Bulkley Valley Research Centre - Science in the Public Interest

Genomics: Changing the way we mine

Wednesday February 18, 2015  12:00pm-1:00pm

Northwest Community College - Smithers

Sue Baldwin, UBC professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, leads a discussion about the treatment of mine-affected water through the applications of bioremediation and meta-genomics. Bioremediation is a useful approach for treating mine-affected water. It is based on natural biogeochemical processes and can be more cost-effective than chemical precipitation. Since bioremediation effectiveness depends on microorganisms, we need to be able to track them and understand how to maintain the desired types. This can be done using new DNA technologies such as meta-genomics. This talk will describe what bioremediation is in a mining context and introduce meta-genomics and what it can do.

View Abstract