It has been a great opportunity to participate in this research experience this summer. Continuing to learn new things, meeting and getting to know teachers and professors and finding resources for the classroom are a few of the benefits of this program. His research interest is in biofilms. In nature, microorganisms seldom live in the isolated, single-species colonies we see on laboratory plates. They typically live in slim communities where they can share nutrients.
Microbes often stick to surfaces in masses called biofilms.
Biofilms provide interesting opportunities for experimental studies of mixed microbial communities. I have worked primarily on setting up a miniature ecosystem called a Winogradsky column. Mud and water were taken from the San Marcos River to make the column. The column illustrates microbial succession of several groups of microbes. Biofilm was grown in the column on glass slides and observed under the Phase-Contrast Microscope.