Diatoms of North AmericaIn 2024, David Burge and Vicky Chraibi take on training the next generation of diatomists through the Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms course, now in its 61st year. As has been the tradition since Gene Stoermer started the course as the Diatom Clinic in 1963, everyone is a student. Even long-time returning visitors are students: Mark Edlund, Lynn Brant, Steve Main, Sarah Spaulding, and Hannah Innocent. Lane Allen is both a student and the only three-time John Clayton Kingston Teaching Fellow. Jeffery Stone was a virtual student and also an alumnus of the Lakeside course.
All the students collected sediment cores from West Lake Okoboji, guided by Mark. All the students discussed journal articles about paleolimnology on the screened in porch of the Faculty Cabin.
All the students learned the intricacies of using differential interference contrast (DIC) and optimal imaging for diatoms, guided by Sarah. Hannah returned to Iowa with her South Florida Voucher Flora, working on species identification. Long time student and guest researcher, Lynn, contributed slides to the class for Stenopterobia species to be included in diatoms.org. In addition to being the teaching assistant, Lane completed a manuscript on a new species of Neidium.
With instructor and student Vicky, the class visited the Continental Scientific Drilling Facility to learn how to split, image, and subsample a sediment core.
With virtual guest and student Jeffery, the class went on a virtual tour, getting an introduction to the details of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Jeffery also guided the class on a project investigating the diatoms of White
Sands National Park, New Mexico.
Each student in the course worked on a species page for diatoms.org. Stay tuned for completion of the pages!
