Roger Gold

Associate Professor of Biology-Microbiology

Dr. Gold has worked extensively with organophosphorous hydrolase (OPH) and related enzymes as a graduate student at Texas A&M University and, later, as a Managing Scientist for Reactive Surfaces, Ltd, where he helped develop the standard operating methods for many of their organophosphorous-degradation analytical techniques. His expertise will be valuable for commercial outputs of this project.

Dr. Roger (Shane) Gold will integrate the ESRM into the BIOL 3015 General Microbiology Laboratory course. Students will compare microbes associated with the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of indigenous desert plants and, in addition to performing morphological, biochemical, and genomic assays for identification and testing of isolates for activities related to plant growth promotion, will assay each isolate for pesticide degradation activity. Students will compare isolates over time and space, sampling plants three times per year, spread across a broad geographical area within Southern Utah, including areas near and distant from plots traditionally used for agriculture. The ESRM database, coupled with the results of their own assays, will be used to formulate hypotheses related to plant-microbe associations and historical land use that will then be tested both in the context of the course and in student-mentored research projects. This project will give students pertinent experience in planning and conducting hands-on research as well as with data analysis and communications.

 

Associate Professor in Biology and Microbiology
Southern Utah University
Cedar City, UT  84720
Office: SC 131B
rogergold@suu.edu
435.586.7931
Scroll to Top