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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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In addition to its annual lectures, ChBE hosts a weekly seminar throughout the year with invited lecturers who are prominent in their fields. Unless otherwise noted, all seminars are held on Wednesdays in the Molecular Science and Engineering Building ("M" Building) in G011 (Cherry Logan Emerson Lecture Theater) at 4 p.m. Refreshments are served at 3:30 p.m. in the Emerson-Lewis Reception Salon.
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"Microbial Degradation of Organic Matter and Crude Oil in the Ocean: The Importance of Interfacial Processes"
Gabriel Juarez, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract:
Bacteria are the simplest organisms on Earth, yet they play an indispensable role in controlling the biogeochemistry and productivity of the oceans. These large-scale consequences result from the complex interactions between individual cells and their dynamic fluid and physical environments. In this talk, I will present experiments using microfluidics and time-lapse microscopy that directly visualize the interactions between marine bacteria and (i) model organic particles or (ii) crude oil droplets to extract critical parameters limiting these microbe mediated processes. These observations provide a new framework for understanding how the interplay between physical, chemical, and biological processes at interfaces shape the dynamics of microbial remineralization of sinking organic matter and biodegradation of crude oil in the ocean.
