A strange group of microscopic organisms you’ve probably never heard of, is likely to affect your life in some way…. Meet with Professor Jackie Collier, a marine microbiologist, and learn about the fascinating labyrinthulomycetes known to cause devastating marine diseases, while others are used to supplement aquaculture feed and even baby formula with essential fatty acids; all are a fundamental part of marine ecosystems.

May 20, 2017

 

QPX cells in culture. Courtesy of Pr. Allam.

 

Interviewing Jackie

 

Where did you go to school?

Killeen High School (Texas); University of Texas at Austin; Stanford University

 

What is your area of research?

Microbial ecology

 

Who or what inspired you to become involved in marine science?

Really great classes in college.

 

What qualities do you think are important in order to become a scientist?

Curiosity and drive.

 

Why is your research topic important?

In very fundamental ways, microorganisms run our planet. Yet we know very little about their ecology, which from predation to competition is at least as complex as the ecology of large organisms, and affects how the whole biosphere works. 

 

What will you be bringing with you to the “meet with an Oceanographer” day?

Microscope, some cultures, videos and other visual aids.

 

What is the best advice you have for people interested in becoming involved in your field of research or in marine sciences?

Take classes, go to talks, read a lot of papers, and do anything else you can to build a broad and deep background in related areas. And find opportunities to do research, or outreach, or whatever you’re interested in so you can discover whether you actually like it!

 

What is your favorite ocean organism?

It’s a tie between the labyrinthulomycetes and my first love, unicellular planktonic cyanobacteria.