AOML
Seminar
Date:
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Time:
1:30
p.m. – refreshments at 1:15 p.m.
Location:
AOML
First Floor Conference Room
Speaker: Dr. A.A. Mohamed Hatha
Associate
Professor
and Head
Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and
Biochemistry
School of Marine Sciences
Cochin University of Science and
Technology
Kerala, India
Title: “Diversity of
culturable bacteria in
the Arctic Region”
Abstract:
India
has opened its permanent
research station at the International research base at
Ny-Alesund, Norway, in
July 2008 and since then engaged in various research activities
in the fields
of biology, glaciology and atmospheric sciences. The
international research
base at Ny-Alesund is located at 80o North Latitude
and offers
excellent facilities for those who are interested to study the
arctic
environment and changes there due to the climate change impacts.
As part of the
Indian research initiatives at Arctic, a study has been carried
out to look the
culturable diversity of heterotrophic bacteria in the water and
sediment
samples from Kongsfjord in the Norwegian Arctic, as well as from
the migratory
bird, Barnacle geese. While the heterotrophic bacterial isolates
were looked at
from the diversity point of view (in order to derive any climate
induced
changes in microbial communities in the long run) as well as
their potential
features for use in biotechnology, the coliform and E. coli isolates from the environmental and bird
droppings
respectively were evaluated in terms of their antibiotic
resistance and the
potential to act as source of spreading antibiotic resistant
genes into
pristine arctic environment. The proposed talk will share the
field experiences
as well as the basic results of the research carried out. The
research is
ongoing as a part of long term project. The lecture will also
cover the overall
topography of the Norwegian arctic region, fauna, flora and life
at the arctic
research station during summer, when it experiences 24 hour day
light. India is
one among the 10 countries those have permanent research
stations at the
International research base in Ny-Alesund, Norwegian Arctic and
regularly sends
the expedition teams in arctic winter and summer.
Biography: Dr. Mohamed Hatha is Associate Professor
at Department
of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, Cochin
University of Science
and Technology (CUSAT). He is also heading this department,
which is an
integral part of School of Marine Sciences which comprises other
departments
such as Marine Geology and Geophysics, Chemical Oceanography,
Physical
Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences. Dr. Hatha’s research
includes diversity
of culturable heterotrophic bacteria in the environment; food
borne pathogens
such as Salmonella, E.
coli and Vibrio
parahaemolyticus, their drug
resistance and survival kinetics in natural environments. Since
joining the
department in 2006 he has mobilized substantial research grants
to look at role
of microbenthos in marine biogeochemical cycles. Dr. Hatha,
currently Fulbright
Scholar at Michigan State University has lead the Indian Arctic
Expedition in
2009 and visited Arctic again in 2011 as field participant. He
has won Young
Scientist Award instituted by Department of Science and
Technology (DST), Govt.
of India in 2002, and currently Research Coordinator of Earth
Science and
Technology Cell (formerly Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Technology Cell –
OSASTC – funded by Ministry of
Earth
Sciences, Govt. of India) at CUSAT. Dr. Hatha has so far
published 116 papers
in leading national and international journals and also authored
3 books.
