9875642 Noguera This is an award to support research, the objective of which is to conduct a rigorous investigation of the microbial ecology of aerated-anoxic biological treatment processes for removal of nitrogen from wastewater. Results are expected to provide insights into design of processes and their use in treatment systems for more efficient removal of nitrogen from wastewaters during their treatment than is possible with conventional processing in which aerobic and anaerobic processing are conducted separately. The investigator plans on using molecular methods such as fluorescent in situ hybridization and molecular beacons in combination with traditional enrichment and isolation techniques in evaluation of microbial coupling of ammonia-oxidation with nitrite reduction. The proposal leading to this award was submitted in response to the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program which emphasizes combining discovery of new knowledge with inspired teaching and enthusiastic learning. The research component of this project is expected to provide knowledge that can be applied in engineering design of processes and systems to reduce the adverse effects of excessive discharges of nitrogen to environmental waters. The educational component is expected to provide undergraduate and graduate students with access to and use of modern advanced techniques for study of microbial processes of significance in environmental engineering practice and their professional application in engineering design of wastewater treatment processes and systems. ***
