Marc
Aucoin
is
standing
at
an
exciting
crossroad,
a
place
where
chemical
engineering
and
virology
intersect.
The
Waterloo
chemical
engineering
professor’s
interest
in
biology
is
specific
to
viruses
because
of
their
ability
to
take
over
the
control
of
cells.
He
believes
chemical
engineers,
with
their
background
in
design
and
process,
are
well
suited
to
study
viruses
and
their
potential
uses.
Viruses
and
virus-like
products,
says
Marc,
often
need
to
be
mass-produced
for
use
in
vaccines.
“This
reason
alone
has
created
a
huge
amount
of
interest
in
producing
these
viruses,”
says
Marc,
also
a
Waterloo
alumnus
with
a
BASc
and
MASc
in
chemical
engineering.
Aucoin
is
inspiring
chemical
engineering
students
to
pursue
research
in
this
area
through
his
involvement
with
the
Waterloo
International
Genetically
Engineered
Machines
Competition
(iGEM)
team.
As
one
of
the
team’s
advisers
Marc
recruits
students
to
work
as
part
of
the
team
on
their
co-op
terms.
Marc
feels
Waterloo’s
chemical
engineering
department
–
with
more
than
a
third
of
the
faculty
members
pursuing
bio-related
research
–
is
a
great
place
for
someone
who
has
always
been
fascinated
with
how
biology
works
and
now
especially
viruses.
”Viruses
are
neat
little
organisms
that
teeter
on
the
wall
between
the
living
and
the
non-living,”
he
says
“They’ve
survived
by
making
sure
that
they
can
infiltrate
cells,
deliver
their
genetic
payload
and
replicate
themselves.”
Marc
is
currently
researching
“enveloped
viruses”,
a
group
that
includes
influenza,
herpes,
HIV
and
the
virus
that
causes
severe
acute
respiratory
syndrome
(SARS).
Academic Director, WatPD Engineering