Topics in Environmental Biotechnology-Spring Semester 2008
Microbiology/Oncology 545 (1 credit) Call numbers: Micro 545 - #50064; Onc 545 - #66995

Instructors: Richard Burgess(Oncology), Sandra Austin-Phillips (UW Biotech Center)

Time: 12:05-12:55 P.M. Mondays

Place: Auditorium, Genetics/Biotechnology Center Building Co-sponsors: UW Biotechnology Center, Bacteriology Dept., and Oncology Dept.

Lectures on current topics in environmental biotechnology by invited speakers who are leaders in their field. A previous course in biological sciences or consent of instructor is required. This course is generally taken by senior undergraduates and first-year graduate students. For more information, contact Dick Burgess at 263-2635 or by email at burgess@oncology.wisc.edu. The public is welcome to attend.

Tentative LECTURE SCHEDULE

Lect# Date Title/Speaker
1 Jan. 28 Course Introduction; Overview of Environmental Biotechnology
Richard Burgess, Prof. of Oncology
2 Feb. 4 Plant Molecular Farming to Produce Enzymes for Environmentally Sustainable Practices
Sandra Austin-Phillips, UW Biotechnology Center
3 Feb. 11 Assessing Environmental Risks of Genetically Engineered Plants
Brent McCown, Prof. of Horticulture/Institute for Environmental Studies
4 Feb. 18 Overview of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Program
Tim Donohue, Prof. of Bacteriology, Director GLBRC
5 Feb. 25 Liquid-Fuel Generation from Biomass-Derived Feedstocks utilizing Aqueous-Phase Reforming
Randy Cortright, Chief Technology Officer, Virent, Madison WI
6 Mar. 3 Mining Thermophilic Metagenomes for Polymerases and Cellulases
David Mead, President, Lucigen, Co-founder, C5.6, Madison WI
7 Mar. 10 Microbiology of Wastewater Treatment
Dan Noguera, Prof. of Civil & Environmental Engineering
7 Mar. 17 No lecture - Spring Break
7 Mar. 24 Biopulping and Oxalic acid Pulping: Green Alternatives to Traditional Chemical Pulp Manufacture
Masood Akhtar, CEO, Biopulping International, Madison WI
7 Mar. 31 Biocontrol of Insects in Agriculture and Forestry
Jo Handelsman, Prof. and Chair, Bacteriology
7 Apr. 7 Toxocogenomics-Detecting Poisons by Informatics & Microarrays
Chris Bradfield, Prof. of Oncology
7 Apr. 14 Fate of Prions in the Environment
Joel Pedersen, Prof. of Soil Science
7 Apr. 21 Dioxin and Reproductive Failure in Lake Trout
Dick Peterson, Prof., School of Pharmacy
7 Apr. 28 PCB Bioremediation: Molecular Scale Approaches to Industrial Scale Problems
Bill Hickey, Prof. of Soil Science
7 May 5 Using Liquid Crystals and Nanostructured Surfaces for Environmental Monitoring
Nick Abbott, Prof., Chemical & Biological Engineering; Chairman, Platypus