Summary and talks/slides from Workshop on the Microbiome of the International Space Station

Just a quick post here that all the information (including slides and videos) from a really interesting CASIS sponsored workshop are online.  The topic relates to the most extreme built environment to date… the International Space Station.   The workshop was called “Exploring the Microbiome/Immunome and Disease on the International Space Station” and took place back …

New papers on Microbiology of the Built Environment, December 16, 2016

Microbes of old Microbiology Meets Archaeology: Soil Microbial Communities Reveal Different Human Activities at Archaic Monte Iato (Sixth Century BC) – Rosa Margesin – Microbial Ecology (OA) Microbial ecology has been recognized as useful in archaeological studies. At Archaic Monte Iato in Western Sicily, a native (indigenous) building was discovered. The objective of this study …

Job: Asst. Prof. in Microbial Food Safety at UC Davis Food Science & Technology

The Food Science & Technology (FST) department has just started advertising for an Assistant Professor position in Microbial Food Safety. Please see the advertisement on the FST main page and attached. A direct link for applicants can be found here: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/apply/JPF01224 For full consideration, applications should be received by February 15, 2017. Please distribute this …

Undergraduate Research Opportunity in Microbiome Informatics at Oregon State University

The Department of Statistics at Oregon State University is hosting a summer REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program that focuses on microbiome data analysis. This is a unique, paid research and training opportunity for STEM undergraduate students who want an interdisciplinary research experience in both biology and statistics. During a ten week training period, students will be …

New papers on Microbiology of the Built Environment, December 10, 2016

Microbes on buildings Analysis of dark crusts on the church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using chemical, microscope and metabarcoding microbial identification techniques – Christine Gaylarde – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation ($35.95) The dark crust on the surface of the Nossa Senhora do Carmo church, in the centre of Rio …

Assistant Professor In Quantitative Ecology or Evolution of Microbes – UCLA

Tenure track Assistant Professor Position In Quantitative Ecology or Evolution of Microbes The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the new Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCBio) at the University of California, Los Angeles are searching for a joint faculty appointment at the level of Assistant Professor. Candidates must have a PhD within …

Using bacteria to do in situ construction of sorts on Earth and Mars

And it will change how we think about construction here on Earth. Source: Genetically Engineered Bacteria Will Get Construction Jobs on Mars | Inverse Not 100% sure what to think of this story but it certainly is interesting.  The basic summary: Jacqueline Ronson has written an article for Inverse about work by a group from Newcastle …

New papers on Microbiology of the Built Environment, December 3, 2016

Microbes and money Dirty Money: A Matter of Bacterial Survival, Adherence, and Toxicity – Frank Vriesekoop – Microorganisms (OA) In this study we report the underlying reasons to why bacteria are present on banknotes and coins. (…) We treated the various currencies used in this study as microcosms, and the bacterial loading from human hands as …

Koala Poop Microbiome Class: Week 9, Antibiotic Resistance

(This blog post was prepared by students enrolled in the Koala Poop Microbiome Class in the Fall of 2016 at UC Davis) This week we focused on antibiotic sensitivity on the individual bacteria that were identified last week. The day before class, the bacteria that we have been working with all quarter were recultured in …