Diverse group of microbial ecologists, molecular biologists, biogeochemists, chemists, toxicologists, system biologists, geneticists

 Technologies that look simultaneously at a diverse group of molecules involved in microbial response to the environment ◦ DNA ◦ mRNA, sRNA ◦ Proteins ◦ Metabolites  Primary  Secondary

◦ Review OMIC technologies  GENomics  TRANSCRIPTomics  PROTEOmics  METABOLomics ◦ Explore application of OMICS in detection of ecological stress  Strengths and weaknesses  Goals to advance OMIC-based approach to sensing ◦ Discuss relevance of OMICS-based sensing in our own research

 Not a monitoring strategy ◦ Lack of mechanistic understanding of normal, “baseline” microbial community state ◦ Expensive ◦ Labor intensive ◦ Quality control ◦ HUGE Data management

 Method will generate a large volume of data useful in discovery of: ◦ Global microbial environmental response ◦ Mechanistic biochemical pathways ◦ Baseline physiological characterization ◦ Community composition and dynamics ◦ Microbial ecology Also useful in framing more focused experiments

 Establish baseline OMICS parameters for different organisms, different environments  Focus on key metabolic pathways  Improve our basic understanding of the bacterial metabolism (enzyme, pathways, metabolites)  Identify indicator organisms, parameters for environmental stress  Identify actionable stress levels

 Develop, maintain standard methods to yield reproducible, consistent results  Improve sequencing methods (faster, cheaper, portable)  Develop database, establish important biomarkers for target environmental conditions  Develop data management and analysis tools

 In situ selenate source control in mine waste  Algal bloom monitoring and control  Salmonella-host bacteria interactions  Bioremediation  Biofuel enzyme discovery  See paragraphs and references from each participant in summary document

 Example in wastewater treatment - Microbial communities are used in wastewater treatment - Occasionally the system crashes; wastewater treatment fails - Monitoring the health and function of microbial community using OMICS methods may be able to detect and/or prevent a system crash