Ariel Petchel has joined us as  Ph.D. candidate in the Geaux Viral Lab! Coming from New Jersey, Ariel brings with her an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a deep love of weird and wonderful marine viruses. Welcome Ariel!

Geaux Viral Lab graduate student extraordinaire Sophie Jurgensen is leading our new CURE course! She is teaching introductory biology lab students about marine viruses by introducing them to reading scientific literature, analyzing data from our research cruise to the East Pacific oxygen minimum zone, and collecting and processing water samples from around the LSU campus.

Earlier this week, all 56 students got to collect water samples from around campus and then use epifluorescence microscopy to enumerate the viruses and bacteria in the samples.  It was a very long day, but worth it!

Congratulations to Sophie Jurgensen for being recognized as an outstanding entering Ph.D. student by being awarded the 2018 Richard A. Lipsey and Joseph Lipsey, Jr. Graduate Student Scholarship Incentive Award!  This award is used to attract top-level graduate students to the College of the Coast & Environment at LSU.  We here in the Geaux Viral Lab definitely agree that Sophie is top-level!

Big congratulations to Sophie Jurgensen for earning an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!  All of her hard work as an undergraduate in her courses, lab work, and microbial education efforts has been recognized in receiving this prestigious, national award.  Sophie now starts her graduate work here in the Geaux Viral Lab to earn a Ph.D. in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences.  Way to Geaux!