These are some former lab members or affiliates of the Ishaq Lab. Note, only members who actively contributed a profile are included here.
Dorien Baudewyns, B.S., Research Assistant, Husson University. Advisor: Yanyan Li and Tao Zhang. 2020 – 2021.
Dorien was a research assistant at Husson University, who is working with the Ishaq lab and with Drs. Tao Zhang and Yanyan Li at Husson University. She assisted with projects related to bioactive compounds in broccoli, gut microbes, and health. She graduated with her bachelor’s in Nutrition from Husson.
Jade Chin, Undergraduate Researcher, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Biology, Jan 2020 – May 2021.
Jade was an Animal and Veterinary Sciences major with a pre-veterinary concentration, originally from Connecticut. She joined the lab in spring 2020 to study leaf silage microbes for her Honors thesis, for which she was awarded High Honors. She finished her senior year abroad at the University of Glasgow, where she will attend veterinary school after her undergraduate degree.
Chin, J. 2021. “The Potential Use Of Tree Leaf Silage For Livestock Nutrition, Including Willow, Drumstick, Mulberry, And Acacia Species.”, University of Maine Honor College. 719.
Alexandria Fahey, Master’s of Professional Studies, Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, 2020
Alexandria was studying to earn a Masters of Professional Studies in Microbiology at the University of Maine, Orono. She is interested in learning new techniques to better understand the microbiome and its intersection with human health, and assisted with a variety of projects in the Ishaq lab.
Nick Hershbine, Undergraduate Researcher, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2020-2021
Nick was exploring the microbial communities associated with wild Maine blueberry soils in a joint project between Drs. Lily Calderwood and Ishaq.
2020-2021 University of Maine Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year
Marjorie Killerby, B.S., Master’s of Science, Animal Science, Adviser: Dr. Juan Romero, Sept 2019 – Aug 2021.
Marjorie was a Bachelor in Veterinary Medicine originally from Lima, Peru and is currently studying to earn a Masters in Animal Science in the University of Maine, Orono. She defended her master’s in August 2021, and had been researching the effects of novel preservatives on nutritional quality and microbial communities in silage and hay for the dairy industry. I mentored Marjorie as a graduate committee member in microbial ecology, DNA sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis.
Grace Lee, B.S., Research Assistant, Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, June 2020 – July 2021.
Grace was accepted to the University of Maine REU program for summer 2020, which was postponed due to pandemic concerns. She joined the Ishaq lab remotely to learn data analysis for a project on microbes and animal health. She hopes to continue her love for science and service in a future career in the medical field as a clinical physician. Her passions outside of school work include playing the viola and spreading awareness of different ethnic backgrounds and cultures. She graduated with her bachelor’s in Neuroscience from Bowdoin, and is conducting research there.
Tindall Ouverson, B.S., Master’s of Science, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University. Adviser: Drs. Fabian Menalled and Tim Seipel. Dec 2018 – Aug 2021.
Tindall graduated in May 2018 with a B.S. in Sustainability Science, summa cum laude, from Furman University in Greenville, SC. She defended her Master’s of Science in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences with Drs. Fabian Menalled and Tim Seipel in July 2021. Specifically, her research focused on the response of soil microbial communities to cropping systems and climate change in semiarid agriculture. I mentored Tindall as a graduate committee member in microbial ecology, DNA sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis.
Ouverson, Laura Tindall, “Response Of Soil Bacterial Communities To Cropping Systems, Temporal Changes, And Environmental Conditions In The Northern Great Plains.” 2021. Montana State University. Pp 126.
First prize in the graduate students poster competition at the 2021 Montana State University LRES research colloquium
Alessia Pellegrini, Research Assistant, Westlake High School, Spring 2021
My name is Alessia Pellegrini and I am a senior at Westlake High School. I am an inducted member of my school’s Science National Honor Society, which I was able to achieve through my work for Dr. Sue Ishaq. My work consisted of researching and creating a resource list about scientists from underrepresented groups in the microbiology and technology fields. Continually, I added alternative text to many of the posts on the Ishaq Lab’s website in order to make it more accessible to visually impaired visitors. I plan to study Biology when I begin college this upcoming fall. Most of all, I am excited and honored to be a part of the Ishaq Lab Team!
Emily Pierce, Undergraduate researcher, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Jan 2020 – May 2021.
Emily was a Animal and Veterinary Sciences major with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine and a minor in microbiology from central Vermont. She joined the lab in spring 2020 to study work on culturing rumen cells and the immune factor production after coculturing with microbes. After she finished her undergraduate degree, she headed to Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine.
Natalie Sullivan, Undergraduate Researcher, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Sept 2021 – May 2022.
Natalie was an animal and veterinary science student with a minor in education. She joined the lab in 2021 as a part of her capstone project, focuses tracking the trends in the spread of Cryptosporidium parvum at the Witter farm.
Omar Tavio, Research Assistant, Husson University, 2021
Evan Warburton, Undergraduate, Microbiology, Fall 2020
Evan Warburton joined the lab for fall 2020 to work on gut microbiology and learn some basic techniques, but discovered a passion for mycology and decided to pursue that interest in a lab more focused on that work.