Are you a student or postdoc studying mycology who is interested in serving on the executive board of the Student and Postdoc Section of the Mycological Society of America? We are looking for nominees for the upcoming 2023-2024 board. If you are interested in a position please read about them and their responsibilities here (https://msastudents.org/student-section-bylaws/) and fill out this nomination form! In addition to working with your peers, elected members have their MSA membership fee waived.
Self nominations are encouraged. You can be nominated for more than one position, but can only be elected to one.
Send any questions to MSA Student section email (students.msa@gmail.com)
Nominees will be contacted before elections are opened
We look forward to hearing from you!
Deadline for nominations is May 12th at 11:59 pm PST.
Presenters: Matt Kasson, PhD, Bridget Marie Barker, PhD, and João Araújo, PhD
Description: The MSA SPS is hosting a symposium over Zoom on 3/28 at 1:00 pm Eastern focusing on mycology in the context of the hit show The Last of Us. Join us as Matt Kasson, PhD, Bridget Marie Barker, PhD, and João Araújo, PhD present their views on arthropod-associated fungi and real-world fungal pathogens. How do fungi pathogens actually interact with insects? How is coccidioidomycosis, a real-world pathogen, expanding its range in response to climate change? Tune in to Zoom on Tuesday 3/28 for a mycologist’s perspective!
My current project is focused on the “evolution of nematophagy in Pleurotacaeae”. For this project, I am combining a wide range of techniques including classical mycology, metabolomics, comparative genomics, and transcriptomics to get a holistic view of the evolution of nematophagy in Pleurotaceae (Oyster mushroom and allies).
Which awards would you like to brag about?
My most recent awards include the graduate student research award from The Mycological Association of Washington DC and Sonoma Mycological Association scholarship award.
What are your career goals/plans for after you’re done with your current position?
I would like to be a professor at a research institution and continue doing research in fungi.
What is your favorite fact/thing about fungi?
My favorite fact of fungi is that they are hyper diverse and morphologically cryptic. Additionally they interact different organisms.
What is your favorite fungus and why?
Auriculoscypha anacardiicola. It is a relative of rust fungi that is parasites of phytopathogenic insects.
Who is your mycology role model?
Dr. P Mani Mohan
What do you like to do in your free time? What are your hobbies?
I love to hike, out door sports and cooking.
What is something inspiring or useful that you learned from your experiences in mycology?
Fungi are real bad ass and they can show fascinating adaptation to thrive different ecological niches.
Any great stories from field work?
During my last mushroom foray with the lab, we had to carry our canoe over a beaver dam.
Anything else you’d like to talk about, leave here!
I am heavily involved service with in and outside of Clark university. Currently we are establishing a mycology club in Clark university. I am also a member for FOSTER (Fostering Scientific Temper and Social Responsibility) at St. Teresa’s college Ernakulum, focused on the development of scientific temper in the community.
I am currently using DNA barcoding in the identification of nearly 2000 rust fungus samples.
What is your favorite fungus and why?
Mushrooms of the genus Cyptotrama for its incredible shade of yellow, much better than the shade of gold.
Which awards would you like to brag about?
I was the best undergraduate student twice! (I got two bachelors degree)
Any great stories from field work?
One day I found a mushroom similar to magic mushrooms growing near a palm tree and I ate it to see if it had hallucinogenic properties, but all I got was diarrhea.
What are your career goals/plans for after you’re done with your current position?
I would love to continue doing research on fungi and their potential use for the benefit of agricultural crops.
What is your favorite fact/thing about fungi?
Their impressive interaction with other organisms, their medicinal properties and their great taxonomic richness.
Who is your mycology role model?
Dr. Paul Edward Stamets for boosting mushrooms in the economy.
What do you like to do in your free time? What are your hobbies?
I love to travel and report biodiversity in iNaturalist. My favorite sport is ping pong and I like to watch videos of wild animals in Africa.
Anything else you’d like to talk about?
My first career was civil engineering, but I have discovered that nature has designed the best structures without the need to produce polluting waste.
What is something inspiring or useful that you learned from your experiences in mycology?
My interest in mycology began when I observed how some animals feed on fungi to alleviate some of their ailments and how plants create symbiosis with these organisms. It is incredible the medicinal and nutritional properties that these organisms have.
The Department of Biology in the College of Science and Health at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (UWL) invites applications for an academic year, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Mycology. Our new colleague will teach or co-teach Mycology courses including General Mycology and/or Medical Mycology, and depending upon expertise, teach Biology core courses such as Organismal Biology, Ecology, Genetics, and/or Cell Biology. The successful candidate may also teach existing elective courses and/or develop elective courses that complement our existing curriculum. We seek an engaging teacher/scholar with a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and with the potential to develop an externally-funded research program involving undergraduate and graduate (M.S.) students.
Required Qualifications:
Ph.D. in Biology or related field
Prior college-level teaching experience
Research expertise in an area of fungal biology
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with diversity/inclusivity issues
Experience teaching plant- and fungal-related course
Experience teaching core biology courses
Evidence of teaching potential/performance
Experience teaching medical mycology
Potential to conduct a successful research program
Research interests conducive to undergraduate and graduate (M.S.) mentorship
This tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Plant Nematology at UC Riverside will focus on investigations of microbial interactions with plant-parasitic nematodes that suppress plant diseases and crop damage. See full position description at https://nematology.ucr.edu/job-opportunities
Michael Malone (he/him) grew up in Long Island, New York and is currently an undergraduate at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry where he is advised by Dr. Alex Weir.
Current project description
Our project focuses on a poorly misunderstood group of fungi called the Laboulbeniales. They are obligate ectoparasites of arthropods, especially beetles. This study is the first to test infection rates based on habitat type. Moreover, collections took place in a region where these fungi were never intentionally collected (Long Island). We know so little about the diversity of these fungi, that the discovery of new species during this project is quite possible.
What is your favorite fungus and why?
My favorite fungus is Herpomyces ectobiae, an ectoparasitic fungus that grows only on the large setae of cockroaches. The thallus is grown parallel to the seta, however, its haustorium emerges from the side of the thallus to penetrate the seta. Only those thalli located near the base of the seta will become reproductive. Antheridia are produced on a receptacle that grows laterally from the suprabasal cell of the primary receptacle and down the seta.
What are your career goals/plans for after you’re done with your current position?
I hope to return to my college for graduate school and study other forms of fungi, as this is my first fungal project. Now I’m hooked!
What is your favorite fact/thing about fungi?
Possibly my favorite thing about fungi is their high degree of host specificity and niche specialization. A good example being Mycena luteopallens, which I have found growing in walnut shells.
Who is your mycology role model?
Dr. Alex Weir (my project advisor)
Any great stories from field work?
I did have one lady come up to me while I was collecting insects to check them for parasitic fungi. In response to her asking what I was doing, I told her the truth of it all. What ensued was a lengthy conversation of me convincing her that these fungi could not cross over to humans and infect us via vertical transmission. She still insists that I wear gloves.
What do you like to do in your free time? What are your hobbies?
When taking a break from my studies, I like to play guitar, go rock climbing with friends, and maintain my native plant garden.
Anything else you’d like to talk about?
I am currently figuring out which institution to go pursue a master’s in mycology, and possibly getting my PhD to become a professor. I am already a teaching assistant and tutor at my college, so you can tell I love to teach!
Dr. Korena Mafune grew up outside of Seattle, WA, and is currently a postdoctoral researcher.
Tell us about your project!
My research focuses on elucidating the role of adventitious roots and their fungal partners in canopy soils of old-growth Acer macrophyllum (big leaf maple). In these temperate rainforests, canopy soils form from epiphytic mats on branches decomposing over time. Some dominant tree species have adapted to develop adventitious rooting systems in these arboreal soils. They are prevalent in old-growth forests throughout the Olympic Peninsula, where stands have been recorded to accumulate 200,000 m3/ha of canopy soil volume. These unique forests are experiencing more seasonal extremes, such as wetter winters and drier summers, and are known for their temporal stability. I am specifically interested in exploring if fungi associating with adventitious rooting systems in canopy soils are acting as adaptive facilitators to environmental change.
The research field of canopy soil is relatively young, so it is very important to lay the building blocks for understanding these complex ecosystems. My specific research aims to identify fungi associating with adventitious and forest floor rooting systems of the same host trees, identify if root fungal communities are unique to the respective soil habitat, and if they shift throughout the experimental drought manipulations. I will also be exploring phosphorus and nitrogen nutrient fluxes, while gathering soil microclimatic data throughout the experimental manipulation. We have also been working to create a protocol that will allow fungal community analysis using the MinIon Nanopore Sequencer. We have successfully run the MinIon, and are currently analyzing the barcoded library and troubleshooting to create an even stronger protocol that will increase accuracy.
What is your favorite fungus and why?
How can there be just one?!? I love Cantharellus subalbidus, because when the goldens are shy, they always greet me with a plentiful forage. I also love the appearance of Boletus (Xerocomellus) xelleri, and I always get a kick out of having my students feel the consistency of Dacrymyces.
Which awards would you like to brag about?
Most of my research is funded by the Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation and the Ben Hall Conservation Genetics Award. I also recently received MSA’s Forest Fungal Ecology Award (thanks MSA!!). I am also thankful for supplementary support from various local mycological societies, such as Puget Sound Mycological Society (Ben Woo Scholarship), Oregon Mycological Society, and Sonoma Mycological Society.
What are your career goals/plans for after you’re done with your current position?
I am particularly stubborn because I really want to continue researching these specific canopy soil ecosystems. We are currently expanding the breadth of my current PhD project and are hoping to secure post-doc funding. Ideally, the end goal is to secure a research scientist or professor position somewhere in the PNW region and continue to promote the fields of canopy soil and fungal ecology.
What is your favorite fact/thing about fungi?
The parallel evolution of land plants and symbiotic fungi, and the fact that certain host trees have adapted to have fungal-root relations in canopy soils. Would plants have evolved to be so complex without fungi?! Would we even be here without them?! I also love that a majority of all land plants are holding hands with their best friends (mycorrhizae). Fungi rule the world!!
Who is your mycology role model?
I have met so many enthusiastic mycologists over the last several years. Joe Ammirati has really helped me. I came into this project from an ecological background. His input has allowed me to step back and better comprehend the extreme complexity of plant-fungal evolution.
Any great stories from field work?
One time when I was leading an introductory fungal field trip, I instructed the students to go forage for some mushrooms to ID. An overly enthusiastic student grabbed a disguised fuzzy piece of dog poop before I had the chance to give the warning. When I said, ‘Oh no, drop it’, the student said ‘like it’s hot?’. We all had a good laughed.
What do you like to do in your free time? What are your hobbies?
I train martial arts/boxing about 5-6 days a week, which takes up most of my free time. Other than that, I love spending time with my family and fur babies (a husky and two kitties), swimming in my favorite Washington waterholes, and foraging during the right seasons. I also love food, whether it is cooking it, eating it, or both.
The invasive, pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is destroying amphibian populations across the world. Understanding Bd epidemiology and treatment options is imperative to saving many species from extinction. My research incorporates field, lab, and bioinformatics techniques to study how Bd is spreading and how the fungal infection can be treated. I test amphibian skin-associated bacteria for possible anti-fungal effects by observing whether the bacteria can inhibit the growth of Bd, and also use genomic techniques to analyze Bd dissemination over large spatial scales.
What is your favorite fungus and why?
Bd is my favorite fungus because although it is causing amphibian populations to decline rapidly, it really is a fascinating organism. It is a unique, semi-aqatic, parasitic chytrid that we learn more about every day. We don’t even know how it reproduces sexually yet! To science and research it’s “the gift that keeps on giving”.
Which awards would you like to brag about?
The NSF-GRFP (2017), Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute short term fellowship (STRI-STF) (2019), UC Davis Center for Population Biology graduate research award (2020 and 2021).
What are your career goals/plans for after you’re done with your current position?
I would like to work in wildlife and environmental conservation in whatever manner I can!
What is your favorite fact/thing about fungi?
Many types of fungus, including chytrids produce zoospores, meaning their spores have flagella making the spores motile, and they actually use chemotaxis to move to toward a nutrient source. This is an incredible and unique function!
Who is your mycology role model?
Dr. Cassandra Ettinger
Any great stories from field work?
I was hiking through a jungle in Costa Rica in the middle of the night looking for a rare population of nocturnal frogs to collect skin swabs in order to test them for Bd infections. I hadn’t heard any sounds for hours, other than crickets, until I heard the most eerie sound on Earth – the hauntingly beautiful song of a lesser potoo bird. At the time I didn’t know it was a bird, and the posibility crossed my mind that I had actually died. That’s it. That’s the story, and I hope you look up this bird’s call.
What do you like to do in your free time? What are your hobbies?
I enjoy using the SEEK app to take pictures of fungi and identify them. I then like to upload the photos and IDs to iNaturalist to see which mycologists get into arguments over the identification suggestions.
