Welcome

Hi all and welcome to my blog discussing Microbiology in Canada. Microbiology is a wonderful and exciting area of study that holds great potential for future careers. The purpose of this blog is to introduce those fond of of Science to the many scientists and researchers studying microbiology in Canada. Additionally, this blog will serve as a community tool providing people with information surrounding to the plethora of research currently being conducted in Canada.

The accomplish this, profiles of Canadian scientists and research topics affecting the world at large will be created on a monthly basis. Each of these blogs will start with a brief overview of the scientist, and follow with a variety of information pertinent to people interested in microbiology, regardless of their status in education. So with no further ado, lets start with me.

MicroProfile

Name: Paul Moote

Position: Grad Student,

University: Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops BC

Favorite Microorganism: Deinococcus radiodurans

Research Interest: Impact of wine supplemented cattle feed on Antibiotic resistance profiles of organisms from feces, hide and carcass samples, as well as the environmental impacts of the final beef product.

So what got me interested in microbiology. It all started during a co-op term where I worked with the bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens in a project to engineer plums resistant to the Plum Pox, or Sharka, Virus. This bacteria has an amazing talent, in that it can cause tumours in plant tissues, infecting the plant and inserting plasmid DNA into the hosts cells. Being surrounded with research such as this, who could not love micro. I later found a love for environmental pollution abatement and followed my passion to studying methods to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the cattle industry.

So what information do I have that's useful for people interested in micro? Well, for those graduating from your bachelor's, this is for you. Probably the most under-advertised piece of information for research is how you go about finding your research supervisor and what questions to ask them. Well here you go:

1. First things first, do well in school, and keep it up,
2. Read all the papers that interest you, and then read some more,
3. Contact researchers performing work that interests you and ask about openings in their lab. Don't forget to ensure that your prof is right for you—to do this follow these tips: ensure that there is money for research and personal funding (or perhaps you already have some funding of your own, in which case congrats to you!); when was the time the researcher published and where did they publish, where did their former students end up. Ask lots of questions, you can never ask too many questions!
4. If the prof is right for you, meet with them and be prepared,
5. If accepted, enjoy the sweet smell of coffee, late nights, and LB media (you'll learn to love it).

Well, I look forward to more blogs and providing more insight into the world of Micro. The next blog will feature Dr. Jonathan Van Hamme, Associate Professor of Microbiology at TRU researching petroleum microbiology. Look forward to his take on the oil spill, bioremediation and the future of microbiology in Western Canada.