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For a good portion of the 2006-07 school year, Brandon Beidel ’09 (Newburg, Pa.) is focusing his energies on turning bacteria into plastic.
In this unique process, Beidel, a chemical engineering major, uses a new bioreactor that the chemical engineering department received last spring. The bioreactor is used to grow the bacteria and Beidel then aids in the extraction of the plastic.
While early results have been modest, Beidel, who has also worked on the project over the summer, says he’s excited by the opportunity to get a taste of what lies ahead in the field he has chosen.
“This is absolutely pertinent to my course of study,” he says. “I’m going to be looking at some of the exact same things in my electives, such as the growth rates in bacteria.”
The project is the result of collaboration between Beidel and Polly Piergiovanni, associate professor of chemical engineering, in Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program. The program allows students to conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend and has helped make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
The research focuses on Alcaligenes eutrophus,atype of bacteria that produces a biodegradable polymer. According to Piergiovanni, continued work and research could yield significant results in this developing field of study.
“We produced plastic maybe the size of a quarter,” Piergiovanni pointed out. “Though the outcome wasn’t strong, we were just pleased that the process worked at all.”
A specialist in biochemical engineering, Piergiovanni researches cell-dependent problems that have applications in pharmaceutical and biochemical industries. She has advised more than 25 students, published 13 papers, and presented at 22 conferences, including those of the American Society for Engineering Education, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies. Piergiovanni received National Science Foundation grants in both 1992 and 2002.
The project is being done in conjunction with Bonnie Hoy ’07 (Smithville, N.J.), a chemical engineering major who began work last semester and is continuing her research this semester through an independent study project.
Experiencing this level of research helps Beidel learn the ins and outs of the lab experience.
“This is an opportunity for Brandon to do research with a professor at a very early stage,” Piergiovanni says. “It gives him access to equipment that is state-of-the-art and is an opportunity that not many students are exposed to.
“With my guidance he developed his own experimental plan. He learned bioexperimental techniques that he won’t learn in class until he’s probably a junior. It sort of accelerated his learning.”
While it’s still early in his academic career, Beidel believes the project has helped solidify his choice for a major.
“From what I’ve experienced so far, [chemical engineering research] is basically what I want to do,” he says.
He also appreciates the guidance he has received so far from Piergiovanni, as well as Sam Morton, assistant professor of chemical engineering.
“The faculty has been very, very helpful,” he says. “Professor Morton has been great about helping me decide what I need to take, and discussing what classes I need and why.”
Beidel is a member of the Lafayette swim team.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.