Trainee Linnea Honeker Receives P.E.O. Scholar Award
May 1, 2015
Linnea Honeker, a University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) graduate trainee, has received a P.E.O. Scholar Award for the 2015-2016 school year. The awards are one-time, merit-based scholarships that are awarded to women pursuing a doctoral degree in the US and Canada. P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) is a women’s organization devoted to celebrating and motivating the advancement and achievement of women and to supporting women’s education through a variety of projects.
Honeker is a member of the environmental microbiology laboratory of Dr. Raina Maier, Director of the UA SRP, and is researching the role of bacteria on plant health and metal stabilization in metalliferous mine tailings. She is using advanced molecular ecology tools (fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH], 16s rRNA iTag sequencing, and metagenomics) to characterize the root microbial community of plants grown in mine tailings at the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter Superfund Site in Dewey Humboldt, AZ.
“It is critical to develop effective solutions to the problem of wind and water erosion of mine tailings in order to preserve the health of humans and the surrounding ecosystems,” says Honeker; phytostabilization is one such method. She hopes that her proposed research to better understand the mechanisms of bacteria, root, and metal interactions will ultimately improve phytostabilization success.
Honeker plans to use the award to cover next-generation sequencing research expenses for her project, attend a 5-day Joint Genome Institute workshop to learn more about metagenome analysis, and attend the 2016 International Society for Microbial Ecology conference to share her findings.
Congratulations, Linnea!