Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai
Frank Laboratory
Pacific Biosciences Research Center
Observers of the microbial realm
Sheree J. Watson, Ph. D.
ʻIke Wai Postdoctoral Fellow
A research cruise in the Columbia River estuary on board the RV Oceanus as part of the Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction program (CMOP) http://www.stccmop.org/
I am from Montana and grew up all over the state spending my free time outside chasing frogs and turtles around my local rivers and lakes. I attended Montana State University and majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry, and after receiving my B.S. enrolled for a M.S. degree in marine science at University of Oregon’s – Oregon Institute of Marine Biology. During my master’s degree I studied a toxic marine diatom that caused closures of shellfish and crab fisheries off the Oregon coast. I have been hooked on aquatic microbiology ever since. After a long break working in STEM education I returned to school to complete a doctoral degree at Oregon Health & Science University’s – Institute of Environmental Health doing research on bacteria in the coastal mudflats of the Columbia River estuary. I would consider myself an environmental microbiologist and enjoy working with microbes that are indicators of environmental health or potentially useful in bioengineering technologies.
In between my stints as a graduate student I have worked in informal STEM outreach and as a middle and high school science teacher. I taught earth and physical science; biology and chemistry in Alaska, New Mexico and at home in Montana and am a certified 6-12th grade science teacher. I have a great passion to communicate science and connect people with their environments, and in particular to motivate students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in STEM fields. I became interested in science through informal science education programs after school and on the weekends offered by local community scientists, and feel a responsibility to pay that forward to the next generation.
Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Laieikawai Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana Frank Kiana FrankHawaii Microbes Microbiology Labhuiofrank PBRC PBRC PBRC PBRC PBRC PBRC PBRC
Filtering surface and deep water from the Brownlee Reservoir on the Snake River in Idaho for metagenomic anlaysis of microbes that maybe involved in methylation of mercury.
Traveling to a study site in the Columbia River estuary to investigate differences amongst microbial communities in restored wetlands. For more information regarding this work go to: http://associations.sou.edu/aaaspd/Students/Leviton%20Research%20Award%20Reports/2015WatsonReport.pdf