Francis Martin followed Josh Neufeld for his interests in microbial ecology and developing new approaches in microbial metagenomics. Josh followed Francis for his agile use of the social media tool employing visual descriptions to communicate his expertise and passion for mycorrhizae and the mycology/ecogenomics link. They met for the first time on July 24 when Josh, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada – presented a seminar to the IAM team at the INRA center in Champenoux.
The Title : Unearthing soil biogeochemistry through stable-isoptope probing and metagenomics.
Abstract:
Exploring microbial diversity represents an exciting frontier of biological research. Recent developments in molecular methods have enabled unprecedented access to microbial community composition, including active, uncultivated, and novel microorganisms. This talk will highlight two stable-isotope probing studies from my research group that are anticipated to interest scientists at INRA, including a) exploring degraders of plant-derived substrates in order to retrieve novel glycoside hydrolases from functional metagenomic libraries, and b) targeting denitrifying bacteria in agricultural soils to identify denitrifiers that would likely not have been detected with existing probes and primers. These studies demonstrate the value of isotope-based enrichment of active microbial community members for exploring soil biogeochemical cycling, while generating new enzyme targets with potential biofuel and bioproduct applications.
On Twitter
Josh expressed his appreciation for how Twitter is an excellent tool for encouraging students to engage in science within a framework that can be maintained professionally – but while also providing a platform for experienced researchers to exchange expertise – or like what took place here, to learn about what’s happening in other labs. “It connects us when we would not have otherwise crossed paths”.
To learn more about how this meeting came about, read the short Interview with Francis Martin
