CAREER: Bacteriophages in activated sludge bioreactors- effect on process performance and process sustainability and a tool for educational outreach to underrepresented students.

摘要提案标题：职业：活性污泥生物反应器中的噬菌体-对工艺性能和工艺可持续性的影响以及对代表性不足的学生进行教育推广的工具主要研究者：Ramesh Goel机构：犹他大学提案号：CBET-1055786这个职业提案旨在整合PI？在噬菌体的研究与教育和推广。 这个职业建议背后的动机有三个方面：工程，科学和教育。 本CAREER提案的主要工程目标是展示噬菌体（感染细菌的病毒）介导的生物控制在活性污泥系统中的应用，该系统使用浸没式生物反应器中的丝状膨胀和膜生物污垢作为两个模型应用。 广泛的科学目标是：（1）更好地理解在各种环境和操作参数的影响下关键活性污泥的噬菌体介导的溶源性;以及（2）使用454焦磷酸测序研究来自全规模活性污泥厂的分离的噬菌体的多样性。 教育目标是利用新颖的计算机动画和基于互联网的技术提高少数民族本科生和k12学生对环境工程的参与，为少数民族美国本科生提供国际研究经验，并将拟议的研究纳入各级教育和多个研究所（犹他州大学和德克萨斯州泛美大学，美国的一个拉美裔人口服务机构，墨西哥边境）。 具体研究任务是：（1）从在实验室规模的膜生物反应器的膜上形成的生物膜中分离细菌，并使用分子工具表征这些细菌，（2）用选择的模型丝状细菌和从实验室规模的膜生物反应器中分离的细菌从全规模废水处理厂中分离溶解性细菌，（3）证明噬菌体介导的对由选定的模式细菌和生物膜形成细菌引起的丝状菌膨胀的生物控制，评估生物反应器中的交叉感染性和对分离的细菌的接收沃茨的环境影响，（4）利用培养的模式菌评价在pH、温度、有机负荷和毒性负荷的变化以及重金属存在下溶原性在关键活性污泥细菌中是否重要，（5）使用454-焦磷酸测序从任务1和任务2获得分离的大肠杆菌的基因组，并使用已建立的生物信息学工具研究基因组。的教育和推广目标是：（1）让本科生和中学生参与实验室研究，以激发他们对环境工程的兴趣;（2）将细菌生态学和病毒学的概念融入教学，为本科生开发有效的学习模块;（3）开发计算机动画和基于网络的工具，以提高公众对科学、废水处理和噬菌体相关问题的理解;以及（4）将研究融入研究生教育，传播相关知识和研究成果。拟议的研究将提高我们对噬菌体在活性污泥系统中作用的认识，世界？最常用的工程生物反应器。 该研究将开发噬菌体介导的控制策略，用于膜生物反应器（MBR）中的丝状菌膨胀和膜生物污染，这是活性污泥生物反应器中最常见的两个操作问题。 因此，该研究有望为包括膜生物反应器在内的活性污泥系统的运行提供长期的能源可持续性（即减少MBR中的空气喷射）和成本效益。 引发噬菌体介导的细菌裂解研究的操作和环境因素，在本CAREER提案中提出，本质上是根本性的，并可能揭示活性污泥生物反应器中过程混乱的未知原因。 拟议的研究将首次使用病毒学的基本概念为活性污泥系统提供可持续性。 这是第一次系统地研究噬菌体-细菌在活性污泥工艺中的相互作用，其研究成果将直接影响到许多其他相关领域，如饮用水分配系统中的生物膜，理解噬菌体介导的水平基因转移，生物制氢反应器中氢营养菌的消除和厌氧氨氧化中的亚硝酸盐氧化剂。 PI将专注于培训美洲原住民和西班牙裔学生，鼓励他们从事环境工程职业。 基于计算机的动画和基于网络的工具将有助于接触更广泛的受众。私家侦探？在德克萨斯大学泛美分校开发和教授本科课程的独特努力将激发西班牙裔学生对环境工程高等教育的兴趣。 研究生将接受培训，成为各自领域的领导者和工程大使。 k12课程的实验室实践将使k12学生接触到废水工程和微生物学的令人兴奋的领域。 在主要会议上的演讲和在同行评审的最高声誉期刊上的出版物将证明研究的成功。

AbstractProposal Title: CAREER: Bacteriophages in activated sludge bioreactors- effect on process performance and process sustainability and a tool for educational outreach to underrepresented studentsPrincipal Investigator: Ramesh GoelInstitution: University of UtahProposal No: CBET- 1055786This CAREER proposal aims to integrate PI?s research in bacteriophages with education and outreach. The motivations behind this CAREER proposal are three-fold: engineering, scientific and educational. The principal engineering goal of this CAREER proposal is to demonstrate the application of bacteriophage (virus that infect bacteria) mediated biocontrol in activated sludge systems using filamentous bulking and membrane biofouling in submerged bioreactors as the two model applications. The broad scientific goals are to: (1) to better understand phage mediated lysogeny of key activated sludge under the influence of various environmental and operational parameters: and (2) to study the phage diversity of the isolated phages from full scale activated sludge plant using 454 pyrosequencing. The educational goal is to enhance the participation of minority undergraduate and k12 students in environmental engineering using novel computer animation and internet based techniques, provide minority U.S. undergraduate students the international research experience and integrate the proposed research into education at various levels and at multiple institutes (University of Utah and the University of Texas Pan American, a Hispanic population serving institute at the U.S.-Mexico border). The specific research tasks are to: (1) isolate bacteria from the biofilm formed on the membrane of a laboratory scale membrane bioreactor and characterize these using molecular tools, (2) isolate lytic phages from full scale wastewater treatment plants with selected model filamentous bacteria and the bacteria isolated from the lab scale membrane bioreactor, (3) demonstrate phage mediated biocontrol of filamentous bulking caused by selected model bacteria and biofilm forming bacteria, evaluate the cross infectivity in bioreactor and environmental impact on receiving waters of isolated phages, (4) evaluate whether lysogeny is important in key activated sludge bacteria under the variations of pH, temperature, organic loading and toxic loadings, and in the presence of heavy metals using cultured model bacteria and, (5) obtain the genomes of isolated phages from tasks 1 and 2 using 454-pyrosequencing and study the genomes using established bioinformatic tools.The PI?s educational and outreach aims are to: (1) involve undergraduate and high school students in laboratory research to stimulate their interest in environmental engineering, (2) integrate bacterial ecology and virology concepts into teaching to develop an effective learning module for undergraduates, (3) develop computer animation and web based tools for improving the public understanding of science, wastewater treatment and phage-related issues and, (4) integrate research into graduate education and disseminate the knowledge and research findings.The proposed research will improve our understanding about the role of bacteriophages in activated sludge systems, the world?s most used engineered bioreactors. The research will develop phage mediated control strategies for filamentous bulking and membrane biofouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs), the two most common operational problems in activated sludge bioreactors. Hence, the research promises to provide long term energy sustainability (i.e reduced air sparging in MBRs) and cost effectiveness to the operation of activated sludge systems including membrane bioreactors. Operational and environmental factors that triggered phage mediated bacterial lysis research, proposed in this CAREER proposal, is fundamental in nature and potentially sheds light on unknown reasons for the process upsets in activated sludge bioreactors. The proposed research, for the first time, will use fundamental concepts of virology to provide operational sustainability to activated sludge systems. This is the first systematic study to explore phage-bacteria interactions in activated sludge processes.The research outcomes will directly affect many other related areas such as biofilm in drinking water distribution systems, understanding phage mediated horizontal gene transfer, elimination of hydrogenotrophic bacteria in biohydrogen producing reactors and nitrite oxidizers in anaerobic ammonia oxidation. The PI will focus on training of Native American and Hispanic students to encourage them to pursue careers in environmental engineering. Computer based animation and web based tools will help reach a broader audience. The PI?s unique effort to develop and teach an undergraduate course at the University of Texas Pan American will stimulate interest in Hispanic students to go for higher studies in environmental engineering. Graduate students will be trained to be leaders in their field as well as engineering ambassadors. Lab practices in k12 curriculum will expose k12 students to the exciting field of wastewater engineering and microbiology. Presentations at leading conferences and publications in peer reviewed journals of highest repute will demonstrate the success of the research.