Tracking bacteria-phage dynamics in a natural tree disease system
Britt Koskella, Professor
Integrative Biology
Open. Apprentices needed for the fall semester. Enter your application online beginning August 21st. The deadline to apply is Monday, August 31st, 4pm.
For the last 10 years the Pear project (fire blight of pear trees) has been seeking to better understand how bacteriophage viruses impact the ability of two bacterial pathogens (Erwinia amylovora and Pseudomonas syringae) to colonize and infect pear trees around the city of Berkeley. We are tracking bacteria-phage interactions through time by isolating individual phages from each of 25 diseased pear trees across the growing season. We are also asking which bacteria each phage is capable of infecting in order to gain a broad understanding of the potential role phages have in shaping the pear tree microbiome.
Role: The undergraduate researcher would be involved in helping to isolate phages from the Pear tree phyllosphere by culturing bacteria, growing bacterial lawns, isolating and amplifying phages, and testing the host range of each isolated phage using bacterial growth curve assays.
Qualifications: A keen interest in science, some experience with sterile technique or bacterial/phage culturing, good organizational habits, and ability to work well with others.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Fiona Wagner
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Related website: https://naturesmicrocosm.com/
Biological & Health Sciences