JUNKO
MUNAKATA MARR, Associate Professor
Environmental
Science & Engineering
Colorado School of Mines
Coolbaugh Hall
Golden, CO 80401-1887
| Phone:303-273-3421 Fax: 303-273-3413 Email: junko@mines.edu |
Education
- B.S., California Institute of Technology
- M.S., Ph.D., Stanford University
Research Interests
Biological degradation of organic compounds; microbial source tracking; microbial communities in natural and engineered soil, groundwater and treatment systems; application of molecular biology techniques to environmental systems.
The unifying theme for my research interests is microorganisms. Natural systems contain a plethora of bacteria and other microbes that have useful and sometimes surprising metabolic capabilities. Numerous microorganisms have been isolated that can transform organic compounds of primarily anthropogenic origin. By harnessing such metabolic activity, we can engineer microbiological systems to remove organic pollutants. For example, stimulation of indigenous microorganisms can lead to biodegradation of such groundwater contaminants as petroleum hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds, and chlorinated solvents.
Microbial communities are inherently dynamic. Understanding and ultimately controlling these dynamics is important in many applications of environmental engineering microbiology. For example, in situ remediation may require years for sufficient biodegradation to occur; any change in microbial activity or populations during such extended contaminant exposure may have significant implications for the treatment effectiveness. By understanding the community dynamics during the treatment process, we may be better able to control the biodegradation achieved. We can apply molecular biology techniques to assess microbial communities in environmentally relevant systems ranging from groundwater bioremediation, centralized and on-site wastewater treatment systems, and to identify fecal coliforms from different sources.
Current research activities include evaluation of the compatibility of reductive dechlorination activity with polymers used for flow control, coupling chemical oxidation with other remediation techniques such as bioremediation, and the use of DNA fingerprinting techniques applied for microbial source tracking. I am also involved in an educational research project to integrate humanitarian engineering ethics into graduate engineering curricula.
Selected Publications and Presentations
