Spring Commencement, 2025

May 10, 202

Bella Keefe graduated, so I had to put the outfit back on. Am I'm really proud of Bella? Yes! Am I good at selfies? No!

Sagebrush VIP presents work at Biology Research Round-up

April 18 and 21, 2025

We presented three VIP posters at the Biology Research Round-up this year, describing the methods we are using to identify microsatellite markers in big sagebrush for use in conservation. ISU President Robert Wagner was captivated!

Winter Commencement, 2024

December 13, 2024

Both Trey Harris (MS) and Elizabeth Lay (BS) graduated, forcing me to show up in this ridiculous outfit for the occasion. Luckily, we don't have to say goodbye. Trey is now a  a Clinical Assistant Professor with the ISU Bengal Bridge program. And Elizabeth will start her MS degree in the Turner lab in the Spring.

Treyton Harris successfully defends his MS thesis!

October 31, 2024

Trey Harris, co-advised with Dr. Josh Grinath, has successfully defended his MS defense! He is now officially a master of science. He is going on to a position as a Clinical Assistant Professor with the ISU Bengal Bridge program. So proud!

Tenure talk

September 2, 2024

I survived my tenure talk! No one passed out or burst in to flame or anything. Check it out for an overview of what the Turner Lab has accomplished.

Botany Conference, 2024, Grand Rapids, MI

June, 2024

Funded entirely through student effort, the Turner lab returned (triumphant!) to the Botany Conference, this year in Grand Rapids, MI. Rachel Havok, Elizabeth Lay, and Bella Keefe all presented. Bella was supported by a travel award from the ISU Office for Research. Rachel was a 2024 MANRRS/SACNAS Travel Award recipient. Elizabeth Lay was a PLANTS Grant recipient. Elizabeth was further awarded the Botanical Society of America's 2024 Young Botanist Award. Just out here smashing it, no big deal.

Rachel Havok, podcast star

February 21, 2024

Desde Abajo Root to STEM episode hosted by SACNAS President Aaliyah with guest Rachel Havok who is the SACNAS Native American/Graduate student chair. Listen as we discuss life, science, university, and SACNAS. Rachel Havok is a graduate student here at ISU working on her master's in Kathryn Turner's lab here in the biology department at ISU. 

Turner lab returns to Botany Conference, 2024

January, 2024

Rachel Havok has been awarded funding for both of us to travel to the Botany Conference in Grand Rapids, MI, this summer! Which is incredibly awesome. Award announcement here.

Carson Kantack successfully defends MS thesis!

December 8, 2023

Carson Kantack, in a first for the Turner Lab, has successfully defended his MS defense, despite a poorly timed snow-pocalypse! He is now officially a master of science. He is also a biologist with the US Forest Service. 

Rachel Havok presents at SACNAS conference, featured in Idaho Diversity Network newsletter

November, 2023

Rachel Havok (MS) presented her research at national SACNAS conference in October and was featured in the Idaho Diversity Network newsletter! I'm so proud!

Featured in Idaho EPSCoR newsletter

April, 2023

Trey Harris' MS project, in collaboration with Dr. Josh Grinath, is featured in this month's issue of the Idaho EPSCoR newsletter!

Turner Lab goes to Boise

July, 2023

We all made to the Botany Conference in Boise, ID, a fantastical conglomeration of botany nerds. Trey Harris, Rachel Havok, Elizabeth Mandala, and Audrey Jorgensen all presented. Plus friend of the Turner lab, Spencer Roop won an award!

SMBE Regional Meeting on The Role of the Genome in Biological Invasion

November 8, 2022

I was invited to give a keynote talk at the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Regional Meeting in Hamilton, New Zealand. Eeep! You can watch the full line-up of awesome talks here. I talked about preliminary and ongoing work investigating current population structure and historical patterns of genomic and metagenomic diversity using herbarium specimens in an invasive crop weed, Blue Mustard (Chorispora tenella, Brassicaceae). The talk features exciting preliminary work by Therese Balkenbush, Rachel Havok, and collaborators Rachel Reeb (University of Pittsburg) and Mason Heberling (Carnegie Museum of Natural History).

Featured in Idaho EPSCoR newsletter

November 28, 2022

Our group has been featured in the Idaho EPSCoR newsletter. Photo thanks to our own Elizabeth Mandala. Newsletter here, see page 6: https://www.idahoepscor.org/sites/default/files/newsletters/2022_epscorOctNwsltr.pdf

Featured in article about ISU computing resources

September 26, 2022

Our group has been unofficially designated as 'power users', so that's something to brag about! Article here: https://www.isu.edu/news/2022-fall/university-adds-third-high-performance-computing-system-to-on-campus-research-data-center.html

Interviewed on KISU The Nature of Idaho podcast

September 14, 2022

I got to chat with the folks at the The Nature of Idaho about weeds and invasive plants in Idaho. It was on the radio and everything!

Queen's University Biology Departmental Seminar: Ecological genomics of invasive and introduced plants

November 16, 2021

I was invited to give a talk to the Biology Department at Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada. I talked about my work on the current patterns of genomic diversity in an heavily human dispersed ornamental wildflower, Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis, Fabaceae), and ongoing work investigating historical patterns of genomic and metagenomic diversity using herbarium specimens in an invasive crop weed, Blue Mustard (Chorispora tenella, Brassicaceae). 

Undergrad superstars present at This Is Biology: Navigating Undergraduate Research

November 8, 2021

Lab/VIP members Treyton Harris and Olivia Swainston discuss finding their way into undergraduate research through an REU and the VIP course at ISU. They are just so charming and thoughtful, I don't know what to say. 

I'm not crying, you're crying!

California Academy of Sciences Genomic Social Hour: Natural History Collections in Evolutionary Ecology

November 11, 2020

I was invited to give talk for the California Academy of Sciences Genomic social hour on my work using natural history collections to investigate evolution in an invasive weed, blue mustard (Chorispora tenella, Brassicaceae). A collaborator of mine, Dr. Rafal Gutaker also presented during this session, and his work is soooooo cooooool. Thanks to Dr. Lua Lopez (who also works on herbarium genomics) for organizing!

Virtual ESA 2020  - Plant Science Decadal Vision 2020 - 2030 Symposium

July 27, 2020

I was invited to give a 5 minute Inspire talk at Virtual ESA 2020 Symposium supporting the Plant Science Decadal Vision. Five minute talks are hard! The Plant Science Decadal Vision maps out the future of plant science and how we can use new technologies and approaches to address pressing problems in our world. You can read more about the Plant Science Decadal Vision here.