Projects

Impact of phase state and viscosity of organic aerosol particles on the reactive uptake of carbonyls in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation

Lead Institution

Harvard University

Principal Investigator

Scot Martin

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is a major constituent of submicron atmospheric aerosol particles, whose effects on climate and human health remain highly uncertain. Until very recently SOA particles…

Characterization of sources from intermediate-scale field lysimeter studies of plutonium vadose zone transport

Lead Institution

Clemson University

Principal Investigator

Brian Powell

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The objectives of this work are to develop qualitative conceptual models and quantitative reactive transport models of plutonium migration in unsaturated zones (i.e. the vadose zone). The unique…

Identifying the key organisms, pathways and locations of lignocellulosic biomass transformation and hydrogen production in wood-feeding Passalid beetles

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Eoin Brodie

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Passalid beetles, such as Odontotaenius disjunctus, are subsocial insects that process large amounts of woody biomass by feeding on triturated wood. These beetles have co-evolved with their digestive…

Is the mobilization of sedimentary phosphorus a key player for sustaining eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay?

Lead Institution

University of Delaware

Principal Investigator

Deb Jaisi

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

With the rise of coastal dead zones, oxygen-dependent feedback effects on phosphorus (P) cycling in coastal environments will play more important roles globally. Proposed research will employ…

Quantifying Differential Expression and Identifying Bottlenecks in Methanogenic Pathways

Lead Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Principal Investigator

Zaida Luthey-Schulten

Project type

FICUS Research

To facilitate our BER funded research to develop models of acetotrophic methanogenic microbes that predictively capture changes in cell behavior with single cell resolution due to dynamic…

Dissecting intraspecies diversity in fungal wood decay

Lead Institution

Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute

Principal Investigator

Ronald de Vries

Project type

FICUS Research

Basidiomycete fungi are essential for degradation of wood in natural eco-systems and therefore a crucial part of the global carbon cycle. Genomic and post-genomic studies into several basidiomycete…

Integrated biogeochemical modeling of microbial consortia mediating anaerobic oxidation of methane in dynamic methane hydrate-bearing sediments

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Frederick Colwell

Project type

FICUS Research

Methane hydrate-bearing marine continental margin sediments are estimated to contain up to 2000 Pg carbon as methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This methane is released upon hydrate dissociation,…

Systems-level insights into carbon transformations in thawing permafrost by parallel high-resolution organic matter and microbial community characterizations

Lead Institution

The Ohio State University

Principal Investigator

Virginia Rich

Project type

FICUS Research

A fundamental challenge of modern environmental science is to understand how earth systems will respond to climate change. A parallel challenge in biology is to understand how information encoded in…

Mapping the metabolism of nutrient and carbon exchange in the plant-microbe symbiosis

Lead Institution

West Virginia University

Principal Investigator

Jonathan Cumming

Project type

FICUS Research

This research will identify the molecular responses that enable circumvention of phosphorus (P) starvation response in symbiotic plant-microbe communities. Using JGI/EMSL capabilities to assess…

Coupling Microbial Communities to Carbon and Contaminant Biogeochemistry in the Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction Zone

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

James Stegen

Project type

FICUS Research

The proposed study will integrate molecular data generated through a combination of JGI and EMSL capabilities to support research activities under the Subsurface Biogeochemical Research-Science Focus…

Uncovering the composition and function of the aquatic microbiome for duckweeds

Lead Institution

University of Tennessee

Principal Investigator

Sarah Lebeis

Project type

FICUS Research

Duckweed is a family of aquatic plants that are the fastest flowering plants in the world. They are capable of quickly converting wastewater into an easily harvestable, low lignin content biomass…

Integrated genomic/transcriptomic/secretomic study of plant-fungal interactions between pines and their symbiotic ectomycorrhizal fungi in the mushroom genus Suillus

Lead Institution

Duke University

Principal Investigator

Rytas Vilgalys

Project type

FICUS Research

We propose an integrated -omic study of symbiotic interactions between pines (Pinus spp.) and their ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) in the genus Suillus. We are developing the Pine-Suillus symbiosis as a…

Microbial controls on biogeochemical cycling in deep subsurface shale carbon reservoirs

Lead Institution

Colorado State University

Principal Investigator

Kelly Wrighton

Project type

FICUS Research

Terrestrial deep shales and their interfaces are carbon-rich environments that represent a significant component of the U.S. energy portfolio. Energy resources in these environments have recently…

Decoding DOM degradation: how does carbon source and sunlight exposure alter microbial metabolism and expression of genome-encoded metabolic degradation of permafrost organic matter?

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Byron Crump

Project type

FICUS Research

Climate change in the Arctic is progressing rapidly, thawing large areas of permafrost that contain nearly half of the world's soil organic carbon. Conversion of this carbon pool to greenhouse…

Sensing External Metals by Outer Membrane Beta-Barrel Proteins

Lead Institution

Georgia Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator

Thomas DiChristina

Project type

FICUS Research

Metal-reducing bacteria drive a variety of environmentally important processes, including the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and metals, the bioremediation of radionuclides and organohalides, and…

Elucidating the Influences of Engineered N-glycosylation Motifs in Bacterial Biomass Hydrolyzing Enzymes upon Heterologous and Native Gene Expression, Secretion and Degradation in Aspergillus niger

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jon Magnuson

Project type

FICUS Research

Aspergillus niger is a genetically tractable model organism for scientific discovery and a platform organism used in industry for the production of enzymes for biomass degradation and other…

Development of a Computationally Inexpensive Method for Incorporating Shear-Dispersion into Pore Network Models Using Micromodel Experimental Data

Lead Institution

University of Texas at Austin

Principal Investigator

Matthew Balhoff

Project type

Exploratory Research

The mixed-cell method (MCM) is the most commonly used Eulerian pore-scale model for reactive flow and transport. Two major disadvantages of MCM are its assumptions of (1) pore-level perfect mixing,…

Laboratory Testing of a Novel Unbalanced Recirculation Method for Field Matrix (Back) Diffusion Quantification

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Mart Oostrom

Project type

Exploratory Research

There is a distinct need to develop and validate field-scale methods for estimating matrix (back) diffusion because degradation and diffusion of contaminants at interfaces of low- and high…

Collaborative Access Team: the Pooled Resources for Electron Microscopy Informatics, Education and Research (PREMIER) Network

Lead Institution

University of Liverpool

Principal Investigator

Nigel Browning

Project type

Exploratory Research

The executive committee of the Pooled Resources for Electron Microscopy Informatics, Education and Research (PREMIER) network is proposing to form a collaborative access team (CAT) to optimize…

Microbial Adaptation in Response to Environmental Stress in Polluted Groundwater Aquifers

Lead Institution

University of Texas at Austin

Principal Investigator

Charles Werth

Project type

Exploratory Research

Steep gradients in chemical concentration, redox potential, pH, and temperature are common in the environment. They are often "hotspots" of microbial activity and diversity. For example,…