People — scientific staff

Faculty Lecturers Adjunct/Affiliate Faculty Teaching Assistants Postdoctoral Scientists
Graduate Students Scientific Staff Staff


John Brunsfeld Scientific Aide	Lab: Gibb Hall 208 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8859 jbruns [at] uidaho.edu Wichman	John Brunsfeld

Ruth Frey Scientific Aide	Lab: Life Sciences South 267 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8861 ruthf [at] uidaho.edu Stenkamp

Ann Jorgensen Scientific Aide	Lab: Gibb Hall 245 Phone: +01 (208) 885-0135 annj [at] uidaho.edu Kelliher

Robert Lyon Assistant Computer Scientist	Office: McClure Hall 127 Phone: +01 (208) 885-4267 lyon7185 [at] vandals.uidaho.edu My official title is ‘Assistant Computer Scientist’. I am the Beowulf Cluster administrator and I maintain the IBEST Web Servers.

Jack Millstein Scientific Aide	Lab: Gibb Hall 208 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8859 jackm [at] uidaho.edu I work on experimental evolution. I use a phage-bacterial host system. A chemostat setup allows the phage to continuously receive fresh hosts. This phage is small enough that we can sequence the whole genome and track genomic changes resulting from the evolutions. Wichman	Jack Millstein

Trent Nelson Assistant Computer Scientist	Office: McClure Hall 127 Phone: +01 (208) 885-4267 tnelson@uidaho.edu

Steve Patton Scientific Aide	Lab: Gibb Hall 241 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8855 spatton [at] uidaho.edu I am responsible for the day-to-day lab operations including supervision of research projects and care for research animals. I function as the primary contact for people interested in research protocols used in our lab. Current projects in Dr. Cloud’s research program are primarily directed toward understanding germ cell development and the establishment of a germplasm repository for threatened and endangered fish. Ongoing research projects in the lab include: (1) the cryopreservation and transplantation of salmonid gonads and the isolation, culture, and reestablishment of germinal stem cells, and (2) optimizing cryopreservation techniques to aid in conservation aquaculture for ESA listed Kootenai River white sturgeon and burbot. Additionally, sperm collected from numerous populations of Snake River chinook salmon and steelhead are cryopreserved and stored annually. Work in Dr. Cloud’s lab is currently funded by the USDA, NOAA, and BPA. Cloud

Linda Rogers Scientific Aide	Lab: Life Sciences South 457 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8558 lrogers [at] uidaho.edu I am involved in the research on horizontal transfer of genetic information via broad-host-range (BHR) plasmids. These mobile genetic elements are important in that they facilitate the inter-species transfer of genes that allow bacteria to live in the presence of environmental stresses such as heavy metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and antibiotics. Top	Linda Rogers

Maria Schneider Research Support Specialist	Lab: Life Sciences South 282 Phone: +01 (208) 885-2583 gmarias [at] uidaho.edu Currently I am working with microbial mat samples from an Oregon Hot Spring environment, isolating genomic DNA and performing T-RFLP analysis of 16s rRNA, as well as sequencing of this DNA region. Our goal is to obtain an estimation of the numbers and kinds of bacteria, which make up the community in those spring environments and what are the factors that influence them. This work is embedded in the work of a group of researches from various Departments and Institutions covering the disciplines of Biology, Geology and Geochemistry. Forney	Maria Schneider

LuAnn Scott Scientific Aide, Sr.	Lab: Gibb Hall 204 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8859 lscott [at] uidaho.edu The Wichman lab has two broad interests in evolutionary biology: mammalian genome organization and viral adaptation. Although these interests appear unrelated, they actually intersect in an interesting way in our lab. The “phage group” carries out experimental evolution using a bacteriophage model to test theories of evolution in viruses at the DNA level. The results of these experiments can then be used to develop and improve the mathematical models of evolution that are essential for drug and vaccine development. Addressing basic mechanisms of evolution in viruses is the connection with our mammalian genome work. The “L1 group” studies the retrotransposable element LINE-1 (or L1) that comprises 15-20% of a mammalian genome. L1s invaded the genome in a common ancestor of mammals and have been expanding and evolving in mammalian genomes for over 150 million years. We have determined that L1s remain active in all orders of mammals although we have found compelling evidence for two extinction events that led to inactivity of L1s in large groups, Sigmodontine rodents and megabats. The nature of L1 evolution is also curious; their phylogenetic trees are reminiscent of those of proteins in the influenza virus. Thus, L1s appear to be in an arms race with their hosts or even under selection, i.e. not merely genomic parasites. Various host functions for L1s have been proposed. My research primarily focuses on evolution of L1s and mammalian genomes, but I perform phage experiments as the need arises. Current projects include surveys of L1s in all families of bats and marsupials, investigation into the promoters of multiple L1 lineages within an individual or species, and two collaborations, one looking at L1s in New World monkeys, the other in the ring species of the microbat genus Artibeus. In addition to research, I oversee day-to-day operations in the lab, train students (we currently have four undergraduates working on individual projects, two on L1s and two on phage evolution), assist with writing and editing. Wichman	LuAnn Scott