Kelsey Murray is a PhD candidate and adjunct professor at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. She is also the owner of the consulting firm Crossover Biomedicals. Her study found new testing methods to assess the public health risk from fecal contaminated waters by singling out and testing for genes associated with harmful forms of E. coli, including Shiga-toxigenic E. coli (STEC).
Murray’s research included over 1000 DNA extractions from bacteria in water samples taken out of Rapid Creek and the Big Sioux River over a two-year period.