Lab Members
This page is under construction!
Kay Dodson, MS in Biology Student
I recently finished my undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder (sko buffs!). I have joined the Simler-Williamson Lab at Boise State as a NSF Graduate Research Program Fellow to continue my work on invasive plant species. Since beginning science research, I have done a number of things trying to better understand how plants work and why they do the things they do. The plants that fascinate me most are invasive plants because of their ability to encroach on a new ecosystem and often completely change the initial state of that ecosystem. At BSU, I will be working to understand the legacies left behind by invasive species. How does skeletonweed modify the soil microbiome when it invades? How does cheatgrass alter nitrogen availability and carbon stocks? How can we counteract these legacies when we go to restore the invaded ecosystem? On a broader scale, I’m interested in conservation and restoration of ecosystems, soil dynamics, and invasive plant management. Outside of science things, I enjoy camping, rock climbing, creative writing, and traveling!
Contact: kayleighdodson@u.boisestate.edu
Allison Simler-Williamson, Principal Investigator
Before joining the faculty at Boise State, I was an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology, examining genotype-by-environment interactions associated with pathogens and symbionts in big sagebrush. I completed my Ph.D. in the Graduate Group in Ecology at the University of California, Davis, as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, conducting research on emerging infectious diseases in the redwood and evergreen forests of Big Sur, CA. I received my Bachelor’s degrees in Visual Art and Biology from Duke University in Durham, NC, and I spent several wonderful years backpacking across the Blue Ridge Mountains. I am always looking for new opportunities to integrate art into her scientific research, communication, and teaching.
I spend as much of her free time as possible drawing, painting, and hiking with her toddler, husband, and Alaskan Malamute.
Contact: allisonsimlerwil@boisestate.edu
Current Lab Members
Kay Dodson - Biology MS Student
Leland Bennion - Postdoctoral Researcher
Grace-Ann Myers - SARE Undergraduate Research Fellow
Lab Alumni
Kaitlyn Opland (SARE Undergraduate Research Fellow, Boise State Class of 2023)
Aden O’Brien (SARE Undergraduate Research Fellow; College of Western Idaho)