Our Team

Spencer Owens (2022-2023, pursing BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• 2022-2023 Alaska BLaST Scholar

Owen White (2021-2022, pursing BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Shayna Matson (2020-2022, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• Honors Thesis: Evaluating Microbial Communities in the UAF Campus Water Distribution System After COVID-19 Building Closure.
• 2020-2022 Alaska BLaST Scholar

Margot Lockwood (2021, BA, University of Kansas) 2021 Alaska REU Student

Anna Kardash (2020-2021, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• 2020-2021 Alaska BLaST URE Characterization of antibiotics produced by subarctic soil bacteria using High Pressure Liquid Chromatography.

Margot Chisholm (2020, BS, Middlebury College) 2020 Alaska REU Student

Kyle Callegari (2019-2020, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Sabrina Bishop (2019-2020, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Samantha Haines (2019-2020, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Taylor Seitz (2018-2019, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• 2019 Honors Thesis: Digging up the dirt: Plant pathogenicity genes associated with disturbed permafrost
• Humphrey, J., Seitz, T., Haan, T., Ducluzeau, A. L., & Drown, D. M. (2019). Complete Genome Sequence of Pantoea agglomerans TH81, Isolated from a Permafrost Thaw Gradient. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.01486-18
• 2019 Outstanding Biological Sciences Undergraduate Student at UAF
• 2018 Alaska URSA Unearthing a reservoir of antibiotic resistance within Fairbanks permafrost

Jennie Humphrey (2017-2019, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• 2017, 2018 Alaska BLaST Scholar
• Humphrey, J., Seitz, T., Haan, T., Ducluzeau, A. L., & Drown, D. M. (2019). Complete Genome Sequence of Pantoea agglomerans TH81, Isolated from a Permafrost Thaw Gradient. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.01486-18

Josette McLean (2018, BS, St. George’s University, Grenada) 2018 Alaska REU Student

Chloe Bryson (2018, BS, Salish Kootenai College) 2018 Alaska BLaST Exchange Student

Scout McDougall (2017-2018, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Patrick Knavel (2018, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• 2018 Alaska URSA Understanding the microbiomes of invasive Esox luclus.

Abigail Vandenberg (2018, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Tracie Haan (2017-2018, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks, now MS at UAF)

• Best Undergraduate Talk at 2018 Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference
• Haan, T., McDougall, S., & Drown, D. M. (2019). Complete genome sequence of bacillus mycoides TH26, isolated from a permafrost thaw gradient. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 8(24), e00507-00519. https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00507-19
• 2017-2018 Alaska BLaST URE Co-Selection of Heavy Metal and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Boreal Forest Soil Microbes Affected by Thawing Permafrost.

Alex Keller (2016-2017, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• 2017 Alaska URSA Testing the Effects of the Changing pH from Alaskan Microbiome on Subsistence Berries.

Madeline McCarthy (2016-2017, BS, University of Guelph, now PhD at University of Saskatchewan)

Best Undergraduate Poster at 2017 Midnight Sun Science Symposium.

• 2016-2017 Alaska BLaST URE Comparison of Antibiotic Resistance in Soils from Ancient and Modern Permafrost.
• 2016 Alaska BLaST URE Identification and analysis of antibiotic resistant plasmids in the microbial communities of a Fairbanks permafrost gradient.

Anastasia Butler (2016-2017, BA, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• 2016 Alaska URSA Understanding the genetic diversity of Bird Vetch.

Alex Wynne (2016-2017, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

• 2016 Alaska URSA Does permafrost thaw alter methane cycling via a shift in the microbial community composition?

Patrick Smith (2016, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Jackson Drew (2015-2016, BS, University of Alaska Fairbanks, now PhD at UAF)

• 2016 Alaska URSA Testing the Effects of the Alaskan Microbiome on a Model Organism: Arabidopsis thaliana