Kathleen D. Cusick Luttrell Street Knoxville, TN

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1 Kathleen Cusick Page 1 Kathleen D. Cusick 1023 Luttrell Street Knoxville, TN kdaumer@utk.edu EDUCATION PhD, Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN Dissertation: Proposed mechanism of action of saxitoxin in aquatic systems based on expression profiling in lower eukaryotes MS, Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL Thesis: The effects of dinoflagellate bioluminescence on the foraging efficiency of the flamefish, Apogon maculatus (research conducted at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute) BS, Biology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA RESEARCH EXPERIENCE 2010 present Post-doctoral Scientist, Department of Microbiology, Microbial Ecology Lab, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN Developing molecular tools and applying next-generation sequencing technologies to determine the environmental distribution, physiology and molecular biology of novel spirochete species Serving on task force to design and develop UT s next-generation sequencing pipeline in coordination with Oak Ridge National Laboratories Participating in genome annotation of Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 Mentored undergraduates in design and execution of experiments Post-doctoral Scientist, Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD Examined molecular mechanisms involved in signal transduction of swarming bacterium via transcriptomic analyses (RNA-Seq; quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR, lacz assays) Obtained experience in next-generation RNA sequencing and statistical analysis Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN Performed transcriptomic analyses in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and green alga (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) upon exposure to saxitoxin Conducted phylogenetic analysis of toxic dinoflagellates using single-cell PCR techniques Developed preliminary yeast-based bioluminescent (lux-based) bioreporter system for saxitoxin Constructed bacteriophage-based bioluminescent bioreporter for detection of bacterial pathogens Participated in genome annotation of Thauera spp. MZ1T (focus area: hydrogenases)

2 Kathleen Cusick Page 2 Obtained extensive experience in current molecular biology techniques including RNA and genomic and plasmid DNA extraction, in-vitro transcription, PCR and RT- PCR, quantitative RT-PCR, primer and probe design, microarray experimental design and analysis, molecular cloning, sequencing, and genome annotation Research Scientist, Life Science Support Contract, Kennedy Space Center, FL Initiated construction of bacteriophage-based lux bioreporter Collaborated with multidisciplinary team of chemists and engineers as lead investigator in testing of bioluminescent bioreporter for detection of microbial volatile organic contaminants Examined microbial community structure and function at Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge via molecular biology and microbial physiology analyses Assisted in studies examining microbial persistence and structure from within plant growth chambers and resource recovery systems targeting long-term space missions 2001 Research Assistant II, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Bioluminescence Lab, Ft. Pierce, FL Conducted research on the effects of phytoplankton bioluminescence on zooplankton and fish, including identification of secondary compounds using LC-MS Performed environmental analyses on drinking water, wastewater, and soil samples using wet chemistry techniques Tested and calibrated optical instruments used in detecting, measuring, and quantifying bioluminescence Maintained phytoplankton cultures TEACHING EXPERIENCE January 2005 May 2005 Teaching Assistant (Microbiology 210), Microbiology Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN May July 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Principal Investigator, Spaceflight Life Sciences Training Program, Kennedy Space Center, FL Mentored gifted students selected for NASA summer program, including designing experiments, demonstrating techniques, and assisting in preparation of proposals and final presentations of student projects January 2002 December 2002 Adjunct Faculty (General Biology), Biology Department, Brevard Community College, Melbourne, FL January 1998 March 2001 Environmental Education Instructor, HBOI Education Center, Ft. Pierce, FL August December 1996 Carlisle, PA Teaching Assistant (Photobiology), Dickinson College,

3 Kathleen Cusick Page 3 FELLOWSHIPS and AWARDS 2011 American Society Limnology and Oceanography Early Career Travel Grant NASA Graduate Student Research Fellowship Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid (Master s thesis) RESEARCH CRUISES June 2000, July 1999, Gulf of Maine, R/V Seward Johnson II/Johnson-Sea-Link I Included submersible dives of up to 1,000 meters to assist in mapping of vertical distribution of crustacean and gelatinous zooplankton species Designed and performed shipboard experiments examining correlation between toxicity and bioluminescence of gelatinous zooplankton Tested instruments for measuring bioluminescence September 1998, Bahamas, R/V Seward Johnson II /Johnson-Sea-Link I Included submersible dives of up to 500 meters for collection of invertebrates used in lab-based larval ecology studies PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES American Society for Limnology and Oceanography American Society of Microbiology PUBLICATIONS Chauhan, A., Layton, A., Karpinets, T., Brown, S., Smartt, A., Cusick, K., Kolli, P., Ripp, S., Williams, D., and Sayler, G. Genome sequence analysis of the naphthalene degrading bioluminescent bioreporter Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44. In prep. (Microbial Biotech.) Caro-Quintero, A., Ritalahti, K.M., Cusick, K.D., Loeffler, F.E., and K. T. Kostantinidis. The chimeric genome of Sphaerochaeta: non-spiral spirochetes that break with the prevalent dogma in spirochete biology. Submitted mbio. Cusick, K.D., Minkin, Jr., S.C., Dodani, S.C., Chang, C.J., Wilhelm, S.W., and Sayler, G.S. Inhibition of copper uptake in yeast reveals the copper transporter Ctr1p as a potential molecular target of saxitoxin. Environ. Sci. Tech. first published on February 3, 2012 as doi: /es204027m. Cusick, K.D., Lee, Y.-Y., Youchak, B., and Belas, R. Perturbation of FliL interferes with Proteus mirabilis swarmer cell gene expression and differentiation. J. Bacteriol. First published on November 11, 2011 as doi: /jb Ritalahti, K.M, Justicia Leon, S.D., Cusick, K.D., Ramos-Hernandez, N., Rubin, M., Dornbush, J. and F.E. Löffler. Isolation of Sphaerochaeta (gen. nov.), free-living, spherical spirochetes, and characterization of Sphaerochaeta pleomorpha (sp. nov.) and Sphaerochaeta globosa (sp. nov.) Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. first published on March 11, 2011 as doi: /ijs

4 Kathleen Cusick Page 4 Cusick, K.D., Boyer, G.L, Wilhelm, S.W., and Sayler, G.S Transcriptional response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae following exposure to saxitoxin. Environ. Sci. Tech. 43(15): Ripp, S., Jegier, P., Birmele, M., Johnson, C., Cusick (nee Daumer), K., Fraley, A., Garland, J., and Sayler, G.S Linking bacteriophage infection to quorum sensing signaling and bioluminescent bioreporter monitoring for direct detection of bacterial agents. J. Appl. Microbiol. 100(3): Ripp, S., Young, J., Ozen, A., Jegier, P., Johnson, C., Cusick (nee Daumer), K., Garland, J., and Sayler, G. Phage-amplified bioluminescent bioreporters for the detection of foodborne pathogens. Proceedings of SPIE, Photonics West 2004: Biomedical Optics (BiOS), Vol (Genetically Engineered and Optical Probes for Biomedical Applications II), September Ozen, A., Montgomery, K., Jegier, P., Patterson, S., Cusick (nee Daumer), K., Ripp, S., Garland, J., and Sayler, G. Development of bacteriophage-based bioluminescent bioreporters for monitoring of microbial pathogens. Proceedings of SPIE, Photonics East 2003, Vol. 5270: (Environmental Monitoring and Remediation III), April Ripp, S., Cusick (nee Daumer), K.A., McKnight, T., Levine, L.H., Garland, J.L., Simpson, M.L., and Sayler, G.S Bioluminescent bioreporter integrated-circuit sensing of microbial volatile organic contaminants. J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 30(11): POSTERS and PRESENTATIONS Cusick, K.D., Ritalahti, K.M., Caro-Quintero, A., Konstantinidis, K.T., F. E. Löffler Correlating genome content with ecophysiology of a novel spirochete genus. Poster presented at the 111th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, New Orleans, LA. Caro-Quintero, A., Ritalahti, K.M., Cusick, K.D., Loeffler, F.E., K.T. Konstantinidis Sphaerochaeta spp.: Non-spiral Spirochetes that Break with the Prevalent Dogma in Spirochete Biology. Poster presented at the 111 th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, New Orleans, LA. Cusick, K., Minkin, S.C., Wilhelm, S.W., G. S. Sayler The Plasma Membrane Copper Transporter as a Molecular Target of Saxitoxin in Microbial Cells. Poster presented at the American Society Limnology and Oceanography Aquatic Sciences Meeting, San Juan, PR. Cusick, K.D., Wilhelm, S.W., G.S. Sayler Expression Profiling for the Detection and Monitoring of Environmental Contaminants within Aquatic Systems. Poster presented at China- US Workshop, Bioenergy Consequences for Global Environmental Change, Beijing, China. Cusick, K.D., Wilhelm, S.W., G.S. Sayler Transcriptional Profile Comparison of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Upon Exposure to Copper and the Algal Toxin Saxitoxin. Poster presented at the 12 th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Cairns, Australia. Sanseverino, J., Jiang, K., Allen, M., Close, D., Cusick, K., DeBruyn, J., Layton, A.C.,

5 Kathleen Cusick Page 5 Poorvin, L., G.S. Sayler. Genome Analysis of Exopolysaccharide Producing Thauera sp. MZ1T. Poster presented at the 2008 General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. Sanseverino, J., Jiang, K., Wang, Y., Allen, M.S., Close, D., Cusick, K., DeBruyn, J., Layton, A.C., Poorvin, L., G.S. Sayler. Thauera sp. MZ1T: Preliminary Analysis of the Draft Genome Sequence. Poster presented at Joint Genome Institute Conference Cusick, K.D., G.S. Sayler Transcriptional response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to saxitoxin. Poster presented at SETAC North America 28 th Annual Meeting. Ozen, A., Cusick (nee Daumer), K., Ripp, S., Garland, J., G. Sayler A bacteriophagebased bioluminescent bioreporter system for monitoring Staphylococcus aureus in the spacecraft environment. Poster presented at the American Society for Microbiology General Meeting. Cusick (nee Daumer), K.S., Ripp, S.A., Sayler, G.S., J.L. Garland Development and testing of bacteriophage-based bioluminescent bioreporters for the monitoring of microbial pathogens in the spacecraft environment. Oral presentation at the 13 th International Symposium on Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence, Yokohama, Japan. Ozen, A., Montgomery, K., Jegier, P., Patterson, S., Young, J., Fraley, A., Cusick (nee Daumer), K., Ripp, S., Garland, J., and Sayler, G Detection of microbial pathogens in the space environment using bioluminescent bioreporters. Poster presented at the American Society for Microbiology Conference on Bio-, Micro-, and Nanosystems. Cusick (nee Daumer), K., Ripp, S., Krumins, V., Levine, L., Garland, J., and Sayler, G Real-Time response characteristics of a bioluminescent bioreporter towards microbial volatile organic contaminants (MVOCs). Poster presented at the 12 th International Symposium on Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence, Cambridge, England Cusick (nee Daumer), K, and E.A.Widder The Effects of Dinoflagellate Bioluminescence on the Foraging Efficiency of the Reef Fish, Apogon maculates. Poster presented at the 11 th International Symposium on Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence, Pacific Grove, CA