Michael A. Arthur, Professor of Geosciences
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Biogeochemistry and paleoclimatology/ paleoceanography. Using stable isotopes of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and sulfur to understand present and past global biogeochemical cycles, particularly those related to burial of organic matter and formation of widespread ancient "black shales" and their modern analogues (Black Sea, Peru margin). Arthur and his students are presently researching elements of the Neoproterozoic "snowball Earth" and the role of volcanism and outgassing of carbon dioxide in climate forcing in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. Possible Summer Program projects could include study of nitrogen cycling in modern and ancient anoxic basins, including Fayetteville Green Lake (NY) and causes of major phosphogenic episodes such as that at the end of the Precambrian.

Katherine H. Freeman, Professor of Geosciences
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Molecular and isotopic indicators of ancient biotic, oceanographic and climatic processes. Biogeochemistry of organic matter in marine and terrestrial environments. Petroleum and source rock geochemistry. Analytical methods in organic and stable-isotope geochemistry. Freeman and her students employ stable isotopes of carbon and hydrogen, the structures and distribution of natural organic compounds and tools from molecular biology to understand paleoclimates, ancient microbial ecosystems, and biogeochemical processes in modern and ancient environments. She works with sediments deposited in wetlands, oceans, lakes and soils. Possible Summer Program projects could include molecular and isotopic signatures of microbial ecosystems during the Archean, microbial diversity and function in modern sediments, and studies of relationships between atmospheric CO₂, climate change and terrestrial and marine ecosystems. 

David Geiser, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology

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Evolutionary biology of Fungi.  Molecular data indicate that most of the major lineages of Fungi originated deep in the pre-Cambrian, suggesting that they were early inhabitants of the Earth's terrestrial environment, perhaps assisting plants in their invasion of land through various forms of symbiosis.  Fungi offer a wealth of genomic data compared to other groups of organisms, providing an excellent opportunity for using phylogenetic and molecular clock approaches to better understand the roles of Fungi in the development of terrestrial life.  Possible REU projects include using Fungi with advanced genomics such as the genus Aspergillus to elucidate their phylogenetics and correlate intrageneric divergence times within to transitions to association with living plants.

Blair Hedges, Professor of Biology (Director, Astrobiology Summer Program)
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Evolutionary biology and genomics.  The data and methods of molecular evolution are used to estimate divergence times and phylogenies, and other information is drawn from earth history and the fossil record.  The sequence databases, including genomic data, are tapped to address these questions and new sequence data are collected as needed.  Mechanisms responsible for the origin of major groups and their evolutionary radiation are studied and the ultimate goal is to better understand the relationship between the evolution of life and the evolution of Earth's environment.  Possible Summer Program projects include evolutionary analyses of major groups of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and their relation to the origin of eukaryotes, “snowball Earth” events, and the Cambrian Explosion of animals.  

Christopher House, Associate Professor of Geosciences
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Microbial Geobiology.  This laboratory uses diverse techniques including microbial cultivation, genome-wide phylogenetics, and microbial paleontology to understand the evolutionary history of microorganisms on the Earth.  House and his students are involved in projects that include applying the ion microprobe for the study of carbon isotopic composition of microbial cells - past and present, surveying the relationship between gene expression and environmental geochemistry in some microorganisms of interest to Astrobiology, generally expanding the knowledge-base for geochemical microbial signatures such as carbon isotopic fractionation, and developing phylogenetic methods that utilize the whole genomic sequences available in public databases.  Possible Summer Program projects would include study of carbon isotopic fractionation in diverse modern microbes, the analysis of genomic data to explore microbial evolution, and metal leaching from minerals by hyperthermophilic microorganisms.

James Kasting, Distinguished Professor of Geosciences
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Modeling the atmospheres of the early Earth and Earth-like planets.  Professor Kasting and his students make one-dimensional (globally averaged) models of atmospheric photochemistry and climate. They use these models to study the long-term evolution of Earth and to try to estimate what the chances might be of finding Earth-like planets around other stars. These models are reasonably user-friendly and could be used by a summer student to examine different ideas about how Earth's atmosphere might have evolved. Prior experience with Fortran is highly desirable.

Beth Shapiro, Assistant Professor of Biology

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Ancient DNA and molecular evolution.  This laboratory uses ancient DNA extraction techniques and phylogenetic analysis to explore how levels of genetic diversity change in populations and species through time and in response to environmental change. Questions of particular interest to Astrobiology include: How long does DNA survive? In what environments is DNA most likely to survive? Can "naked" strands of DNA, such as are often found in soil deposits, be used in phylogenetic and/or population genetic analyses? Possible Summer Program projects include the analysis and characterization of specific samples from distinct environments to assess patterns of DNA decay, or the development of new bioinformatics models to explore the effect of DNA damage on molecular evolutionary reconstructions.

Steinn Sigurdsson, Associate Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics
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Planet formation, dynamical evolution of planetary systems, non-solar planets and detection stategies.  Formation of planets in non-solar like stellar systems may provide valuable clues to planet formation processes and offer alternative strategies for extrasolar planet detection. The dynamical evolution of planetary systems, both at early and late times, may also lead to opportunities for detection of otherwise undetectable planets. Students need a very strong background in mathematics, and be willing to work on computer similations. Possible summer projects include dynamical evolution of unstable planetary systems, planetary exchange and collision processes and the interaction of planetesimals with planets, including implications for detection.