Julie A.

Fowler
julie.fowler@colostate.edu • julieafowler.weebly.com • ORCID: 0000-0003-2180-561X

EDUCATION
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY, College of Agricultural Sciences Fort Collins, Colorado
PhD in Soil and Crop Sciences January 2022 - Present
• Advisor: Dr. Mike Wilkins
• CSU Graduate Research Assistantship (2022-2027)
• Studying the impacts of wildfires and other disturbances on soil ecology through microbiome and multi-omics techniques in
western conifer forests

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN, School of Natural Resources Lincoln, Nebraska

Master of Science in Natural Resource Sciences August 2018 - December 2021
Specialization in Applied Ecology
• Advisors: Drs. Tala Awada and Rhae Drijber
• NSF National Research Traineeship Program in Resilience of Agro-Ecosystems (2018-2020), UNL Graduate Research
Assistantship (2020-2021)
• Thesis Title: Soil Microbial Community Dynamics in Response to Prescribed Extreme Fires Following Juniperus
virginiana Invasion in the Loess Canyons of Nebraska
• Course abroad on European water systems and management through UNL and the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
EMORY UNIVERSITY, College of Arts and Sciences Atlanta, Georgia
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences August 2014 - May 2018
• Advisor: Dr. John Wegner
• Field course abroad in karst geology in San Salvador, The Bahamas with Emory University; semester abroad in Kruger
National Park, South Africa with the Organization For Tropical Studies

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
[1] Cox, M., Barnes, C.D., Campbell, L., Cappelatti, L., Curtis, S., De Sousa, E., Elser, S., Fowler, J.A., Harrison, H.L.,
Hobbins, R., Larson, E., Libertson, F., Lobo, R., Loring, P.A., Matsler, M., Merrie, A., Moody, E., Partelow, S., Quiñones, R.,
Sauer, J., Shabb, K., Simonsen, S.H., Wagner, C.H., Washko, S., & Whittaker, B. 2023. How academic podcasting can change
academia and its relationship with society: a conversation and guide. Frontiers in Communication, 8(2023).
10.3389/fcomm.2023.1090112.
[2] Hogan, Katharine F. E., Fowler, J.A., Barnes, C.D., Ludwig, A.K., Cristiano, D.J., Morales, D., Quiñones, R., Twidwell,
D., and Dauer, J.M. 2022. New Multimedia Resources for Ecological Resilience Education in Modern University Classrooms.
Ecosphere, 13(10): e4245. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4245
[3] MathisonSlee, M., Lade, S.J., Barnes, C.D., Benessaiah, K., Crockett, E.T.H., Downing, A.S., Fowler, J.A., Belisle-Toler,
R., Sharma, S. and Winkler, K.J. 2022. Fourteen propositions for resilience, fourteen years later. Ecology and Society, 27 (3):8.
[4] Mazis, A., Fowler, J.A., Hiller, J., Zhou, Y., Wardlow, B.D., Wedin, D., & Awada, T. 2021. Ecophysio-Optical Traits of
Semiarid Nebraska Grasslands Associated with Juniperus virginiana and Pinus ponderosa Encroachment. Ecological
Indicators, 131(2021): 108159.
[5] Bell, K.L., Fowler, J., Burgess, K.S., Dobbs, E.K., Gruenewald, D., Lawley, B., Morozumi, C., & Brosi, B.J. 2017.
Applying Pollen DNA Metabarcoding to the Study of Plant–Pollinator Interactions. Applications in Plant Sciences, 5(6):
e1600124. News release in Eurek!Alert in “Understanding the dance to save the dance” on September 21st, 2017.
MANUSCRIPTS IN DEVELOPMENT
* = shared first authorship
[1] Fowler, J.A.*, Stengel, A.*, Herr, J., Hiller, J., Jeske, L., Laible, E., Mazis, A., Twidwell, D., Drijber, R., & Awada, T. Soil
Microbial Community Dynamics in Response to Prescribed Extreme Fires Following Juniperus virginiana Invasion in the
Loess Canyons of Nebraska. Manuscript in preparation for submission to Global Change Biology. PDF available upon request.
[2] Fowler, J.A., Nelson, A., Bechtold, E., Wettengel, A., Fegel, T., Rhoades, C., Anderson, E., & Wilkins, M. Pile burns as a
proxy for high severity wildfire impacts on soil microbiomes. Manuscript in preparation for submission to Forest Ecology and
Management. PDF available upon request.
[3] VanderRoest, J.P., Fowler, J.A., Roth, H.K., Broeckling, C.D., Fegel, T.S., McKenna, A.M., Bechtold, E.K., Boot, CM..,
Rhoades, C., Wilkins, M., & Borch, T. Fire Impacts on Soil Organic Matter and Metabolome: Implications for Microbial
Metabolism. Manuscript in preparation for submission to Environmental Science and Technology. PDF available upon request.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
[1] VanderRoest, J., McKenna, A., Roth, H., Broekling, C., Fowler, J., Fegel, T., Rhoades, C., Boot, C., Wilkins, M., & Borch,
T. (2023, April). Fire Impacts on Soil Organic Matter Composition and Microbial Metabolism: A Fourier Transform Mass
Spectrometry Approach. Poster presentation at North American FT MS Conference, Key West, FL, USA.
[2] Fowler, J.A., Nelson, A., Bechtold, E., Wettengel, A., Fegel, T., Rhoades, C., Anderson, E., & Wilkins, M. (2023, April).
The use of proxies for studying soil microbiome disturbances - how well do pile burns simulate high severity forest wildfires?
Lightning talk presented at the Colorado State University Front Range Microbiome Symposium in Fort Collins, CO, USA.
[3] Fowler, J.A., Nelson, A., Bechtold, E., Wettengel, A., Fegel, T., Rhoades, C., Anderson, E., & Wilkins, M. (2023, April).
The use of proxies for studying soil microbiome disturbances - how well do pile burns simulate high severity forest wildfires?
Poster presented at the University of Colorado Boulder Rocky Mountain Geobiology Symposium in Boulders, CO, USA.
[4] Fowler, J.A., Nelson, A., Bechtold, E., Wettengel, A., Fegel, T., Rhoades, C., Anderson, E., & Wilkins, M. (2023, April).
The use of proxies for studying soil microbiome disturbances - how well do pile burns simulate high severity forest wildfires?
Poster presented at the Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences Graduate Student Research Showcase in Fort
Collins, CO, USA.
[5] Fowler, J., Wang, S., Drijber, R.A., Herr, J.R., Twidwell, D., Hiller, J.T., Yue, P., Mazis, A., & Awada, T. (2020, August).
Juniperus virginiana encroachment into Nebraska grasslands alters soil properties and microbial community with implications
for invasion management in the Great Plains. Virtual talk at the Ecological Society of America 2020 Annual Meeting, Online.
[6] Wszola, L. S., Hogan, K. F. E., Khan, M., Fowler, J. A., Barnes, C. D., Castillo, J., Fill, C. T., Johnson, J. E., Kirsch, B. A.,
Ludwig, A. K, Rico, D. A., Allen, C. R., & Twidwell, D. (2019, September). Resilience converges. Poster presented at the
National Science Foundation’s 2019 NRT Annual Meeting, Evanston, IL, USA.
[7] Fowler, J., Drijber, R., Awada, T. (2018, December). Eastern Redcedar Invasion and Management in Grasslands May Have
Long-Term Impacts for Soil Health and Resilience. Poster presented at the Nebraska Prescribed Fire Conference in Kearney,
NE, USA.
[8] Fowler, J., Bell, K.L., Burgess, K.S., Dobbs, E.K., Gruenewald, D., Lawley, B., Morozumi, C., and Brosi, B.J. (2017,
November). Applying Pollen DNA Metabarcoding to the Study of Plant–Pollinator Interactions. Poster presented at the
International Barcode of Life (iBOL) conference in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Abstract published in Genome, 60(11).
[9] Fowler, J., Bell, K.L., Lawley, B., and Berry, B.J. (2016, August). Utilizing Pollen DNA Metabarcoding for Reconstructing
Pollinator Networks in Forests Managed for Biofuel Production. Poster presented at the Summer Undergraduate Research
Experience (SURE) poster symposium in Atlanta, GA, USA.
GUEST TALKS
[1] Visiting students from Colorado College’s course GS233 Topics in Journalism: Reporting on Wildfires to CSU in August
2023, talk on “Wildfire Impacts on Soil Microbiomes in the First Days, Weeks, and Months Post-Burn” as part of NSF grant
“Role of Soil Microbiome Resilience in Ecosystem Recovery Following Severe Wildfire”
[2] Soil Microbiology course at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May 2023, talk on “Necessary disturbances: Interactions
between vegetation, soil properties, and soil microbiomes through a case study with eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) in
the grasslands of Nebraska & management through prescribed burns”
[3] Soil Microbiology course at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May 2022, talk on “Necessary disturbances: Interactions
between vegetation, soil properties, and soil microbiomes through a case study with eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) in
the grasslands of Nebraska & management through prescribed burns”
ONLINE EDUCATION MODULES
[1] Fogarty, D., Barnes, C.D., Fowler, J.A., Hogan, K.F.E., Johnson, J.E., Ludwig, A.K., Twidwell, D. 2020. Scale. Plant and
Soil Science eLibrary: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/ab491bda9f88.
[2] Johnson, J.E., Barnes, C.D., Fogarty, D., Fowler, J.A., Hogan, K.F.E., Ludwig, A.K., Twidwell, D. 2020. Heterogeneity.
Plant and Soil Science eLibrary: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/693436a85575.
[3] Hogan, K.F.E., Barnes, C.D., Fogarty, D., Fowler, J.A., Johnson, J.E., Ludwig, A.K., Twidwell, D. 2020. Adaptive Cycle.
Plant and Soil Science eLibrary: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/b4790b02d93e.
[4] Barnes, C.D., Fogarty, D., Fowler, J.A., Hogan, K.F.E., Johnson, J.E., Ludwig, A.K., Twidwell, D. 2020. Panarchy. Plant
and Soil Science eLibrary: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/2e6e3c012632.
[5] Ludwig, A.K., Barnes, C.D., Fogarty, D., Fowler, J.A., Hogan, K.F.E., Johnson, J.E., Twidwell, D. 2019. Ecological
Resilience. Plant and Soil Science eLibrary: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/d6c3e24cbc7e.
[6] Fowler, J.A., Barnes, C.D., Fogarty, D., Hogan, K.F.E., Johnson, J.E., Ludwig, A.K., Twidwell, D. 2019. Alternative Stable
State Theory and Regime Shifts. Plant and Soil Science eLibrary: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/bcbd3f35f2e0.
MENTORSHIP AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Council For Resilience Education (CRE), University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska
Former President and Founding Member November 2018 – March 2023
Advisor: Dr. Dirac Twidwell
• Created as an organization online modules aimed at teaching the principles of ecological resilience to undergraduate
students and land managers on the UNL Plant and Soil Science eLibrary platform; six currently published
• Aided in developing other methods of communication including in-class teaching aids and a library of real-world examples
and case studies designed to integrate complex concepts with current local and global issues
• Co-hosting a podcast, “What the Heck is Resilience, Anyway?”, on the topic of ecological resilience with interviews
featuring prominent resilience scholars, available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and SoundCloud
• Managed a large team of cross-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate students through the coordination of multiple
project teams, biweekly meetings, and full work days
• Worked with partners in the School of Natural Resources, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Center for Great
Plains Studies, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, The Nature Conservancy Nebraska, and beyond
• Written about in the Big Ten Network LiveBIG and the Daily Nebraskan media outlets
• Helped to procure over eight hundred dollars in grant money to be used for podcast development and recruitment events
• Designing a model that is sustainable at UNL and can be recreated at other universities
PlantingScience – Master Plant Science Team, ESA Sponsored Online
Mentor and Liaison September 2018 – May 2021
• Oversaw online classes of high school science students as they learned about botany and genetics by devising experiments
• Acted as liaison between students and their mentors who are scientists at the graduate student to postdoctoral researcher
level
• Monitored message boards for appropriate content, suggested references, and steped into the mentor role when scientists are
unavailable

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Dr. Mike Wilkins’ Laboratory, Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado
PhD Student January 2022 – Present
• Conducting field work (soil sampling, vegetation surveys) on forested ecosystems impacted by high severity wildfires and
the interactions of pine beetle kills and clear cutting
• Aiding in the creation and study of “pryocosms” to perform high-resolution metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to
complement FTICR-MS and other mass spectrometry methods to further illucidate methods of pyrogenic carbon
degradation immediately post-burn in high-severity wildfire impacted soils
• Collaborating extensively with the Rocky Mountain Research Station branch of the United States Forest Service under Dr.
Charles Rhoades
• Learning and utilizing methods including 16S/ITS amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, and metatranscriptomics
Drs. Tala Awada and Rhae Drijber’s Laboratories, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska
Masters Student August 2018 – December 2021
• Worked to collect, process, and analyze data for my thesis relating eastern redcedar encroachment and invasion and
subsequent management to belowground processes, both chemical and biological
• Managed a small crew for two field excursions including travel logistics, in-field decision making, and soil sampling
• Contributed as a field assistant to another graduate student’s project on plant ecophysiology in the Nebraska National Forest
• Performed soil processing, soil moisture analysis, FAMEs analyses, and soil enzyme assays
• Oversaw and mentored undergraduate student performing DNA extractions and background literature review
Dr. Jim Rivers Laboratory, Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon
Research Assistant May 2018 – August 2018
• Worked with the Rivers Forest Animal Ecology laboratory under Dr. Sara Galbraith on a study assessing how native
pollinator communities within managed forests in the Coast Range mountains are influenced by stand age and management
• Collected pollinators through netting, blue vane, and pan trapping as well as conducted floral composition surveys
• Gained experience with data collection and recording, navigation of forestry roads, identification of local Oregon flora to
species, and hymenoptera identification to species using dichotomous keys
Dr. Berry Brosi Laboratory, Emory University Atlanta, Georgia
Undergraduate Research Assistant June 2015 – August 2016, January 2018 – May 2018
• Contributed to a DNA metabarcoding study reconstructing plant-pollinator networks with applications in forensics
• Participated in both the Army Educational Outreach Program's Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP)
and Emory University's Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program
• Performed DNA isolations and PCR amplifications to prepare samples for sequencing and conducted field work collecting
pollen samples in Atlanta, including at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Lullwater Preserve
Dr. Lauren Ponisio Laboratory, University of California, Riverside Riverside, California
Field Technician and Junior Specialist June 2017 – August 2017
• Collected pollinators for network interaction and phylogeny studies in Arizona and New Mexico
• Caught pollinators using nets, pan traps, trap nests, and vane traps in the high elevation meadows of this ecosystem
• Camped for multi-day periods, carried heavy equipment and packs in high elevations to our sites

GRANTS, AWARDS, AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Awards: Third place poster presentation in the College’s Best Overall category at CSU’s 2023 College of Agricultural
Sciences Graduate Student Research Showcase, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
(ASABE) 2020 Annual International Meeting Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Award (awarded to all of CRE),
UNL School of Natural Resources Masters Meritorious Graduate Student Award 2020, Metabarcoding and
Metagenomics Award for Best Poster Presentation at iBOL 2017
Grants: ESA 2020 Registration Waiver (due to PlantingScience volunteering), Lester Conference Travel Grant (Emory
University)
Reviews: Forests, Environmental Science & Technology
Workshops: Access and Work with NEON Data (December 2020, Online), NRT Annual Meeting (September 2019,
Northwestern), AGU SharingScience Workshop (September 2019, University of Montana)
Memberships: Resilience Alliance (Resilience Alliance Young Scholars (RAYS), RAYS Representative on the Board of
Directors 2021-2022), Soil Science Society of America, The Geological Society of America
Skills: Lab Work (DNA extractions & quantification, FAMEs, soil enzyme assays), Computational Work (Processing
of 16S/ITS data, downstream data visualizations and statistical analyses), Field Work (pollination ecology, soil
science, vegetation surveys, basic forestry metrics), R (intermediate), Git/GitHub (beginner), Command Line
(beginner), Slurm, Audio Recording/Editing (podcasting, Adobe Audition), Adobe Illustrator
Interests: Soil Microbial Ecology, Biogeochemical Cycles, Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics, Woody
Encroachment, Soil Science, Fire Ecology, Ecological Resilience, Regime Shifts, Science Communication,
Podcasting