Bacterial Motility and Biofilm Development
Description
The Shrout Lab studies bacterial behavior. We combine research methods that include microscopy, imaging, mathematics, chemistry, and microbiology used at different spatial and temporal scales to learn how bacteria move and colonize surfaces. Overall, we seek to understand what single cells are doing within the context of their neighbors and entire community. Undergraduate researchers in the lab have the opportunity to learn and perform numerous of the techniques we have developed to do this research.
Summary
Fully understanding the coordinated behavior of microbes is actually essential to solve many current problems, including: treatment of bacterial pathogens, creating water treatment systems that meet current and future demands, limiting corrosion, preventing hospital-acquired infections on medical devices such as artificial joints or catheters, and understanding biogeochemical cycling in nature. Our projects involve both the method development component and specific topical research itself in the Shrout group.
The Shrout Lab is a great environment. Our research incorporates many basic principles to understand how microbes colonize and behave in differing environments on different surfaces relevant to the environment and human health.