Fungi are the next green chemistry champs

This exercise is a part of Educator Guide: The SN 10: Scientists to Watch / View Guide

Directions for teachers: After your students read “The next champs of green chemistry,” ask them to answer the following questions.

1. Who is Michelle O’Malley? What organisms does she study and why?

Michelle O’Malley is a chemical and biological engineer at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She studies the anaerobic fungi that help animals such as goats and sheep digest plants. Enzymes made by these fungi might be useful for producing fuel and other chemicals from agricultural waste and inedible plant material.

2. What substance do the fungal enzymes break down? Why are researchers interested in this substance?

The fungal enzymes break down lignocellulose, which is the fibrous parts of plants. Researchers are interested in lignocellulose because it is rich in carbon, which is an important element in fuels, drugs and many other chemicals.
 
3. How is the substance described in question 2 currently broken down? Why is this not a great approach?

Typically, lignocellulose has been broken down through chemical and physical methods. But these approaches can be costly, toxic and wasteful.

4. According to the article, what personal characteristics have helped Michelle O’Malley as a scientist? What is the source of that insight into O’Malley’s personality?

Michelle O’Malley is unafraid to tackle problems and can recognize interesting or unusual results, says her graduate school adviser, chemical engineer Anne Robinson.

5. How did Michelle O’Malley find a mentor in her field? How did her mentor support her research goals?

After graduate school, she reached out to more established scientists that could teach her how to grow and isolate the microbes she was interested in.

6. What two phrases does Michelle O’Malley use to describe the technique for growing anaerobic fungi? Why are these phrases appropriate for describing the technique?

Michelle O’Malley calls the method to grow the fungi a “very old-school technology” and “a lost art.” It is “old-school” and “lost” because few people know how to do it anymore. It is an “art” because it takes care, coordination and experience, and it doesn’t always work.

7. What did Michelle O’Malley’s team find out about the phylum of fungi called Neocallimastigomycota? Why is that finding interesting?

The team found that the anaerobic fungi have genetic instructions for the largest number of biomass-degrading enzymes known in nature. All of those enzymes break down organic material and so might be options to explore for breaking down plant matter for use in biotechnology.


8. What STEM field(s) does Michelle O’Malley study? Describe how her research connects to each field?

Possible student response: Michelle O’Malley studies the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields of chemistry and microbiology. Her work connects to chemistry because she is interested in the composition and structure of agricultural leftovers and how they might be broken down. Because she is studying how microbial fungi break down those molecules, in particular using enzymes, her work is also squarely in the realm of microbiology.

8. What STEM field(s) does Michelle O’Malley study? Describe how her research connects to each field?

Possible student response: Michelle O’Malley studies the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields of chemistry and microbiology. Her work connects to chemistry because she is interested in the composition and structure of agricultural leftovers and how they might be broken down. Because she is studying how microbial fungi break down those molecules, in particular using enzymes, her work is also squarely in the realm of microbiology.

9. What other types of careers could scientists in these fields pursue?

Possible student response: Chemists can work to develop new drugs and test new products. Microbiologists can work in hospitals and clinical laboratories, running various tests on patient samples for doctors and veterinarians, and helping public officials track outbreaks. Scientists in these fields can also work to shape regulations and public policy.