Newly published undergraduate research from Dr. Sattley’s lab describes novel bacteria from Antarctic Lake Vanda
Over the past several years, Dr. Sattley has led a research team that investigates the microbiology of permanently ice-covered lakes in Antarctica. A recent outcome of this effort is a research manuscript to be published in the journal Microorganisms entitled, “Cold-adapted, heterotrophic bacteria from the highly oligotrophic waters of Lake Vanda, Antarctica.” Coauthors who conducted undergraduate research for the report include lead author Nicole Vander Schaaf (pictured above), Anna Cunningham, Carli Riester, Chelsea Reeves, Lauren Slater, Cody Kraemer, and Brandon Cluff.
The manuscript, written in collaboration with Dr. Michael Madigan (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), describes the isolation and characterization of six novel strains of cold-active bacteria from Lake Vanda, a permanently ice-covered lake in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Although the unique geochemical features of the lake have been well characterized, the microbiology of Lake Vanda has been largely unexplored. The newly described bacterial strains, which grow well at in situ lake temperatures and can metabolize a wide variety of organic compounds, likely provide important contributions to carbon cycling in geographically isolated Lake Vanda. The study expands our knowledge of the microbiology of Antarctic lakes, some of the harshest and most unusual aquatic ecosystems on Earth.
Dr. Sattley has collaborative review article on the science of microbiology published in the Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
The article, simply entitled "Microbiology", was written in collaboration with Dr. Michael Madigan (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) for the Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, an online collection of citable reviews in the life sciences. The article serves as a resource for undergraduate and high school students that provides a concise overview of the science of microbiology. The topics addressed include the history of microbiology, microbial taxonomy, microbial ecology, medical microbiology, and applications in microbiology.

Dr. Sattley will join a team of authors from prestigious research universities like Southern Illinois, Cornell, and the University of Washington to write the 15th edition of Brock Biology of Microorganisms published by Pearson.