CURRENT LAB MEMBERS

  • Julian Damashek

    Microbial ecologist and biogeochemist, teaching about ecology, microbes, genomes, and aquatic ecosystems.

    Click here for my CV. Click here to email me. I put code on github. I’m also on bluesky.

  • Megan Case

    Hamilton ‘25

    Microcystin synthesis and degradation genes and transcripts in freshwater ‘omics datasets

  • Bri Padilla

    Hamilton ‘25

    Bacteria-based food webs in Fayetteville Green Lake

  • Erin Rayhill

    Hamilton ‘25

    N uptake and fixation in Fayetteville Green Lake

  • Tessa Cole

    Environmental genomics of purple sulfur bacteria in Fayetteville Green Lake

  • Faith Hollyer

    Hamilton ‘25

    Microbial ecology of agriculturally-influenced streams

  • Julie Ying

    Hamilton ‘25

    Diversity and transcription of pyrophosphatase genes in the ocean

  • Eileen Bussiere

    Hamilton ‘25

    Rodent predation in local forests. Eileen is working with Pete Guiden but is crashing the AMOEBA lab while Pete is on sabbatical!

  • Zach Schwartz

    Hamilton ‘26

    Refining techniques to use flow cytometry to assess lake bacterial populations

  • Angie Dalle Mule

    Hamilton ‘27

    Pangenomics and transcriptional activity of freshwater Patescibacteria, using ‘omics data collected by the Ottesen Lab (University of Georgia).

  • Nick Miller

    Hamilton ‘26

    Environmental genomics of sulfur-oxidizing Campylobacteria in Fayetteville Green Lake

  • Reilan Garczynski

    Hamilton ‘26

    Ammonia-oxidizing archaea in global freshwater metagenomes

  • Zoë Chamberlain

    Hamilton ‘27

    Nutrient cycling in the Mohawk River

  • Aditi Kumar

    Hamilton ‘27

    Pangenomics of freshwater ammonia-oxidizing Nitrosotenuis spp.

  • Kaveesha Soysa

    Hamilton ‘26

    Nutrient cycling in an oligotrophic, hard-water pond

July 2024. Part of the summer ‘24 crew sampling on Green Lake. L-R: Aditi Kumar, Megan Case, Kaveesha Soysa (standing), Angie Dalle Mule, Zaara Rehman.

November 2023. L-R: Julian, Trang Pham, Ben LaBranche, Zach Orluk.

LAB ALUMNI

  • Paige O'Hara

    Hamilton ‘25

    N isotopes using MALDI-TOF, in collaborating with the Geier Lab (Colgate University).

  • Rasikh Shaukat

    Hamilton ‘25

    N isotopes using MALDI-TOF, in collaborating with the Geier Lab (Colgate University)

  • Zaara Rehman

    Hamilton ‘25

    Microscopy of freshwater algae and cyanobacteria in local ponds

  • Lil Gross

    Hamilton ‘25

    Fecal source tracking in the Mohawk River

  • Oliver Tennant

    Hamilton ‘24

    Ecology of archaea in Fayetteville Green Lake using 16S data collected by the McCormick Lab (Hamilton College)

  • Trang Pham

    Hamilton ‘25

    N cycling in Oneida Lake (Fall 2023)

  • Zach Orluk

    Hamilton ‘25

    N cycling in Oneida Lake (Fall 2023)

  • Ben LaBranche

    Hamilton ‘25

    N cycling in Otsego Lake

  • Leah Griffin

    Utica ‘25

    Leah investigated antimicrobial resistance genes in estuaries, with a focus on analyzing shotgun metagenomic data. Her work was funded by the LSAMP program.

  • Lexi Rando

    Utica ‘25

    Lexi studied pyrophosphatase genes in global ocean metagenomes and metatranscriptomes, and presented results at the 2023 NEMPET symposium.

  • Tara Smith

    Utica ‘23

    N isotopes using MALDI-TOF, in collaborating with the Geier Lab (Colgate University). Currently a research associate at Curia Global.

  • Bella Raux

    Utica ‘23

    Bella studied dog/owner fecal microbiomes using data collected by the Belanger Lab (Colgate University). Currently a DVM candidate, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.

  • Brie Lohmann

    Utica ‘23

    N cycling and related microbes in the Mohawk River. Currently a science teacher at DeRuyter Central School (NY).

  • Ally Marsh

    Utica ‘22

    N cycling in Oneida Lake and the Mohawk River.

  • Tyler LaFramboise

    Utica ‘24

    Binning and refining metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from McNutt Creek metagenomes sequenced by the Ottesen Lab (University of Georgia)

Tanya Kuts (Utica ‘22)

Tanya studied urea and ammonium cycling in Oneida Lake

Kristina Kuts (Utica ‘24)

Kristina studied nitrite cycling in Oneida Lake.

Trinity Howell (Hampton University ‘22)

Trinity used machine learning software to identify sources of fecal contamination in estuaries using 16S data. She was funded by the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP) 2021 program.

Nikki Pickett (Utica ‘21)

Thrilled to be measuring nutrients!

Nikki fell in love with debugging computer errors while taking a bioinformatics course, then completed a research project studying distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in San Francisco Bay using shotgun metagenomic data.

Matt Fedullo (Utica ‘20)

Matt designed a project studying antibiotic resistance genes in the Mohawk River near his hometown of Amsterdam, NY. He successfully never fell into the river. Matt is now in a physician’s assistant graduate program at Marrywood University.

Carrilynn Garrett (Utica ‘23)

Carrilynn started a field project studying nitrogen cycling in the Mohawk River that was immediately halted by COVID…

Arijana Dautovic (Utica ‘24)

Measuring some worms!

Arijana worked on a field project studying microbes in the Mohawk River, which was also immediately put on hiatus in spring 2020.


(Info about previous students will be back soon, I'm fighting with the online editor...)