Faculty Awards for Women

本研究探讨了生物修复（利用甲烷的细菌降解三氯乙烯）和微量气体循环（甲基营养体利用温室气体甲烷和甲基卤化物）的问题。研究底物利用动力学和调控的实验室实验将与实地样本研究相结合，以评估甲基化营养种群（使用基因探针），比较底物利用动力学，并确定自然种群如何应对诸如生长速度或营养浓度变化等扰动。预测模型将从实验室数据生成，用现场样本（土壤和水）进行测试，然后通过进一步的实验室工作和重新测试来完善。这种全面的方法将定义这些活动如何在自然样品中表达，并产生基于机械的预测模型，可立即应用于生物修复和全球微量气体建模。

This research investigates problems of bioremediation (trichloroethylene degradation by methane-utilizing bacteria) and trace gas cycling (utilization of the greenhouse gases methane and methyl halides by methylotrophs). Laboratory experiments to study substrate utilization kinetics and regulation will be coupled with studies of field samples to assess the methylotrophic populations (with gene probes), compare the substrate utilization kinetics, and determine how the natural populations respond to perturbations such as changes in growth rate or nutrient concentrations. Predictive models will be generated from the laboratory data, tested with field samples (soil and water), then refined by further laboratory work and retesting. This comprehensive approach will define how these activities are expressed in natural samples and result in mechanistically-based predictive models with immediate applications to bioremediation and global trace gas modeling.