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School of Environment and Natural Resources

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Clark's Graduate Defense Seminar

Apr 8, 2014, 10:15am - 11:15am

 

Kylienne Clark, MS student in Ecosystem Science, will present Diverse Applications of Magnetotactic Bacteria at 10:15 a.m. in 370 Kottman Hall.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) compose a diverse group of aquatic microorganisms that, due to the presence of intracellular, nano-sized magnets, have the ability to navigate to growth favorable conditions using Earth’s geomagnetic field.  The unique characteristics of MTB and their small magnets have gained growing interest in a diverse set of research fields including evolutionary biology, biogeochemistry, and nanotechnology.  These diverse uses of MTB can make them valuable tools for applied sciences within the classroom.  However, with the amount of imagined applications continuing to expand, innovations within MTB genetics, engineering, and culturing are imperative to the continued success of MTB utilization.