CV

Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Environmental Life Sciences. Arizona State University (ASU). School of Life Science, Tempe, AZ. August 2016-May 2022.

Bachelor of Science, Biology with a Minor in Microbiology. Indiana University Southeast (IUS). School of Natural Sciences, New Albany, IN. January 2013-May 2016. Graduated with Highest Distinction.

Associate of Arts, Chemistry. Indiana University Southeast (IUS). School of Natural Sciences, New Albany, IN. January 2013-May 2016.

Bachelor of Arts, English. Indiana University Southeast (IUS). School of Arts and Letters, New Albany, IN. August 1998-May 2002. Graduated with Highest Distinction.

Publications:

In review. The dual use of solar power plants as biocrust nurseries for large-scale arid soil restoration. Heredia-Velásquez, A., Giraldo-Silva, A., Nelson, C., Bethany, J., Kut, P., González-de-Salceda, L., Garcia-Pichel, F.

Bethany, J, Johnson, S., Garcia-Pichel, F. High impact of bacterial predation on cyanobacteria in soil biocrusts. Nature Communications, 13:4835. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32427-5

Lan, S. Thomas, A., Bethany Rakes, J., Garcia-Pichel, F., Wu, L., Hu, C. (2021) Cyanobacterial community composition and their functional shifts associated with biocrust succession in the Gurbantunggut Desert. Environmental Microbiology Reports, 13(6), 884-898.

Giraldo-Silva, A., Fernandes, V., Bethany, J., Garcia-Pichel, F. (2020). Niche partitioning with temperature among heterocystous cyanobacteria (Scytonema spp., Nostoc spp., and Tolypothrix spp.) from biological soil crusts. Microorganisms, 8(3), 396.

Bethany, J., Giraldo-Silva, A., Nelson, C., Barger, N., Garcia-Pichel, F. (2019). Optimizing the production of nursery-based biological soil crusts for restoration of arid land soils. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 85(15).

Honors and Awards

Electron Microscopy Sciences Award. 1st place. 2018

Indiana University Southeast. Outstanding Biology Student. 2016

Indiana University Southeast. Outstanding English Student. 2002

Grants and Fellowships

Arizona State University Graduate College Completion Award. 2021-2022

Friends of the Sonoran Desert. 2020

Arizona State University Graduate College Excellence Award. 2020

ARCS Foundation: Charles F Sands Family Scholar. 2020

Arizona State University Graduate Program Student Association Travel Award. 2019

Arizona State University Graduate College Travel Award. 2019

Arizona State University School of Life Science Travel Award. 2019

Jornada Long Term Ecological Research Summer Grant. 2019

Arizona State University Graduate and Student Association Research Grant. 2018

Research Training Initiatives Grant. 2018

BYU Charles Redd Center for Western Studies: Summer Award for Upper Division and Graduate Students. 2017

Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Doctoral Recruitment Fellowship. 2017/2018

Claude D. Baker Scholarship. 2015

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant for Conceptual Approaches to Biology for Majors II Laboratory, BIO 281. Spring 2019-Spring 2020.

Teaching Assistant for Biology of Microorganisms Laboratory, MIC 206. Fall 2018-Spring 2018.

Teaching Assistant for Biological Thinking Laboratory, BIO 151. Fall 2017.

Teaching Assistant for Conceptual Approaches to Biology for Majors I Recitation. Fall 2016.

Supplemental Instructor for Introduction to Biological Sciences I. Fall 2014.

Mentor and Committee Member for undergraduate honors student. Fall 2019-Spring 2020.

Professional Experience

Information Technology Coordinator. 2011-2014. Project management, developed and managed $7M+ budget, assisted with integration of regional and central IT offices.

Media Services Coordinator. 2005-2011. Project management, developed and managed $1M budget, employee supervision and office management.

Presentation Experience

Biennial Conference of Science and Management on the Colorado Plateau & Southwest Region. Poster Presentation. 2022.

Ecological Society of America Conference. Oral Presentation. 2021.

Jornada Long Term Ecological Research Seminar. Oral Presentation. 2021

Center for Bio-inspired and Bio-remediated Geotechnics Annual Meeting. Oral Presentation. 2020.

International Biological Soil Crust 4 Conference. Oral Presentation. 2019.

International Symposium on Phototrophic Prokaryotes. Oral Presentation. 2018.

Arizona Imaging and Microanalysis Society Conference. Poster Presentation. 2018.

Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics Annual Meeting. Oral Presentation. 2017.

Biennial Conference of Science and Management on the Colorado Plateau & Southwest Region. Oral Presentation. 2017.

Indiana Academy of Sciences Conference. Poster Presentation. 2016.

Community Service/Outreach

Santa Ana Pueblo Environmental and Health Fair. 2022.

Arizona Humane Society. 2016, 2022-2023.

Sequoia Pathway High School Biology/Chemistry Literacy. 2019

Asombro Institute Natural Science Literacy. 2019.

Alley Cat Advocates. 2015-2016.

Kentucky Humane Society. 2009-2010.

Harrison-Crawford State Forestry. 2006-2007.