Current Students

Karissa Braaten - Broad specturm antibacterial property of oil smoke vapors.

Cory Cheatham - Cory is the recipient of a 2006 ASM Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellowship (co-advised with Dev Niyogi) and a 2007 OURE Fellows award and 2008 OURE award.  Development of a biological ethanol sensor for the 2007 and 2008 iGEM competition. 

Kristen Hinton - Regulation of the B. japonicum hemA and sdhCDAB genes by iron and heme.

Jen Kresse - Identification of bph degrading bacteria from the rhizosphere. Jen is the recipient of a 2008 OURE award

Rachel Klapper- Development of a biological ethanol sensor for the 2007 and 2008 iGEM competition.  Rachel is the recipient of a 2007 and 2008 OURE award

Brian Pink - Development of a biological ethanol sensor for the 2007 and 2008 iGEM competition. Brian is the recipient of a 2007 and 2008 OURE award.

April Rocha - Characterization of AHL production in Bradyrhizobium japonicum. April is the recipient of a 2008 OURE award

Jackie Schneider - Development of a biological ethanol sensor for the 2007 and 2008 iGEM competition.  Jackie is the recipient of a 2007 and 2008 OURE award

Erin SInd - Identification of bph degrading bacteria from the rhizosphere.  Erin is the recipient of a 2008 OURE award

Kaitlyn Wong - Identification of bph degrading bacteria from the rhizosphere.

Former Students (Year Graduated)

Tina Andrews (2000) - Ames testing of experimental plant hormones.
Tina is currently working for the FBI and studying for her Masters degree at George Washington University.

C. Robyn Bartosik (1998) - Cloning and sequencing of the B. japonicum nuo operon
Robyn went to Graduate school at Northern Illinois University.

Christina Bockman - Testing antifungal coatings.

Ashley Boudria - Characterization of autoinducer production in Bradyrhizobium japonicum
Ashley is the recipient of a 2006 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Nicole Brossier (2004) - Germination studies of various Bacillus species. Nicole is an MD/PhD candidate at the University of Alabama Birmingham.

Nicole Buxton - Antifungal properties of commercial coatings

Michael Deblois - Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass
Michael is the recipient of a 2006 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Meghan Donnellan- Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass.
Meghan is the recipient of a 2004 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Sara Ellebracht (2006) - Testing antifungal coatings.

Jason Elrod (2004) - Competition studies of B. japonicum strains based on autoinducer production. Characterization of autoinducer production in selected strains.
Jason now does water testing for Rolla Municipal Utilities.

Jessica Fazio - Characterization of autoinducer production in Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Vickey Gulley (2002) - Construction of an sdh deletion strain of B. japonicum. Regulation of the B. japonicum sdh operon.
Vickey went to medical school at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and is now in residency in Jefferson City, MO.

Adam Guss (2000) - Structure and function of B. japonicum succinate dehydrogenase.
Adam was the recipient of a Sustaining Members Undergraduate Research Fellowhip from the American Society for Microbiology. Check out the following link to get information on this and other ASM fellowships - ASM Fellowhips.
Adam competed his PhD in Microbiology at the University of Illinois and is not a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University.

Suzanne Hagan (1999)- Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass.
Suzanne earned an Outstanding Undergraduate Research Presentation award at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the Missouri Branch of the ASM.
Suzanne completed her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Robert Hail - Isolation of native B. japonicum species and characterization of their autoinducer production.

Shamim Jaleel (2007) - Characterization of autoinducer production in Bradyrhizobium japonicum
Shamim is the recipient of a 2006 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Amy Johnston - Screening for Autoinducer molecules in B. japonicum. Regulation of the B. japonicum sdh operons.

Aruna Lamba (2007) - Ames testing of soybean oils and soy based obscurrant smoke. In collaboration with Dr. Subhen Kapila, UMR Chemistry department.

Andy Laegeler (2001) - Construction of carboxin resistant strains of B. japonicum. Andy went to graduate school at Rice University.

Kyle Lampe (2004) -Regulation of the B. japonicum sdh operons by carbon source, heme, iron and oxygen. Kyle is now a graduate student and the University of Colorado.

Tara Maassen (2002) -Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass.
Tara was the recipient of a 2001 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Shilpa Mathkar (2003) - Ames testing of soybean oils and soy based obscurrant smoke. Shilpa now works for DuPont in Delaware.

Dustin Miller (2003) - Cloning of NADH dehydrogenase genes. Dustin is in medical school in Florida.

Marcie Moore (1999) - Cloning and sequencing of the B. japonicum nuo operon
Marcie is now working at Monsanto.

Eziamaka Okafor - Construction of an sdh deletion strain of B. japonicum. Ezi was a high school student doing a summer project in the lab. She is currently a student at Stanford University

Jiyeon Park (2005) - Regulation of B. japonicum hemA and sdhCDAB gene expression in response to heme, iron and oxygen.
Jiyeon is now a PhD student at the University of Illinois.

Rebecca Prewett (2003) - Characterization of autoinducer molecules in B. japonicum. Rebecca is in medical school at Des Moines University

Sangeetha Ramamurthy (2006) - Ames testing of soybean oils and soy based obscurrant smoke. In collaboration with Dr. Subhen Kapila, UMR Chemistry department. Sangeetha is now a research assisitant at the University of South Alabama.

Kirsten Reynolds (2003) - Characterization of autoinducer molecules in B. japonicum. Kirsten was the recipient of a 2002 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Dee Scheman (1998) - Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass
Dee attended Medical School at the University of Kansas.

Matt Seelke (2000)- Screening for Autoinducer molecules in B. japonicum Matt is currently applying to Medical Schools.

Darla Severin (2001) - Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass
Darla is the recipient of a 2000 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.
Darla is a medical student in Arizona.

Deborah Shannon - Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass
Deborah is the recipient of a 2006 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Lauren Sisel - Construction of autoinducer deficient strains of B. japonicum.

Elizabeth Smith - Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass
Elizabeth is the recipient of a 2006 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Sandy Smith (2002)- Screening for Autoinducer molecules in B. japonicum.

Jaime Statler - Characterization of autoinducer production in Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Crystal Thomas (2004) - Use of DNA in glass beads as a taggant. Crystal was the recipient of a 2002 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.

Melinda Tierney (2003) - Screening for autoinducer molecules in B. japonicum and cloning of genes involved in autoinducer production. Melinda went to graduate school at the University of Tennessee.

Andrew van Brundt (1999) Regulation of the B. japonicum nuo and sdh operons.
Andrew is in graduate school at the University of Missouri Saint Louis.

Ravi Viswanathan (2000)- Effectiveness of antimicrobial glass
Ravi was the recipient of a 1999 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.
Ravi went to medical school at the Rush School of Medicine in Chicago.

Mark Waites (1998) - Regulation of the B. japonicum nuo and sdh operons.
Mark was the recipient of a 1998 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.
Mark went to Graduate school at the University of Illinois.

Michelle Windsor (2004) - Biofilm inhibition by antimicrobial glass.
Michelle was the recipient of a 2002 Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience award.