Ken Sweat
Lecturer, School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences
Arizona State University, West campus
4701 W. Thunderbird Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85306
Titles
- Senior Global Futures Scientist, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory
- Lecturer, School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
Biography
Ken G. Sweat has taught at the ASU’s west campus for the past eighteen years a diversity of courses in botany and general biology. As part of an NSF funded grant, Dr. Sweat and colleagues have developed several modules of a course based undergraduate research experience. The module Dr. Sweat teaches, Vegetative Remediation of Mine Sites, uses phytoremediation of metal contamination in soils to teach research skills to undergraduate science students. Dr. Sweat has also given talks to a wide range of audiences on the science and politics of anthropogenic climate change. Dr. Sweat’s dissertation research used lichens as monitors of metal air pollution in the greater Grand Canyon region and Maricopa County, Arizona. Before coming to west, Dr. Sweat worked as a natural resources consultant throughout the southwest, conducting survey work for endangered species including the desert tortoise, the San Joaquin Kit Fox, and the Mexican spotted owl.
Education
- PhD, Plant Biology, Arizona State University, 2010
- MS, Botany, Arizona State University, 1995
- BA, Biology/Mathematics, Claremont McKenna College, 1990
Expertise
Journal Articles
2018
Sweat, K. G., P. A. Marshall, J. L. Foltz-Sweat and J. E. Broatch. 2018. Developing a course-based research experience for undergraduates: The ASU West experience. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 47(2):36-43. DOI: 10.2181/036.047.0202. (link )
2016
Sweat, K. G., J. Broatch, C. Borror, K. Hagan and T. M. Cahill. 2016. Variability in capsaicinoid content and Scoville heat ratings of commercially grown Jalapeño, Habanero and Bhut Jolokia peppers. Food Chemistry 219(Nov):606-612. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.04.135. (link )
2013
Gremillion, P. T., E. Hermosillo, K. G. Sweat and J. V. Cizdziel. 2013. Variations in mercury concentration within and across lichen Xanthoparmelia spp. individuals: Implications for evaluating histories of contaminant loading and sampling design. Environmental Chemistry 10:395-402. DOI: 10.1071/EN13053. (link )
2011
Riddell, J., S. Jovan, P. E. Padgett and K. G. Sweat. 2011. Tracking lichen community composition changes due to declining air quality over the last century: The Nash legacy in southern California. Biblioheca Lichonogica 106:263-277. (link )
2010
Bates, S. T., T. H. Nash III, K. G. Sweat and F. Garcia-Pichel. 2010. Fungal communities of lichen-dominated biological soil crusts: Diversity, relative microbial biomass, and their relationship to disturbance and crust cover. Journal of Arid Environments 74(10):1192-1199. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2010.05.033. (link )
Sweat, K. G., P. T. Gremillion and T. H. Nash III. 2010. Mercury concentrations in the lichen Xanthoparmelia spp. in the greater Grand Canyon region of Arizona, USA.. Bibliotheca Lichenologica 105:93-102. (link )
2008
Marshall, P. A. and K. G. Sweat. 2008. Integrating mathematics into microbiology: Statistical analysis of Biolog community level phenotype profiling. Jiournal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 40(2):157-159. DOI: 10.2181/1533-6085-40.2.157. (link )
2004
Sweat, K. G., W. A. Iselin, S. T. Bates and T. H. Nash III. 2004. The lichens of Parashant National Monument, Arizona: A preliminary study. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 37(2):85-90. DOI: 10.2181/1533-6085(2004)037<0085:TLOPNM>2.0.CO;2. (link )
Posters
2010
Sweat, K. G., T. H. Nash III, P. Prapaipong and P. T. Gremillion. 2010. Geographic patterns and temporal trends of trace metal deposition using the lichen Xanthoparmelia in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Poster presented at the January 14, 2010 12th Annual Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Poster Symposium, Global Institute of Sustainability.
2009
Sweat, K. G., T. H. Nash III, P. Prapaipong and P. T. Gremillion. 2009. Geographic patterns in trace metal deposition using the lichen Xanthoparmelia in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Tempe, AZ. Poster presented at 11th Annual Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) Poster Symposium, January 15, 2009, Global Institute of Sustainability. (link )
2008
Sweat, K. G., T. H. Nash III, P. Prapaipong and P. T. Gremillion. 2008. Comparison of trace metal deposition in northern and central Arizona. Poster presented at 10 January 2008 CAP LTER 10th Annual Poster Symposium, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. (link )
Sweat, K. G., T. H. Nash III, P. Prapaipong and P. T. Gremillion. 2008. Geographic patterns of trace metal deposition using the lichen Xanthoparmelia in northern and central Arizona, USA. Poster presented at the 6th IAL Symposium and Annual ABLS Meeting, Pacific Grove, CA.
2007
Sweat, K. G., T. Zambo and T. H. Nash III. 2007. Geographic patterns of mercury deposition using Xanthoparmelia in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Poster presented at the January 10, 2007 CAP LTER Ninth Annual Poster Symposium, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.. (link )
Presentations
2008
Divakar, P. K., A. Crespo, F. Kauff, R. Del Prado, S. Perez-Ortega, G. Amo De Paz, Z. Ferencova, O. Blanco, A. Arguello, A. Millanes, M. C. Molina, M. P. Normore, M. A. Wedin, A. Aptroot, F. Bungartz, S. Calvelo, M. Candan, M. Cole, J. A. Elix, D. Ertz, B. Goffinet, A. Knight, J. Lendemer, L. Lindblom, R. Leucking, F. Lutzoni, J. Mattsson, M. I. Messuti, G. Perlmutter, V. J. Rico, T. Spribille, U. P. Steffen, K. G. Sweat, A. Thell, G. Thor, G. Urbanavichus and T. Lumbsch. 2008. New systematics and generic circumscription or parmelioid lichens inferred from multigene analysis provided by PARSYS-08. Presentation at the 6th IAL Symposium and Annual ABLS Meeting, Pacific Grove, CA.
2007
Sweat, K. G., T. H. Nash III, P. Prapaipong and P. T. Gremillion. 2007. Comparison of trace metal deposition in northern and central Arizona. Presentation at the American Bryological and Lichenological Society Annual Meeting, Xalapa, Mexico.
Thesis (PhD)
2010
Sweat, K. G. 2010. Biomonitoring of elemental atmospheric deposition with the lichen Xanthoparmelia spp. In Arizona, USA. PhD dissertation. Arizona State University. (link )