Joyce McBeth
Research interests
- Geomicrobiology
- Microbe-mineral interactions
- Environmental microbiology
- Metal biogeochemistry
- Mine waste geochemistry
- Synchrotron techniques
Expertise and areas of study
Dr Joyce McBeth’s expertise is in microbial interactions with the geosphere including metal(loid) and hydrocarbon contaminant remediation and metal transformations mediated by microbes in mine wastes. Her current research includes studies of microbes in mine tailings and ores and wastewater treatment systems and synchrotron approaches applied to mine-related remediation.
Prior to joining the University of Regina, Dr. McBeth was an Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan (2015-2020), a Research Scientist at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron (2012-2015), and a Postdoctoral Researcher at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (2008-2012).
Courses taught
Undergraduate:
Geol 102 – Environmental Geology (Fall 2022, Fall 2021)
Geol 429 - Glacial Geology (Winter 2022)
Geol 201 – Internal Processes of the Earth (Fall 2021, Winter 2021)
Graduate:
Geol 880AG Advanced Geomicrobiology (Winter 2021)
I taught the following courses in my previous appointment (prior to my arrival at the University of Regina in summer 2020). I will likely develop University of Regina courses along these lines too, and teach them providing there is enough interest. Students: let me know if these look interesting to you! – Dr McBeth
Introduction to Geomicrobiology: Exploration of the role of microbes in geochemical and mineral transformations in natural environments and in engineered environments such as mine tailings and contaminated sites. Strong emphasis on environmentally-important microbial metabolic guilds and exploring the relationship of these guilds to biogeochemical cycles. Topics will include microbial diversity, microbial metabolism, cell surface reactivity and metal sorption, biomineralization, biosignatures, and culture-dependent and independent techniques in geomicrobiology.
Introduction to Organic Geochemistry: This course will provide students with an understanding of theory, practice and methods in organic geochemistry. The course will focus on the origin and distribution of organic matter in the environment, and its fate in natural and engineered environments. Topics will include carbon biogeochemistry, origin and characteristics of natural organic matter, organic matter in the rock record, molecular biomarkers, evolution of organic compounds in petroleum and contaminated sites, and analytical tools. Course content will centre around applications of organic chemistry in the study of earth history, economic geology, and natural and contaminated environments.
Graduate courses: Advanced Geomicrobiology, Advanced Organic Geochemistry. I run readings courses on these topics that include weekly journal club style presentations from the class participants to practice critical thinking and presentations skills, and a proposal assignment where we work to improve students' iterative writing skills. This course is a remote-learning inter-institutional offering with students participating at URegina and USask. In addition to students taking the course for credit, I have had several students officially or casually auditing this course. Suitable for graduate students in geology, biology, or environmental engineering programs.
Selected recent publications:
(For my citation metrics please visit http://www.researcherid.com/rid/A-7454-2008 or http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IiLFNNkAAAAJ&hl=en)
Saurette EM, Frinfrock YZ, Verbuyst B, Blowes DW, McBeth JM, Ptacek CJ. (accepted 9 July 2022) High Improved precision in As speciation analysis with HERFD-XANES at the As K-edge: The case of As speciation in mine waste. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation.
Parigi R, Pakostova E, Reid JW, Saurette EM, McBeth JM, Ptacek CJ, Blowes DW. (Accepted June 2022) Nickel isotope fractionation as an Indicator of Ni sulfide precipitation associated with microbially mediated sulfate reduction. Environmental Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c00523
Skierszkan E, Dockrey J, Helsen J, Findlater L-L, Bataille C, de Laplante G, McBeth JM, Mayer KU, Beckie, R (2021) Persistence of uranium in old and cold subpermafrost groundwater indicated by linking 234U-234U-234U, groundwater ages, and hydrogeochemistry. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. 5(12): 3474-3487. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00307
Skierszkan EK, Dockrey JW, Mayer KU, Bondici V, McBeth JM, Beckie RD. (2020) Geochemical controls on uranium mobility in neutral-rock drainage during weathering of granitic and metamorphic rock. Minerals. 10(12): 1104. https://doi.org/10.3390/min10121104
Dangeti SR+, McBeth JM, Roshani B, Vyskocil JM+, Rindall B, Chang W. (2020). Microbial communities and biogenic Mn-oxides in an on-site biofiltration system for cold Fe-(II)- and Mn(II)-rich groundwater treatment. Science of the Total Environment. 710: 136386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136386
Mori JF, Chen L-X, Jessen GL, Rudderham SB+, McBeth JM, Lindsay MBJ, Slater GF, Banfield JF, Warren LA. (2019) Putative Mixotrophic Nitrifying-Denitrifying Gammaproteobacteria Implicated in Nitrogen Cycling Within the Ammonia/Oxygen Transition Zone of an Oil Sands Pit Lake. Frontiers in Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02435
Dangeti SR+, Roshani B, Rindall B, McBeth JM, Chang W. (2017) Biofiltration field study for cold Fe(II)- and Mn(II)-rich groundwater: accelerated Mn(II) removal kinetics and cold-adapted Mn(II)-oxidizing microbial populations. Water Quality Research Journal. 52: 229-242. https://doi.org/10.2166/wqrj.2017.006
Christensen JR, McBeth JM, Sylvain NJ, Spence J, Chan HM (2017) Hartnell’s Time Machine: 170-year-old nails reveal severe zinc deficiency played a greater role than lead in the demise of the Franklin Expedition. Journal of Archaeological Sciences Reports. 16: 430-440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.11.042
McBeth JM & Emerson D. (2016) In Situ Microbial Community Succession on Mild Steel in Estuarine and Marine Environments: Exploring the Role of Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria. Frontiers in Microbiology. 7:767. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00767
Adhikari D, Poulson SR, Sumaila S+, Dynes JJ, McBeth JM, Yu Yang Y. (2016) Asynchronous reductive release of iron and organic carbon from hematite-humic acid complexes. Chemical Geology. 430: 13-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.03.013
Zhao Q, Poulson SR, Obrist D, Sumaila S+, Dynes JJ, McBeth JM, & Yang Y. (2016). Iron-Bound Organic Carbon in Forest Soils: Quantification and Characterization. Biogeosciences Discussions. 2016:1-27. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2015-587
Lee JS, McBeth JM, Ray RI, Little BJ, & Emerson D (2013) Iron cycling at corroding surfaces of carbon steel. Biofouling. 29(10): 1243-1252. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927014.2013.836184
McBeth JM, Fleming EJ, & Emerson D (2013) The transition from freshwater to marine iron-oxidizing bacterial lineages along a salinity gradient on the Sheepscot River, Maine USA. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 5(3):453-463. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12033
Handley KM, Boothman C, McBeth JM, Charnock JM, Wincott PL, Vaughan DJ, Polya DA, Lloyd JR (2013). Effect of microbially mediated iron redox transformations on arsenic solid-phase associations in a high-iron, arsenic-rich hydrothermal sediment. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.102: 124–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2012.10.024