Dec 5 2014
Anne Camper, Regents Professor in Montana State University’s Department of Civil Engineering and an affiliated faculty member with the Center for Biofilm Engineering, served as guest editor of a recent biofilm-related issue of the journal Microbial Ecology.
An image by Federica Villa, visiting postdoctoral researcher at Montana State University's Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Betsey Pitts, CBE research scientist and microscope facilities manager, taken with a confocal scanning laser microscope shows biofilms that have colonized the eroded and powdery marble surface of a 15th-century sculpture exposed to the outdoor environment. The sculpture is a baptismal font now housed at the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park, N.Y. Center for Biofilm Engineering photo.
The issue’s cover image was taken by Federica Villa, CBE visiting postdoctoral researcher, and Betsey Pitts, CBE research scientist and microscope facilities manager.
“This is a very nice example of the leadership role that faculty at the Center for Biofilm Engineering play,” said Phil Stewart, CBE director. “Microbial Ecology is a prestigious publication and it reflects well on MSU’s stature within the international biofilm community that Anne Camper was chosen to edit this special issue.”
Camper’s area of expertise is biofilm growth and control in drinking and industrial water systems, as well as the fate, transport and survival of pathogens in biofilm systems and the physiology of biofilm bacteria. She has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on nearly 50 grants related to drinking water treatment or distribution.
Camper is also involved in research investigating the relationship between water quality and health with community members on Montana’s Crow Indian Reservation.
In addition to serving on several national committees on water quality, Camper is a member of the American Water Works Association, the International Society of Microbial Ecology, the American Society for Engineering Educators, and the American Society for Microbiology, where she currently serves as adviser to Division Q—Environmental Microbiology.
The cover photo of the special issue features an image obtained with a confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) that shows biofilms that have colonized the eroded and powdery marble surface of a 15th-century sculpture exposed to the outdoor environment. The sculpture is a baptismal font now housed at the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Villa is on a two-year visit to Bozeman from her home institution, the University of Milan, Italy. Villa’s project is researching how cyanobacterial biofilms contribute to deterioration of outdoor stone materials. Her research could contribute to the development of better methods to preserve aging buildings and artwork throughout the world.