C-DEBI Newsletter – December 15, 2017

Publications & Press

Environmental Microbiology
Spatially distinct, temporally stable microbial populations mediate biogeochemical cycling at and below the seafloor in hydrothermal vent fluids – NEW!
Caroline S. Fortunato*, Benjamin I. Larson, David A. Butterfield, Julie A. Huber*
*C-DEBI Contribution 399

At deep-sea hydrothermal vents, microbial communities thrive across geochemical gradients above, at, and below the seafloor. In this study, we determined the gene content and transcription patterns of microbial communities and specific populations to understand the taxonomy and metabolism both spatially and temporally across geochemically different diffuse fluid hydrothermal vents. Vent fluids were examined via metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, genomic binning, and geochemical analyses from Axial Seamount, an active submarine volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the NE Pacific Ocean, from 2013 to 2015 at three different vents: Anemone, Marker 33, and Marker 113. Results showed that individual vent sites maintained microbial communities and specific populations over time, but with spatially distinct taxonomic, metabolic potential, and gene transcription profiles. The geochemistry and physical structure of each vent both played important roles in shaping the dominant organisms and metabolisms present at each site. Genomic binning identified key populations of SUP05, Aquificales and methanogenic archaea carrying out important transformations of carbon, sulfur, hydrogen, and nitrogen, with groups that appear unique to individual sites. This work highlights the connection between microbial metabolic processes, fluid chemistry, and microbial population dynamics at and below the seafloor and increases understanding of the role of hydrothermal vent microbial communities in deep ocean biogeochemical cycles.

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Priceless Experience for Young Scientists – NEW!
At some institutions, graduate students are the driving force in creating the high-school research programs. A decade ago, two graduate students in earth sciences at the University of Southern California created the Young Researchers Program, which is still run by graduate students today [and supported by C-DEBI!]. The program had its biggest class last summer, when 15 local students, nearly all from low-income families, were paired up with Ph.D. candidates as mentors. “At the beginning, a few of them can barely look you in the eye,” says Erin McParland, the program’s coordinator and a Ph.D. candidate in marine and environmental biology. “By the end of the summer, they’re able to explain all the science they’ve done really well. That confidence they gain really helps spur them on to get a four-year degree.”

UNOLS: Announcing New Cruise Planning Resources on the UNOLS Website – NEW!
Whether this is your first or 100th time, planning for a cruise takes a lot of time, good communication and attention to details. Thorough planning is essential to a cruise’s success. To assist cruise participants, the UNOLS Office is pleased to announce the Cruise Planning Page on the UNOLS website. This information covers what you need to know to plan a successful cruise, beginning with the proposal writing phase through post-cruise documentation. The webpage includes a Cruise Planning timeline plus important information regarding: Vessel-specific cruise planning websites; Working in foreign ports and obtaining Marine Science Research Clearances; Available equipment and services; Conducting isotope work – Radioisotopes, Natural Isotopes and Stable Isotopes. Whether you are a seasoned PI preparing for your next cruise or someone who is contemplating requesting ship time, this information will help your project get off to the right start. If you have any questions about cruise planning or suggestions for the webpage, please contact the UNOLS office.

Meetings & Activities

EGU: Deep biosphere session – call for abstracts
Please consider submitting an abstract to our session, due January 10, 2018.

3rd Ocean Worlds meeting, May 21–24, 2018, Houston, TX – NEW!
Ocean Worlds are now known to be widespread in our Solar System. In the present day, for example, the outer Solar System is rich in icy moons that host liquid water oceans. A subset of those moons, in turn, host liquid water oceans in contact with a submarine rocky interior. Similar “rocky seafloor” conditions may also have been present closer to Earth on Mars and Ceres in the past. On Earth, physical and geochemical interactions between water and silicates at and beneath the seafloor give rise to the release of chemical energy that can be exploited for life, independent of sunlight giving rise to chemosynthetic ecosystems. Might the same conditions for life have arisen elsewhere in our solar system, in the past or in the present day? In the next of a series of Ocean Worlds meetings, the focus will be on the potential for silicate-water interactions to occur on Ocean Worlds beyond Earth, from a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary perspective. As with past Ocean Worlds meetings, a primary motivation is to engender a cross-fertilization of ideas and expertise by soliciting contributions from both the Ocean Sciences and Planetary Sciences communities. Consequently, contributions are invited that address any aspects of this broad water-rock interaction theme, across the Planetary and Ocean Science fields, including geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry and microbiology. Deadline for submitting indication of interest: January 12, 2018.

NSF: Call for Comments on Update to AC GEO Report on Dynamic Earth
Input can be sent to geovision@nsf.gov no later than Thursday, February 1, 2018.

C-DEBI: Nominations now open for the C-DEBI 2018 Networked Speaker Series
C-DEBI seeks nominations for three speakers for the 2018 program. C-DEBI is continuing the Networked Speaker Series (begun in Fall 2011) as a means to enhance communication and the exchange of ideas among our spatially distributed community. Potential speakers can be nominated by colleagues, mentors, or those mentored by C-DEBI participants; they can also self nominate. Selected C-DEBI Networked Speakers will make a presentation online, using video conferencing tools, with assistance from the C-DEBI main office at USC. Nominated C-DEBI Networked Speakers should be capable of combining compelling visual materials with the ability to communicate effectively to a broad audience. We are particularly enthusiastic about giving young researchers a chance to present work to the C-DEBI community. Being selected to be a C-DEBI Networked Speaker is an honor.

C-DEBI: Rolling call for Community Workshop support

C-DEBI: Protocols.io Group Page

C-DEBI: Subseafloor Cultures Database

C-DEBI Spotlight

Each newsletter, we’ll be featuring two, early-career, deep biosphere all-stars from our summer undergraduate programs. Meet the rest of our 2017 Global Enviromental Microbiology students and Community College Cultivation Cohort (C4) REU participants, or learn more about our undergraduate programs!

Education & Outreach

MARUM: ECORD Training Course: The Virtual Drillship Experience, April 23-27, 2018, Bremen, Germany – NEW!
As host to one of only three IODP core repositories in the world – the only one in Europe – the MARUM in Bremen is an important hub for marine geoscientists. Taking advantage of this setting, the new ECORD Training Course will provide a “Virtual Drillship Experience” for scientists from academia and industry. This one-week course offers a basic training focusing on the IODP core flow procedures, preparing the participants for participating in an offshore drillship expedition, and instilling them with an appreciation for high standards in all kinds of coring projects. IODP-style lab exercises will form the foundation of the ECORD Training Course following the pattern of the unique “Virtual Ship” approach developed for the Bremen ECORD Summer Schools. The participants will be early career and established scientists from academia and industry from all over the world who have an interest in scientific drilling and development of professonial skills in core analysis. A total of 30 participants can be accepted. Course fees range from €50 to €300. Travel, accommodation and meals must be covered by the participants. The application deadline is January 15, 2018.

Ocean Exploration Trust: Science Communication Fellowship – NEW!
Applications are available now for you to explore the Eastern Pacific Ocean with Dr. Robert Ballard’s Corps of Exploration as a Science Communication Fellow! This team of explorers conducts cutting-edge scientific exploration of parts of the global ocean never seen before using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and multibeam mapping technology. Fellows will spend 1-3 weeks at sea between June – November 2018 in the Pacific Ocean. The Science Communication Fellowship invites K-20 and informal educators for a professional development experience aboard Exploration Vessel Nautilus as science interpreters among a team of STEM professionals. Participants will gain exposure to and experience in the applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the field of ocean exploration. Fellows will collaborate with a cohort from across North America, explore side-by-side with scientists and engineers, and share the adventure with their students, community, and the world as the expedition is broadcast live on www.NautilusLive.org. Applications for the Science Communication Fellowship are due by January 15, 2018.

Ocean Exploration Trust: Science & Engineering Internship Program – NEW!
The Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) is now accepting applications for students to participate in the Science & Engineering Internship Program during the 2018 E/V Nautilus Expedition! Check out www.NautilusLive.org to learn more about the work of Ocean Exploration Trust. Founded by Dr. Robert Ballard in 2008, OET is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to bringing ocean exploration to the world via live telepresence and providing experiential opportunities for students, educators, and early career professionals. Opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates are available in ocean science, seafloor mapping, ROV (remotely operated vehicle) engineering, and video engineering through the Science & Engineering Internship Program. Accepted students will have the chance to sail aboard E/V Nautilus for 2-4 weeks learning from experts in the field receiving a paid stipend or college credit. Application Deadline: January 26, 2018.

NOAA: Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship
Application deadline: January 31, 2018.

C-DEBI: Summer Undergraduate Global Environmental Microbiology (GEM) Course
Applications due: February 1, 2018.

Geobiology 2018: An International Training Course in a Rapidly Evolving Field – NEW!
The International Geobiology Course is an intense, multidisciplinary summer course that explores the co-evolution of the Earth and it’s biosphere, with an emphasis on how microbial processes affect the environment and leave imprints in the rock record. Participants get a hands-on learning experience in cutting-edge geobiological techniques including molecular biology, microbiology, geochemistry, and sedimentology and work in research groups to solve real research questions. This year the course will be directed by Alex Sessions, Woody Fischer, and Victoria Orphan, and will remain in a format similar to previous years. It begins with a field trip up the eastern Sierra Nevada to visit hot springs, Cambrian rocks, and Mono Lake, and back down to the coast near Ventura to study sulfur springs and tar seeps, and a world-famous exposure of the Monterey Formation. Two weeks of lab rotations at Caltech will introduce students to cutting-edge analytical techniques, followed by two weeks at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. The 2018 course is open to graduate students and postdocs at any level. For postdocs, preference will be given to those who earned PhD’s in other fields, and are seeking to enter the field of geobiology. The cost of the course is US $4000; financial aid is available for those with demonstrated need. Application deadline: February 9, 2018.

C-DEBI: NSF REU: Community College Cultivation Cohort (C4)
Applications due February 23, 2018.

Mentoring365: Become an Earth and Space Science Mentor or Mentee

NOAA: Graduate Research & Training Scholarship Program

Proposal Calls

DCO: Census of Deep Life Sequencing Opportunities
Application Deadline: December 31, 2017.

IODP: Apply to Sail on IODP Expedition 358
The deadline to apply is January 4, 2018.

Duke: Mary Derrickson McCurdy Visiting Scholar
Application open until January 30, 2018.

NSF: International Research Experiences for Students (IRES)
Track I deadline: January 30, 2018; Track II deadline deadline: February 6, 2018; Track III deadline: February 13, 2018.

NSF: Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)
Submissions due February 5, 2018.

American Philosophical Society / NAI: Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology
Deadline: February 15, 2018.

IODP: Apply to Sail on IODP Expedition 383
The deadline to apply is March 1, 2018.

DCO: Deep Life Cultivation Internship Program

IODP-USSSP: Proposals for Pre-Drilling Activities and Workshops
The U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) accepts proposals on a rolling basis for pre-drilling activities and semi-annually for workshops, related to the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).

NSF: Arctic Sciences Program Solicitation
Proposals accepted anytime.

NSF: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) Program Solicitation
Preparing for TCUP Implementation proposals accepted anytime.

C-DEBI: Rolling call for Research Exchange proposals

Employment

Two Postdoctoral Researcher Positions: Deep-sea microbiology and biogeochemistry; Microbial ‘dark matter’ in terrestrial hot springs
Review of applications will begin on December 20, 2017.

WHOI: Tenure Track Research Scientist (Ocean Biogeochemical Modeler) – Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry (17-09-12)
Review of applications will begin on January 5, 2018.

University of Georgia: Two Faculty Vacancies (Assistant Professor) In Oceanography – NEW!
The Univeristy of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and the Department of Marine Sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences invite applications for two nine-month, tenure-track faculty positions resident at the coastal campus in Savannah, GA. Successful candidates will be interdisciplinary, self-motivated and interested in pursuing innovative research and education in a highly supportive academic environment. We are particularly interested in applicants engaging in interdisciplinary research that advances the understanding of fundamental oceanographic questions in the following areas: Chemical Oceanography—We seek candidates whose area of expertise could include (but are not limited to) organic geochemistry, sedimentary or water column biogeochemistry, or carbon and coupled elemental cycles. Geological Oceanography—We seek candidates who examine coastal and marine sedimentary systems using field-based or modeling approaches. Applicants with expertise in any sub-discipline of marine geology will be considered, although specializations in sediment dynamics, impacts of climate change, or who work at the interface between geology and engineering are particularly encouraged to apply. Applications received by January 8, 2018 are assured full consideration.

UCSD / SIO: Assistant Professor – Marine Biogeochemist – NEW!
We seek outstanding candidates for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in marine biogeochemistry. The potential for academic and research excellence (rather than specific research focus) will be the principal criterion for selection. In particular, we seek candidates using innovative and interdisciplinary analytical, field, and/or modeling approaches that will strengthen collaborations across disciplines at Scripps Oceanography. Areas of interest include but are not limited to: radio- and stable-isotope chemistry, regional and/or global biogeochemical cycles (e.g., C, N, P, S), the deep biosphere and/or hydrothermal systems, sedimentary biogeochemistry, diagenesis, and cycling of contaminants. Applications due January 8, 2018.

Aarhus University: Six Open Positions at Center for Electromicrobiology (CEM) – NEW!
The newly established Center of Excellence, Center for Electromicrobiology (CEM), Aarhus University, Denmark, seeks up to 6 outstanding postdocs, PhD students, and technicians with a keen interest and strong skills for one of the following areas of research: molecular and structural biology of electrically-conductive proteins; functional genomics and microbial physiology of electron-conducting microbes; interactions and processes in electric microbial communities. The aim of CEM is to establish a novel view on electron flow between living cells by addressing three overarching research questions: how are  the electrons transported, how are they exploited by the cells, and how do they shape ecosystems? The center applies a combination of microbiological, biogeochemical, molecular biological and electrochemical approaches, including microfluidics, modeling, next generation sequencing, Cryo-EM, and computational biology. Application deadline: January 15, 2018.

U Southern Mississippi: Two tenure-track positions in ocean engineering – NEW!
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Division of Marine Science (DMS), within the School of Ocean Science and Technology (SOST), invites applications for two tenure-track positions in ocean engineering at the assistant professor level. This newly established Ocean Engineering baccalaureate program creates an opportunity to blend engineering approaches with DMS established expertise in marine and hydrographic sciences, and to develop innovative solutions to the exploration of the oceanographic environment. These positions offer the successful candidates the possibility to contribute to the implementation and future growth of our ocean engineering program. This program is expected to combine strengths in ocean sampling technologies, technology fabrication, and coastal hydrodynamics with innovative application of ocean engineering solutions. The successful candidates should be able to leverage collaborations with SOST marine scientists and hydrographers within DMS and the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, and computer and polymer engineers within USM’s College of Science and Technology. DMS faculty also interact with research scientists of federal agencies at Stennis Space Center, such as the Naval Research Laboratory, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, and NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center. Applicant review will begin February 1, 2018 and continue until the position is filled.

U Southern Mississippi: Endowed Chair, Division of Marine Science – NEW!
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is seeking applications for a newly-established Endowed Chair in its Division of Marine Science (DMS). This is a permanent, tenure track position for which we are seeking an enthusiastic candidate who can flourish within the multi-disciplinary environment of our department and enhance our academic and research enterprises. The Division is located in the federal city of NASA’s Stennis Space Center and benefits from close working relationships with a number of on-site federal agencies, including several of the Navy divisions, USGS and NOAA.  DMS graduate and undergraduate programs extend across traditional marine science emphasis areas in biological, physical, chemical and geological oceanography, and also encompass hydrographic science and ocean engineering. Although candidates with accomplishments in biological oceanography or ocean technology will be given enhanced consideration, qualified candidates from other sub-disciplines of oceanography will also be considered.  The successful candidate should, above all, demonstrate superior potential to contribute across the noted disciplines and promote the continued interdisciplinary growth of our academic and research programs. This growth has recently included the construction of a new building at the Port of Gulfport, the acquisition of the Research Vessel Point Sur, the establishment of a unique certificate program in Unmanned Maritime Systems, and the formation of the School of Ocean Science and Technology, which also includes the Division of Coastal Sciences located at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs. Applicant review will begin February, 2018 and continue until the position is filled.

U Alaska Fairbanks: CFOS Assistant or Associate Professor – NEW!
The College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) seeks exceptional candidates for at least two tenure-track faculty positions to complement CFOS’ breadth of expertise in fisheries and ocean sciences. We invite applicants with sea-going programs in chemical, geological, physical, biological, or fisheries oceanography, whose research plans include use of the ice-capable, Global Class R/V Sikuliaq, and who will further the mission and strengths of the College. Applications due February 28, 2018.

U Penn: Two Graduate Research Assistant Positions

MBL: Postdoctoral Scientist – Molecular Microbial Ecology