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The second year of support from the American Chemical Society- Petroleum Research Fund Type GB Starter Grant helped me to sustain and continue to develop my laboratory’s research program in subsurface biogeochemistry.  The PRF support coincided with the second year of my faculty appointment in the Department of Biology at East Carolina University (ECU).  My lab continued research into the physiological and biogeochemical impacts of pressure upon model subsurface microorganisms, including those that degrade hydrocarbons- as outlined in the original grant proposal.  This work was especially timely in lieu of the massive deep water oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and subsequent efforts to track its dissipation and environmental consequences.  Ongoing studies in my lab are quantifying the rates of hydrocarbon degradation under high pressures using a model system involving hexadecane.  Because the microbial growth rates in these experiments are extremely slow, time points will be collected beyond the duration of this proposal, but which in total will allow for the accurate assessment of hydrocarbon degradation rates.  Complementary projects have also been initiated related to carbon cycling at high pressures.  One project involves the characterization pressure-adapted, hydrocarbon-degrading microbial populations from sediments near Loihi Seamount, a 5,000 m deep site near Hawaii.  Another project focuses upon investigating the microbiology of carbon cycling in serpentinite ecosystems, rocks characteristic of the very deep Earth.  The process of serpentinization has been demonstrated to produce copious quantities of dihydrogen and catalyze the abiotic synthesis of hydrocarbons.  Geo-biological studies of these ecosystems could be important for both geo-engineering strategies aimed at sequestering carbon dioxide as well as the discovery of potentially novel alternative energy approaches.  The funding from the PRF to conduct high pressure microbiology research has supplemented startup funds which I have used to develop a program in deep biosphere research.

Each of the aforementioned research directions make use of the Shimadzu gas chromatograph which was a major piece of capital equipment purchased with the ACS/PRF funds.  This piece of equipment is a critical bridge between cell-scale assessments of microbial physiology and their biogeochemical consequences.  The PRF grant has also enabled me to update and modernize the high pressure equipment and supplies available in my laboratory- many of the pieces I had beforehand were “scavenged” from other labs.  These resources will serve in both the completion of the current project as well as the pursuit of additional avenues in high pressure research for years to come.

From a personnel standpoint, the grant provided funds to support the employment of three undergraduates from my department in summer 2010, as well as one month of my summer salary to facilitate the training of these students and the overall management of the research project.  A small percentage of the funds were used to support participation in scientific meetings, where my laboratory’s research in high pressure microbiology were presented as an invited talk at the Fall 2009 American Geophysical Union meeting.

Some of the noteworthy achievements of my lab within the past year (largely due to the contributions of undergraduate students!) include beginning to define the upper pressure boundary of anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation by our model microorganisms, which appears to be in the range of 60 MPa.  Second, we have found that while exposures to extremely high pressures of several hundred MPa decreases the viability of our model organisms, a small percentage of organisms survive the high pressure excursions.  Ongoing research is exploring the connections between exposure to high pressures, time, and microbial survivability.  We are confident that the combined results of these experiments will yield a significant publication with important implications for subsurface biogeochemistry.  We are also preparing our work on high pressure, hydrocarbon-degrading cultures from Loihi Seamount presented in our 2009 report to the PRF for publication.  This work was accomplished almost entirely by undergrads, one of whom (Caroline Sisley) was a co-author on my presentation at the 2009 AGU Meeting.  I am especially excited about the new directions my research is taking studying the biogeochemistry of serpentinite ecosystems.  These environments are extremely understudied and may provide important insights for both basic and applied science.

From a personal standpoint, the PRF starter grant enabled me to refine the agenda set forth in my original proposal in terms of 1.) generating publishable data, 2.) securing funding, 3.) maintaining a network of colleagues in my field, and 4.) building a lab ‘identity’.  I have submitted several proposals to both federal and state funding agencies based upon preliminary data, and I have maintained a strong presence in the field of microbial geochemistry/ecology- which is reflected in my participation in meetings and workshops, and my services as a reviewer.  All of this has been facilitated by the opportunity to undertake the project described in the PRF grant, as well as the associated meeting/workshop travel allowances.  Finally, the PRF grant and associated  pilot projects  have enabled me to build an ‘identity’ for my laboratory- which will help to both anchor my research program and serve as an opportunity to engage the general public and the larger scientific community.

The resources provided by the PRF helped me to develop a solid laboratory infrastructure which allowed me to focus upon the recruitment and training of numerous undergraduate students.  Within the past year, more than a dozen undergraduate students have worked in my lab in various capacities (not all on this specific project, but all on related topics).  Some of these students, including two supported by PRF funds In Summer 10’ will be continuing on with their research through the current academic year as independent study or senior thesis projects.  Many of these students contributed data which will be used in the preparation and submission of manuscripts based upon the research they conducted.  Some of the students will present their work at the Research and Creative Activities symposium at ECU in Spring 11’.

In summary, the funds by the ACS-PRF Type GB starter grant have been extremely valuable to jump starting my career, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities they have provided.