Linda Kohn wears many hats. She is president of the Mycological Society
of America and a professor of botany.
The latter job requires that she obtain funds for research, conduct research
and publish the results in various journals. She must also teach classes,
advise graduate students and attend to assorted administrative functions.
"I was an undirected university student," says Kohn. She studied at Cornell
University in New York.
"I was studying Russian history when I took a course called man and mushrooms.
Then I read a book called Mushrooms, Russia and History. It tied together
my interest in mushroom history and Russian lore. I began going out and collecting."
Kohn's interest grew. She began attending a professional association and
focused on a study of taxonomy. "I collected and identified mushrooms and
other fungi. As time went on, I began to study DNA methods to learn more about
fungal species."
One of Kohn's major projects has been working with canola growers in Canada
to study epidemics of populations and how various species evolved.
"I like this because I see the benefit of the research. I help with the
development of canola and soybean crops in eastern Canada. The work also helps
us to understand quarantine regulations and impacts on trade regulations.
It helps us answer the question, 'Should a product be allowed into Canada,
or should we keep it out?'"
Kohn's work has led to an interest in public policy. "I'd like to play
a higher role in Canada. There are so many issues. For example, if we import
logs from the forests in Siberia, are there fungi on those logs that will
threaten the forests in North America? Those are the kinds of policy issues
that mycologists can get involved in."
The highlight of Kohn's career was developing a method for fungal DNA fingerprinting.
"Our objective was to see whether we could identify unique DNA fingerprints
that would allow us to recognize an individual fungus," she says.
"We sampled canola fields, and we found that each genetic individual had
a unique fingerprint. It was a eureka moment! The rest is history. We've built
on this enormously. Now we know the North American origins of these fungi.
And we know that there are half a dozen major offender individuals that are
responsible for disease in canola."
Recently, Kohn has been collaborating with her husband (also a researcher)
to study the evolution of drug resistance in the yeast candida albicans, the
cause of most yeast infections in humans.
"This yeast has been a big scourge for anyone who is immuno-compromised.
It causes problems for anyone with AIDS or leukemia, as well as for people
taking chemotherapy, people getting organ transplants, or sick people who
need IV lines and catheters," says Kohn.
"We are tying together two areas -- evolutionary biology and medicine."
Kohn comments that as a researcher, she is expected to run her lab like
a small business. "I attract the research money I need to do my research.
I develop a budget. And basically I operate like an entrepreneur," she says.
"Mycology is enormous fun," says Kohn. "Mycology is still a frontier. I
have a network of colleagues all over the world. I have traveled widely to
places like the Canadian Arctic, New Zealand, Japan and Norway."
Kohn says that if you are interested in mycology, go out and collect fungi,
observe them, grow them, and hook up with your local professionals.
If you are interested in biology but haven't thought about mycology, Kohn
suggests that you do some reading about the role that fungi play in biotechnology
and genetics.
"And there are lots of science projects that you can do using fungi. Contact
your local university or a local company that is involved in research."
David W. Fischer is from Syracuse, New York. He describes his mycological
career as a hobby that went out of control. "I don't have the traditional
background," says Fischer. He started out as an amateur hobbyist trying to
identify specimens that he found.
"After a while, I found it necessary to go to college libraries to help
me with my identification. The more I pursued it, the more interested I became.
After a while, I [came] in contact with professional mycologists who helped
me a lot."
Fischer studies mushrooms in particular. Since he is primarily a writer,
he has written two books about mushroom collecting and mushroom identification
in North America.
Fischer enjoys the challenge. His particular interest is taxonomy -- the
classification and naming of fungi. "There are so many species that are not
yet described and which cannot be named. So it is still a field where there
is a lot of room left for research."
The stress for Fischer lies in the fact that he doesn't have a background
in biology. "The reality is, I entered this career through a back door. I
don't have a tenured position. I would enjoy working full time as a mycologist,
but that would be difficult for me to accomplish without the formal training."
Despite his lack of formal training, Fischer is recognized as an international
expert on mushroom taxonomy. He has been invited to lecture at universities
in the U.S. and Canada. "It is rewarding but humbling that I am invited to
lecture even though I lack the academic background," he says.
"The highlight of my career was being a faculty chair for a conference
despite my lack of a degree."
If you are interested in becoming a mycologist, Fischer advises that you
get a four-year degree in biology and then search carefully for a graduate
program.
Tom Volk is an associate professor who teaches mycology courses at the
University of Wisconsin in La Crosse. In addition to teaching, Volk conducts
research, supervises graduate students and attends to administrative functions.
He also presents workshops on mycology to various groups and organizations.
"A lot of people become interested in mycology because their parents took
them out mushroom hunting when they were children. That didn't happen to me.
I became interested in mycology at college when I took a course. The mushrooms
were very interesting, and I also realized I could get free food!"
Volk's interest increased when he realized the important ecological niche
that fungi play. "Mycological studies provide an opportunity to do something
important for the environment, " he explains.
After completing a bachelor's degree at Ohio University, Volk went on to
study at the graduate school in Wisconsin. He received a PhD in mycology.
After receiving his graduate degree, Volk accepted a research position
with the U.S. Department of Forestry. "I worked on wood, studying fungi that
were causing the trees to decay in the forest. I worked a lot with pathogens."
In his job in the research lab, Volk spent a lot of time peering into a
microscope and pouring through books trying to identify species of fungi that
someone had collected.
"Often, I couldn't find the fungi. It might turn out to be a new species
that isn't classified yet. There are about 70,000 species identified, and
we estimate that this is only about five percent of the total number of fungi
species."
Volk's work with the Department of Forestry required a lot of travel --
which he enjoys. "I was able to travel to exotic places. I went to Oregon
and Washington, the Mississippi River Delta near New Orleans, the east coast
of Maine, British Columbia, California -- even Israel and Puerto Rico."
After six and a half years, Volk left the research job to work at the University
of Wisconsin. "What I like about mycology is that every day is different.
Of course, that can also be stressful. But when I am researching, I never
know where a particular avenue will lead me. I am working on several research
projects now, including the study of morels [an edible fungus].
"I hope that I haven't hit the high point of my career yet, but so far,
my website is the project that has brought me the most attention. It contains
mycology information that interests many different levels of people. I hear
from grade school students, college students, professors and amateur mycologists
who are using the site as a resource."
If anyone is interested in becoming a professional mycologist, Volk recommends
joining a local mushroom society. "You can learn a lot from many amateur mycologists,"
he says.
"Plus you can find any number of online resources. Then when you get to
college, look for a college that offers mycology courses and take what is
available.
"It's a fun profession. I get to travel a lot and go hiking in the woods
in a lot of interesting places. And mycology lends itself to a lot of different
specializations. You can choose an area that interests you."