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Dr. Benjamin Clarke
Professor,
Biomedical Sciences
BA Biology
& BS Chemistry, University of South Florida
PhD,
Biochemistry, University of Texas Medical Branch
Role in the Ixodes
Outreach Project:
I participate in three activities in the IOP
Community Outreach- I provide workshops and lectures to the
public on tick-borne diseases
Training- My laboratory provides research projects for high
school, college and graduate students to study Lyme disease. Student projects
are focused on the relationship between the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis and the Lyme disease
bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. The
principal project is to build the Lyme disease risk map.
Research- I am interested in the pathology of Lyme disease
with special interest in how Borrelia burgdorferi
interacts with macrophage and neutrophils, and the development of
non-serological clinical assays for detecting infection with Borrelia.
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Dr David Schimpf
Associate
Professor Emeritus, Biology
B.S.,
Botany, Iowa State University
Role in the Ixodes Outreach Project/Clarke
Lab:
I look for
ways to reduce the incidence of tick-borne infections through improved
understanding of the environmental biology of ticks and the pathogens that they
vector. Recently I facilitated
connecting the lab with local bird-banders.
They trap migrating birds with nets before placing a small numbered metal
band on one leg of the bird, then release it to continue migrating. Some of the birds are seen to have a tick,
often near the eye. The banders are able
to remove the ticks. The lab could be
able to compare Borrelia genomes from
bird ticks to those it gets from other ticks in the region.
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Shannon RedBrook
M.S.
Integrated Biosciences, University of Minnesota Duluth
Research
Assistant/Community Outreach
Role in the Ixodes Outreach Project:
I work with
students and other professionals in assay protocol development, specimen
testing, data collection and management, and undergraduate training.
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Maria Bergquist
Biology
Major, Fall 2021, University of Minnesota Duluth
Role in the Ixodes Outreach Project/Clarke
Lab:
I am the
tick dragging coordinator and a volunteer.
While I could never have anticipated working with ticks, the creepy
vectors give me the opportunity to study what I am passionate about: Microbes!
I enjoy exploring the interactions between the organisms that cannot be seen by
the naked eye. My future goal is to attend graduate school for microbiology.
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Kendra Gozdal
B.S.,
Biology, minor in Deaf Studies, Spring 2020, University of Minnesota Duluth
Role in the Ixodes Outreach Project/Clarke
Lab:
I am
currently working on identifying genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi through examination of 16s-rRNA gene using a
PCR assay. I am also working on growing and maintain cultures of B. burgdorferi from ticks.
I joined the
lab Fall of 2018 looking to gain research experience. Working in the lab has
helped me apply my major and appreciate the study of microbiology. In the
future I plan on attending Physician Assistant school.
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Jubran Jindeel
B.S.,
Biology, minor in Music, Spring 2021, University of Minnesota Duluth
Role in the Ixodes Outreach Project/Clarke
Lab:
I am
creating a map of high-risk areas for B. burgdorferi infection in Minnesota and
Wisconsin with Arcgis mapping software.
I also identify and test ticks for Borrelia using DNA extraction and
PCR, maintain B. burgdorferi cultures and assist with tick dragging. I got my start in the lab through the Bridges
to Baccalaureate Degree program. Following a summer research academy in summer
2017, I began laboratory work in Fall 2018 and have been in the lab ever since.
I chose to study Lyme disease because of its extensive impact on the northland
community and rural populations.
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Zoe Quinn
B.S., Cell and Molecular Biology, minor in Psychology, Spring 2021, University of Minnesota Duluth
Role in the Ixodes Outreach Project/Clarke Lab:
I am currently a tick dragging volunteer, but I hope to expand my involvement in the future.
I
joined the lab in spring of 2020 to gain research experience with
infectious diseases. In the future, I plan on attending graduate school
for microbiology and immunology.
