Download MOL-20

Laboratory Learning Program
Research Opportunity
Research Opportunity Number: MOL-20
Project Title: Quorum sensing control of biofilm formation
Project Summary: Biofilms are ubiquitous surface-attached bacterial communities embedded in an
extracellular matrix. Biofilms can cause major problems: in medicine, biofilms are inherently resistant to
antibiotics and cause chronic infections; in industry, biofilms foul surfaces of pipes and clog filtration
devices. Studies aimed at mitigation are challenging because biofilms are heterogeneous and rearrange
over time. A major challenge facing the biofilm field is the lack of microscopy and analytical tools
capable of tracking the 3D arrangement of cells throughout biofilm development. In this project, the
student will work with the model biofilm forming bacteria Vibrio harveyi. The goals are to use
microscopy to resolve and analyze living biofilms at the single cell level, define the biophysical principles
that underlie cell-cell ordering in biofilms, and explore cell-cell heterogeneity in living biofilms.
Student Roles and Responsibilities: Student will work together with a senior graduate student and
postdoc on a daily basis.
Additional Considerations: Start and end dates are flexible, but the student should be available
essentially full-time (at least 35 hours/week) for a minimum of 7 weeks.
Department/Institute: Molecular Biology
Faculty Sponsor: Bonnie Bassler
Participation Dates: June to August, 2016
Stipend Offered: $300/week
Number of Internships Available: 0-1
Application Deadline: March 15, 2016, midnight eastern daylight time