Microbiology
Microbiology (from Greek , "mīkros", "small"; , "bios", "life"; and , "-logia") is the study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, parasitology, mycology and bacteriology.
Bruce Rittmann
Originally working in cooperation with Dr. David Stahl, Rittmann introduced the powerful tools of molecular biology to environmental engineering, helping create the exciting field known today as Environmental Biotechnology, in which the goal is to manage microbial communities so that they provide services to society. The tools of molecular microbial ecology directly interrogate the genetic information in microorganisms. They make it possible to determine what types of microorganisms are present in the complex communities of environmental biotechnologies, what reactions those microorganisms can carry out, what reactions they are carrying out, and how they interact with each other and their environment. Now working hand-in-glove with Center colleague Dr. Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, Rittmann is using molecular microbial ecology to understand and manage microbial communities in a wide range of microbiological processes used for removing pollution from water, generating renewable resources, and improving human health.