Dr. Georgia A. Hammond

Courses Taught:

• BIOL 334 - Microbiology
• BIOL 408 - Principles of Microbiology  
• BIOL 450 - Molecular Biology
• BIOL 105 - Biology for Health Sciences

Genetic Characterization of Environmental Bacteria from An Arsenic Mine

My study site is an old arsenic mine in Floyd County.  Approximately, 100 years ago between 75 and 100 tons of arsenic was mined and fired in kilns there.  The site erodes into a headwater stream that flows through tributaries into the Roanoke River and ultimately, into the Chesapeake Bay.

I collect sediments containing bacteria from a set of sites near the old mine and in the headwater stream and bring them back to lab to establish pure cultures of the bacteria.  From the pure cultures my students and I isolate DNA with which to characterize the arsenic resistance genes for each of the cultures and RNA to look at expression of the arsenic resistance genes.

Current projects in my lab include:

• Analysis of bacterial DNA for the presence of the following arsenic resistance genes: arsC, arrAB, arsB, and aoxAB
• Analysis of gene expression for arsC when grown in arsenate-containing growth media
• Analysis of arsenate and arsenite output of bacterial cultures grown in arsenic
• Identification of bacteria isolated from sediments

If you are interested in my research, I would be happy to discuss it with you.  Feel free to contact me at ghammond@radford.edu.