Tri-Cities Tech Business Update
Young scientist places first in national research competition
Kenneth Bruno and Kristen Meyer
A recent intern at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory earned top honors at a national undergraduate competition for research that could help scientists use fungi to make chemicals used in plastic and fuels. Kristen Meyer, of West Richland, Wash., placed first in the life sciences division of the 2009 Science and Energy Research Challenge Poster Competition, which took place Nov. 8-9 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The award included a $3,000 scholarship. Now a junior studying chemistry at Washington State University Tri-Cities, Meyer spent the past summer working with PNNL molecular biologist Kenneth Bruno. She developed a new, time-saving method to test specific genes in a black mold commonly found in soil, Aspergillus niger. The work could provide a way to use mold to make plastics and other chemicals from broken-down plant matter, called biomass. Read the PNNL news release. Read the Washington State University news release.
