Dr. Hazel Barton

Title: Associate Professor
Department: Biology
Office: ASEC West Tower 178
Phone: 330-972-2518
Fax: 330-972-6077
Email: bartonh@uakron.edu

Biography

Hazel A. Barton is an associate professor of microbiology and geology at University of Akron and co-star (with Nancy Holler Aulenbach) of the 2001 IMAX film Journey Into Amazing Caves (narrated by Liam Neeson). She has made appearances on several television shows including the CBS Early Show in 2007 when she was featured by Phil Koeghan as a "Koeghan Hero." In December of 2006, Barton was featured on Animal Planet's The Real Lost World. Appearances feature Barton's research involving caves and the microbial life that inhabit these harsh environments. She has published numerous publications on cave research and extremophile bacteria and co-authored with Nancy Holler Aulenbach the children's book Exploring Caves: Journeys into the Earth ^[1] , based on their 2001 film. She has also been featured in the children's book Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places (Scientist in the Field) by Donna M. Jackson.

Research Accomplishments

Primary publications

• Bullen HA, Oehrle SA, Bennett AF, Taylor NM, Barton HA (July 2008), "Use of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to identify microbial metabolic products on carbonate mineral surfaces", Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74 (14): 4553–9, doi:10.1128/AEM.02936-07, PMC 2493160, PMID 18502924.
• Spear JR, Barton HA, Robertson CE, Francis CA, Pace NR (October 2007), "Microbial community biofabrics in a geothermal mine adit", Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73 (19): 6172–80,doi:10.1128/AEM.00393-07, PMC 2075011, PMID 17693567.
• Barton, H.A.; Luiszer, F. (2005), "Microbial metabolic structure in a sulfidic cave hot spring: potential mechanisms of biospeleogenesis.", Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 67 (1): 28–38, retrieved 2009-04-10
• Barton HA, Taylor NM, Lubbers BR, Pemberton AC (July 2006), "DNA extraction from low-biomass carbonate rock: an improved method with reduced contamination and the low-biomass contaminant database", J. Microbiol. Methods 66 (1): 21–31, doi:10.1016/j.mimet.2005.10.005, PMID 16305811.

Reviews

• Barton, H.A.; Spear, J.R.; Pace, N.R. (2001), "Microbial life in the underworld: Biogenicity in secondary mineral formations", Geomicrobiology Journal 18 (3): 359–368,doi:10.1080/01490450152467840, retrieved 2009-04-10
• Barton, H.A. (2006), "Introduction to cave microbiology: a review for the non-specialist", Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 68 (2): 43–54, retrieved 2009-04-10
• Barton, H.A.; Northup, D.E. (2007), "Geomicrobiology in cave environments: past, current and future perspectives", Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 69 (1): 163–178, retrieved 2009-04-10
• Barton, H.A.; Jurado, V. (2007), "What's Up Down There? Microbial Diversity in Caves", Microbe-American Society for Microbiology 2 (3): 132, retrieved 2009-04-10