My research interests involve the biogeochemical cycling of mercury by bacteria, molecular microbial ecology, and microbial diversity. Use of mer -Operon Fusions to Quantify Mercury Concentrations Required for Induction of Broad and Narrow Spectrum Mercury Resistance in Natural Water. The major emphasis of my research is on understanding blood clotting at a molecular level. Current projects focus on flagellar motility in Chlamydomonas or sperm of the clam Corbicula . Using a genetic model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, we explore cellular processes in the context of development.
Techniques used include microscopy, genetics, and molecular biology.
Effects of dietary methylmercury on reproductive physiology of fathead minnows. Potential toxicity of agricultural farm ponds to native amphibians. The central research interest of my laboratory is the development and repair of functional circuitry in the brain and spinal cord. Techniques in use include electrophysiology and mammalian cell culture. Field and laboratory evaluation of whirling disease using a novel polymerase chain reaction diagnostic assay and the potential for whirling disease becoming established in Wisconsin.