Air Force-funded Scientists Present Research Progress on Power-producing Organisms Published July 27, 2007 By William Sharp AFOSR Public Affairs ARLINGTON, Va. -- Program managers at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research here recently conducted a review of the organization's biophysical mechanisms research portfolio during a conference in Arlington. "The primary objective of the AFOSR biophysical mechanisms program is to discover and understand basic biological mechanisms," said Maj. Jennifer S. Gresham, AFOSR program manager for biophysical mechanisms. "Specifically, we look at systems that could be used to harden or repair biologically-based devices or mechanisms that can use complex, impure biofuels for compact power." The periodic reviews allow program managers opportunities to lead cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration among contributing researchers. Managers also use reviews to assess the overall strength of their basic research portfolios. In addition, reviews provide an open forum for collaborative solution development among the researchers, an important layer of scientific discovery and innovation. Participating scientists represented universities throughout the United States to include the University of Southern California, Rice University, University of New Mexico, Columbia University, Saint Louis University, University of Hawaii, Northeastern University, Michigan State University, University of Maryland, University of Colorado, Pennsylvania State University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scientists from Fundatión Biociencia, Santiago, Chile, and from Sandia National Laboratories also participated. Topics covered during the review included hyperthermophiles,and enzymatic and microbial fuel cells. Hyperthermophiles are organisms that live in extremely hot environments, such as a hot springs, with temperatures around the boiling point of water. A microbial fuel cell is a device in which a chemical, typically glucose, is converted to electric power by means of bacteria. Dr. Plamen Atanassov is one of the world-class investigators involved in the research. He is an associate professor at the University of New Mexico who is leading a research team studying fundamental and bioengineering of enzymatic fuel cells. "We hope to bring about the design of micro-aerial vehicles for surveillance, unattended sensors, and auxiliary power supplies based on energy scavenging," Dr. Atanassov said. "This technology could become a major component of biological and chemical weapons threat reduction strategies." Additionally, he explained, the technology could be used in military aircraft or vehicles, building security, public transportation hubs or military installations. Another principal investigator, Dr. Bruce E. Logan, is studying enhanced power generation in microbial fuel cells. "Our research will identify bacteria capable of producing power in microbial fuel cells," Dr. Logan said. "Our goal is to develop systems that can power devices using any source of biodegradable organic matter." The team of Dr. Jenny M. Blamey, director of research and development, Fundación Biociencia in Santiago, Chile, is studying incineration-proof hyperthermophiles. "Our project aims directly at special purpose lipids and proteins with combined heat and radiation stability,"Dr. Blamey said. "These formulations may provide surface coatings and sealants, for example, to highly sensitive equipment in high altitude and space applications." "Research into these and related areas could enable the Air Force to employ biologically based systems, either within or outside of a living cell, to improve performance and extend lifetimes of various biotechnology systems," said Dr. Gresham. "As biological molecules are increasingly used as catalysts, sensors, and biomaterials, it will be necessary to understand how we can use these molecules in extreme environments. One of the goals of this effort is to learn how to regulate the desired function as conditions change and to store the device for prolonged periods of time," Dr. Gresham said. Other areas of interest contained in the AFOSR portfolio include mechanisms for survival and protein stability in extremophilic archaea; novel bioelectrode designs; and enzyme engineering.