Alison Olcott

Research Interests:

For my Ph.D., my research focus is on the Proterozoic.  My dissertation, done under the auspices of Frank Corsetti at the University of Southern California and Alex Sessions at  Caltech, is a biomarker study designed to investigate the state of the biosphere during the so-called Snowball Earth, a period of Earth's history when much of the planet was hypothesized to be frozen under ice.  I've also analyzed the distribution of stromatolites through the Proterozoic, worked on method development for analysis of carbonate-associated sulfate, and am always poking around for other projects, as the Proterozoic is full of lots of interesting things to investigate, and biomarker analysis is a very powerful tool for understanding the interplay between organisms and the environment.    

Education:

Ph.D. Geology  (expected 06/2006) , University of Southern California (adviser: Frank Corsetti)

Biomarkers of a Neoproterozoic Low-Latitude Glaciation

B.S. Geology (06/1999), University of Chicago (adviser: Mike Foote)
           
            Department and University Honors
            The Rise and Fall of the Inarticulate Brachiopoda: A Look at Evolutionary Trends Through Time.

High School (06/1995),  Phillips Exeter Academy

Awards and Honors:

2005-2006                   Final Year Fellowship, USC
2003                            Department Teaching Assistant Award for Introductory Biology, USC
2003                            NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention
2001-2003                  Provost Fellow, USC
2001-2003                  Women in Science and Engineering Award, USC
2001                            Keck Fellowship, USC
1995-1999                  National Merit Scholar, University of Chicago

Teaching and Research Experience:

Agouron/USC Wrigley Institute International Geobiology Course
Teaching Assistant: Summers 2003, 2004, 2005

32^nd Street High School Exploratory Science Program
Teaching Assistant: March-June, 2004

USC Department of Biological Science
Teaching Assistant: 2003-2004
Bisc 300: Introduction to Microbiology
Bisc 221: Advanced General Biology

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History , Department of Paleobiology
Intern/Contractor , 1999-2001
Supervisor: Dr. Richard Benson
Activities: vertebrate paleontological specimen preparation and exhibit creation, curator of  DSDP deep-ocean ostracode collection

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History , Hands on Science Center
Staff/Supervisor, February 2000-January 2001
Activities: Teach children and adults about science through a series of experiments; supervise a staff of ten to fifteen; help create new science experiments for the public

University of Chicago Department of Biological Science
Teaching Assistant, March-June, 1999
Planned and taught supplementary course on scientific writing for introductory biology course

Publications:

Olcott, A.N., Sessions, A.L., Corsetti, F.A., Kaufman, A.J., de Oliviera, T.F., in press, Biomarker evidence for photosynthesis during Neoproterozoic Glaciation: Science

Corsetti, F.A., Olcott, A.N., and Bakermans, C., in revision, The biotic response to Neoproterozoic snowball Earth: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.

Ricardo, A., Carrigan, M.A., Olcott, A.N. and Benner , S.A. , 2004. Borate minerals stabilize ribose. Science, 303(5655): 196.

Abstracts: (* poster)

Olcott, A.N., Corsetti, F.A., Sessions, A.L., Kaufman, A.J., 2005. Biomarkers of a Neoproterozoic Glaciation,  Geological Society of America, 2005 Annual Meeting.

Olcott, A.N., Corsetti, F.A., Sessions, A.L., 2005. Biomarkers of a Neoproterozoic Glaciation, Earth System Processes II, 2005.

Olcott, A.N., Corsetti, F.A., Sessions, A.L., 2005. Biomarkers of a Snowball Earth, Southern California Geobiology symposium. (invited speaker)

*Olcott, A.N., Lorentz, N.J., Corsetti, F.A., Berelson, W.M., 2004. Reevaluation gravimetric determination of carbonate associated sulfate concentrations, Geological Society of America, 2004 Annual Meeting. 

*Olcott, A.N., Benner, S.A., Ricardo, A., and Carrigan, M.A., 2004. Borate minerals stabilize ribose.  Southern California Geobiology symposium.

*Olcott, A.N., Corsetti, F.A. and Awramik, S.M., 2002. A new look at stromatolite form diversity. Geological Society of America, 2002 Annual Meeting.