Welcome to the Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI ) online workshop on the College of Exploration online campus in partnership with the University of Southern California Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies.
The Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) and the College of Exploration invite you to explore “life on the dark side” in a free online workshop: “Microbes down below! Exploring life beneath the ocean floor.”
For more information about C-DEBI visit: www.darkenergybiosphere.org
Participation is FREE and open to all! Materials and content will be especially designed for use in community college classes, with additional materials for high school classes.
C-DEBI scientists have drilled deep into the ocean floor to study how microbial life survives and thrives in sediments and rock below the bottom of the ocean, a dark world far below the sunlit photic zone. In the workshop, we will investigate life in extreme environments, chemosynthesis, microbial evolution, marine technology and engineering, and many other topics. During the workshop you will meet and interact personally with C-DEBI scientists and collect resources and lessons to help you share this exciting research with your students.
| Week One: | |
| Keynote: “Studying Life Below the Sea Floor” by Dr. John Kirkpatrick, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. |
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Dr. Kirkpatrick will present on how life in the deep biosphere is studied; how microbes survive in the extreme conditions found there; microbial evolution; and the value of these studies for broader applications. Interactive discussions with Dr. Kirkpatrick will take place during week one. Lecture available Sat Nov 2, 5pm Eastern |
| Week Two: | |
| Keynote: “Biogeography of the Deep Biosphere” by Dr. Brandi Reese, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. |
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Dr. Reese will present on extreme environments in the ocean; physical and chemical factors in extreme environments; the sub-seafloor microbial community and how it interacts with the geochemical environment; chemosynthesis vs. photosynthesis. Interactive discussions with Dr. Reese will occur during week two. Lecture available Fri Nov 8, 5pm Pacific |
| C-DEBI Website | |