Mon, 02/26/2024 - 3:30pm Athens Xuefeng (Nick) Peng School of the Earth, Ocean, & Environment College of Arts and Sciences University of South Carolina Peng Lab in Marine Microbial Ecology Seminars Dr. Peng is an Assistant Professor at the University of Carolina in the School of the Earth, Ocean, & Environment College of Arts and Sciences. He specializes in studying the way microbes interact among themselves and with the physical world. He will be presenting, "Uncovering the Role of Fungi in Nitrogen and Carbon Cycling in Marine Environments". "Microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protists) form complex relationships among themselves and play an important role in shaping the physical environment in which they (and we) dwell. On the other hand, environmental variables such as light, temperature, and nutrients determine the composition, abundance, and "well-being" of microbial communities. To gain insights into the interplay between the biotic and abiotic parts of the earth, I employ and develop laboratory (e.g. mass spectrometry, microbial cultivation), field sampling (e.g. open ocean, estuaries), and computational (e.g. bioinformatics, numeric modeling) methods."