Ammonia Oxidizing Organisms in Engineered Environments and Reshaping Environmental Engineering Education

Dr. Juliet Johnston (she/they) will present an overview of her research throughout the years, highlighting the significance of ammonia oxidizing organisms in engineered systems. Ammonia oxidizing organisms play a key role in the nitrogen cycle throughout wastewater treatment, drinking water treatment, agriculture, and in other ecosystems. Their research will highlight how different ammonia oxidizing organisms, such as comammox, anammox, and both ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea, all differentiate themselves in these engineered environments.

She will additionally provide insight into reshaping environmental engineering education which includes her outreach work
with Queer Science and innovative project-based courses.
These innovative project-based courses vary from involving undergraduates on novel bioinformatics research in the classroom, to having introductory environmental engineering students design and prototype functional 3D-printed drinking water treatment plants to gain practical engineering experience. 

Dr. Juliet Johnston (she/they) is an assistant professor Environmental Microbiology at Hampshire College. While she
was formally trained as an environmental engineer during her undergraduate at Clemson University and PhD at the University
of Minnesota, her efforts have always centered around environmental microbiology and bioremediation. During her PhD, she founded Queer Science, an outreach organization to inspire LGBTQ+ youth into STEM. Before starting at Hampshire College, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Outside of the lab she can often be found lounging in coffee shops, DIY crafting, or on long hikes with her husky Ava.