Rebecca Mays, ’21, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Rebecca Mays ’21

Major

Chemical and Biological Engineering

Project Title

Optogenetic Control of Microbial Consortia

Presentation Link

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I researched the optogenetic, or light-dependent, control of microbes such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which can be bioengineered to produce natural products such as biofuels, fragrance molecules and pharmaceuticals. My research consisted of studying previously engineered strains of optogenetic E. coli and S. cerevisiae and modeling their growth in different duty cycles of blue light. I also worked to insert optogenetic circuits into a strain of Pseudomonas putida, a bacterial species with great promise for biofuels, and successfully created a strain that grows in blue light and is suppressed in darkness. Finally, I fermented an optogenetic strain of E. coli with S. cerevisiae to produce isobutyl acetate (IBA). I measured the final IBA concentrations in the fermentations — as well as of its precursor, isobutanol — using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine the best light condition and E. coli/S. cerevisiae inoculum ratio for IBA production. Working on these projects allowed me to learn valuable lab skills and research procedures for future classes and beyond. I also learned much about the field of bioengineering, giving me an idea of careers that could stem from this research.