projects
Past and current research projects in microbiology, ecology, and remote sensing.
Environmental Microbiology
Engineering microbial solutions for infrastructure challenges in extreme cold environments.
Current
Studying applications of cold-adapted bacterial isolates for microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) to stabilize defense materials in Arctic environments.
Center for Biofilm Engineering · Montana State University
In Plain Language
As permafrost thaws across the Arctic, roads, runways, and buildings are losing their foundations. I'm investigating whether cold-adapted bacteria can produce natural cement (calcium carbonate) to stabilize these structures — essentially asking microbes to do construction work in freezing conditions.
Methods
Bacterial isolation and screening, ureolysis assays, MICP optimization, unconfined compressive strength testing, scanning electron microscopy, and cold-temperature growth characterization.
Remote Sensing & Conservation
Applying NASA Earth observations to inform environmental management and rare species conservation.
Completed
Modeled current and future Venus flytrap habitat using remote sensing data to inform rare plant conservation in the Carolina Coastal Plain.
NASA DEVELOP · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · University of Georgia
In Plain Language
Venus flytraps only grow naturally in a small region of the Carolinas, and their habitat is shrinking. Using satellite imagery from Landsat, Sentinel-2, and other NASA instruments, we built models to map where flytraps can live now and where they might survive in 2050 as climate and land use change — giving conservationists a roadmap for protecting this iconic species.
Methods
Landsat 8, PALSAR, Sentinel-2, and Terra MODIS data processing and analysis; habitat suitability modeling; TerrSet Land Change Modeler for future projections; ArcGIS mapping and StoryMaps.
Publications
Rock, M., Caruso, K. E., Lampley, J., Siddhi, A., and S. Zhu. (2021). Utilizing NASA Earth observations to map suitable Venus flytrap habitat. NASA Technical Reports Server.
Forest Ecology
Investigating how the loss of foundation tree species cascades through forest ecosystems.
Completed
Investigated shifts in mycorrhizal communities associated with eastern hemlock decline from hemlock woolly adelgid infestation.
UNC Asheville · Department of Biology
In Plain Language
Eastern hemlocks across the Appalachians are dying from an invasive insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid. As hemlocks disappear, forests change — more light reaches the floor, soils warm up, and the fungal communities in the soil shift. I studied whether these changes affect how well red oak seedlings form partnerships with beneficial root fungi and how that influences their growth and survival.
Methods
Field surveys across hemlock decline gradient, root tip sampling and ectomycorrhizal colonization assessment, seedling growth measurements, soil analysis.
Publications
Caruso, K. E., Horton, J. L., and A. A. Hove. (2021). Assessing the effect of eastern hemlock decline on ectomycorrhizal colonization and growth of red oak seedlings. American Midland Naturalist, 186(1), 16–31.