KSU 2018 MAPS REU student returns in 2019 to continue her research, but first takes a side trip to Mongolia

 

Molly Fisher in Mongolia

     What a difference a year makes, or so Molly Fisher found when she decided to return to Kansas and continue her 2018 Kansas State University (KSU) Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) collaboration with her 2018 mentor Dr. Walter Dodds, University Distinguished Professor of Biology at KSU and Co-Pi for the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS). Last year, Molly worked with the drought-induced pools of Kings Creek, but this year Molly said that even though “the topic of study was a continuation of research from last year. The difference was that this year King's Creek had flow” and provided a "slightly more ‘normal year’ for comparison to our results from last year's drought samples.” Since last summer, Molly has worked remotely analyzing data from her 2018 research while completing her junior year at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.
     When asked about this past summer’s REU experience, Molly said, “My 2019 summer REU had two parts to it. The first part involved working as a lab technician in Mongolia and the second part allowed me to continue my own research in the United States." Her unique 2019 MAPS research experience actually started in January when Dr. Dodds invited her back to KSU to work in his lab. In the lab, Molly continued her own research from last summer and also served as a lab technician for Anne Schechner, a Ph.D. candidate from the Dodds Lab. Molly first explained her lab technician experience and then her 2019 Summer REU research as follows:

Molly collecting and testing samples in Mongolia

"Anne is part of the MACRO Macroecological Riverine Project. As part of this team of researchers, Anne focuses on the system metabolism of temperate steppe rivers. She has research sites, both in Mongolia and the United States. I was contracted as her lab technician alongside another student, Sammi Grieger, a graduate student at Washington State University in Vancouver. On June 3, 2019, graduate students, principal investigators, and lab technicians from Ball State University, Kansas State University, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, and the University of Kansas traveled to Mongolia for the 2019 research expedition. Once in Mongolia, we met up with graduate students, lab technicians, and principal investigators from the National University of Mongolia. Anne, Sammi, and I were the metabolism crew and used probes to measure light, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and discharge. We also used an acoustic doppler velocimeter to measure barometric pressure and discharge. We spent over 20 days in the field camping the entire time. Overall, we collected data from 18 different sites in eastern Mongolia before returning to the United States on July 2, 2019. During the rest of July, I was at KSU completing my own research measuring stream N cycling using 15NH4+ in recirculating chambers to examine benthic N dynamics again looking specifically at remineralization, N uptake, and nitrification." Using her research samples collected during the 2018 summer, Molly created a poster “that James Guinnip, another Ph.D. candidate in the Dodds lab, generously presented in her absence at the 2019 Society for Freshwater Science annual meeting this past May.”

Molly's poster displaying her research

     As for her favorite part of the 2019 MAPS REU program, Molly said, “My favorite experience was by far Mongolia. I love fieldwork, the outdoors, and traveling. Having the opportunity to do all three was an opportunity I will be forever grateful to have had.” And as she reflected on her unique 2019 summer experience, she added, “Over the summer, I learned how fortunate I am to have a plethora of family, friends, and professors who are so supportive, encouraging, and proud of me. I wouldn’t be where I am at today without them. I also learned that Mongolian sugar wafers are quite delightful.”
     The Nashua, Iowa native returned to Simpson College this fall to complete her senior year and a degree in environmental science with a minor in history. Molly has also continued her campus involvement activities serving as the Senior Class President and a Carver Bridge Scholar as well as being an active member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society, the Beta Beta Beta Honor Society, and the Sustainability Club. Over these next few months, Molly shared, “I will be applying to graduate schools (mainly in the marine biology realm) to further my education and continue to foster my love for science. I’m not exactly sure where I will end up, but I am thoroughly stoked to see what my future holds.”

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the KSU REU program is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce and prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

MAPS Microbes on the Move: Exploring microbiomes through mobile museum experiences draws attention to microbial communities

The Microbes on the Move pop-up museum tent.

     Microbes on the Move: Exploring microbiomes through mobile museum experiences is one of the museum community outreach initiatives supported by Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS). The program is directed by Dr. Teresa MacDonald, Associate Director for Public Programs at the KU Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum in collaboration with Dr. Ben Sikes, Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas (KU), Associate Scientist for the Kansas Biological Survey, and KU MAPS Plant Research Team Leader. The Microbes on the Move project was developed as a pop-up museum designed to travel across the state of Kansas and inform communities about the diversity of microorganisms as well as their role in natural global cycles. The program focuses on illustrating the world of microbes through museum collections and living microbial communities. The objectives of the project are to encourage elementary-age children and their families to learn about the major microbe groups; to understand and appreciate the diverse nature of microorganisms; to discover connections between microbes and their local environment; and to experience microbes as living organisms through dynamic displays.

"Dorothy" observing specimens 
with microbial connections during
OZtoberfest in Wamego, KS

     Dr. MacDonald described the program as a “'drop-in event,' so visitors can experience the facilitated activities and specimen displays in any order and for as long as they are interested.” The mobile museum includes 15 portable exhibits displaying 90 different species such as fungi, lichen, and stromatolites from the KU Natural History Museum's microbe collections. It also features interactive activities such as ‘Microbe Minute’ cards that provide fun action labels and engaging stories connecting the displays to the microorganisms living in the participants' local community. Other activities involve visitors collecting samples from the local environment to culture fungi that create living art; making mini-microbial gardens using Winogradsky columns; and using USB microscopes and Foldscopes to observe individual microorganisms. When asked what the most popular activity was, Dr. MacDonald responded, “Many are drawn to the specimen displays and their microbial connections, others opt to begin exploring items with microscopes or mixing mud and water with other materials to build microbial columns. The opportunity to collect and grow fungi to find out what lives on their face, shoe, or other surface is also intriguing – particularly for young visitors.” The program's presentation is also flexible depending on the audience as Dr. MacDonald explained, “We added some activities highlighting some connections to the Wizard of Oz stories as part of our participation in OZtoberfest in Wamego.”

Students observing specimens 
with microbial connections

     The mobile museum's presentation team consists of three education and outreach staff from the KU Natural History Museum, three student assistants as well as some occasional volunteers. When selecting locations to reach out to, Dr. MacDonald said her team considers the area’s “population size, community demographics, potential community partners like a public library or other site, free community events that fit with the microbe theme and coincide with the team’s availability, the proximity the area has to informal science education opportunities, and the distance the event is from KU Natural History Museum.” So far, the Microbes on the Move project has participated in four events. The first and second outreach events occurred in the spring of 2019. One through a collaboration with the public library in Chanute, KS and the other in conjunction with the KU Spencer Museum of Art’s “Day of Creativity.” The third and fourth events occurred in the fall of 2019. One was in collaboration with the Emporia Public Library, and the other was involved with the Wamego, KS OZtoberfest. So far, the program has traveled over 800 miles reaching close to 1000 visitors, and the response to the project has been overwhelmingly positive.
     Currently, the team is planning to participate in six more events with two scheduled in the spring of 2020 (April 10 in Independence, KS and May 9 in Topeka, KS). The Microbes on the Move project is funded through the summer of 2021.

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the Microbes on the Move: Exploring microbiomes through mobile museum experiences is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce and prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

MAPS science teams from across the state meet to present research progress

The MAPS Research Team

   Forty members of the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS) research team consisting of faculty, post-docs, lab techs, and students met on November 4, 2019, at the Kansas Biological Survey located in Higuchi Hall at the University of Kansas (KU) to provide research updates and plan next steps for the MAPS project. Co-Pis, Dr. Walter Dodds from Kansas State University (KSU), Dr. Jim Bever (KU) and Dr. Sharon Billings (KU) welcomed the group and outlined the logistics of the meeting. Team leaders, Dr. Lydia Zeglin (KSU) and Dr. Amy Burgin (KU) from the Aquatic research group, Dr. Ben Sikes (KU) from the Plant research group, Dr. Matt Kirk (KSU) from the Soils research group and Dr. Tom Platt (KSU) and Dr. Fola Agusto (KU) from the Synthesis team reported on the accomplishments of their specific research teams. The presentation updates were followed by post-docs and students from each research group presenting their research projects and progress in using a lightning talk presentation format. The following students, post-docs and lab techs presented their specific MAPS research project.

WSU master's student Abigail Urban

From the Plant Research team:

• Abigail Urban - Response of plan Communities to land use across the precipitation gradient in Kansas (WSU Houseman Lab)
• Hannah Dea - MAPS: Plant Microbiome Samples Summer 2019 (KSU Jupponen Lab)
• Matthew Kolp - Maize drought experiment and synthetic microbial communities (KU Wagoner Lab)
• Susan Magnoli - Legume-rhizobia mutualism as a driver of grassland composition and community resistance to invasion (KU Bever Lab)

KSU master's student Stephan Koenigsberger

From the Soil Research Team:

• Stephan Koenigsberger - Variation in soil redox with land use across the Kansas precipitation gradient (KSU Kirk Lab)
• Irosha Wanighunga -  Effects of land use on methane oxidation (KSU Rice Lab)
• Marcos Sarto - Soil microbial community composition across a precipitation gradient with different land uses (KSU Rice Lab)
• Paige Hansen - EPSCoR soil microbial communities (KU Sikes Lab)
• Annie Telegin - Exploring leachate from intact mesocosms (KU Burgin-Loeke Lab)
• Matt Sena - Influence of precipitation and land use in pore geometry of soils with vertic properties (with KU Sullivan, Hirmas Billings, Brookfield, Lang)

KU post doc Matt Kolp

From the Aquatic Research Team:

• Kyle Cochran - Distribution of stream water and sediment algae and bacteria across KS precipitation and land-use gradients (KSU Zeglin Lab)
• Kynser Wahwahsuck - Nitrogen cycling in grassland vs. cropland dominated watersheds (KU Burgin Lab)
• Joshua Dimapilis - Nitrogen-cycling microbes in Kansas stream sediments: linking structure and function
• Janaye Hanschu and Abagel Pruitt - Nitrogen and microbiome effects on lake toxin production (KU Burgin Lab)
• Anne Schechner - Spatial heterogeneity of metabolism in Kansas River (KSU Dodds Lab)
• Bre Waterman - Contribution of groundwater to stream discharge and biogeochemistry across the precipitation gradient (KSU Kirk Lab)
• Jess Wilhelm - Biogeochemical implications of stream intermittency across the precipitation gradient (KU Burgin Lab)

KSU Ph.D student Ha Le 

From the Synthesis Research Team:

• Rebekah Wagner - Rhizobia-AMF synergism model (KU Bever and Agusto Lab)
• Ha Le - Adaptation of pipelines to the Slurm system (KSU Liu Lab)

   Dr. Andrea Brookfield (KU) presented her and Dr. Amy Hansen's (KU) progress on their MAPS Research Education and Innovation (REI) Award project titled Integrated groundwater and surface water modeling for predicting aquatic microbiomes, and Samantha Thomas, MAPS Data Manager, provided information on options and best practices for collecting and sharing data. Following the whole group presentations, each team met to discuss future collaborative and synthesis opportunities. 

   The next MAPS team meeting, The 2020 MAPS Research Symposium , will take place in the Spring on March 2, 2020, at the Adams Alumni Center on the KU campus. In addition to the research faculty, post-docs, and students, the MAPS team will invite outreach participants, partners, stakeholders, state representatives, and university administrators across the state to participate.

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the MAPS annual all hands science meeting s provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.