Academic Collaborators

Dr. James Camberato (https://ag.purdue.edu/agry/directory/Pages/jcambera.aspx)

Dr. Camberato is a soil fertility and plant nutrition expert. He leads outreach programs on the fertilization of agronomic crops in Indiana. Dr. Camberato educated us on current agricultural practices and provided us with the "eureka moment" that microbes can benefit plant productivity.

Dr. Cindy Nakatsu (https://ag.purdue.edu/agry/directory/Pages/cnakatsu.aspx)

Dr. Nakatsu is a microbial soil ecologies expert. She studies the impact of anthropogenic factors on microbial community structure in addition to other cool projects. Dr. Nakatsu provided us with a depth of knowledge on beneficial plant-microbe interactions, advised us to use Bacillus Subtilis, and showed us the way to electroporation as a reliable transformation protocol for Bacillus Subtilis.

Dr. Clint Chapple (https://ag.purdue.edu/biochem/Pages/ProfilePages/chapple.aspx)

Dr. Chapple is an expert in plant secondary metabolism. He studies how to alter lignin metabolism in plants in order to yield more efficient plants for biofuel production. As Department head Dr. Chapple was able to allocate room for us in the greenhouse, and advised on how to alter metabolic pathways.

Dr. Gary Burniske (http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/food/people/managing-director.php)

Dr. Burniske is the Managing Director of the Center for Global Food Security within Discovery Park at Purdue University. As an expert in international relief and development, with a technical focus on sustainable agriculture, forestry and natural resource management. He was able to assess the validity of MineCrobe as a agricultural product, and provide us with invaluable insight on current problems and programs in International Agriculture.