LAB MEMBERS
In the News
Welcome to our
new lab members
Two new graduate students have joined the Stock lab this fall: Patricia Navarro, from Chile who is pursuing a PhD degree and Victoria Miranda from Connecticut, who is a Masters candidate.
We also welcome Hyunbae Cho (from Korea) and Brody Holohan (from Arizona) who are both in their senior year and are doing research for their Honors Theses.
Two new lab assistants, Sarah Pearce (senior) and Karri Hobaica (junior) also joined the lab and are helping everybody with their hard and skillful work!
It was a Symbiotic Summer in the Stock Lab!
We had a pretty busy summer hosting two High School interns Marjorie Skeie (San Miguel High School and Jinglu Shi (Catalina Foothills High School) who got introduced to our favorite mutualistic system, that of the entomopathogenic nematodes and their symbiotic bacteria.
Marjorie (left) was sponsored by the Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) from campus and studied the life cycle of a new undescribed Steinernema sp. from France and its bacterial symbiont Xenorhabdus kozodoi.
Jinglu (right) was funded by the Keys Program from Bio5. She used molecular barcode system (18S rDNA sequence analysis) to characterize a number of Costa Rican Steinernema and Heterorhabditis species.
We also hosted John Sagun (left), who is a biology High School teacher from the Window Rock High School, Navajo Indian reservation who was sponsored by the AZStar Fellowship through the Biology for Teachers Program on campus. John surveyed lower ad upper Sonoran desert and Alpine habitats in the Tucson and Mount Lemmon areas to nematodes from soil samples and use them to develop a classroom plan for his students. He learned various techniques for morphological and molecular identification of nematodes.
Rachel Russell (right), a senior student from New College, Florida also did a summer internship in the Stock lab. Rachel was funded by the Research Experience for Undergraduates program of the National Science Foundation. Her research and internship were also funded by the UBRP Program. Rachel studied Xenorhabdus bovienii symbionts of various Steinernema hosts and considered a multigene repertoire to molecularly characterize them. Rachel’s research is part of her requirement for her Honor’s Thesis.
Nematodes at Capitol Hill!!!
Kathryn Plichta was chosen among 400 applicants across the country to represent University of Arizona and the state of Arizona for her research on “Nematode-Bacteria Symbiosis”. The title of her presentation was: “A worm and a microbe: A new model system for understanding symbiotic interactions between unicellular and multicellular organisms”. Kate had the opportunity to go to Washington DC as part of the Council on Undergraduate Research's annual event “Posters on the Hill”. Kate and Dr. Stock met with the Arizona's congressional delegations and discuss their research and undergraduate education plans. WAY TO GO KATE!!!
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Ming-Min Lee — Student Travel Award
Ming won the first place for the SIP-Nematode Division Student Travel Award to attend the 40th Annual Meeting of the Society of Invertebrate Pathology in Quebec Canada, this past August 2007. Ming presented preliminary results of her research project. Her oral presentation was entitled “A phylogenetic hypothesis on the evolution and interactions of Xenorhabdus spp. and their Steinernema hosts”.
Member Profiles
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- Sam-Kyu Kim
- Yolanda Flores-Lara
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- Ming-Min Lee
- Victoria Miranda
- Patricia Navarro
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- Joanna Gress
- Benjamin Rivera-Orduño
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- Chan Maketon
- Rousel Orozco
- Marjorie Skeie
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- Dr. Enrique Castigioni
- Octavio Zegarra
- Sonay Aydin
- Juan Carlos Lopez Nuñez
- Judith Hueso-Guerrero
- Ahmad Mahasneh
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- Kate Plichta
- Roy Yim
- Luis Lozano
- Jaika Ohja
- Brittany Tamarkin
- Pavla Senkyrikova
- Eun Hee Kwon
- Shaun Peterson
Lab Members: Principal Investigator
S. Patricia Stock
Associate Professor, Department of Entomology
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, Division of Plant Pathology
1992: Ph.D. Natural Sciences (Parasitology), National University of La Plata, Argentina
1985: B.S. Zoology, University of La Plata, Argentina
My current research interests are: nematode systematics (relationships between morphological and molecular evolution). Current phylogenetic studies of nematodes involve the use of nucleotide sequence data (nuclear and mitochondrial genes) and morphological traits to infer relationships for insect-parasitic, entomopathogenic and free-living nematodes. Another area of interest is the biodiversity of nematodes and their role in ecosystem function. I am actively engaged in survey and inventory projects in different geographic regions of the world, which allow me to make significant contributions toward biological conservation and restoration efforts. These projects require continued research into improving molecular techniques by which nematode species are recovered.
Additionally, I'm interested in studying the ecology and genetics of nematode populations from agricultural and natural ecosystems. Host-parasite relationships and interactions (including plant and insect-parasitic nematodes), such as phoresis, facultative, obligate parasitism, and pathogenesis. I also have an active research program on insect pathology and the use of entomopathogenic nematodes as biological control agents. The overall objectives of this program are to develop entomopathogens as effective biocontrol agents against major agricultural pests, and to develop a basic understanding of the ecology and behavior of insect parasitic nematodes.
See Department of Entomology profile
Download Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
Lab Members: Post-doctoral Associates
Sam-Kyu Kim
Sam Kyu received
his Ph.D degree in Entomology 2005 (Department of Entomology) from Clemson
University, South Carolina. His dissertation research focused
on the ecology and phylogeny of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) and
their Trichomycete (Zygomycota: Trichomycetes) symbiotes. Sam-Kyu
is currently conducting research on the developmental aspects of the
bacterial vesicle of steinernematid nematodes.
Yolanda Flores-Lara
Yolanda received her Ph.D. degree in Plant Pathology in 2005 (Department
of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona). Her dissertation research
focus on the characterization of early stages of the infection process
of Meloidogyne incognita race 3 in susceptible and non-susceptible alfalfa
cultivars. Yolanda is currently conducting research on the ultrastructure
of the bacterial vesicle of steinernematid nematodes. She is also
an Assistant Professor at the Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Norte, Caborca
Mexico, where she lectures various biology courses for undergraduate
students.
Lab Members: Graduate Students
Ming Lee
Ming is a graduate student in the Department of Entomology. Her undergraduate degree comes from Oregon State University, where she acquired a broad experience in field herpetology to Ithomiine phylogeny. Ming is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Entomology and her research deals with the co-phylogeny of nematode bacterium complex Steinernema-Xenorahbdus. Ming’s research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Victoria Miranda
Victoria Miranda obtained her B.S. from Cornell University in 2006, where she studied entomology and focused on biological control of insect pests such as the gypsy moth and Asian longhorned beetle. She is currently a first-year masters student pursuing a project that investigates the fitness cost of entomopathogens in relation to host diet. She is also interested in integrating K-12 science education and research-based science.
Patricia Navarro
Patricia received her bachelor degree in Agronomic Engineering in the Universidad Austral of Chile, and a Master degree in Crop Protection (Major: Entomology) from University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez). Her masters research focused on biological control of the coffee leaf miner (Leucoptera coffeella) with the Braconidae Mirax insularis. She is currently investigating multitrophic interaction between “plant-insect-entomopathogenic nematodes-soil-borne microbes.
Lab Members: Former Graduate Students
Joanna Gress
Joanna received her Masters degree (non-thesis) in Plant Sciences in August 2007. Joanna joined the Stock lab in the Fall of 2004. While she was a member of the lab she conducted research on biocontrol of the citrus nematode. This research was funded by the W-SARE program, ARCS foundation and the Arizona Citrus Research Council.
Benjamin Rivera-Orduño
Benjamin obtained a Masters degree from Universidad de Sonora, Mexico. Benjamin conducted research dealing with the implementation of biological control agents (mostly fungi and nematodes) to control cicadas and plant pathogens in asparagus fields in the state of Sonora. He is currently a farm advisor and also a Lecturer at this university.
Lab Members: Undergraduate Students and Trainees
Chan Maketon
Chan is from Thailand, and he is a senior undergraduate pursuing a Bachelors degree in Plant Sciences. He is currently assisting with research dealing with biological control alternatives of the citrus nematode, Tylenchulus semipenetrans, in Arizona.
Rousel Orozco
Rousel is an undergraduate student in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Rousel previously attended the Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona and obtained a degree in Biotechnology. He is currently conducting research on Xenorhabus bacteria, the symbiont of Steinernema nematodes. His thesis research focus is on the characterization of the bacterial symbiont of a newly described Heterorhabditis species from the Sonoran desert.
Marjorie Skeie
Marjorie is a San Miguel High School student. She joined the Stock lab last summer as lab-apprentice fellow. Marjorie is learning nematode morphology and is currently involved in the characterization a new entomopathogenic nematode species, assisting with digital morphometrics and image capturing. Marjorie also assists undergraduate and graduate students with their research projects.
Karri Hobaica
Karri is a junior student in the department of Biology. She is pursuing a degree in biomedical biology. She has experience in nursing and assisting patients with mental and physical disabilities. Karri is currently responsible for the maintenance of our nematode collection and is also assisting in various experiments.
Brody Holohan
Brody’s research is focus on the study of the diversity of microbivore nematodes in the Kartchner caverns of Arizona and the interactions of these nematodes with microbes living in the cave such as fungi and bacteria. Brody is in his senior year and is expected to graduate next spring semester.
Hyunbae Cho
Hyunbae is a Senior in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Hyunbae will graduate next Spring ’09. Hyunbae will continue with his education and would like to become a dentist. He is currently studying the diversity of Steinernema nematodes from Middle East considering various molecular markers.
Sarah Pierce
Sarah Pearce is a senior student in the Department of Veterinary Sciences and Microbiology. Sarah expects to graduate this next Spring 09. She plans to continue with her education as a graduate student. She is currently studying the effect of stress environmental factors on entomopathogenic nematode fitness.
Lab Members: Visiting Scientists/Scholars
Dr. Enrique Castigioni, Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay
Dr. Castiglioni visited the lab this past summer to gain knowledge on systematics and biology of insect parasitic nematodes, with special emphasis on Mermithidae.
Octavio Zegarra, Centro Internacional de la Papa, Peru
Octavio spent one month in the lab for training on molecular systematics of entomopathogenic nematodes. Octavio is interesting in characterizing entomopathogenic nematodes that were collected in Peru and other Andean countries of South America.
Sonay Aydin, University of Aydin, Turkey
Sonay is a graduate student from University of Aydin, Turkey. She is pursuing a Masters degree. She spent the summer of 2007 in the lab to molecularly characterize entomopathogenic nematodes from Turkey. She also learned nematode morphology and systematics.
Juan Carlos Lopez Nuñez, Cenicafe, Colombia
Juan Carlos is a researcher at CENICAFE (Coffee Institute) in Colombia. He is currently working on the identification (morphological and molecular) of entomopathogenic nematode isolates from coffee plantations in Colombia and is planning to consider these nematodes as a biological control strategy for the coffee berry borer.
Judith Hueso-Guerrero, Universidad de Colima, Mexico
Judith visited the lab for six month to receive training in techniques dealing with ecological essays with entomopathogenic nematodes. She conducted research with native Steinernema species from agave plantations from Mexico. Judith is pursuing a doctorate degree at Universidad de Colima, Mexico.
Ahmad Mahasneh, University of Jordan, Jordan
Ahmad is a graduate student from University of Jordan. He received an Owens Peace Fellowship from International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC), to visit the lab and conduct research related to nematode diversity in Jordan. This research is funded by IALC-USDA CREES Program and represents a collaboration between University of Arizona and University of Jordan.
Lab Members: Past Undergraduate Students and Trainees
Kate Plichta
Kathryn is an undergraduate majoring in Environmental Science with a focus in Biology. Kathryn is in the Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) and her main research in the lab focuses on the Steinernema-Xenorhabdus symbiosis.
Roy Yim
Roy is a first generation Korean-American student he obtained a Bachelors degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in General Business Administration. While at the Stock lab he assisted with various research projects in the laboratory including molecular diagnostics of entomopathogenic nematodes. Past projects that he worked, focus on the evaluation of Arizona-native EPNs for the control of lepidopetran pests in lettuce crops.
Luis Lozano
Luis joined the Stock lab in the Fall of 2006. He is pursuing a Bachelors degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. He assisted with experiments dealing with the ecological characterization of Arizona-native entomopathogenic nematodes.
Jaika Ohja
Jaika is from Nepal and is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree in Microbiology. She graduated in the Spring 2007. She assisted with experiments dealing with the ecological characterization of Colombia-native Steinernema species.
Brittany Tamarkin
Brittany was a Summer-Intern Student from the Pima Community College, Tucson Arizona. She is pursuing a degree in Biotechnology. Brittany’s research focused on the molecular characterization of EPN from South Africa.
Pavla Senkyrikova
Pavla graduated in the summer ’06 with a Bachelors degree in Mathematics at the University of Arizona. Pavla worked in the lab for three years conducting several research projects involving essays with EPN. She is currently attending Dental School at University of California San Francisco.
Eun Hee Kwon
Eunhee graduated in the summer ’06 with a Bachelors degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona. Eun Hee worked in the lab for almost 2 years conducting various projects as part of her independent study training. She is currently working at the Cancer Center at the University of Arizona.
Shaun Peterson
Shaun spent last winter ’06 as a Winter-term Fellow in the lab. Shaun Graduated from the Marian College, Font du Lac, WI, with a Bachelors degree in Nursing. Shaun conducted research dealing with the ecological characterization of Steinernema isolates from Wisconsin. Shaun is currently working for a biotech company in Wisconsin.
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