“Determination of the Late-Exponential Growth Phase of Se- reducing Bacteria Thauera selenatis sp.”

Prof.  Celine Pallud,  Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley

Selenium (Se) contamination of agricultural soils and drainage water in California’s San Joaquin Valley has been identified as the cause of death and deformation in migratory waterfowls (Losi and Frankenberger, 1997).  Microorganisms have been identified to play important roles in the environmental fate of toxic metals with a multiplicity of physical and biogeochemical mechanisms affecting transformations between soluble and insoluble phases (White et al, 1997). To determine the environmental factors controlling Se transformations and transport, Se reduction is being investigated in artificial soil aggregates using a single bacterial strain, Thauera selenatis, a recently isolated, selenate- respiring microorganism which has received a particularly large amount of research attention in bioremediation processes (Pallud, 2008).  Information on T. selenatis growth curve is needed for inoculation of artificial soil aggregates to investigate abiotic and biotic factors in Se reduction.  The late exponential growth phase of T. selenatis at 26° C was determined to be between the 15th to 20th hour.  This result is crucial for proper timing in cell harvesting.

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Eden is a student at City College of San Francisco where she maintains a 3.67 to 4.0 GPA.  She has been a consistently been on the Dean’s list and is a recipient of the NSF-STEM scholarship.  She intends to pursue a health field-related degree.