<p>Microbes of interest to clinicians and environmental scientists rarely exist in isolation. Organisms essential to breaking down pollutants or causing illness live in complex communities, and separating one microbe from hundreds of companion species can be challenging for researchers seeking to understand environmental issues or disease processes. A new National Science Foundation-supported project will provide computational tools designed to help identify and characterize the gene diversity of the residents of these microbial communities.</p>

A paper outlining a new approach to teaching about sustainability and infrastructure co-authored by Armistead Russell appears in the just-published fall issue of The Bridge, the signature publication of the National Academy of Engineering. The paper covers the development, implementation and assessment of a new summer course they have delivered over the last two years.

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering professors Armistead Russell and Michael Bergin are part of a research group that has just won funding from the National Science Foundation to purchase a state-of-the-art, high-resolution mass spectrometer.