Microbial Metagenomics Community Analysis
The Center for Metagenomic Microbial Community Analysis is a multidisciplinary initiative comprising faculty from multiple departments and fields conducting research from genes to ecosystems. The Center was established as an internal investment by the University of Kansas and supports a full-time PhD-level Research Associate and a Master’s-level Research Assistant. Staff perform metagenomic analysis of microbial communities from a range of environmental samples. With the support of the Genome Sequencing Core and the Advanced Computing Facility, high-throughput sequencing through computational-intensive data analysis is performed.
The Genome Sequencing Core lab is part of the Center for Molecular Analysis of Disease Pathways, an NIH-funded Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) infrastructure grant. The Core’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art next generation sequencing capabilities and to serve as a catalyst for interaction among genomics research facilities, building a strong foundation for genomics research at KU. The Core has two full-time staff members in addition to the core leader, Dr. Erik Lundquist. The facility provides an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform and charges user fees at a competitive price.
The Advanced Computing Facility was expanded in 2013 with a $4.7 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources at NIH, and a major infrastructure improvement grant from NSF. Dan Voss, the newly hired Director of Research Computing, works with researchers to develop interfaces between the Genome Sequencing Core, where sequencing data is generated, and the Community Cluster, where it is processed. The Center for Microbial Metagenomics Community Analysis has purchased four nodes in the Cluster for general bioinformatics data analysis.
Algal Biofuel Production
Mesocosms were operated at the Nelson Environmental Studies Area to operate as a continuous flow system, fed with municipal wastewater to cultivate algal biomass for biofuel studies.
Studying Biofilm Structure
An aerobic granule is fluorescently stained with protein, carbohydrate, and DNA stains to visualize the cellular and extracellular polymeric substances structure of the biofilm.
Climate change and microbial cycling
Linking soil carbon and nitrogen transformations with climate change
Restoring Fungi in Degraded Sites
A mushroom breaks through the sandy soils of a disturbed scrub site in central FL. We are analyzing soil fungi, then using additions of native fungi to try to accelerate restoration.
Biological Wastewater Treatment
Bench-scale sequencing batch reactors were used to treat municipal wastewater at increasing sludge residence times. The experiment tested how increased SRT affects community diversity. Increasing diversity has been shown to increase the removal of some pharmaceuticals, such as estrogen (EE2).