BEES Department Graduate Seminar
Thursday, October 22, 2026
3:30 PM-5:00 PM
We are welcoming the new Biogeochemistry Section Lead in the Patrick Center for Environmental Research at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Dr. Kat Dawson. Dr. Dawson will discuss “Microbial Influenced Biogeochemical Changes in Hypersaline Environments – Mineral Precipitation and Potential Signatures of Methane Metabolism.”
Abstract:
Hypersaline conditions occur in a variety of environments from evaporative ponds, salty veins within sea ice, the Great Salt Lake, and even brine pools inside the ocean. These environments are characterized by salt concentrations that range from 3x ocean salinity to saturation. In additional to high salinity these environments can challenge resident organisms with alkaline pH, high concentrations of other ions like Mg2+, and high UV flux. Despite these multiple stressors to habitability, diverse communities of halophilic algae, bacteria, and archaea populate these environments. The adaptations used by these organisms to survive and thrive have implications for understanding the limits of habitability and identifying signatures of biological activity. Today, I will present results from two ongoing projects that explore how haloarchaeal physiology induces carbonate mineral precipitation and an investigation of how microbial metabolic processes, including methanotrophy, could lead to an observed hydrogen isotope excursion in the water column of a brine pool.
Bio:
Kat Dawson has a BA in Chemistry from Goucher College; a PhD in Geosciences and Biogeochemistry from Penn State; completed a postdoc at Caltech Geobiology; hired as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University; and currently working at the Patrick Center for Environmental Research (at the Academy of Natural Sciences) as the director of the Biogeochemistry section. She utilizes tools from geochemistry and microbiology to explore questions about microbial influences on biogeochemical cycling and their chemical and isotopic signatures in the environment.
Contact Information
Donna Fahres
215-571-4651
df625@drexel.edu