Center for Biofilm Engineering

News Update: 

June, 2005

Volume 8, Issue 6

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Research Highlights

Paper Spotlight by Phil Stewart

Biofilm causes abnormal fluid transport in porous media

Research collaborations between chemical engineer Joe Seymour, physicist Sarah Codd, graduate student Justin Gage, and environmental engineer Robin Gerlach investigate the effect of biofilms on flow in porous media. Water running through a groundwater aquifer or sand filter may carry enough nutrients to support the formation of a biofilm. When this happens, the biofilm can plug pores and alter the flow patterns and mixing behavior in the system. How can flow inside an opaque medium be imaged? This team has provided a beautiful answer to this question by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize microscale flow patterns. Their work shows that not only does fluid flow affect the shape of the biofilm; the biofilm can also profoundly affect the fluid flow around it.

Anomalous Fluid Transport in Porous Media Induced by Biofilm Growth
Seymour, J.D., J.P. Gage, S.L. Codd and R. Gerlach
Physical Review Letters 2004, 93:198103 (1-4)

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Medical Biofilm Laboratory is Making a Difference

The CBE’s Medical Biofilm Laboratory has been creating news because its work is leading to different treatments for patients at the Southwest Regional Wound Care Center in Lubbock, Texas, which treats up to 100 patients a day. CBE undergraduate, Ellen Swogger, has been featured for her contribution to this research in a recent MSU news story.

See the full story “Student-doctor Team Wages War on Wounds” at:
http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/HTML/2005/Swogger_MSUNews.htm

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Directorship Update

Phil Stewart gives an update on the status of the director search in his latest "Director's Message," at http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/director's%20message/

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2004–05 Annual Report

We are delighted to share this past year’s activities with you through our annual report, which documents our accomplishments in postcard pictures and text. You can find downloadable pdf versions of the full-color report with photos and the text-only format on the CBE home page: http://www.erc.montana.edu

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Upcoming Technical Advisory Conference

CBE Industrial Associates will be attending the summer conference, July 6–8. Non-member companies who would like an invitation to the meeting should contact Paul Sturman, paul_stu@erc.montana.edu. Invited speakers will be Dr. Pradeep Singh from the University of Iowa, Dr. Paul Stoodley from the Centers for Genomic Sciences Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, and Dr. Rodney Donlan from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Sessions include Alternative Control Strategies for Biofilm, Biofilm-Metal Interactions, Biofilm Methods, Biofilm Structure and Function, Medical Biofilms, and more.

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New Grant

Robin Gerlach was awarded an equipment grant totaling $ 313,000 through the Department of Defense’s University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). The grant is for an Environmental and Biofilm Mass Spectrometry Facility and will fund the acquisition of a state-of-the-art high performance liquid chromatograph equipped with an ion trap mass spectrometer and a gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector and flame ionization detector. Agilent Technologies has agreed to provide the CBE with a quadrupole mass spectrometer for the gas chromatograph for a one-year period, during which time the CBE will attempt to obtain additional funds to purchase the quadrupole mass spectrometer. Both instruments will be equipped with autosamplers capable of sampling 2 mL chromatography sample vials as well as 96-well plates (HPLC) or headspace vials (GC). Mass spectrometers are very well suited for unknown compound identification in environmental and biofilm research and will enhance CBE’s research capabilities significantly.

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Visiting Researchers

Jessica Levinson and Christopher Groth from Manhattan College in New York will be working with Al Cunningham and Robin Gerlach on the Zero Emissions Research & Technology (ZERT) project, “Biofilm Barriers for CO2 Sequestration,” until August 6, 2005. Jessica and Christopher are students of Rob Sharp at Manhattan College. Rob earned a Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the CBE in 1995.

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Introducing New Faces

Dr. Taimur Khan from Bangladesh will be working with Anne Camper’s group on drinking water/membrane research, initially starting his research on a Kodak biocides project — the immobilization of organic biocides onto surfaces. Taimur plans to be at the CBE for the next two years as an Assistant Research Professor.
 

Jeanne Olsen joined the administrative staff as Personnel Information Coordinator. She will be handling the administrative aspects of personnel issues and related paperwork from hiring through termination for faculty, staff, students and visiting researchers. She will also track and report on personnel-related data for the CBE. She has a B.S. degree from MSU in Biology, a couple years of campus administrative work experience, and a lot of enthusiasm about working at the Center.

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Education

CMBE Undergraduate Places Second

Ellen Swogger, an undergraduate student from the CBE's Medical Biofilm Laboratory, attended the Regional Conference for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers held at Oregon State University, April 22–23, 2005. Seven schools from across the Northwest sent students to this event to meet and interact with industry representatives. Ellen was one of fourteen presenters in the student research presentation competition, in which she was awarded second place and $200 for her presentation "Evaluation of Wound Biofilms." Congratulations Ellen!

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College of Engineering Awards

On May 4, 2005 Montana State University's College of Engineering announced their annual classified, professional and faculty awards for the academic year. Four CBE members received the following awards.

Outstanding Instructor Award
Joe Seymour, Assistant Professor, Chemical & Biological Engineering
Otto Stein, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering

Outstanding Professional Award
Tricia Cook, Fiscal Manager

Outstanding Researcher Award, CBE
Haluk Beyenal, Research Assistant Professor, Chemical & Biological Engineering

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Sabbatical to Study Biofilms

CBE collaborator Isaac Klapper, Department of Mathematical Sciences at MSU, will be on sabbatical for the 2005–2006 academic year. Klapper plans to travel to the University of North Carolina, Exeter University in the United Kingdom, and the University of Malmö in Sweden to work with scientists and mathematicians studying the modeling of biofilms.

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CBE People in Action

Anne Camper presented “Bacterial Pathogens in Drinking Water,” U.S. Army Research Office, Cashiers, NC, May 22–25, 2005.

Robin Gerlach presented “Biofilm-Based Technologies for Mixed-Waste Remediation – Influence of Biofilms, Minerals, and Organic Matter on the Fate of TNT, TCE, and Cr(VI),” U.S. Army Research Office, Cashiers, NC, May 22–25, 2005.

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Biofilm Education Resources

Upcoming CBE Workshops

“Biofilm Methods Workshop,” organized by the CBE in partnership with the Biofilm Institute at Montana State University, July 5, 2005 See the tentative agenda at:

http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/whats_new/sTAC05_Wrkshp.pdf

For more information about the Biofilm Methods Workshops go to http://www.erc.montana.edu/Ind-Col99-SW/Workshops/index.htm

“Biofilm Structure Quantification and Image Analysis,” sponsored by the CBE Structure-Function Research Group, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, July 21–22, 2005

“Microsensors: Manufacture and Applications,” sponsored by the CBE Structure-Function Research Group, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, August 8–12, 2005

“Bioelectrochemistry: Microbially Influenced Corrosion and Microbial Fuel Cells,” sponsored by the CBE Structure-Function Research Group, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, August 24–27, 2005

For more information on the workshops go to http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/research/workshops/default.htm

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Web Watch

BiofilmsOnline.com

See the BiofilmsOnline.com June issue at http://www.BiofilmsOnline.com.

Subscribe to the bi-weekly newsletter by registering at: http://www.biofilmsonline.com/cgi-bin/biofilmsonline/newsletter_signup.html

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Newsletter Listserve

The CBE News Update is a listserve newsletter. If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from the listserve, follow the directions at the following CBE website.

http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/subscribe.htm

An alternative to subscribing to the listserve is to view the CBE News Update on our web page at http://www.erc.montana.edu/Ind-Col99-SW/Current_Newsletter/default.htm. Newsletter archives can be found at http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/index.htm.

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