A nice description in Science magazine by Liz Pennisi of the major results from our paper (L. Felipe Benites Timothy Stephens Julia Van Etten, PhD Joint Genome Institute) on Yellowstone National Park viruses can be found here, science.org/content/articl… (@RutgersSEBS Rutgers Today Phyc. Soc. America Rutgers NJAES)

My trip to MBL this weekend was made even more memorable by getting to visit and collect a water sample from my friend, Ursula Goodenough’s pond and then taking a beautiful walk on the beach with her and Gabby Panayotakis to help monitor the local birds. A day for the books!!!!

The Debashish Bhattacharya lab had a great time at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) for this year’s Eastern Regional Photosynthesis Conference! Timothy Stephens Gabby Panayotakis

A nitrogen-fixing organelle, or “nitroplast,” has been identified in a marine alga. This discovery sheds light on the evolutionary transition from endosymbiont to organelle.

Learn more this week in Science: scim.ag/6yX

The virus community associated with red algal mats in Yellowstone National Park dominated by Megaviricetes with resident virus lineages being of ancient origin:nature.com/articles/s4200…
Debashish Bhattacharya NASA L. Felipe Benites Timothy Stephens, Julia Van Etten, PhD Rutgers SEBS Rutgers Today Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Congrats Felipe and team!

Great work by L. Felipe Benites Debashish Bhattacharya, Julia Van Etten, PhD and colleagues on the viruses in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. Look at the high abundance of giant viruses in these environments!

nature.com/articles/s4200…

Some Batrachospermaceae from the Pine Barrens this weekend (and one filament of Zygnema in the first pic). Always a fan of red algae that are green.

My new roadside algae-collecting position. Great way to get covered in bugs. Had a great day out sampling with Dr. Lena Struwe

I had a little party last night and my friend Rose made these!!! Incredible! I can now say I’ve eaten protist cupcakes!

A classic acantharian from the Atlantic--it makes its spines from the mineral celestite (strontium sulfate-as weird as it gets) and hosts dozens of algae seen as gold balls. (Amphilonche elongata). Found with team #rhizaria Leocadio Blanco-Bercial

It’s closed-ish today but my first research job EVER was as a “macroalgae grower” at the UM Experimental hatchery in 2012. I originally wanted to work with the sea slugs but they only had an opening for red algae. In hindsight, this job totally changed my life!

Key Biscayne seagrass beds. Making me so nostalgic!! Pretty sure this was manatee grass (Syringodium) but I’m so rusty on my grasses now. I also saw lots of Thalassia and maybe some paddle grass?

Another day, another mangrove propagule, rope sponge, and clump of Sargassum.

My little post-defense vacation to Miami wouldn’t be complete without visiting my first mentor, Athula Wikramanayake, and hanging out with the Zeiss Axiovert where I first learned how to do cool microscopy over 10 years ago.

If you want to watch my public dissertation defense from yesterday, here’s a link to the recording: youtu.be/ec77qz_abSo?si…

Got my PhD today!!! Thanks to Debashish Bhattacharya for being an excellent mentor! Thanks to Lynn J. Rothschild, Dr. Lena Struwe, and Siobain Duffy for being such a helpful and supportive committee! Thanks to my labmates for all their support! And thanks to my family and friends!!!

Really happy to see Julia Van Etten, PhD PhD defense this morning! Was a pleasure to work with her in Debashish Bhattacharya lab, and to known more about her Protist treasure box!