CURRICULUM VITAE

BRANDON EMORY LANG MORRIS

Education
                Ph.D. Microbiology, The University of Oklahoma, in progress
                M.Sc. Microbiology, Texas Tech University, 2005
                B.Sc. Cell and Molecular Biology, Texas Tech University, 2002
                EMT-Paramedic, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 1999

Academic/Professional Positions
                 AXIOM Fellow                    Helmholtz - Zentrum für Umweltforschung, Germany, Summer 2008
                Lead Teaching Asst.            Department of Botany and Microbiology, OU, 2007-2008
                Teaching Assistant              Department of Botany and Microbiology, OU, 2006
                Research Assistant              Department of Biological Sciences, TTU, 2004-2005
                Research Assistant              USDA-ARS (Dr. Veronica Acosta-Martinez, advisor), 2003-2005           
                Teaching Assistant              Department of Biological Sciences, TTU, 2003-2004 
                Research Assistant              Department of Biological Sciences, TTU, 2002-2003

Teaching Experience (The University of Oklahoma, 2006-PRESENT)
Organized Laboratories taught (enrollment in parentheses)
                 MBIO 2815                          Introduction to Microbiology (nursing majors): Spring 2006 (24), Spring 2008 (18)

                MBIO 3812                          Fundamentals of Microbiology (micro majors): Summer 2007 (14)

Teaching Experience (Texas Tech University, 2002-2005)
Organized Laboratories taught (enrollment in parentheses)
                MBIO 3400                          General Microbiology (nursing majors): Fall 2003 (22,24), Spring 2003 (15,15)

                MBIO 5403                          Immunobiology: Spring 2004 (4,5)

RESEARCH
Thesis (Dr. John C. Zak, advisor)
Morris, B.E.L.  2005.  Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Species Diversity on the Texas High Plains:  Impacts of Agricultural Management Decisions.  M.Sc. Thesis, Texas Tech University. 90 p.

Areas of interest and research in progress
        Areas of interest         

• Identification and purification of enzymes involved in hydrocarbon degradation in the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfoglaeba alkanexedens.
• Definition and characterization of enzymatic mechanisms of alkane degradation.
• Identification of genes involved in syntrophic metabolism and interspecies hydrogen transfer.
• Elucidation of soil microbial processes and soil microbial community structure, particularly as affected by environmental contaminants.
• Multivariate statistics and biometry.

Field experience
Long term impacts of environmental change on the Pine Canyon watershed in Big Bend National Park, Big Bend National Park, Texas.

Reclamation of sites used for military training, Fort Benning, Georgia.

Effects of disturbance and scale on population and community dynamics of terrestrial snails in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico.

Research papers to be submitted or under review
Morris, B.E.L., V. Acosta-Martinez, J.C. Zak, and V. Allen.  Soil metabolic functional diversity of microbial communities in continuous cotton and integrated crop-livestock systems.  Soil Biology and Biochemistry.  [To be submitted]

Morris, B.E.L., B.L. McMichael , and J.C. Zak.  Amplification of 18S ribosomal subunits from the seven genera of Glomalean fungi.  Mycologia.  [To be submitted]

Morris, B.E.L., B.L. McMichael , and J.C. Zak.  Arbuscular mycorrhizal species diversity on the Texas High Plains:  Impacts of agricultural management decisions.  Applied and Environmental Microbiology.  [To be submitted]

Morris, B.E.L., H.K. Hixson, S.J. Callister, M.S. Lipton, Q. Luo, and L.R. Krumholz.  A proteomic analysis of Shewanella onedensis mutants using the accurate mass and time (AMT) tag approach.  Journal of Proteome Research. [To be submitted]

Morris, B.E.L., B.R. Crable, and J.M. Suflita.  On the Contributions of David Cleaveland White, M.D., Ph.D. to Microbial Ecology:  Celebrating the Life of a Pioneer.  The ISME Journal. [Under Review]

Research papers published or accepted for publication
Luo, Q., H.K. Hixson, S.J. Callister, M.S. Lipton, B.E.L. Morris, and L.R. Krumholz.  Proteome analysis of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 mutants using the accurate mass and time (AMT) tag approach. Journal of Proteome Research 6(8): 3042-3053.

Holsomback, T.S., N.E. McIntyre, R.A. Nisbett, R.E. Strauss, Y-K Chu, A.A. Abuzeineh, N. de la Sancha, C.W. Dick, C.B. Jonsson, B.E.L. Morris, and R.D. Owen.  Bayou virus detected in non-Oryzomyine rodent hosts: An assessment of habitat composition, reservoir community structure, and rice rat social dynamics.  Journal of Vector Ecology. [Accepted]

Invited departmental seminars at the following institutions
Texas Tech University, Department of Biological Sciences, November 2004. BIOL 3303 Principles of Ecology.

USDA-ARS, Cropping Systems Research Laboratory, Lubbock, TX, October 2005.              

Presentations at professional meetings 
Utilization of ribosomal-specific primers for amplification of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Graduate Forum Annual Research Contest, Lubbock, TX, April, 2004.  (2nd Place)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal species dynamics on the Texas High Plains, The Soil Ecology Society,  Argonne National Lab, IL, May, 2005.

Poster presentations at professional meetings
B.E.L. Morris, C. Green, M.J.D. San Francisco, J.C. Zak, and R.E. Zartman.  Impacts of ricin on soil microbial communities.  The Soil Ecology Society, Palm Springs, CA, May, 2003.

Li, X., Q. Luo, B.E.L. Morris, and L.R. Krumholz.  The thioredoxin operon is involved in U(VI) reduction in Desulfovibrio species.  U.S. Dept. of Energy, Environmental Remediation Sciences Program, Washington, D.C., 2006. 

FUNDING
Effects of Anthropogenic Activity on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Communities of Cotton, International Cotton Research Institute, Texas Tech University, $50,000 (with Dr. John C. Zak).

SERVICE
Professional service
Science Fair Judge, Northridge Elementary, Lubbock, TX, 2001-2005.
Science Fair Judge, Texas State Science Fair Finals, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 2004.
Science Fair Judge, Texas Regional Science Fair, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 2004-2005.
Treasurer, American Society of Microbiology (Texas Tech University Chapter), 2004-2005.
Science Bowl Judge, Oklahoma Regional Science Bowl, The University of Oklahoma,  Norman, OK, 2006.

Community service
Volunteer, South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Inc., Lubbock, TX, 2002-2005.

Membership in professional organizations
American Society for Microbiology
The Ecological Society of America
International Society for Microbial Ecology
The Soil Ecology Society