Mary Beth Leigh is a graduate student with Dr. John Fletcher at the University of Oklahoma, where she earned an M.S. in Botany and is currently completing a PhD in Microbiology. Her research focuses on the rhizosphere and its potential to promote biodegradation of organic soil contaminants. With two Boren Fellowships from the National Security Education Program, she spent two years in the Czech Republic conducting field investigations of plants and microflora in PCB-contaminated sites. She was also the recipient of two EPA NNEMS Fellowships, and has worked for several summers at the EPA-ERL in Corvallis, OR, investigating root physiology and the effects of ozone on plant nitrogen cycling. Ms. Leigh has presented her work at 11 scientific meetings, including 5 conferences in Europe. She has been selected to participate in several special courses, including NASA’s Space Life Sciences Training Program and recently the E.U.- U.S. intensive course in environmental molecular biology in Madrid.

Email address: mleigh@ou.edu