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1. Beautiful Bugs in Blue: The Making of Luminous Bacteria |
by Marcia Goodrich, senior writer
A team of Michigan Tech researchers led by Associate Professor of Chemistry Haiying Liu has discovered how to make a strain of E. coli glow under fluorescent light. The technique could eventually be used to track down all sorts of pathogens and even help in the fight against breast cancer.
E. coli bacteria are naturally found in animal intestines and are usually harmless. But when virulent strains contaminate food, like spinach or peanuts, they can cause serious illness and even death.
The researchers' trick takes advantage of E. coli's affinity for the sugar mannose. Liu's team attached mannose molecules to specially engineered fluorescent polymers and stirred them into a container of water swimming with E. coli. Microscopic hairs on the bacteria, called pili, hooked onto the mannose molecules like Velcro, effectively coating the bacteria with the polymers.
Then the researchers shined white light onto E. coli colonies growing in the solution. The bugs lit up like blue fireflies. "They became very colorful and easy to see under a microscope," said Liu.
The technique could be adapted to identify a wide array of pathogens by mixing and matching from a library of different sugars and polymers that fluoresce different colors under different frequencies of light. If blue means E. coli, fuchsia could one day mean influenza.
With funding from a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health, Liu is adapting the technique to combat breast cancer. Instead of mannose, he plans to link the fluorescent polymers to a peptide that homes in on cancer cells.
Once introduced to the vascular system, the polymers would travel through the body and stick to tumor cells. Then, illuminated by a type of infrared light that shines through human tissue, the polymers would glow, providing a beacon to pinpoint the location of the malignant cells.
The technique would allow surgeons to easily identify and remove malignant cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
The team's work using polymers to detect E. coli was partially supported by the US Department of Agriculture and has been published in Chemistry--A European Journal. It is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121637775/abstract .
The article, "Highly Water-Soluble Fluorescent Conjugated Fluorene-Based Glycopolymers with Poly(ethylene glycol) Tethered Spacers for Sensitive Detection of Escherichia coli," is coauthored by Liu, postdoctoral associate Cuihua Xue, graduate students Singaravelu Velayudham and Steve Johnson, undergraduates Adrian Smith and Wilbel Brewer and Professor Pushpalatha Murthy, all of Michigan Tech's chemistry department; and graduate student Ratul Saha and Professor Susan T. Bagley of the biological sciences department. |
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2. Selection Process Set for Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative |
Interim Provost Max Seel has outlined the steps and the schedule for the Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative (SFHI).
"The University is redefining graduate and undergraduate education through its interdisciplinary programs, which we plan to enhance through the creation of ten 'growth' faculty positions each year," Seel said. The theme for last year's SFHI was sustainability; this year's theme is computational discovery and innovation.
In order to identify forthcoming interdisciplinary themes and to plan for the next initiative, the following process will be followed:
A short list of proposals has been identified:
* energy--conversion, generation, storage, transfer
* health--basic science, technologies, medical informatics
* transportation
After an initial planning meeting with the short-listed proposal writers, the following timetable and actions will be in place:
The deadline for full proposals is Monday, March 16. The following questions need to be addressed:
* How does the initiative further the goals of the strategic plan?
* What are current and future market demand and need for the initiative?
* What is our current position with regard to this area?
* What is the competition in this area (who, what, where)?
* After we invest in this initiative, where will we be positioned relative to these questions?
Three Tech Talks/SFHI sessions presenting the short-listed initiatives will be hosted:
* Tuesday, March 17--Energy
* Tuesday, March 24--Transportation
* Tuesday, March 31--Health
All three sessions are from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Red Metal Room (Memorial Union 105).
March 18 to April 7 will be a period for feedback and for discussion by department chairs and school deans with the faculty and staff in their units and college councils.
April 8 to 15 will be a period for the academic deans council to examine the short list in light of the feedback. Based on consultation with the deans, the provost will make recommendations to the executive team. The president and the executive team will make the final determination.
"Please encourage campus-wide participation in the feedback process," said Seel. |
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3. Barnes Named Coach of the Year; Five Ladies Gain All-GLIAC Honors |
by Wes Frahm, director of athletic marketing and communications
Women's basketball scored big with honors over the weekend.
Head coach John Barnes gained Coach of the Year honors for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 2008-09 season, and five student-athletes earned spots on All-GLIAC Teams.
Barnes led the Huskies to their second straight GLIAC North Division title with a league-record 19 wins. Tech is 23-5 overall and has been ranked in the nation's top 20 all season long. Barnes, who has a 120-49 career record over six years, was also the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2005-06.
Five players were honored at the league's annual awards banquet prior to the weekend's Final Four.
Juniors Sarah Stream (Ishpeming/Westwood), Katie Wysocky (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and Katie Zimmerman (Green Bay, Wis./East) all gained All-GLIAC North Division First Team accolades.
Stream, who ranks second in NCAA Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio, averages 10.5 points and 4.6 assists per game. The 5-7 guard is an all-league first team pick for the second time in her career after gaining second team laurels as a freshman.
Wysocky leads the Huskies in scoring (14.6), rebounding (9.8) and field goal percentage (54.0). The 6-0 forward is an All-GLIAC selection for the third time in her career--twice on the first team.
Zimmerman, a 5-6 guard, is an all-league selection for the first time in her career. She leads the nation in 3-point field percentage (49.4) and owns Tech's school records for 3-pointers made in a game (six), season (79 and counting) and career (192 and counting).
Junior Danae Danen (Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon) was named to the All-GLIAC North Division Second Team. The 6-0 center averages 12.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. She ranks fourth in the GLIAC in field goal percentage at 53.5. Danen's 53 blocks this season is a Tech record.
Junior Tara Ferris (Hartland, Wis./Waukesha Catholic) earned GLIAC North Division All-Defensive Team accolades. The 5-9 guard has started all 28 games for Tech. The defensive stalwart has also been involved in the offense with a 5.3 points per game average and 65 assists on the year.
Tech's five All-GLIAC players is a school record. |
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4. Four Men's Seniors Gain All-GLIAC Honors |
by Wes Frahm, director of athletic marketing and communications
All four seniors on the men's basketball team were named to All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams at the league's annual awards banquet prior to the weekend's GLIAC Final Four in Findlay, Ohio.
Fedrick Bowe (Freeport, Bahamas) and Robby Springborn (Fond du Lac, Wis.) were both selected to the All-GLIAC North Division First Team. Brandon Ball (Grand Rapids/Union) and Sean Geary (Marquette) were both picked to the GLIAC North Division All-Defensive Team.
Bowe gained the first All-GLIAC honor of his career after averaging 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds on the year. The 6-5 forward ranks second in the league in rebounding and has the most boards (217) by a Tech player since Rod Ruth in 1987-88.
Springborn is an all-league honoree for the second straight year. The 5-11 guard averages a team-high 12.8 points per game and had 20-plus points in five games. His free throw percentage of 90.6 is tops in the league and sixth-best in the country.
Ball averaged 20 minutes off the bench for the Huskies and was a defensive presence. The 5-11 guard has 29 steals on the year and averages 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Geary is on the all-defensive team for the second straight year after starting 25 games. The 5-10 guard posts averages of 6.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He also added 25 steals to bring his career total to 112 steals--tied for ninth all-time at Tech. |
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5. Reminder: Play Mystery on MacInnes Drive Wednesday |
submitted by the Rozsa Center
"Queen Theresa" did it in the library with safety scissors!
On Wednesday, March 11, from 1 to 3 p.m., this year's Best Kept Secrets Sampler plays out as a riveting, but comical, "Who done it?" mystery.
The tour--based on the popular board game Clue this year--will not only lead you to discover some of the lesser-known treasures of our campus, but will also help you solve the Mystery On MacInnes Drive. Play along with us as we tour some of the University's hidden gems--the Wads Bakery, MacInnes Sky Boxes, the Concession Stand, University Images, the Library Coffee Shop and Little Huskies--and collect the clues you'll need to solve the riddle. Submit your answer and be entered in a drawing for some fabulous prizes.
Official game pieces have already been delivered to your department. The tour game rules, schedule, routes, game pieces, murder victims, weapons and suspects are all included in the packets. Transportation to and from the various Best Kept Secrets locations will be provided in our Mystery Machines. Answer Mystery Tour trivia questions during your ride to win Mystery Bucks that you can use throughout our service areas. See the latest line of apparel, modeled by some of Michigan Tech's finest, at the University Images Fashion Show in the Blue Line Room at 1 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The tour is open to all interested staff and faculty members--no need to RSVP.
Take a break from your routine and join us for an afternoon of intrigue and discovery--play Mystery on MacInnes Drive. |
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6. Practicing Law Enforcement Response to Violent Incidents: Training Sessions to Be Held in the Memorial Union |
On Wednesday, March 11, approximately 60 law enforcement officers from Houghton and Keweenaw Counties will use the Memorial Union to practice their response to incidents of active violence.
There will be two training sessions run by the Michigan State Police. The first begins at 3 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m. The Memorial Union will be closed from 2:30 to 10 p.m. A third session will be held at Houghton Elementary School on March 12.
Law enforcement participants will deal with several scenarios, including active use of a firearm. Only blank ammunition will be used, but it may sound as though shots are being fired.
Officers who respond first to a scene of active violence are being trained to stop the incident themselves. Law enforcement used to focus on containing a violent incident and waiting for SWAT or tactical backup before entering the scene. "We don't have that luxury anymore," said Trooper Bill Witt from the State Police Post in Wakefield. "Incidents of active violence are typically over within six to 10 minutes, so the first responding police officers must stop the threat as quickly as possible, before a SWAT team could get to the scene. That is the reason for this training."
Witt will lead the training exercises, which were scheduled during spring break to cause the least possible disruption on campus. |
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7. Tech Cosponsors Bioenergy Workshop |
Foresters, natural resource professionals, logging contractors, city, county, state and federal officials, landowners and others concerned with conservation will convene at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette Tuesday, March 10, for an all-day workshop on forest-based bioenergy for Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The workshop is sponsored by the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the Upper Peninsula Resource Conservation and Development Council, the Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science, Michigan State University Extension and BURN-UP (Biomass Utilization and Restoration Network for the Upper Peninsula).
Speakers include Robert Froese (SFRES) and Kathy Halvorsen (SFRES and Social Sciences). Also speaking: Bill Cook from MSU Extension, Ray Miller from the MSU Agricultural Experiment Station, Charlie Becker from Plum Creek Timberlands and Cara Boucher from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
For an agenda, see www.forest.mtu.edu/bioenergyworkshop.pdf . For more information, contact Maria Janowiak at janowiak@mtu.edu or 482-6303, ext. 29. |
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8. Smart Business Practices Workshop Set for March 25 |
If you are a business owner who wants to tighten up control of your business during this economic downturn, or if you want to take advantage of opportunities to grow your business, an upcoming workshop cosponsored by Michigan Tech's Center for Technology, Innovation, Leadership and Entrepreneurship (CenTILE), "Smart Business Practices," may be of interest to you.
The workshop will focus on topics including increasing cash flow, collecting on receivables, negotiating better deals, building revenue and unveiling financial statement secrets.
Professor of Practice Bob Mark (SBE), a seasoned entrepreneur, business owner and chief financial officer, will lead the workshop, to be held Wednesday, March 25, 8 a.m. to noon at the former UPPCO headquarters building, located in downtown Houghton on the Portage waterfront. Cost is $75 for members of the Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) and for SmartZone clients, and $100 for others.
You can register by calling KEDA at 482-6817 or visiting www.kedabiz.com . The deadline for registration is Friday, March 20. Seating is limited, so register early.
In addition to CenTILE, the event is sponsored by KEDA and the MTEC SmartZone. |
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9. In the News |
A story on Tech's upcoming capital improvements appeared in the Great Lakes IT Report here.
A release on Haiying Liu's research on using fluorescent polymers to make E. coli bacteria glow under light was picked up by Science Daily here and by News-Medical Net. Read it here: www.news-medical.net/?id=46582 . |
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