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PRODID:-//Iowa State University CALS LAS Web Team//sites.iastate.edu//EN
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UID:20241004T202000-998-www.chem.iastate.edu
DTSTART:20241004T202000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
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LOCATION:1352 Gilman Hall
SUMMARY:Courtney Reichardt (Physical Seminar)
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Hosted by: Aaron Rossini and Frederic PerrasTitle: Molecular-sc
 ale mapping of the biofilm matrixAbstract:Biofilm formation protects bacte
 ria from antibiotic treatment and host immune responses\, making biofilm i
 nfections difficult to treat. Within biofilms\, bacterial cells are entang
 led in a self-produced extracellular matrix that often includes exopolysac
 charides and high molecular weight proteins. Molecular-level descriptions 
 of biofilm matrices have been challenging to attain due to their complex n
 ature and lack of solubility and crystallinity.&nbsp\;We seek to answer: W
 hat are the molecular biophysical principles of biofilm assembly? Since th
 is question spans several scales—multicellular to atomic—we are develo
 ping multidisciplinary approaches that integrate microbiological methods w
 ith physical chemistry tools including microscopy and solid-state nuclear 
 magnetic resonance (NMR).Our research is anticipated to lead to improved m
 odels to study biofilms\, which will be useful in the development of anti-
 biofilm therapeutics. Additionally\, the approaches that we develop will b
 e useful for studying other complex materials.Bio:Courtney Reichhardt grad
 uated from Montana State University with a BS in Chemistry in 2010. She th
 en attended Stanford University where she joined Lynette Cegelski’s labo
 ratory in the Department of Chemistry. There she pioneered the development
  of a novel approach that integrates solid-state NMR and electron microsco
 py analyses to quantitate the composition of biofilms. Her graduate resear
 ch was supported by the Althouse Family Stanford Graduate Fellowship\, and
  she earned her PhD in Chemistry in 2016.To expand her skill set\, Courtne
 y opted to do her postdoctoral training in the Department of Microbiology 
 at the University of Washington with Matthew Parsek. There she studied the
  protective intermolecular interactions in the biofilm matrix of the patho
 gen&nbsp\;Pseudomonas aeruginosa that allow for persistence in environment
 s like those that it encounters during chronic cystic fibrosis lung infect
 ions. Her postdoctoral research was supported by several fellowships\, and
  she was awarded two postdoc-to-faculty transition fellowships: a K99/R00 
 “Pathway to Independence” Award from the NIH (NIGMS) and the Cystic Fi
 brosis Foundation’s Postdoc-to-Faculty Award.Courtney joined the Departm
 ent of Chemistry at Washington University as an Assistant Professor in 202
 1. Her research program leverages her unique multidisciplinary training to
  answer important questions about the molecular biophysical principles of 
 biofilm assembly\n\nMore information at: https://www.chem.iastate.edu/even
 t/2024/courtney-reichardt-physical-seminar
DTSTAMP:20260816T190155Z
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