What is this site?

This site archives the various activities I have been doing related to Biofuels and Bioenergy. My approach has been a combination of research and educational programs with the general goal of expanding knowledge and excitement about biofuels. Funding for these projects has been provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Discovery Corps.

Overview of Research:

Cyanobacteria are some of the most abundant organisms on the planet, and the possibility of using them for energy purposes is tantalizing. In addition to photosynthesis, cyanobacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen in aerobic environments, and can tolerate a wide range of salt, light, temperature, and other environmental conditions. Wild relatives of domesticated crops are not useful to humans in the same way that currently available strains of cyanobacteria are not suited to our 21^st century energy demands. However, when properly selected and engineered, cyanobacteria could become the future of carbon free energy.

My research at the University of Missouri - St. Louis focuses on understanding and optimizing hydrogen production in cyanobacteria. Natural cyanobacterial hydrogen production is an unexplained by-product of nitrogen fixation. My goal is to investigate the nitrogenase enzyme that currently produces hydrogen at a low level and to use mutagenic techniques to increase the hydrogen production. Comparison of the natural variation in amino acids lining this channel in other, related nitrogenases suggests that a more obstructed channel leads to more hydrogen production. A mutagenesis approach will be undertaken to investigate whether amino acid bulkiness along the channel correlates with impeded nitrogen access to the active site and increased hydrogen production due to lack of competition from nitrogen.

Overview of Educational Programs:

In addition to traditional lab research, I am interested in using alternatives to fossil fuels as teaching tools within traditional high school-level and university-level curricula. The switch from fossil fuels to renewable fuels will require a great deal of change, and an educated public will be required to drive and sustain this movement. The technologies associated with renewable fuels are terrific teaching tools that can tie into and enhance traditional chemistry curricula. Such topics as hydrogen, biodiesel, microbial fuel cells, and cellulosic ethanol have the potential to captivate students' imaginations. The infancy of the technologies also allows for authentic inquiry into how these fuels might be developed and incorporated into our lives.