Center for Biofilm Engineering News Update: April 20,1999 Volume 2, Issue 4   __________________________________________   What's New Dr. Somkiet Techkanjaruk, a post-doc working with Dr. Gill Geesey under support from the NABIR Program of the Department of Energy has successfully genetically engineered the sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, to constitutively express green fluorescent protein, making it possible to detect individual cells of this strain and follow non-destructively, in real time, their growth and associations with other bacterial populations in biofilms. Somkiet has also developed a fluorescent oligonucleotide probe that reports the synthesis of mRNA for the dissimilatory sulfite reductase enzyme in individual cells of D. desulfuricans. These molecular tools should offer new opportunities to evaluate the role of sulfur-reducing bacteria in corrosion reactions on metal surfaces. Ace Baty, a Microbiology Ph.D. candidate working with Dr. Gill Geesey, through funding provided by the Biological Oceanography Program of NSF, has developed a bioreactor that permits the quantitative evaluation of bacterial detachment from biofilms. Ace's results to date reveal that in low nutrient environments, cells growing on surfaces contribute the vast majority of cells suspended in the bulk aqueous phase. Ace's data also demonstrates the relationship between the growth rate of cells on a surface and the rate of cell detachment. Dr. Marty Hamilton, visited the Antimicrobials Division (AD), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), EPA, in Crystal City, VA, March 29-30, and presented a talk on "Testing Antimicrobials Against Biofilm Bacteria" at the monthly AD/OPP seminar. The presentation contained general information about biofilm systems and the CBE strategy for creating standard laboratory test methods. Interest in biofilms is growing at the Antimicrobials Division, in part because some companies have submitted registration requests for products proposed for use against biofilm bacteria.      Under a contract between the CBE and the AD that commenced on March 1, Dr. Hamilton provides statistical support to the AD, and to the researchers it funds to develop standard test methodologies. During the visit, Dr. Hamilton attended a meeting of AD personnel and the team from the University of Ottawa that is developing a universal dried surface test. The University of Ottawa is supported by an EPA cooperative agreement. The test is called a "universal test" because many of the lab procedures will be the same whether one is testing antimicrobials against vegetative bacteria, spores, virus, mycobacteria, or fungi. It is a "dried surface test" because an inoculum of microorganisms is dried on a nonporous surface (glass or stainless steel) before being treated with a chemical disinfectant.      He also met separately with AD personnel to review the work plan for the statistical support contract. His first tasks are to evaluate the statistical aspects of various antimicrobial test methods of concern to the AD, provide statistical calculations related to performance standards (pass/fail criteria), and collaborate with the University of Ottawa on universal test research. He does not know at this time if biofilm test methods will be among the methods that he will review.      It is important to mention that the AD recently enhanced its Efficacy Evaluation Team within the Efficacy and Science Support Branch by hiring two experienced Ph.D. microbiologists. Because of the AD's increasing interest in biofilms and its investment in experienced, research-trained personnel, future AD/EPA support looks optimistic for the development of standard tests of antimicrobials against biofilm bacteria.   __________________________________________   Upcoming Events Biofilm Methods and Techniques Workshop. As with the past several meetings, we will be hosting a workshop on the Monday prior to the Technical Advisory Committee meeting (June 28). The workshop will focus on biofilm quantification methods and techniques and will cover reactor set-up and inoculation, operation of various reactor types, disinfection, biofilm quantification techniques, and discussions of the field relevancy of standard laboratory methods. The workshop is offered free of charge to Industrial Associates, but space is limited, so please indicate your interest in attending by contacting Betsey Pitts (betsey_p@erc.montana.edu or 406-994-7813) as soon as possible. If you have a specific topic of interest, please let us know and we'll try to cover it in the workshop as well. Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, June 29 - July 1, 1999. There will be a premeeting dinner at the GranTree Inn the night of the 28th. The CBE will mail out detailed TAC information within the next two weeks to invited guests. Biofilm 2000 Celebration, Big Sky, Montana - Summer 2000, dates to be announced   __________________________________________   Web Watch   Web Survey An email web survey will be coming your way in a few days. The CBE Web Team is redesigning and planning web pages and would like ideas from you to make the CBE web more useful.   Web-Based Project Management Program The increasing use of secure, Web-based forums for managing projects, exchanging communication, and sharing documents represents a rapidly changing technological paradigm in how we perform collaborative work. The CBE intends to position itself among the leaders that are driving this change by developing an online forum for individual project teams. We have been developing a WWW-based interface for project team collaboration called the "Project Center". This interactive Internet site will offer confidential and secure access to project information, databases, updates, and communication. Some key features that have been implemented include: automatic email notification of project updates, secure document archiving and data storage, project timelines, and access to basic project information (budget, abstract, team member names, etc.). The site is currently undergoing beta testing and will be available for demonstration at the upcoming TAC meeting in June. If you would like more information about this program, please contact Ryan Jordan (ryan_j@erc.montana.edu).   ERC Association Website You may have noticed that on the new ERC Association website, under the Industrial Forum, there's a site called the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) Members' Conference Room. This is a message board that will be restricted to use only by the industrial sponsors' representatives to the centers. Some of representatives have indicated a desire to communicate about matters of common interest across IABs.     The following procedure has been set up for industrial representatives to use in accessing the site. First, IAB members must register using a special form located at www.erc-assoc.org/iab-members1. Once they have registered, they can go to the erc-assoc.org website and, using the site map, navigate to the Industrial Forum. From there they can enter the Conference Room and use the message board, which is restricted to IAB registrants. Please! write down and save the name and password you select. ONLY IAB members can register.     __________________________________________   CBE People in Action Paul Sturman and Rick Veeh will be attending Consultant's Two Day Conference sponsored by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Tetra Tech EM Inc. The conference will be held at Fairmont Hot Springs (Anaconda, MT) on April 14-15. Rick will be presenting a poster, and both Paul and Rick will both address a session of the conference to talk about their recent work in assessing fate and transport of MTBE at a Montana LUST site. Becky Herigstad (Math/Statistics) Erin Karakas (Microbiology/PreDentistry), and Suet Nee Chen (Chemical Engineering) gave presentations at the Annual Undergraduate Scholars Conference, MSU-Bozeman, April 15, 1999. The titles of their talks respectively were: "Statistical analysis of the standard methods development for biofilm disinfection studies" by Becky Herigstad; "Standard methods development for biofilm disinfection studies" by Erin Karakas; and "Multiple Growth Kinetic of Pseudomonas aeruginosa," by Suet Nee Chen. Julie Eyre (M.S. candidate Environmental Engineering), Robin Gerlach (PhD candidate Environmental Engineering) and Dr. Al Cunningham (Environmental Engineering) will be presenting at the "In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium" in San Diego, April 19-22, 1999. Julie is presenting with Al and Ryan Jordan as co-authors, "Influence of Surfactant Producing Bacteria on Phenanthrene Removal from a Model Soil." Robin Gerlach will present with Al and Frank Caccavo Jr. as co-authors "Chromium Elimination with Microbially Reduced Iron - Redox-Reactive Biobarriers." Dr. Rob Sharp (Manhattan College) will present with Robin and Al as co-authors, "Bacterial Transport Issues Related To Subsurface Biobarriers." Alma Weightman, CBE Operations Manager, was invited to take part in site visits to the newly established National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers (ERC) at Clemson University, Virginia Institute of Technology-Polytechnic University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Hawaii, and Georgia Institute of Technology. The ERC consultancy team spent two days at each Center to provide technical assistance to the new Directors, faculty and staff, and to meet with key university administrators who anticipate interacting with the ERCs. The team also included Marianne Risley, Administrative Director of the Center for Emerging Cardiovascular Technologies at Duke University, Sue Lewis, Executive Administrative Director of the Integrated Media Systems Center at University of Southern California, and Buz Smith, Budget & Finance Officer at the Center for Optoelectronic Computing Systems at the University of Colorado. They were joined by John Theis, of Quantum Research Corporation (QRC), a specialist in information management systems. The purpose of the ERC consultancy was to provide guidance in specific areas, such as Center administration and staff management, financial administration, strategic planning, industry relations, and community outreach. The team is additionally developing recommendations on how information gathering and NSF reporting can be improved, and will work with QRC to design a model data-base system for all centers to use. __________________________________________   Congratulations! Nick and Aida Zelver are the proud parents of a 7 lb, 7oz baby boy born on April 14, 1999. "Development" and "self sufficiency" will take on a new definitions and dimensions for the Zelver family. Congratulations and welcome, Marcos Zelver! Jeff Anderl, a CBE Undergraduate Research Fellowship student, and senior in Chemical Engineering, has been awarded a Whitaker Graduate Research Fellowship. The fellowship will provide three years of tuition, stipend, and expenses while Jeff pursues his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Washington. Jeff has also been awarded the MSU Sigma Xi Outstanding Undergraduate Research award. Jenny Thompson (M.S. candidate, Chemical Engineering) successfully defended her thesis entitled, Adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Polystyrene and Surface Modified Polystyrene with and without a Conditioning Layer, on Monday, March 29, 1999. Three students attending Montana State University-Bozeman have been awarded Barry Goldwater Scholarships, America's premier undergraduate science award. Amanda Cundy of Bozeman, and Lindsey Nussbaum and Jennifer Nyman, both of Great Falls, will each receive approximately $7,500 for either one or two years as recipients of the country's top undergraduate science scholarship. (Jennifer is a CBE Undergraduate Research Fellowship student, and a junior in Chemical Engineering) "This most recent success of our students in the Goldwater competition guarantees MSU's continued ranking at the top of this competition," said MSU President Michael Malone in reference to the 31 Goldwater Scholarships MSU students have received in 11 years of awarding the scholarships. MSU is among the top five institutions in the country for its number of Goldwater recipients. "It is a real testament to our students and the Honors Program, and it clearly shows students at MSU can compete with anyone in the country." Victoria O'Donnell, director of the MSU University Honors program and coordinator of MSU's applications, said the abundance of Goldwater recipients at MSU is a testimony to the university's professors, as well as the departments that have nurtured the students' excellence. This year, MSU students were among 304 winners selected from 1,181 applicants. The top sophomore and junior math and science students from 530 post-secondary institutions throughout the country were nominated for the award, according to foundation officials. The one and two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board of recipients, up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Congress established the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship program in 1986 to support outstanding students in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. __________________________________________   Research Programs Request State Support   The Montana University System (MUS) sponsored a university research informational reception for State Legislators on April 6, 1999, in Helena, Montana. The MUS requested from the Legislature $9 million per year to match federal awards and support research programs at the various campuses. University research groups participated in a poster session, particularly emphasizing the importance of research programs to the local economy and to Montana students. A Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE) group presented a display of Center-developed technologies which have been demonstrated successfully in Montana, including bioremediation and biobarriers. Anne Camper, Bill Costerton, Paul Sturman, and Alma Weightman, along with students Becky Herigstad, Judel Buls, and Amy Baty, met with over fifty state senators and representatives at the reception. The legislators showed a great interest in students' educational and research opportunities with the CBE. Several industry partners attended the reception with the CBE contingent. Bryan Warwood (BioSurface Technologies), Dave Desch (SterilSafe), and Randy Hiebert, Don Peoples, and Larry Brown (MSE Inc.) shared their experiences with applying CBE technologies, and explained the vital role the Center has played in the economic success of their companies. Though political decisions are yet to be made in response to the University System request, it was evident at this event that cutting-edge research is happening in Montana and that there is indeed a great impact for Montana students and the state's business community.     Environmental Tacklebox   The CBE is participating in an educational program for middle school children, called "Environmental Tacklebox." A national panel of teachers is working with Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) to produce a series of educational videos on new technologies. With a target audience of twelve and thirteen-year olds, the teachers thought that slimy biofilms would produce some great subject matter. David Davies, Wendy Cochran, and Alma Weightman have advised the LPB panel on the script, and will host a video team at the Center on April 26 and 27th. They will demonstrate examples of gooey biofilms from water distribution pipes and foods, and also highlight the microscopy and imaging facilities that the Center offers. In the video, David will talk about his research on cell-to-cell communication by biofilm bacteria, giving examples that the young audience can relate to. Wendy will present examples of biofilms microscopically, using the confocal scanning laser microscope and light microscopes. On a side-trip to Yellowstone National Park, the video team will capture biofilms in a natural setting, with a discussion by David on the importance of these bacterial communities to the park ecosystem and why we conduct research on them. The CBE plays a vital role in educational outreach through activities like this, since the LPB video series will be distributed to school districts nationwide. It will give kids a glimpse of exciting new subjects and get them thinking about topics they would never experience in a typical classroom. Teaching modules will be provided for teachers to answer questions and to encourage their student's interests in science and mathematics.