-Martin, HW, Lott MJ, Dorigan J, and Ehleringer JR (2003) Oxygen isotope ratios in Bacillus subtilis cells and spores. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 100(3):815-819.
Fessenden JE, Cook CS, Lott MJ, and Ehleringer JR (2002) Rapid 18O analysis of small water and CO2 samples using a continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 16:1257-1260.
Ehleringer JR, Casale JF, Lott MJ, and Ford VL (2000) Tracing the geographical origin of cocaine. Nature 408:311-312.
Ehleringer JR, Cooper DA, Lott MJ, and Cook CS (1999) Geo-location of heroin and cocaine by stable isotope ratios. Forensic Science International 106:27-35.