BROADN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences
Ashley's research aims to characterize and quantify aerial dispersal of the pathogenic fungus that causes white pine blister rust disease on high-elevation pine trees across the western US to aide land management strategies in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service. She further works to understand molecular interactions between the pathogen and pine host upon fungal deposition and infection in ‘climate change' conditions, namely increased heat and drought.
Hobbies: Snowboarding, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and video games with friends. Ashley entered her grandma-era early and enjoys knitting with her cat nearby.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Research Scientist
Areas of expertise: Bacterial Pathogenesis, Molecular Genetics, Protien Biochemistry, Vector-Borne Disease, Assay development
Beth Hayes will be co-leading projects with the Borlee and Bosco-Lauth laboratories.
Diana Wall works on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across terrestrial ecosystems focusing on the impact of climate change on soil nematode dynamics, ecosystem function, survival and dispersal mechanisms by air or water. Collaborative research with the MCM LTER occurs in the ice-free Antarctic dry valleys where climate change effects are amplified. There, responses of animal species to warm and wet events included shifts in nematode abundance and distribution and alteration of soil CO2 flux. Comparison of wet (Kansas) and dry (New Mexico and Colorado) USA grasslands where drought was imposed in field experiments showed that in mesic sites, drought decreased predator nematodes and increased plant feeding/ herbivorous nematodes, whereas two drier sites were less impacted.
Wall Valley, Antarctica was designated for her contributions. Diana was president, Society of Nematologists and the Ecological Society of America. She received the 2013 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the Ulysses Medal, University College Dublin, the 2019 President's Medal of the British Ecological Society and is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences. She earned her PhD at the University of Kentucky.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences
- Department of Animal
Dr. Jessica L. Metcalf is an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences. She is a microbiome scientist who leads highly interdisciplinary, innovative research projects that span the fields of animal science, health, and forensics by combining experimental ecology, large genomic datasets, and bioinformatics tools. She studies the microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, etc) of the gastrointestinal tract of vertebrate animals with a focus on the effects of captivity and domestication on animal health.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Jud and Pat Harper Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering Director of Education and Outreach
Areas of expertise: Systems biology (primarily proteomics), and applied microbiology/microbial ecology. His group's current projects involve biosensors, the application of proteomics to microbiome analysis
Dr. Kenneth Reardon is Professor and Jud and Pat Harper Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering and holds joint appointments in several other science and engineering programs at CSU, including Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology, and Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Reardon received his BS degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD from the California Institute of Technology, both in chemical engineering. His research combines bioreactor analysis, systems biology (primarily proteomics), and applied microbiology and microbial ecology. His group's current projects involve biosensors, the application of proteomics to microbiome analysis, and the analysis and engineering of bacteria and algae for the production of biofuels and other chemicals. He is also interested in the interconnected challenges of food, energy, and water production (the food-energy-water nexus), which is becoming a major issue around the world. Dr. Reardon is the Director of the Sustainable Bioenergy Development Center and a co-Director of the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels. He is also the founder and Chief Technology Officer of OptiEnz Sensors, which is based on research from his laboratory. Dr. Reardon received the Faculty Excellence Award from the College of Engineering at CSU in 2009.
Edith Silvas is working to embed DEI principles throughout One Health Institute's research and outreach. She has spent 17 years working towards achieving health and literacy equity at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, Houston Methodist, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Parkland Health & Hospital System. In her current role, she is committed to conducting mutually beneficial community outreach and engagement among people who have been underserved by STEAM programs and projects.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director
- Professor of Pedology, Soil & Crop Sciences / Deputy Director CAES, Co - PI National Ecological Observatory Network ( NEON ) Liaison, RT 1, 2
Gene Kelly is a Professor of Pedology, Deputy Director of the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station and is Associate Director for Research in the School of Global Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State University (CSU). He was recently on assignment at National Ecological Observation Network (NEON) as visiting head scientist. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Colorado State University and his Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley. Dr. Kelly conducts research and lectures nationally and internationally on various aspects of soils as related to global change issues. His scientific specialization is in Pedology and Geochemistry with primary interests in the biological weathering of soil and studies of soil degradation and global biogeochemical cycles. His current research is centered on Global Soil Degradation and fundamental role of grasslands in global biogeochemical cycles. He serves as an advisor to the United States Department of Agriculture with the National Cooperative Soil Survey, The National Science Foundation and several major research programs. He is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and is the recipient of the 2016 Soil Science Society of America Research Award. A native of New York, a marathoner and triathlete, he lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Plant Pathologist
- University Distinguished Professor, Agricultural Biology / Associate Dean for Research, College of Agricultural Sciences / Co - PI, Co - Lead Theme 4, RT 2, 4
Jan Leach is a plant pathologist who studies how pathogens cause disease on plants, and how some plants resist the pathogens. Her research has largely focused on rice and pathogens of rice and has involved collaborations with scientists around the world. She is interested in how microbes are adapted to survive and move in the aerobiome. Other projects currently underway in her laboratory are related to understanding the impacts of increasing temperatures associated with climate change on plant disease and resistance, microbiome-insect-plant interactions, and the development of novel tools for detection and monitoring of microbes associated with plants.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Plant Pathology
Job Titles:
- Director of Research
- Director of Research for the Institute for the Built Environment
Jeni Cross is the Director of Research for the Institute for the Built Environment and Associate Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University. She earned a bachelor's degree from Colorado State University and received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Davis. Her areas of expertise include conservation, community development, professional social networks, social norms, and behavior change. Jeni's passion is applying the tools of social science (theory and research methods) to help communities and organizations create meaningful change. For example, she has created social marketing projects to improve radon mitigation, reduce substance use, and increase energy conservation. Her current research projects focus on how social norms influence energy conservation and how inter-organizational social networks contribute to innovation and sustainability.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Department: College of Natural Sciences / Chemistry Department
Education: B.S. (chemistry), University of Iowa, 2021
Research interests: Bioaerosol flux, optical characterization of aerosols
Hobbies: fly fishing, trail running, embroidery
Job Titles:
- Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Agricultural Biology
Maia Holmes is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Agricultural Biology at Colorado State University. She received her BS in Conservation Biology and MS in Entomology, both from Colorado State University. Her specialization is in science communication, especially when it comes to public outreach. As Director of the CSU Bug Zoo, Maia reaches around 50,000 people from across the state annually with help from their collection of living insects and arachnids. Her passion is talking to people and sparking their curiosity in science, learning, and agriculture. Currently, she is working on multiple projects creating lesson plans and activities on the aerobiome, forest ecology and entomology, and the relationship between insects, pathogens, and plants.
Peter Kessinger is a Ph.D. student in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences with the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, working with Dr. Sheryl Magzamen. He is currently working on several infectious disease projects, including vector habitat suitability, fungal spore aerosolization, and pathogen habitat suitability. Peter is trained in data analysis, modeling, geospatial analysis, and several air sampler types, and is a certified drone pilot.
Peter's work often involves environmental sampling, remote sensing, satellite data, and animal models, which has him working in the field, in the lab, and on the computer. His work usually revolves around the One Health concept of the intertwined nature of people, animals, and the environment, and his future projects look to utilize drones to aid in sampling campaigns and create exposure assessments for infectious diseases, especially regarding zoonotic diseases and the wildland-urban interface.
Peter's goal is to help expand the tools available for public health departments so that those health departments can be better prepared to protect and aid individuals.
Peter has lived in Colorado since 1997, and has lived in Fort Collins since 2016. He got his undergraduate degree in Biomedical sciences and Environmental and radiological Health sciences in 2020 from Colorado State University and got his master's in Environmental Health sciences with a specialization in Epidemiology in 2022, also from Colorado State University. Peter is now working on his Ph.D. in Environmental Health with the goal of graduating in the Spring of 2025.
When he's not working, he likes to walk around Fort Collins with his dog, spend time at one of Fort Collins' many breweries, tailgate CSU football games, and hang out with friends. He also likes to hike the nearby Rocky Mountains and Rocky Mountain National Park, and one of his goals is to summit all the Colorado 14ers. Peter enjoys paddle boarding in Horsetooth Reservoir and camping throughout the state. When things get a little colder, he likes skiing and snowshoeing in the surrounding mountains.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Area of expertise: Air Quality Research: emissions, transformations, properties, and impacts of atmospheric aerosols on air quality, climate, human health and ecosystems.
The Laboratory for Air Quality Research studies the Emissions, Processes, and Impacts from Air Pollution Sources. An ongoing project is to develop a concentrator that increases the liquid collection of bioaerosols. The proposed REU research project will aim to develop a micro-fluidic system that draws the liquid containing the bioaerosols into a micro channel, expose the liquid to ultraviolet light, and measure fluorescence to record bioaerosol counts. In addition to developing the micro-fluidic system, the student will conduct a literature review and analyze and document their findings (via a presentation and/or report) from bioaerosols generated in the laboratory and those sampled in the ambient air.
The proposed summer REU research project will sample air to determine the presence and viability of targeted bacteria. The primary goal is to study the ability of bacteria isolated from the atmosphere to respond and survive environmental stress (e.g. desiccation, temperature, and UV), form aggregates, nucleate ice formation, and disperse from surfaces. This research will have field and laboratory research components as part of collaborative studies within the BROADN program.
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist III, Dept. of Atmospheric Science
Dr. Tom Hill received his Bachelor of Environmental Science from Murdoch University, Perth, Australia and his Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology from the University of East London.
Areas of Expertise:
Dr. Hill's mixed background of complementary experiences help lend understanding to the complex interconnectedness between the soil, water, vegetation and atmosphere. These include: Ice nucleating particles: their concentrations, sources, and characteristics, Conservation ecology (e.g., natural succession and soil microbiology, bumblebees), Impacts and amelioration of nitrogen and heavy metal pollution in soil and freshwater, Lecturer in biosciences and conservation studies, and forest plant pathology (Phytophthoras devastating the native vegetation of Western Australia).
While in America, Tom has been forced to adopt two mice, the first Misrata and the second Brittney. He has learned that you can buy a mouse's friendship with avocado or crispy roast potato.