Contact Information

                        The University of Notre Dame

                        Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences

                        156 Fitzpatrick Hall

                        Ph: (574) 631-4534    Fax: (574) 631-9236

Super student - Ryan Nell

Background:

I received my BA in geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. While there, I worked in a variety of areas within the department ranging from science education, developing learning models to increase understanding in a variety of geology courses; paleontological fieldwork in the Dinosaur National Monument; low temperature thermochronometry, using mineral preparation and separation techniques as well as (U-Th)/He data processing in the Rio Grande Rift in addition to the Talamancas of Costa Rica; and geomicrobiology, determining Fe oxidation as a novel terrestrial subsurface metabolism for Ralstonia  sp. cultured from Henderson Mine, CO samples.  My primary interest turned to geomicrobiology work under Dr. Alexis Templeton, which propagated an internship opportunity with Dr. Cara Santelli at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C.  While at NMNH, I continued a variety of projects concerning Mn oxidizing fungi from passive waste treatment stations in central Pennsylvania as well as preliminary chromite oxidation experiments. 

Research:

My research focuses on the interaction between microorganisms and mineral formation. More specifically, using thermodynamic models to predict metal binding/mineral formation onto the bacterial envelope. Past projects include determining the application of surface precipitation theory to HgO precipitation onto B. subtilis and using linear free energy estimation to determine metal binding constants relevant to Fe oxidizing bacterial species L. cholodnii SP-6SL.

Current project:

1) Linking the bioavailability of aqueous ferrous complexes to Fe oxidizing bacteria and iron oxidation rates.