Carmen is a first generation college student, now graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. at the interface of geochemistry and microbiology. With a B.A. in biochemistry and 2 years working in analytical chemistry in the Research and Development Laboratory of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (Go Narwhal!). Carmen’s Ph.D. thesis work, affectionately titled by other graduate students as “All the Things I don’t Want to Know,” includes work on the Marshall Fire, one of the worst suburban wildfires that hit Boulder, Colorado on 30 December 2021; work on the effects of float tubing on the Clear Creek in Golden, Colorado that examines the geochemical and microbiological effects of human recreation; and work on the geochemistry and microbiology of sulfur cave systems in Colorado and Wyoming. Outside of academia Carmen enjoys road-tripping and climbing in just about any locale. 

Kalen is a PhD student whose research is firmly planted in the realm of geomicrobiology. His research project examines the microbial communities and geochemistry of hot spring environments, the focus of which is to discover the mechanisms of biomat community lithification and determine the biotic and geochemical processes necessary for biosignature formation. To answer these research questions, Kalen is performing fieldwork in Yellowstone National Park at actively silicifying and stromatolite forming field sites. Kalen has also undertaken the task of culturing thermophilic bacteria from stromatolite forming biomats for benchtop experiments. By exploring the living microbial communities, geochemical cycles, and lithified biomat associated with these hot springs he hopes to link the lithified past with the living present. Outside of academia, Kalen enjoys visiting family and escaping into the Colorado backcountry to backpack, fly fish, and ski. 

Patrick is a PhD student who’s work is associated with the NASA Astrobiology Institute’s Rock Powered Life Group that investigates the microbial life and biosignatures that inhabit a subsurface serpentinized ophiolite. He is interested in combing molecular biological, genomic, culturing, and inorganic geochemical tools in order to assess the metabolic capabilities of the microbial communities that harbor the subsurface and the development of biosignatures. By combining metabolic potential and phylogenetic information with lipid compounds (biomolecules that preserve well in the rock record), he hopes to develop better biosignatures of prominent members within hyperalkaline serpentinizing systems. He also hopes to use culturing efforts to decipher how methanogens are overcoming inhospitable conditions in the hyperalkaline environment of the Samail Ophiolite. Prior to joining the Spear Lab, Patrick received his B.A. in Geoscience at Skidmore College. He also received a minor in Music, studying Jazz Guitar for all four years and performing at various venues. He is an avid bicyclist using his love bike touring to explore the world, and an enthusiastic chef that helps fuel his thunder thighs in order to cross the physical and intellectual hurdles to accomplish his degree.

I got my introduction to wildfire as a firefighter-EMT in Colorado and now study the biogeochemical consequences of wildfire on soil as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Primarily, I am concerned with how microbiota respond to and / or facilitate recovery after variable intensity wildfire in Colorado—though our basic science approaches are likely also relevant to other highly complex microbial ecosystems (both natural and engineered). I also work on the on microbiological inhabitants of fresh snowfall, and think about how these data-rich lifeforms may be diagnostic of anthropogenic impacts to aerosols. Before working as a Ph.D. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering, I was a technician in the Spear Lab for two years with works including subsurface microbial ecology in an experimental mine, and engineered microbial microcosms for the treatment of produced water from oil and gas operations. I enjoy facilitating hands-on teaching in both the Spear Lab and at the Microbial Diversity summer course at the Marine Biological Lab (Woods Hole, MA). In my thesis work, I employ an ensemble of scientific approaches to answer questions: field work, laboratory experimentation, and the application of both statistical and machine learning methodologies to better inform both the basic and applied science of perennial wildfire—our ‘new normal’ in the American West.