Current Members
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Past Members
- Ian Anderson
- Ben Brugman
- Dr. Andres Cianca
- Brian Eddie
- Dr. Peer Helmke
- Gwendolyn Hoenicke
- Kate Meltzer
- Alexis Pasulka
- Philip Tarrant
Becky Mestek
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Becky Mestek
I joined the Neuer lab in the fall of 2007 as an undergraduate seeking a B.S. in Biology. I am currently working on a project studying the effects of salinity and temperature on two arctic ice algae: a diatom, Melosira arctica, and a dinoflagellate, Polarella glacialis. I hope to apply the results from this experiment to expand our understanding of how these microbial autotrophs will adjust to the warming climate in the Arctic.
Ultimately, either in my research in the Neuer lab, or during my graduate studies, I hope to study the deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the ecosystem that thrives in this extreme environment. My particular focus of interest is in chemoautotrophic bacteria and their vital role in providing energy to the organisms at the deepest depths of the ocean. I am also interested in the possibility of a sub-ice ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa, and the potential life it might support.