|  Dr Phil Hugenholtz will discuss his latest research on the microbes living in termites, which may provide the biochemical means to a greener biofuel future, as the keynote speaker at the second annual School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences Symposia on July 14.
The free all day event is open to the public and will run under the theme “Microbes at UQ: A one day symposium to celebrate the diversity of microbiology research at the University of Queensland”.
Dr Phil Hugenholtz graduated with a Ph.D. in Microbiology from UQ in 1994 and is currently the head of the microbial ecology group at the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute.
Dr Hugenholtz and his group are developing methods for analysing metagenomic datasets and applying them to a number of interesting microbial communities.
Metagenomics (also Environmental Genomics, Ecogenomics or Community Genomics) is the study of genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples.
Traditional microbiology and microbial genome sequencing rely upon cultivated clonal cultures.
This relatively new field of genetic research enables studies of organisms that are not easily cultured in a laboratory as well as studies of organisms in their natural environment.
Early metagenomics revealed that the vast majority of microbial diversity had been missed by cultivation-based methods.
At this symposium he will be talking about recent advances in the metagenomic analysis of the microbial communities within termite hind-gut, following on from work published in Nature in 2007.
The stomachs of termites actually harbor a gold mine of microbes that have now been tapped as a rich source of enzymes for improving the conversion of wood or waste biomass to valuable biofuels.
Check out a video explaining how termites are involved in the more efficient production of biofuels here.
Other speakers include the School of Biological Science’s Professor Scott O’Neill, who’s using bacteria to stop the spread of dengue, and the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences' Associate Professor Roy Hall, who’s trying to develop a vaccine for the debilitating West Nile virus.
More Info
When: Tuesday, July 14. 9am start, runs all day.
Where: Room 222, Parnell Building (7), St Lucia Campus
Who: Open to all. A detailed program will be emailed to UQ Schools and Institutes
before July 3rd. For those outside UQ, please email Suzanne Philp for
a copy of the program.
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