Laary J. Cushman
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-: 360* Photo: Collecting Micranthes petiolaris from cliffs on Grandfather Mountain, NC :-

My current research focuses on the ecology, history, and conservation values of populations under environmental and anthropogenic stress.

By utilizing GIS modeling, field surveys, and molecular methods, I have focused on the plant ecology and water quality of the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment and Piedmont of the southeastern United States.  

For my PhD dissertation, I focused on the ecology of disjunct populations of Saxifragaceae throughout the Appalachians and the impact of life history shifts on geneflow and resultant isolation between low and high elevaiton sites - a historic model for the effects of current climate trends.

As an Associate Professor of Biology, I mentor undergraduate students in ecosystem dynamics.  Some of their current research focuses on: Mycoremediation efficiency of various fungi within glyphosate contmainated soils; Composition and growth rate analysis of inner urban forests; Post glacial occurrences of broadly distributed invertebrate species; and, Species composition between high and low elevation ice ponds of blue ridge monadnocks.

I have taught Biology, Botany, Env. Science, and Plant Physiology courses, and served as interim curator for the Clemson University Herbarium.

In my spare time, I work in the field with private and public groups to evaluate habitats and species of ecological importance, for both conservation and management prior to preservation and development. 
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Phylogentics : Median stable ancestral state reconstruction of Saxifragaceae Genome Sizes under a Brownian motion model
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Field Collections : Cloud cover during field work on Mount Pisgah, NC
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Genomics : Denovo assembly of Radseq reads (cpDNA) to reference genome for gene homology and physiological trait inferences
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Bioinformatics : LINUX command–line environment and BASH analyses via high–performance computing frameworks
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GIS Modeling : Pleistocene range of Micranthes petiolaris (heat map with range contours) and current distribution (pink)
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Curation : Morphological trait analysis and collection mounting for new variety of Micranthes petiolaris