Meeting Program 

Saturday, April 13th

9.00-10:00 am Breakfast + Coffee / Registration

10-10:15 am Introduction/Welcome by Conference Organizers/Orientations + logistics
Dr. Daniel Gebregiorgis and Dr. Nadine Kabengi

10:15-10:30 am Welcome by Georgia State University – College of Arts and Sciences
Dean Lindsey L. Cohen, Ph.D.

10:30-12 pm Session 1: Biogeochemistry

         10:30-10:45 am
         Claire Elbon, Georgia Institute of Technology
         “Anaerobic biological formation of manganese oxides in the Gulf of Mexico deep hypersaline anoxic basin” 

          10:45-11 am                                           
           Yan Shi, Georgia Institute of Technology“Microwave hydrothermal conversion of sewage sludge and the transformation of phosphorus”

           11-11:15 am       BREAK

           11:15-11.30 am
           Christina Kiessling, Georgia State University
         “Faster and Better Solutions to a Greener Environment: Enhancing the efficacy of anaerobic degradation of aromatic compounds and plastic in Geotalea daltonii” 

           11.30-11:45 am
           Hang Xu, Georgia Institute of Technology
          “Rare Earth Elements (REEs) sorption on clay minerals and effect of phosphate”               

11:45-1 pm         LUNCH
1-1:45 pm           Keynote speaker, Dr. Satish C Myneni
2:00-3:30 pm     Session 2 Bioecology

              2:00-2:15 pm    
              Erica Strope, Georgia Institute of Technology
             “Water Column Nutrient Ratios in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

              2:15-2:30 pm   
              Zainab Alriyami, Georgia Institute of Technology
             “Biomass and Stable Carbon Isotope distributions in the Amazon Plume Region”

              2:30-2:45 pm   
              Naja Murphy, University of South Florida
              “Spatiotemporal variability of aluminum and iron in surface waters of the West Florida Shelf and the eastern Gulf of Mexico”

 3:00-5 pm           Poster session

Sunday, April 14th

10-10:30 am       Breakfast + Coffee
10:30-12 pm      Session 3: Dynamic Interactions in Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems

                 10:30-10:45 am 
                 Yaxi Du, Emory University
                “Decoding the Hidden Mechanisms of Soil C Cycle in Response to Climate Change”
             
                10:45-11.00 am
                Samantha Waters, Mercer University
                “Surviving the high: bacterial exposure to the stratosphere, a Mars analog environment”

               11.00-11:15 am
               Jacob Perez, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
              “Extracellular enzyme flexibility during adsorption to mineral surfaces: A molecular dynamics study of metagenomically-derived Arctic enzymes”

               11.15-11.30 am 
               Iyanu Oduwole, University of Tennessee Knoxville
              “Is thermophilicity an adaptation to slow growth in cold subsurface environments?”

               11.30-11:45 am
                Isabel O’Connell, North Cobb High School
               “The Effects Differing Population Densities have on Soil Organic Carbon Levels in Fulton County, Georgia”

                11:45-12:00 pm
                Murray Sternberg, Emory University
               “Climate-Smart Land Management and Soil Carbon Cycle Proxies: A Case Study from North Carolina”

12:00-12:15 pm                 Awards Ceremony
12:15 pm                           Recognition of volunteers and closing Remarks