TITLE: Postdoctoral Researcher
ACADEMIC INSTITUTION: University of Delaware

What is your role in Extreme 2008?
This will be my third occasion participating in an Extreme vent cruise. I will be investigating the viral assemblages that originate in the diffuse-flow water of hydrothermal vents. Using a device called an LVWS (Large Volume Water Sampler), we will collect ~120 liters of vent water at each dive location and concentrate all of the viruses to a few hundred milliliters for microscopy and metagenomic experiments.

What questions are you trying to answer and why?
I’m hoping to characterize viral assemblages at hydrothermal vents via metagenomics. I want to learn about not only the viral abundance (i.e., how many) and morphology (i.e., what they look like), but also the significance of the ecological role viruses play in hydrothermal vent environments and their genetic diversity.

Why is this research important? What are the benefits?
Viruses are exceedingly abundant in marine waters, as well as globally.  It is estimated that there are 10 to the 31 power viruses on the Earth (that is a total of 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!!). A lot of research has determined that these small entities are vital in controlling the marine bacterial communities and their functions (e.g., nutrient recyclers). By studying viruses, we can enhance our understanding of the dynamics between viruses and bacteria, while investigating their activities, such as nutrient recycling, of which without, other life forms such as plants and animals, could not continue to exist.

What's your background, and what lured you into marine science/education?
I remember being incredibly fascinated by biology and microbiology at a fairly young age, but I was “land-locked” until I was 18.  The first time I saw the Atlantic Ocean, I got out of my car and kept walking until my feet were wet and I was “in” the ocean.  It was an awesome feeling.  I received my B.S. and M.S. from Michigan State University at the Center for Microbial Ecology while studying in Dr. Jim Tiedje's lab. While at MSU, I participated in a class-associated research trip to the Gulf of Mexico, and it was on that trip that I decided to pursue my Ph.D. in marine microbial ecology.  I graduated in February 2007 with my Ph.D. from the University of Delaware studying viruses in marine and estuarine sediments.  I opted to stay at UDel for my post doc and am now working in Dr. Wommack’s lab on this project and in Dr. Kirk Czymmek’s lab utilizing confocal microscopy in specialized experimental applications.