The Environmental Microbiology Lab at UMR!

Dr. Cynthia Henny, Post-Doctoral Fellow
John Macauley, and Michelle von Arb, Master Degree students

The main goal of Cynthia, John, and Michelle's work on the concentrated animal feed operation (CAFO) project is to study the microbial populations and how they function within anaerobic swine waste lagoons. Cynthia has focused her research on the physical and chemical characteristics that exist in functional vs. non-functional lagoon ecosystems as well as indicators of microbial activity such as methane production and hydrogen concentrations. Michelle and John are studying the microbial populations using traditional culture methods as well as extracting and amplifying genes to generate DGGE images and clone libraries. We are also analyzing how various impacts affect the anaerobic metabolism in these ecosystems.
This work is being done in collaboration with Drs. Craig Adams and Joel Burken, Environmental Research Center, UMR.

Pedro Dimitriu, Master Degree student
Alexis Takir and Amber Stratman (Truman State University) undergraduate students
Pedro is studying the microbial ecology of Soap Lake, a saline alkaline environment. This is a unique and very interesting environment. He is analyzing the anaerobic community by using most probable number assays for methanogenic, sulfate-reducing, and fermentative bacteria. Pedro has also isolated halo-alkaliphilic bacteria capable of degrading lignin monomers.
This work is being done in collaboration with Dr. Holly Pinkart, Department of Biological Sciences, Central Washington University and Dr. Brent Peyton, Center for Multiphase Environmental Research, Washington State University.
Please visit our Microbial Observatory at Soap Lake web-site.

Angela Jones, Master Degree student
Caves are considered a possible analog for some Martian environments. Additionally, here in the Ozarks, there are numerous karst systems. Karst systems occur when limestone, dolomite, or gypsum dissolves, forming sinkholes and caves. Angela is characterizing bacteria that were isolated from samples taken from a former spelunking undergraduate student in the lab, Amy McCann.

Michelle Biesen, Former undergraduate student
Michelle characterized a bacterium that was retrieved from a 97,000 year old crystal and demonstrated that it is different from other commonly known Halobacteria. Click here to see a cool movie showing these bacteria moving inside a fluid inclusion, caught by my colleagues, Dr. Michael Storrie-Lombardi, currently of Kinohi Institute, and Rho Bhartia NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Be warned, this is a large download!
Michelle also prepared enrichment cultures to establish cultures from acidic saline lakes. This work is being done in collaboration with Dr. Kathleen C. Benison, Department of Geology, Central Michigan University andDr. Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe, Department of Geology and Geophysics, UMR.
Michelle was supported as a participant of the Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program at UMR.

Previously, as an undergraduate student, John Macauley studied the potential anaerobic biodegradability of gasoline oxygenates, including MTBE, by bacteria in Mississippi River sediments.
John was supported as a participant of the Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program at UMR.

Mike Richards and Mark Ebel, undergraduate students, prepared most probable number assays to determine the number of methanogenic, sulfate-, and nitrate-reducing bacteria present in hydrocarbon-contaminated soils in vadose (unsaturated soils) zone systems.
This work is being done in collaboration with Dr. Estella Atekwana, Department of Geology and Geophysics, UMR.

If you are interested in working with this great group of people, please contact me!