Research Interests -
My research focuses on the ecology of aquatic microbes, specifically factors shaping their metabolic processes, phylogenetic composition, role in microbial food web dynamics, and contribution to ecosystem-scale biogeochemical processes. I am particularly interested in how the metabolic and phylogenetic characteristics of microbial communities change in space and time along gradients of salinity, productivity, oxygen, and other environmental factors. I am also interested in the effect of anthropogenic perturbations (e.g. hypoxia) on marine and coastal ecosystems and the response of marine and estuarine bacterioplankton to ocean acidification and climate change.
Teaching and Education -
As coordinator of Shannon Point's involvement with COSEE Pacific Partnerships I am engaged in numerous educational endeavors related to marine science and promoting ocean literacy, including teaching institutes for community college faculty, facilitating Shannon Point's interactions with public and informal audiences, and serving as an instructor for Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA) courses. I am also involved in a number of programs that focus on experiential, inquiry-based learning and use hypothesis-driven research as a teaching platform. These include the NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program and Multicultural Initiatives in Marine Science: Undergraduate Program (MIMSUP) hosted at Shannon Point and the Native Environmental Science (NES) Internship Program at Northwest Indian College.