Celebrating Abbey Schedler’s year in the MEEP Lab
Abbey Schedler ’s post- baccalaureate year in the MEEP Lab has come to an end, and we have a lot to celebrate!
From research and conference presentations to mentoring and lab leadership, Abbey made a lasting contribution to our growing lab. Abbey joined us through the NSF-funded Bay Area RaMP Program in Microbiome Sciences , which provides paid research opportunities for recent college graduates to develop their skills and gain experience as independent scientists. Alongside mentored research, scholars participated in a three-week research immersion, cohort activities, and ongoing scientific and professional development workshops.
This combination of research, training, and community meant a busy and productive year for Abbey!
Much of Abbey’s research centered on our San Bruno Mountain fog project, investigating mosses, lichens, and their associated microbial communities across contrasting microclimates.
That work led to her first-author preprint, “Epiphytic cryptogam communities differ little despite strong variation in coastal fog exposure” . She also co-authored “Molecular Data From Herbarium Specimens Reveal A Potential Extirpation of Azolla microphylla From California” , a collaboration with Dr. Michael J. Song . Both manuscripts will soon be submitted to peer-reviewed journals.
Abbey’s research also took her into California’s deserts, exploring biological soil crusts and their associated microbes, microfauna, and arthropods.
She successfully secured independent research support through Experiment.com, the California Institute for Biodiversity, and the California Native Plant Society’s Bryophyte Chapter.
Her funded project, [“Tiny worlds in desert moss”](https://experiment.com/projects/tiny-worlds-in-desert-moss-microbes- and-microfauna-in-biological-soil-crusts), is one example of the new research directions she helped develop during her time here.
Abbey presented her work to audiences close to home and around the world, presenting at regional and national American Society for Microbiology meetings, the Ecological Society of America meeting, Biocrust6 in China, and the Bay Area RaMP symposium. These experiences gave her opportunities to exchange ideas and connect with researchers across microbiology, ecology, and biocrust science.
Within MEEP, Abbey took on a leadership role as our Lab Overseer, helping develop protocols, update our website, train others, and organize (and reorganize!) the lab to make it more efficient and accessible. She also mentored a high school student through a biocrust experiment that earned finalist recognition and advanced to a regional competition, and participated in several community outreach events such as with the non-profit Community Resources for Science.These are just a few examples of the care and initiative she brought to the lab and the wider community.
Thank you, Abbey, for your hard work, curiosity, friendly demeanor, and organizational magic. It was a joy to have you in the MEEP Lab!
We’re grateful to NSF RaMP for supporting her time with us, proud of everything she accomplished, and looking forward to future MEEP reunion labtivities!
