Public Outreach Activities
Pilot Citizen Science Study: Distributed Domestic Water Heater Microbiology Diversity
Presently, there is a growing interest in the biogeography of microorganisms. By looking at the genetic differences from isolates of similar microbes from across the globe, researchers are currently trying to understand the degree to which populations of microbes are isolated and whether this isolation suggests an allopatric speciation model for prokaryotes.
We propose to conduct a citizen science pilot study of microbial diversity in water heaters to both:
1. access the feasibility of basing a citizen science project on field microbiology, and
2. generate a first image of the biogeographic distribution of thermophilic microorganisms
across the United States.
Current Status: We have distributed and received back samples from around the country and are now in the process of analyzing them. Stay tuned for our research results. Photos from the results of the sample growth can be seen here.
Astrobiology Speaker Series
Periodically the Penn State Astrobiology Research Center faculty give lectures on topics relating to astrobiology. These lectures can be anything from small research focused groups to large informal education audiences. If you are interested in astrobiology topics and would like to know more about the lecture schedule, please contact Heather Nelson (heathernelson@psu.edu). There are no lectures scheduled at this time.
Belorussian Translation of the PSARC web page
Presently, there is a growing interest in the biogeography of microorganisms. By looking at the genetic differences from isolates of similar microbes from across the globe, researchers are currently trying to understand the degree to which populations of microbes are isolated and whether this isolation suggests an allopatric speciation model for prokaryotes.
We propose to conduct a citizen science pilot study of microbial diversity in water heaters to both:
1. access the feasibility of basing a citizen science project on field microbiology, and
2. generate a first image of the biogeographic distribution of thermophilic microorganisms
across the United States.
Current Status: We have distributed and received back samples from around the country and are now in the process of analyzing them. Stay tuned for our research results. Photos from the results of the sample growth can be seen here.
Astrobiology Speaker Series
Periodically the Penn State Astrobiology Research Center faculty give lectures on topics relating to astrobiology. These lectures can be anything from small research focused groups to large informal education audiences. If you are interested in astrobiology topics and would like to know more about the lecture schedule, please contact Heather Nelson (heathernelson@psu.edu). There are no lectures scheduled at this time.
Belorussian Translation of the PSARC web page
