Tyler Hacking

On By msastudentsIn Current Spotlight, Student SpotlightLeave a comment

Where did you grow up?

Utah

Current research location

University of Utah

Current adviser

Dr. Eddy Cadet

Current project description

Bioaccumulation of trace metals in the fungal genus Morchella. The purpose of this research is to contrast trace metal composition of morel mushrooms to the trace metal composition of the surrounding soil substrate in the canyonlands of Utah where soil geochemical composition can vary based on altitude and geophysical location. We hypothesize that by analyzing the trace metal composition of morel mushrooms and their surrounding soil substrate we can determine if morel mushrooms absorb and concentrate trace metals from their habitat. This is important because these data will determine if there is a health risk for humans and animals who consume morel mushrooms from different locations.

Awards you’d like to brag about

So many! I guess URSCA grant Primary Investigator: Water Variable Effects on Plant Biomass.

What is your favorite fungus?

Morchella, because they are both delicious and mysterious.

What is your favorite fungus fact?

I admire their capacity for adaptation and biosynthesis.

What are your career goals/plans for after you’re done with your current position?

I am currently applying to PhD mycology programs at universities in the United states.

Any great stories from field work (funny/interesting/something that stuck out to you)?

I could not find morels for years, then a professor of mine gave me a tip and since then I have found thousands and shared that experience with over 100 people by hosting morel mushroom hunt events.

What do you like to do in your free time? What are your hobbies?

I create educational content focused on fungi. Mentor college students in how to use fungi in composting. Host events for organizations like the mushroom society of Utah, the boy scouts of America and teach classes for the UVU community education department. On weekends, I bring professors, students and citizen scientists to the mountains for mycological research.

Who is your mycology role model?

Alan Rockafellar

What is something inspiring or useful that you learned from your experiences in mycology?

I was working on my botany degree when I started to realize how fundamentally critical fungi are to vascular plants. The more I learned the more fascinated I became. Now fungi are my favorite taxa, I focus now on how plants, fungi and their environmental chemistry interact.

Anything else you’d like to talk about?

I am a scientist, a chef and a photographer. I enjoy documenting my scientific research and culinary creations. To me botany, mycology and environmental chemistry are the same topic. These sciences can be combined to improve the quality of life on earth by transforming soil quality in agricultural and natural habitats.

Assistant Professor of Mycology

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The announcement for my position in Applied Mycology at Montana State University has been released.  If you are a potential applicant and have questions, you can email me (Cathy Cripps) at ccripps@montana.edu.

Read the full announcement here.

Duties and Responsibilities

We seek a highly qualified and enthusiastic mycologist to contribute to our programs in the Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology Department at Montana State University. The appointment is 60% research, 30% teaching, and 10% service.

This full time, 9-month academic year tenure-track position requires that the successful candidate develop a nationally competitive research program directed at solving issues in mycology relevant to Montana and the region and that addresses Montana State University’s Grand Challenges (https://www.montana.edu/strategicplan/improvinglives.html).

Possible research areas include but are not limited to fungal biology and genomics, fungal biochemistry/toxicology, forest pathology, myco-culture, and fermentation science. The successful individual will support their research with extramural funding and publish original research in refereed journals and other appropriate venues.

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills  

Ph.D. in plant pathology, mycology, or related field at time of appointment.

Potential for excellence in teaching.

Potential for excellence in research and a publication record commensurate with career level.

Demonstrated ability to collaborate with other teachers and scientists.

How to Apply

Apply through this page

Post-doctoral Associate Position in Disease Suppressive Soil and Microbiome

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A postdoctoral associate position is available to study turfgrass rhizosphere, phyllosphere and fungal pathogen hyphosphere microbiome, and their functions in suppressing or promoting turfgrass diseases using multi-omics techniques. This post-doctoral associate position will be housed in the Chou lab and co-advised by Dr. Ning Zhang in the Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ. This position will also work intimately with the productive researchers in the Center for Turfgrass Science at Rutgers and contribute to the overall mission of the Center.

The position will have the following responsibilities:

  • Designing and conducting experiments to investigate disease suppressive soil in turfgrass and decipher the potential disease suppression mechanisms using (but not limit to) the following techniques – amplicon-sequencing, metagenomics, metabolomics, genomics, and transcriptomics.
  • Completing required lab and field tasks relevant to the overall research goals such as sample collection, library preparation, metabolite fractionation, visual and statistical analyses of the omics data.
  • Isolating microbes from plant and soil materials using conventional and high-throughput methods.
  • Identifying microbial isolates and maintaining active and long-term culture collections.
  • Performing pathogen antagonism assays, metabolite extraction, and phenotyping on microbial isolates to characterize their roles in disease suppressive soil.
  • Analyzing large multi-omics datasets and preparing manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications.
  • Rating turfgrass diseases in the field and controlled-environment visually and with image-analysis tools.
  • Mentoring graduate and undergraduate researchers in the lab.
  • Supporting other members in the lab and field and maintaining professional relationships with collaborators.
  • Complying with high standards of work ethics, regulations and rules required by the school and department.

The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. degree in plant pathology, microbiology, or related discipline with extensive experience in multi-omics techniques, statistic and data analysis using R/Python, bioinformatic proficiency and excellent communication and writing skills. The position will involve collaborating with mycologists, soil scientists, plant breeders, and plant pathologists. If an exceptional candidate is identified whose ambition and capabilities exceed the proposed study’s scope, we are open to adjusting the research direction and techniques accordingly. The Chou lab is committed to accommodate any current and future lab members for their personal and professional development to the best of our capability within reason.

The starting salary is $54,250 and will be commensurate with experience. The initial appointment is for one year; renewal for additional years is likely pending satisfactory performance. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please reach out to Dr. Ming-Yi Chou (mingyi.chou@rutgers.edu) with any questions about the position. Interested applicants are to apply online at https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/199300 and upload a single pdf file containing: 1) a cover letter describing your research experience and interest in the position; 2) a curriculum vitae; 3) names and contact information of at least three professional references.

Cedar Sekorski

On By msastudentsIn Student SpotlightLeave a comment

Cedar Sekorski (it/its or they/them)

Where did you grow up?

I grew up near Elkland, Missouri

Current research location

University of Wisconsin – La Crosse

Current adviser

Anita Davelos

Current project description

I am currently looking at microbial sediment community structure and composition in an urban freshwater marsh.

Any good stories from field work?

As far as I know, my cat, Gratch, is the only cat to ever go in a foray with Tom Volk.

Who is your mycology role model?

Tom Volk

What have you learned from studying fungi?

Don’t lose sight of the larger ecosystem

What are your career goals/plans for after you’re done your current position?

I am going to save the Earth

Awards you’d like to brag about

So many! I guess my REU in mathematical ecology and my Summer Graduate Fellowship are the two most prestigious so far.

What is your favorite fungus?

Ganoderma applanatum because it’s a very handsome fungus and I have a thing for shelf mushrooms.

What is your favorite fungus fact?

I fond their dikaryon phase quite fascinating. And also how they can be such good buddies to plants.

SPS Colloquium: Mucoromycota

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Thursday, May 4, 2023, 9am – 10 am EDT via Zoom

JOIN US TO HEAR ABOUT FELLOW MYCOLOGISTS’ WORK!

Alicia Kock

I am a doctoral candidate at the North-West University in South Africa. I am a part of the research group that focuses on Environmental Microbiology and Agricultural Biotechnology. My research interest is on Environmental Mycology. At the moment, I am working on diversity of early divergent fungi (Mucoromycota) and drivers influencing their distribution and abundance.

Nicole Reynolds

As a postdoc in Dr. Teresa Palowska’s lab at Cornell University, I have been studying communities of Mucoromycota fungi and their bacterial endosymbionts. Our sampling locations include four sites in California within the Desert and Mediterranean biomes. Previously, I obtained my PhD from the University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Matt Smith, studying Zoopagomycota fungi which are close relatives of Mucoromycota.

Research Technician: Smith Lab

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Seeking a Budding Fungal Biologist

The Smith Fungal Biology Lab at the University of Florida is looking for a full-time research technician to work on several ongoing projects related to fungal systematics, ecology, and evolution. Ongoing projects in the lab include studies on the systematics and evolution of truffles and other Pezizomycete fungi and the CLIMUSH project on the distributions and ecological responses of macrofungi at a continental scale. The technician will also support the fungal collection at the Florida Museum of Natural History. More about the Smith Fungal Biology lab and the FLAS fungal collection can be found on the Smith Lab website: https://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/people/faculty-pages/matthew-smith/

The position is ideal for recent graduates who eventually wish to pursue a graduate career in fungal biology.

To be considered for this position please submit: 1) a brief cover letter indicating why you are appropriate for the position, 2) a CV or resume, 3) transcripts of academic degrees, and 4) the names of 3 professional references. Send application package as a single PDF via email to Dr. Matthew Smith (trufflesmith@ufl.edu). Review of applications will begin 8 May 2023 and continue until the position is filled. Informal inquiries or questions? email trufflesmith@ufl.edu.

Position Details

Synmycanthrosium: Symposium Submissions Open

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Dr. Tom Volk (front left) was an inspiration to generations of mycologists, author of Tom Volk’s Fungi, and a beloved member of the UW-La Crosse biology faculty (pictured).

SYNMYCANTHROSIUM

A Symposium in Honor of the Mycological Life of Dr. Tom Volk 

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

We are currently welcoming submission of abstracts for presentations at the Synmycanthrosium  (“Together-fungus-people-place”) to be held at UW-La Crosse May 21–22, 2023. This symposium will honor Dr. Volk’s profound and enduring scientific impacts in the field of mycology and beyond. The symposium agenda is available here. 

  • Submissions should focus on work that was carried out in collaboration with Dr. Volk or that has been informed by his findings or example. This could include, for example, if Dr. Volk was a role model or inspiration to you.
  • Descriptions of work in progress, presentations of new results, and retrospectives of previous work are all welcome.
  • Poster presentations and short talks (15 min.) are available.
  • Student researchers whose studies have been inspired by Dr. Volk are especially encouraged to apply. 
  • Amateur mycologists who wish to disseminate their findings to a scientific audience are welcome to submit, either individually or as an organization. 
  • Abstracts should be no more than 300 words in length and should clearly articulate Dr. Volk’s influence on the work, be it intellectual, personal, direct, or indirect. 

Abstracts should be submitted online.  Detailed instructions for abstract submission are available at the submission site. 

The deadline for abstract submissions is 11:59 p.m. on April 14, 2023 (original deadline has been extended).  Applicants will be informed of the status of their abstract by April 24, 2023.  We expect to be able to accommodate all poster presentations; slots for oral presentations are limited and will be chosen on the basis of their articulated relationship to Dr. Volk’s work and with the goal of creating a thematically broad program.  Applicants who are not selected for a talk will be assigned a poster presentation. 

Please note that submitting an abstract does not automatically register you for the conference. You must register separately. Registration and travel information is available here. Note that there is a discount for registration by April 14, 2023. Opportunities for sponsors or exhibitors are forthcoming. 

Please email Dr. Alder Yu (ayu@uwlax.edu) with any questions. We look forward to seeing you in La Crosse! 

MSA SPS 2023 Art contest

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The Mycological Society of America (MSA) – Student and Postdoc Section is excited to announce our annual Fungal Art Contest open to ALL members of the MSA community (students, post-docs, professors and fungal enthusiasts). Moreover, to raise awareness of the importance of elevating diversity in mycology, MSA SPS has partnered with MSA-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and have created two separate entries for the 2023 Art contest (see below).  

Goal: The winning design(s) will be featured on this year’s MSA-SPS merchandise which will be sold at the MSA 2023 annual conference and on our online swag store (bonfire). All proceeds from this sale will be used for student recruitment and to fund the MSA-SPS student membership scholarship. 

Theme: Elevating Mycology

Submissions: Open from March 1st – May 12th 2023

Winners will be announced in the end of May 2023

Submit your designs to this Google Form

Award: Winners will be given a $50 dollar gift card or one item of their choice with their design. Furthermore, the winners artwork will be this year’s MSA-SPS design and will be showcased in our booth at the 2023 MSA conference in Arizona. 

Submit Here

Rules and expectations for the competition:

Open to all artists (students, professors, postdoc) and fungal enthusiast

The artwork has to be an original piece

  1. Art categories 
    1. MSA-SPS 
      • Open design (Feel free to be creative and depict any of your favorite things about mycology)
      • Two submission options
        • Color limited (<4 colors)
        • Color unlimited (express yourself)
    2. MSA-SPS & DEI: Importance of diversity for mycology and the mycological society
      • Design must include artwork depicting the importance of diversity to mycology. 
      • Two submission options
        • Color limited (<4 colors)
        • Color unlimited (express yourself)
  2. Method of entry: Art submission can be made here
    1. File name: CategoryName_YourName_ArtPieceTitle.pdf
    2. Please include a small description of your art piece during submission
      • Please upload a high-resolution image of your artwork
      • Ensure images are in full color (see specifications below), not blurry, and artwork should be signed. 
  3. Requirements: 
    1. Design should be your original artwork.
    2. Submissions should be made as a single pdf file. 
      • Please note that there are 2 categories per section, one category is color limited (< 4 colors). This design will be used for multiple items including t-shirts, sweaters, totes, etc. 
      • The second category is color unlimited and can include as many colors as the artist desires. If selected, this design will be used for smaller items, such as cups, stickers, notebooks, magnets etc.  
      • If your design is selected as the winning design, the design should then be submitted as a final “.svg” file (more information will be provided to the winner)
  4. Winners will be announced at the end of May 2023
    1. If selected as the winner, submit a picture and small bio to include in Inoculum and to have on our booth at MSA 2023 conference. 
    2. The winners will produce finished art according to the specifications in the entry call. 
      • Artwork will not be altered in any way without the artist’s express permission.

All entries and rights to the artwork remain the property of the artist unless a separate written transfer and payment for the original has been negotiated, but we have the right to use the image for merchandise, as stated above. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our merchandise chair, 

Fabiola  Pulido-Chavez at mpuli011@ucr.edu 

MSA SPS 2023-2024 Exec Board Nominations

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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.

Nomination form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEZraDnRcNUKz4tXwpJfJ8Y8vbGCWarFb9Fn6IF9NfrOdkvQ/viewform?usp=sharing