Exploring the World of Microbes

What most excites Erica Hartmann is something she can’t see—not with the naked eye, anyway.

Erica is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and (by courtesy) medicine. She also is a research adviser and leads a lab that includes students from Northwestern Engineering's Master of Biotechnology Program (MBP).

Her research is focused on microbes, the mostly microscopic living organisms that include bacteria, fungi, protists, and some viruses.

“At a basic level, I think microbes are just fascinating,” Erica said. “They never cease to surprise and amaze me with the breadth of what they can do and where they survive.”

Erica's passion is spreading that enthusiasm to the students in her lab. Four of those student researchers have been MBP students 

The ability to participate in breakthrough research is a key differentiator for MBP students when they search for their first job after graduation.

“It’s important to see how the sausage is made, so to speak," Erica said. "Human society benefits enormously from scientific progress, but there are a lot of misconceptions about how research actually gets done. Being involved in research helps contextualize important new developments that affect us all.”

MBP students in particular bring something special to the lab, she said. Their wide variety of experiences and interests create a truly interdisciplinary environment and help communicate the work more effectively to the outside world.

Research makes up roughly 40 percent of the MBP curriculum. Students are given the opportunity to work alongside one of more than 100 research advisors during their time in the program.

Many of those labs have affiliations that expand their reach. Erica’s, for example, is linked with the Center for Synthetic Biology, which is co-directed by MBP director Danielle Tullman-Ercek.

“The Center for Synthetic Biology is a fantastic community that supports research in synthetic biology at all levels,” Erica said. “My lab members and I benefit from opportunities for collaboration and feedback from colleagues, and, similarly, I try to reciprocate by supporting faculty and trainees from other CSB labs.”

All of this cooperation goes to support the promising field of biotechnology, and at the core of that industry are the microbes that so fascinate Erica and her colleagues.

“The world is inhabited by mind-bogglingly diverse microbes that affect us at a macro level by doing things like putting oxygen in the atmosphere, helping us digest our food, and occasionally making us sick,” she said. “I am interested in how those microbes experience the world and how we as engineers can use that information to promote human and environmental health.”

Those who work in Erica’s lab share in the excitement and discovery.

In return, the lab gives students an in-depth look at what actual scientific research is like 

“Research is all about critical thinking, creative problem solving, and rigor,” Erica said. “For students hoping to make a career in research, this exposure helps develop the skills essential to success in any scientific endeavor. No matter what you want to do in the future, these skills are extremely helpful in navigating many career paths.”