STEAM Café: Genetically Engineered Microbes for the Industries of Tomorrow

Join Dr. Tanvi Govil, research scientist at South Dakota Mines, from 6-7 p.m. MT on Tuesday, August 15, at the Hay Camp Brewing Company (601 Kansas City St, Rapid City) as part of the South Dakota Mines’ Summer 2023 STEAM Café.

Genetic engineering is the direct modification of the genes of an organism. Scientists can now manipulate virtually almost any aspect of a microbe, including intelligence and appearance, using homologous recombination or CRISPR technology, executed in three steps: identify, cut and replace.

Dr. Tanvi Govil, a research scientist at South Dakota Mines, will discuss her research into microbes that degrade corn and soybean biomass and how advances in genetic engineering can enable researchers to exploit microorganisms for improved or enhanced sustainable microbially produced alternatives such as bioplastics and biofertilizers.

About the South Dakota Mines’ Summer 2023 STEAM Café Lineup

STEAM Café, an ongoing series of free, informal talks by Mines faculty, staff and visiting experts, is a partnership between the university, South Dakota Public Broadcasting and Hay Camp Brewing Company.

An acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, STEAM Café is held at 6 p.m. MT on the third Tuesday of each month at Hay Camp (601 Kansas City St, Rapid City), unless otherwise noted.

The 2023 summer STEAM Café lineup includes:

• June 20, 6 p.m. MT; Deep Science at America’s Underground Laboratory; Presented by Dr. Jaret Heise, science director at the Sanford Underground Research Facility
• July 18, 6 p.m. MT; A Panel Discussion on Critical Minerals: Essential to Everyday Life, Increasingly in Demand, and Mines Degrees Crucial to Solutions; Presented by Jason Combs, program director of the National Security Innovation Network at South Dakota Mines; Dr. Andrea Brickey, an associate professor in the Department of Mining Engineering & Management; Dr. Jon Kellar, a professor in the Department of Materials & Metallurgical Engineering; and Emma Thompson and Annika Schooler, Civil & Environmental Engineering undergraduates (2024)
• August 15, 6 p.m. MT; Genetically Engineered Microbes for the Industries of Tomorrow; Presented by Dr. Tanvi Govil, research scientist at South Dakota Mines