I am a faculty member in the Physical and Life Sciences at Nevada State College. As a microbial ecologist/biogeochemist, I am interested in how ecosystems function as a whole. This includes studying how ecosystems cycle nutrients and carbon, remediate water pollution, and create greenhouse gasses. While I have spent a lot of time in the field in the last 20 years of my profession, I am not an expert in identification of plants and birds. But my intense interest in understanding how the activity of plants, animals, and microbes creates important ecosystem services makes me an eager learner and quick study of local flora and fauna.