Today Dr. Matthew Fields, Director of the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss ubiquitous microbial biofilms. These biofilms touch so many aspects of life on Earth, ranging from human health to engineering issues!
Host: Mark O. Martin
Guest: Matthew Fields
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Links for this episode
- The website for the American Society for Microbiology's Conference for Undergraduate Educators. Highly recommended!
- The must-read story of Angelina Hesse, and the first use of agar to solidify microbiological media. Here is a Kickstarter project involving promoting this important piece of microbiological history. And here is a video made by former podcast guest Dave Westenberg on the Hesse agar story.
- An engaging video for budding #Micronauts explaining the general concept of quorum sensing in bacteria.
- A video overview of biofilms on Earth. Perhaps we should call Earth "Planet Biofilm"!
- Here is an older review of biofilms that is very easy to read and fun to think about.
- Here is a newer review of the impact that biofilms can have in health, agriculture, industry, and ecology.
- A video interview with the late "father" of biofilm research, William J. Costerton.
- The concept that stromatolites are fossilized biofilms.
- A video describing the biofilm "life cycle."
- Recent developments in the details of how biofilms form.
- An article on biofilms and evolution of multicellularity.
- Previous podcast guest Dr. Vaughn Cooper's "Evolving STEM" outreach project that places biofilms front and center.
- The challenge of antibiotic resistance and biofilms.
- The website of the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University. There is so much to see here, at every level. It is a grand resource for anyone interested in biofilms.
- The Center for Biofilm Engineers "fact page" on biofilms.
- Dr. Fields' research page, where you can find information about the kinds of projects discussed today.
- An engaging video from Dr. Fields institution on biofilms.
- Dr. Fields' faculty page.
Intro music is by Reber Clark
Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com