|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Microbiology |
|
|
||||||||
|
Microbiology is the study of single-celled organisms and non-living infectious particles (e.g. viruses and prions). Despite their small size, microorganisms make up about 50% of the Earth’s biomass. Microbes inhabited the planet long before eukaryotes (plants, animals, and fungi), it is therefore not surprising that microbes carry out key roles in the biogeochemical cycles and have major impacts on human and animal health. Today, microbes are used in a wide variety of industries. |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
Figure 1: Images of microbes A: Mixed culture of E. coli and S. cerevisiae stained with DAPI and a FISH probe for eukaryotic cells; B: Shigella flexneri stained with BacLIGHTTM dyes; C: EM of Pseudomonas fluorescens |
||||||||||
|
The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has a growing group of microbiologists who are looking into various aspects of the microbial world. We have close associations with other microbiologists who work in the Las Vegas area, making UNLV an exciting place to study microbiology. The NSF funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program provides undergraduates students with the opportunity to perform microbiology research over the summer at UNLV. To find out more, click on one of the buttons below. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
Links to Upcoming events: |
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Dennis Bazylinski (School of Life Sciences, UNLV) |
|
|||||||||
|
The Bazylinski lab studies the magnetosome biomineralization in magnetotactic bacteria (MTB). We are interested in physiological aspects of these bacteria in marine habitats. A second research focus is the evolution of the magnetosome island on the basis of different MTB strains and the functional analysis of the mam genes. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Brian Hedlund (School of Life Sciences, UNLV) |
|
|
||||||||
|
Dr. Hedlund uses molecular microbial community surveys to drive attempts to cultivate and study novel hyperthermophilic (“extremely heat-loving”) Bacteria and Archaea from Nevada hot springs and other geothermal environments. A second research focus looks into evolutionary and natural historical relationships between mammals and their microbial commensals using the oral flora of desert mammals as an example. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Duane Moser (DRI; Adjunct in Biological Sciences) |
|
|
||||||||
|
Dr. Moser studies microbes in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, ranging from the deep terrestrial subsurface to sediments, springs and soils. Moser's approach to microbiology is multidisciplinary, involving contributions from oceanographers and limnologists, hydrologists, and geologists. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Joseph Nika (School of Life Sciences, UNLV) |
|
|
||||||||
|
Dr. Joseph Nika is the Pre-Health Advisor for the College of Sciences. His specialties include Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Medical Microbiology. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Kurt Regner (School of Life Sciences, UNLV) |
|
|||||||||
|
Dr. Kurt Regner is visiting Assistant Professor. He has a strong background in Biotechnology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Eduardo Robleto (School of Life Sciences, UNLV) |
|
|
||||||||
|
The Robleto lab uses a modern genetic approach to study how a model bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, adjusts to fluctuating environmental conditions in soil. The group also studies how Bacillus subtilis changes its genetic make up to withstand stationary/starving conditions (Yasbin-Robleto collaboration) and the effects of CO2 fluctuations and other global change phenomena on desert microbial communities using the Nevada Desert FACE facility. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Helen J. Wing (School of Life Sciences., UNLV) |
|
|||||||||
|
Dr. Wing studies the bacterial pathogen Shigella flexneri. Research focuses on proteins in the bacterial outer membrane. We are interested in how these molecules are regulated, how they function, and what they specifically interact with in the human host and the external environment. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Ron Yasbin (School of Life Sciences i., UNLV) |
|
|||||||||
|
The Yasbin lab studies fundamental aspects of the physiology of Gram positive bacteria, particularly mechanisms of mutagenesis and DNA repair. Recent work in the Yasbin lab has focused on the molecular mechanism of stationary phase mutation in Bacillus subtilis. |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Other Microbiologists in the Las Vegas area |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Jaci Batista (Civil & Env. Eng., UNLV) |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Mark Buttner (Harry Reid Center) |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Patricia Cruz (Harry Reid Center) |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Terry Else (Touro University) David James (Civil & Env. Eng., UNLV) Curt Pantle (CCSN)
|
|
|||||||||
|
Linda Stetzenbach (Environmental and Occupational Health, UNLV) |
||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Henry Sun (DRI) |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Mahboob Qureshi (Touro University , Henderson) |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
