Jessica Girard

Research Interests:

So far, my biology background has centered on topics that begin with the letter B. I worked on bacteria (specifically Yersinia pestis, the biological agent that causes plague) for my master’s degree. After my master’s I worked on birds, and sequenced a lot of southwestern willow flycatcher DNA (Empidonax traillii extimus—check out the webpage at http://www.usgs.nau.edu/swwf/). Now I am in the Pierce lab working on butterflies, but it looks as if I will branch out of my alphabet restrictions and work on ants (and who knows what else!) as well.

Education:

M.S., Biology, Northern Arizona University, 2003.
B.S., Biology, Willamette University, 1999.

Publications:

Girard, J.M., D.M. Wagner, C.E. Keys, A. Vogler, R. Easterday C.J. Allender, and P. Keim. 2004. Differential plague transmission dynamics determine Yersinia pestis population genetic structure at local, regional and global scales. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vol. 101, no. 22.

Professional Meetings:

Girard, J.M., D.M. Wagner, C.E. Keys, C.J. Allender, and P. Keim. Plague and Prairie dogs in Arizona: Using genetics to discern pathogen ecology. American Society of Microbiologists, Washington D.C. May 2003

Girard, J.M., D.M. Wagner, C.E. Keys, C.J. Allender, and P. Keim. Plague and Prairie dogs in Arizona II: Using genetics to discern pathogen ecology. International Conference on Diseases In Nature Communicable to Man, Vancouver, British Columbia, August 2002

Professional Memberships:

Phi Beta Kappa
American Genetics Association
American Society Microbiology