Exploration and exploitation of microbes
The Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (WCMR) promotes research and education in the application of microbiological principles and techniques to address environmental, industrial, economic, and human health challenges.
Through the WCMR, members with diverse research interests and varying academic backgrounds come together to engage in collaborative research in which microbes, as part of aquatic, terrestrial, engineered and host-associated environments, are explored through:
- computational analysis of sequence data
- identification of constituent species
- annotation and identification of novel molecular activities
- development of synthetic biology applications
- engineering of microbial processes for industrial applications
- participation in international sharing
- standardization of big data
- understanding the role of microbes in society.
As a group, the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research plans to unify, catalyze, and promote multidisciplinary research which explores and exploits microbes at the University of Waterloo. The WCMR also supports partnerships between students, researchers, and external partners through networking events, collaborative projects and science communication. As of 2017, the WCMR is an official centre of the University of Waterloo.
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News
WatSAM and World Microbiome Day
For this year's World Microbiome day, WatSAM decided to engage the creative side of students on the University of Waterloo campus. A booth was set up with a option to decorate a cookie and design a pinback button with inspiration drawn from various types of petri dishes. The cookies drew in many curious (and hungry) students, and those who had a bit more time sat down and designed a button or grabbed a WatSAM laptop sticker. Students had a blast getting creative while learning and celebrating World Microbiome day.
WCMR joins Microbiome Support
Come visit the WCMR booth and learn about Microbiome Support at this year's Canadian Society for Microbiology meeting in Sherbrooke Quebec.
Annotating the Tree of Life
Faculty of Science and WCMR members Andrew Doxey and Laura Hug, with University of Waterloo students Kerrin Mendler, Han Chen, and Briallen Lobb have released AnnoTree, a tool that allows the visualization and exploration of a functionally annotated microbial tree of life.