Webinars

Creation of a new sustainable energy infrastructure, carbon sequestration, advanced electronic and computer technologies, and advanced defense technologies all mean that the demand for metals is increasingly rapidly. But traditional mining technology can be highly environmentally damaging. This means that the supply chains for many critical metals and semiconductors stretch through unstable parts of the world, leaving them vulnerable to disruption and exploitation. Biomining with Acidithiobacillus species already supplies about 20% of the world’s copper and 5% of its gold through an iron-specific redox process. However, there are no industrially-used microbes for any of the 30 or 40 other critical elements. This means that we will need to build microbes to enable bioprocesses to mine these elements with synthetic biology. However, we do not understand the basic science of how microbes interact with metals and minerals sufficiently to guide this engineering. My lab has characterized the genome of the mineral-dissolving microbe Gluconobacter oxydans and discovered the genetic systems that enable it to mine rare earth elements. We have used this new knowledge to create a roadmap for engineering G. oxydans that has already improved biomining of REE by up to 1,200%. Furthermore, we engineered the hyper-engineerable microbe Vibrio natriegens to separate adjacent heavy lanthanides, leap-frogging solvent extractions. However, this still leaves over 20 other critical elements that we need build microbes for. To build the basic knowledge for this, my lab has started the Microbe-Mineral Atlas to catalog metal and mineral-interacting microbes from around the US, and hopefully the world. Finally, I will discuss some of the barriers that our current model of technology transfer poses to development of new technologies, what we have done to solve this problem, and some recent successes in starting REEgen for biomining rare earth elements, and Forage Evolution to develop hyper-engineerable microbes.

This webinar addresses the critical intersection of hyperbaric medicine and underground construction during Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) cutterhead interventions (CHI). When high groundwater conditions necessitate balancing hydrostatic pressure with compressed air, personnel are subjected to extreme physiological environments. This session provides a professional overview of the medical risks inherent in these operations—including decompression sickness (DCS), barotrauma, and arterial gas embolism—and the mandatory regulatory framework required to mitigate them. Focused on OSHA 1926.803 compliance, the presentation outlines the essential role of the hyperbaric physician and the necessity of site-specific emergency protocols. Dr. Howton will detail how medical readiness must be integrated into operational planning, from pre-employment fitness-for-duty examinations to the strategic utilization of medical locks on-site. Attendees will leave with a clear roadmap for bridging the gap between heavy engineering requirements and medical safety, ensuring project compliance and the long-term well-being of the crew.