Speaker:
Ariel Belk
Abstract:
Microbes are all around us, including on our skin and in our bodies. During life, they help us with things like disease prevention and digestion, and after we die, the microbes live on! Aeriel researches how to use these microbes as a forensics tool. She will discuss the different communities of bacteria that flourish during decomposition and how we can use them to better predict the day of death.
When:
Mon, Dec 9th 2019. 6:30-8:00pm MST.
About the Speaker:
Aeriel is a Ph.D. student in Animal Sciences with a focus on meat science and the microbiome. She has an extensive background in the subject that she developed while raising cattle, showing livestock, and competing on the Livestock and Meats Judging Teams in 4-H. She decided to continue with her interests in the field by pursuing an undergraduate degree in Animal Sciences at CSU while simultaneously working in several research labs: investigating the role of miRNAs in equine reproduction, studying novel antimicrobial treatments on meat safety, and assisting in several meat quality and shelf-life studies. After graduation, she completed a Master’s degree in Animal Science, with certificates in Meat Science and Food Safety, from Texas A&M University. Her thesis topic was comparing the prevalence of Salmonella in beef lymph nodes across feeding stages and feedlot locations. She returned to CSU for a doctoral degree with a focus on microbiome research under Dr. Metcalf. She is currently involved in several studies relating to the role of the microbiome in decomposition in the post-mortem interval.
