Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:56:31 +0000

Reconnect with MESA Alumni through LinkedIn. This group's purpose is to provide an online forum for MESA Statewide and the Alumni of the MESA Program.

1 Comment to “Student’s Tribute to U.Va.’s Summer Enrichment Program”

1.  Hannah Ricketts | December 28, 2009 @ 6:06 pm

   I have attended SEP two years in a row in the 5-8 program. If accepted I will be in the 9-11 program this summer. The program was a wonderful experience that i will never forget. I gained so much confidence and independence. I made friends with people from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds.The counselors and teachers are amazing. The living arangements gave you the actual college experience because we got to stay in the dorms. i greatly agree that the participants would not fit “nerd” steryotype. i highly recomend the program to anyone who likes to learn.

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Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:56:22 +0000

College Students & the Generation of New Energy

By Mike Drummond

Dell, Facebook, Google and Microsoft all have one thing in common. Each was started by college students.

You arguably could throw in Apple. But founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, while college age-ish when they first met in 1968, didn’t meet on campus.

Nonetheless, there’s something about dorm life, youth, junk food and technology that fuels new industries and companies.

As part of our yearlong salute to collegiate innovation and entrepreneurship, Inventors Digest has partnered with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance to showcase the 2010 March Madness for the Mind exhibit in San Francisco, March 26-27.

The NCIIA helps commercialize collegiate innovations. Up to 15 NCIIA “E-Teams” will be exhibiting at March Madness for the Mind this year.

The event at San Francisco’s Exploratorium also will serve as the launch of our sponsorship drive for the 2010 Collegiate Alt-Energy Innovation Contest. The winners will be announced during National Inventors Month in August, which this magazine co-founded in 1995.

College and college-bound students who develop low-cost alternative energy solutions will have a shot at cash and other prizes. Entrants will be required to post their innovations via a video of no more than two minutes on our sister site at Edison Nation. The deadline is June 1, 2010. We’ll be announcing details at the event and on inventorsdigest.com.

Why are we focusing on low-cost alternative energy?

At least 1.6 billion people – a quarter of all human beings on the planet – live without electricity.

Consider these facts from the World Bank:

• In developing countries, about 2.5 billion people rely on wood, charcoal, animal dung and the like to meet their energy needs for cooking.
• Indoor air pollution from the use of these types of fuels claims the lives of 1.5 million people each year, more than half of them children under the age of 5. That’s 4,000 deaths a day, more than total deaths from malaria.
• Lack of access to electricity or power contributes to malnutrition, disease, poverty, and as the stats above show, deaths.

It’s a vicious cycle, and one that can be alleviated – we believe – through innovation and creative use of low-cost technology.

To set the stage for March Madness for the Mind and the Inventors Digest 2010 Collegiate Alt-Energy Innovation Contest, we’ve assembled a partial list of previous NCIIA E-Teams that have earned grants in the alt-energy space.

Solar Ease

University of Pittsburgh

Grant awarded in 2009 for $20,000

High installation costs and extensive physical requirements – mounting brackets, breakers, ground connections – have kept solar energy from being widely adopted in many parts of the world.

To reduce costs and labor associated with switching to solar power, Solar Ease is developing a method to transmit solar energy wirelessly from outdoor solar panels to an indoor storage unit.

Building on a novel wireless technology called WiTricity, which is capable of transmitting energy through walls without direct cable connections, Solar Ease is in the process of creating a proof-of-concept prototype, researching target markets and applications for the technology, and moving toward commercialization by writing a business plan and securing intellectual property.

NexGEN SolarPads

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Grant awarded in 2008 for $19,000

While solar power is affordable, solar power systems required to harness the sun’s energy are expensive and have prevented many households from switching to an alternative energy source.

Additionally, the panels required to harvest sustainable solar power are themselves not sustainable – they require a large amount of energy to manufacture, and the materials are non-recyclable.

SolarPads are inexpensive, recyclable photovoltaic panels that address both these issues.  The design uses compound parabolic concentrators to widen the panels’ range and increase their concentration ratio, which means that fewer photovoltaic cells need to be used, lowering the cost.

SolarPads also use an inflatable wedge system that allows the panels to rotate to a position closest to the sun. Overall, the team is aiming for a panel that is 90 percent cheaper than similar solar panels.

ecoMOD Home Energy and Environmental Monitoring System

University of Virginia

Grant awarded in 2008 for $15,000

ecoMOD is an ongoing green building project at the University of Virginia where architecture and engineering students construct affordable, modular homes that use up to 50 percent less energy than similar houses. To date, ecoMOD has built five houses, funded by a variety of non-profits, corporations and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The team is now developing a low-cost, wireless home-energy monitoring system that provides real-time feedback on energy use, and has the capability to adjust thermostat and ventilation settings based on whether the residents are home. It also enables peak load shedding of selected appliances based on price signals from the utility.

Solar Lighting Systems for Remote Rural Communities

Cooper Union

Grant awarded in 2008 for $18,500

This team is developing affordable, solar powered lantern kits that can be combined with locally available materials – even recycled household items, such as coffee cans – to create safe, efficient lighting solutions for remote rural communities in northern Ghana.

These kits may be sold by local entrepreneurs. Students in this team have traveled to Ghana and are still perfecting their lanterns and charging stations.

STG International

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Grant awarded in 2007 for $20,000

STG International is developing an inexpensive solar generator for powering off-grid communities in the developing world. The team’s device meets a range of commercial and residential energy needs – heating, cooling and electricity – unlike standard photovoltaic panels, which only produce electricity.

Using common, inexpensive auto parts and plumbing supplies, the generator works by using sun-tracking parabolic mirrors to focus the sun’s rays on a pipe containing liquid antifreeze.

The refrigerant is heated and vaporized through a heat exchanger, driving a turbine-alternator assembly to generate electricity. Wasted heat is captured by a condenser and used to heat water. Altogether, the system costs about $3,000 and produces enough energy to power an off-grid school, health clinic or community center in the developing world.

Visit www.stginternational.org

SMIT–Solar Ivy

Pratt Institute

Grand awarded in 2006 for $14,700

Solar Ivy’s GROW is a hybrid solar and wind system designed to resemble ivy vines.  GROW panels consist of flexible photovoltaic foil “leaves” and piezoelectric generators.  The foil produces solar energy, and the motion of the leaves activates the piezoelectric generators to generate wind energy.

The Solar Ivy team was the first to come out of Pratt Institute’s Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology (SMIT) group, and has partnered with a solar foil manufacturer, DayStar Technologies and a piezoelectric manufacturer, Face International.

Solar Ivy intends for GROW to be an aesthetically pleasing alternative to traditional solar panels and wind turbines, and intends for the panels to be available in both commercial and residential markets in the developed and developing worlds.

Visit www.s-m-i-t.com

i-conserve

Pennsylvania State University

Grant awarded in 2005 for $15,750

i-conserve is an energy conservation solution for small businesses and homes to address the lack of inexpensive, easy-to-use energy monitoring products. The system consists of a wireless sensor network of modules (outlets), a base station that acts as the network’s information hub, and software that modifies energy settings to maximize efficiency, as well as providing tips to system users.

The i-conserve base station, a USB ZigBee dongle, allows a computer to communicate with the ZigBee mesh network. ZigBee is a new advancement in wireless sensor network technology that represents a reduction in cost and power consumption.

Visit www.i-conserve.com

Greasecar

Hampshire College

Grant awarded in 1995 for $14,225

What started as an E-Team called Bio-logic Fuel System, Greasecar developed a kit that enables conventional diesel engines to run on unrefined waste vegetable oils.

Biofuels such as these have come into the spotlight over concerns regarding fossil fuel availability, pollution, costs of pollution control and other environmental issues.

Greasecar now has 15 employees and annual sales of more than $1.2 mill

Tags: alternative energy, college, Innovation, Inventors Digest

By Sylv on Monday, 22nd February 2010

Birth Name: Colin Andrew Firth

Height: 6′ 1½” (1.87 m)

Born into an academic family – his father is a history lecturer at Winchester University College (formerly King Alfred’s College) in Winchester and his mother is a comparative religions lecturer at the Open University – Colin Firth’s first acting experience came in infant’s school when he played “Jack Frost” in a Christmas pantomime. Three of his four grandparents were Methodist missionaries and he spent his early childhood in Nigeria, returning to England at age five where he entered a comprehensive school in Winchester.

1. The Promised Land (2011)
2. The King’s Speech (2010)
3. Main Street (2010)
4. St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold (2009)
5. A Christmas Carol (2009)
6. A Single Man (2009)
7. Dorian Gray (2009)
8. Easy Virtue (2008)
9. Genova (2008)
10. Mamma Mia! (2008)
11. The Accidental Husband (2008) .
12. St. Trinian’s (2007)
13. Then She Found Me (2007)
14. And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007)
15. The Last Legion (2007)
16. Born Equal (2006) (TV)
17. Celebration (2006) (TV)
18. Nanny McPhee (2005)
19. Where the Truth Lies (2005)
20. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
21. “Saturday Night Live”
22. Trauma (2004/I)
23. Love Actually (2003)
24. Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
25. What a Girl Wants (2003)
26. Hope Springs (2003)
27. The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
28. Londinium (2001)
29. Conspiracy (2001) (TV)
30. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
31. Relative Values (2000)
32. The Turn of the Screw (1999) (TV)
33. Blackadder Back & Forth (1999)
34. The Secret Laughter of Women (1999)
35. My Life So Far (1999)
36. Donovan Quick (1999) (TV)
37. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
38. A Thousand Acres (1997)
39. Fever Pitch (1997)
40. The English Patient (1996)
41. “Nostromo” (1996) TV mini-series
42. “Pride and Prejudice”
43. “Performance”
44. Circle of Friends (1995) …. Simon Westward
45. “Ruth Rendell Mysteries”
46. Playmaker (1994)
47. The Hour of the Pig (1993)
48. Hostages (1993) (TV)
49. Mad at the Moon (1992)
50. Out of the Blue (1991) (TV)
51. Femme Fatale (1991)
52. Wings of Fame (1990)
53. Valmont (1989)
54. Apartment Zero (1988)
55. Tumbledown (1988) (TV)
56. “Hallmark Hall of Fame”
57. A Month in the Country (1987)
58. Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Pat Hobby Teamed with Genius (1987) (TV)
59. “Lost Empires”
60. 1919 (1985)
61. Dutch Girls (1985) (TV)
62. Another Country (1984)
63. “Crown Court”

Source:

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:56:15 +0000

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:26:06 +0000

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If you are looking to get your PhD from the Nirma University of Science and Technology, you should be glad to know that they now offer online PhD degree programs for certain degrees. Located in Ahmedabad, India Nirma University of Science and Technology was first established in 1994 and in the following years, different institutes were included in the institutions that can be found in the University. Included in the list of institutes that provide people with quality education are those of the Institute of Science, Institute of Technology, Institute of Management and Institute of Diploma Studies, to name but a few.

For those individuals who wish to advance their careers in teaching, consultancy and research by getting a PhD, there are a few online PhD degree programs that you can get yourself into via external registration. This is aimed at those who wish to excel in their field without having to stop working and continuing with their jobs while they get their higher degree.

To be eligible for external registration for PhD on one of the online PhD degree programs that the Nirma University of Science and Technology has, you will have to provide proof of a completed Master’s degree and proof of having had at least three years of teaching experience full-time in a related discipline or five years of a management level work experience in the same industry. To apply for an external PhD degree course in this University, you will need to fill out an application form that you will need to request to be mailed to you by the assistant registrar and you will need to include a Rs. 1000/- demand draft along with your request when you do so.

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Abstract

Ten bacterial isolates recovered from the crude oil contaminated sea water samples from a ship yard in Alang coast, Gujarat showed optimum growth in presence of crude oil. The crude oil degrading isolates were identified as species of genera Acinetobacter, Marinococcus, Micrococcus, Planococcus, Methylobacterium, Rhodococcus and Noccardia. All the ten isolates degraded 1% crude oil in Bushnell Haas broth. Highest biodegradation of crude oil was found to be 70% by the isolate M2 which belonged to genus Marinococcus. Other isolates showed biodegradation in the range of 55-30%. On addition of 1% Tween 80 biodegradation reduced in majority of cases. 70% of the bacterial isolates scored positive for biosurfactant production and emulsified toluene however emulsion stability varied drastically among the isolates. None of the biosurfactant producing bacterial isolates was hemolytic.Key words: Biodegradation, Biosurfactant, Emulsion, Hemolytic.

Introduction

In quantitative terms, crude oil is one of the most important organic pollutants in marine environment and it has been estimated that worldwide somewhere between 1.7- 8.8×106 tons of petroleum hydrocarbons impact marine waters and estuaries annually (1). Reports have been appearing since last three decades on the biodegradability of crude oil by bacteria which can use hydrocarbons as source of carbon and energy (2). When micro organisms grow in environment rich in hydrocarbon, they undergo many adaptations. One such adaptation is biosurfactant production which is a frequently encountered feature in hydrocarbon degrading bacteria or sometimes even a prerequisite for growth on hydrocarbons (3). Biosurfactant production helps the hydrocarbon degrading bacterium to gain better access to their hydrophobic substrates as it brings about changes like reduction of surface tension of the environment around the bacterium, reduction of interfacial tension between bacterial cell wall and hydrocarbon molecules, membrane modifications like increasing the hydrophobicity of cell wall by reducing the lipopolysaccharide content of cell wall, enhancing the dispersion of hydrocarbon by encapsulation of the hydrocarbon into micelles etc (4,5,6,7). Amongst the above changes reduction in surface and interfacial tension is a universal phenomenon displayed by almost all types of biosurfactant whereas changes like membrane modifications and emulsion formation strictly depends upon type of biosurfactant for e.g. glycolipids, lipopepetides, polymeric or particulate etc. Enhancement in hydrocarbon degradation may occur by cumulative effect of above changes.

Here we present a report on isolation of crude oil degrading marine bacteria from oil contaminated sea water, their screening for crude oil degradation and biosurfactant production.

Methods

Collection of sample

Sea water samples were collected in sterilized glass bottles from a ship yard at Alang coast, Gujarat.

Isolation and screening of crude oil degrading bacteria

Isolation of crude oil degrading marine bacteria was carried out by spreading 100 µL of serially diluted seawater samples on mineral salt medium (MM2). An ethereal solution of crude oil (10% w/v) was uniformly sprayed over the surface of agar plate. The ether immediately vaporized and thin layer of oil remained on the entire surface. The crude oil was obtained from ONGC plant at Chandkheda near Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The plates were incubated at 25oC for 20 days. The bacterial isolates which appeared on MM2 plate after incubation were screened for crude oil degradation by overlay technique (8).

Crude oil biodegradation

Crude oil biodegradation experiment was performed by modifying the technique described by Pirnik et al. (9) by adding the inoculating cells of density 108 mL-1 to BHM with 1% crude oil added as sole carbon source. To study effect of Tween 80 on biodegradation of crude oil a similar set of experiment as described was performed with 1% Tween 80 added to all the flasks (10). The estimation of crude oil degradation was accomplished by Gravimetric analysis. The residual crude oil was extracted in a preweighed flask with hexane in a seperating funnel. Extraction was repeated twice to ensure complete extraction. After extraction hexane was evaporated in a hot air oven at 68-70oC, the beaker cooled down in a desiccator and weighed. The % degradation was calculated as follows (11):

Weight of residual crude oil = Weight of beaker containing extracted crude oil – Weight of empty beaker

Amount of crude oil degraded = Weight of crude oil added in the media – Weight of residual crude oil

% degradation = Amount of crude oil degraded/ amount of crude oil added in the media × 100

Biosurfactant production

All the isolates obtained through overlay technique were screened for biosurfactant production in mineral medium added with 2% glucose as carbon source and incubating for 7 days in shaking condition at room temperature. After incubation media was centrifuged at 15,000 rpm for 10 min to obtain a cell free supernatant. The culture supernatant was tested for the presence of biosurfactant by the Drop collapsing assay as described by Bodour and Miller (12). Mineral oil was used in place of Pennzoil® as described in the report. The isolates which scored positive in the drop collapsing assay were checked for emulsification activity (13). Emulsification activity (%) was calculated as follows:

Emulsification activity = Height of the emulsion layer/ Total height of mixture × 100

Oil displacement assay was performed in which 15 µL of crude oil was placed on the top of 40 mL of distilled water in a 150 mm diameter petri plate. Then 10 µL of culture supernatant was gently added to the centre of the oil film. The diameter of the halo formed in the middle was measured after 30 sec (14).The bacterial isolates were also checked for haemolytic activity of biosurfactants on blood agar prepared by adding 5% v/v human blood to the blood agar base. Stab inoculation was done at the centre of the agar to check the haemolysis activity (15).

Statistical analysis

The statistical analysis was performed using MS office Excel 2003 for calculating mean, standard deviation and standard error.

Results And Observation

Isolation and screening of crude oil degrading bacteria

Both fungal and bacterial colonies were observed on MM2 agar plate after incubation of 20 days at 250C on which contaminated sea water sample was spread and sprayed with ethereal solution of crude oil, only bacterial colonies were chosen for the study. A total of eighteen bacterial isolates could be distinguished on the basis of colony morphology and colour. Ten out of eighteen isolates showed profuse growth on the overlay plates and were considered crude oil degraders.

Estimation of crude oil biodegradation

The results from control flasks indicated 15% abiotic loss of crude oil from the medium. Highest crude oil biodegradation was observed with isolate M2 (70%) followed by M1 and M8, both degrading 55% of the added 1% crude oil in the medium. A comparatively lower biodegradation of 40-50% was

found in isolates M3, M4, M5, M6 and M7. Least biodegradation of 30% was recorded with M9 and M10.

The effect of 1% Tween 80 on biodegradation of crude oil (1%) by the bacterial isolates varied drastically. On addition of 1% Tween 80 highest increase in biodegradation was shown by M9 which was otherwise the least efficient degrader. Biodegradation among other isolates in presence of Tween 80 ranged from 25-55%. Enhancement in crude oil biodegradation was observed only with two other isolates namely, M3 and M10. In these isolates the increase in biodegradation was 37 and 50% respectively. However, most of the isolates showed decrease in biodegradation in the range of 10 to 44% after addition of Tween 80. Isolate M8 was indifferent to presence of Tween 80 in this regard (Table 1).

Table 1: Crude oil degradation by bacterial isolates

* Values represent mean of triplicates

Biosurfactant production

Seven out of ten isolates scored positive for biosurfactant production in drop collapsing assay. On addition of the culture supernatant of isolate M2, M3 and M8 on mineral oil, beaded drops were observed even after 24 hrs indicating lack of biosurfactant production. In all other isolates addition of culture supernatant on the mineral oil lead to formation of flat drop after 60 sec and/or 24 hrs varying according to the isolate and therefore they were considered biosurfactant producers (Table 2).

Table 2: Biosurfactant studies on bacterial isolates

* Mean values indicated with standard error

NA: Not Applicable

Each of the seven isolates which scored positive for biosurfactant production also emulsified toluene but to a varying extent. Not all the emulsions formed by these isolates were stable after 24 hrs. Highest emulsifying index of 68% was observed with M6 after 10 min which remained stable after 24 hours. Similarly isolates M4 and M7 registered stable emulsification activity of 68.23% and 63.85% respectively. Emulsification activity of isolates M1, M5 and M10 was 56.75%, 47.75% and 62.44% respectively after 10 min which drastically declined after 24 hrs. M9 showed emulsification activity of 49.35% only after 10 minutes while M2 did not show any such activity.

The seven biosurfactant producers tested for oil displacement activity did not yield appreciable activity. No displacement activity was observed in M9, despite scoring positive for production of biosurfactant and emulsification of toluene (Table 2). Biosurfactant produced by none of the isolates had hemolytic properties. This was evident as no zone of clearance was observed in the blood agar plates inoculated with the isolates

Characterization of the bacterial isolates

The ten isolates recovered from oil contaminated sea water varied in their characteristics. There were similarities observed in colony morphology and pigmentation of few isolates but they differed in biochemical properties (Table 3). Isolates like M3, M5 and M6 were found to have similar colony morphology and pigmentation. Likewise, M7 and M10 were also similar in appearance, shape and color. Cocci and coccobacilli were the dominant cell morphology and most of the isolates were Gram positive. Only two isolates namely M1 and M8 were gram negative. Pigmentation of colonies varied from yellow, orange, and pink to beige.

Table 3: Biochemical characteristics of the bacterial isolates

Discussion

The appearance of colonies on the MM2 agar plate sprayed with ethereal solution of crude oil showed that contaminated sea water at ship yard in Alang coast harboured crude oil degrading bacteria. The bacterial isolates were designated as crude oil utilizers (16).

The overlay technique also confirmed that hydrocarbon degrading bacteria were ubiquitously present; their population size might be small in non-polluted area but in the hydrocarbon polluted area like the ship yards where crude oil pollution is common the population of crude oil degraders was dominating (17). Ten out of eighteen isolates showed profuse growth on screening through overlay technique.

Colonies of most of the isolates were mucoid and fused together in dense growth areas. This might be because of the exopolysaccharide production which leads to mucoid colony morphology. It has been reported that there is a close relationship between mucoid colony morphology and the ability to grow on crude oil. (18). The biodegradation of crude oil by bacterial isolates was on a very wide scale. Where on one hand 70% of crude oil was degraded by isolate M2, the isolates M9 and M10 degraded only 30% of the added crude oil. This might account for the varying ability of the isolates to survive in a single concentration of crude oil (17). The 1% crude oil added to the medium might be higher then the tolerance limit of M9, M10, M3 and M5 thus slowing down their growth and hence biodegradation, whereas the same concentration might not be high enough to affect the growth of the other isolates negatively and hence they could degrade it efficiently in the range of 50-70% (Table 1).

On addition of 1% Tween 80 the results obtained in case of bacterial isolates namely M10, M3 and M9 were in agreement with the published reports as degradation of crude oil was enhanced in the media of these isolates (19). The enhancement could be owed to the reduction of surface tension of the media and interfacial tension between hydrocarbon and cell surface by Tween 80 being a chemical surfactant (20). But there was decrease as well in degradation of crude oil on addition of 1% Tween 80 in most of the bacterial isolates namely, M2, M5, M4, M7, M1 and M6 which may be due to the toxic effects of Tween 80 on bacterial cells. Tween 80 beyond a certain concentration is poisnous to bacteria (21). So probably concentration of Tween 80 added in media i.e. 1% was inhibitory for these isolates retarding their growth and hence the degradation of crude oil.

70% of the bacterial isolates showed biosurfactant producing ability through drop collapsing assay, emulsification of toluene and oil displacement assay (Table 2). This accounts for the natural adaptation of biosurfactant production in many hydrocarbon degrading bacteria for better bioavailability of their substrates as hydrocarbons are not easily soluble being hydrophobic (20).

The supernatant obtained on centrifugation of the media contained biosurfactant and supernatant of few biosurfactant producing isolates formed good emulsion with toluene. In almost all isolates the emulsification activity was greater then 50-55% which accounts for good emulsification. However most of the emulsions with toluene were not stable as emulsification activity reduced in most of the isolates in 24 hrs. Differences in emulsification indices reflected different interactions among biosurfactant and hydrocarbon which explained why emulsions of some isolates with toluene were more stable than others. This observation emphasizes upon selection of specific biosurfactant for particular hydrocarbon pollution (22). The results of oil displacement assay indicated a very feeble activity from most of the isolates (Table 2). This could be attributed to the very low concentration of biosurfactant in the supernatant, as this assay is sensitive to as low as 10 nmol of biosurfactant concentration (14).

In our study the results of biosurfactant production could not be correlated to crude oil degradation in all the isolates as the observations made were contradictory. The highest crude oil degrader, M2 did not produce detectable levels of biosurfactant. This result is not in agreement with the published reports which say that biosurfactant producing bacteria are efficient crude oil degraders as well (23). The mode of hydrocarbon uptake is different for different bacteria and biosurfactants mostly enhance the attachment of the hydrocarbon to the substrate .Thus if biosurfactant production does not augment the mode of hydrocarbon uptake by the cell it may not always ensure enhanced biodegradation. Another reason might be that biosurfactants have been mostly reported to desorb the hydrocarbons from soil in mesocosm studies making them more and more bioavailable to the microorganisms in the soil but in experimental liquid media where hydrocarbons are easily available to the bacteria biosurfactants may not have any significant role to play (24).

In the hemolysis assay, none of the isolate gave clear zone on the blood agar. This may be because the biosurfactants falling under the category of lipopeptides and lipoproteins mainly show the property of hemolysis of mammalian blood so none of the bacterial isolates might be producing biosurfactant belonging to this category (6).

On the basis of colony morphology, staining and biochemical characteristics M1 was a member of genus Acinetobacter. Similarly M2 and M6 belonged to genera Marinococcus but they differed at species level due to differences in biochemical properties and pigmentation. Isolate M5 belonged to Micrococcus genera, while M3 was identified as Planococcus. Both M4 and M9 belonged to genus Rhodococcus. M8 was Methylobacterium, M7 and M10 due to their distinct colony morphology and biochemical features were similar with members of Noccardia genus (25, 26 and 27).

Correspondence to

Dr. Shalini Rajkumar, PhD, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute of Science, Nirma University of Science and Technology, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, Ahmedabad Gujarat 382 481 India *shalini_rjk@yahoo.com

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Dallas Ad League Names AT&T Official Education Sponsor and Awards First AT&T Advertising Excellence Scholarship

PR Newswire

DALLAS, March 8

DALLAS, March 8 /PRNewswire/ — AT&T, a premier communications company, was recently named the official education sponsor of the Dallas Ad League (DAL). The Dallas Ad League Foundation recognized AT&T and the first recipient of the AT&T Advertising Excellence Scholarship at a DAL luncheon in Dallas attended by more than 250 advertising and communications professionals.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100308/DA66520)

Imani Jackson, a junior in mass communications at Grambling State University in Louisiana, was honored as the recipient of the AT&T Advertising Excellence Scholarship. The $6,000 scholarship is for the spring and fall 2010 academic year. The educational award was presented by Lori Follmer, head of media operations for AT&T. Jackson is editor and chief of The Gramblinite, the school's newspaper, and is active in local community service and performing arts. Jackson's professor and academic advisor at Grambling State University, Wanda Peters, was in attendance at the event.

"Education is one of the primary pillars of the Dallas Ad League Foundation. The generous support of AT&T with the creation of the AT&T Advertising Excellence Scholarship enables the DAL to better deliver on our commitment of providing well-needed support for the development of future advertising and communications professionals," said Lindsay Jacaman, president of the Dallas Ad League.

In addition to the scholarship award for advertising and communications students of colleges within the American Advertising Federation's Tenth District, AT&T's education sponsorship of the DAL spans the creation of an internship program, an AT&T-sponsored student table at DAL events, and an AT&T Advertising Tour among several AAF Tenth District schools.

"AT&T's support of the Dallas Ad League fits strategically with the mission of the AT&T Foundation, which includes advancing education, creating opportunities, and improving lives," said Chris Schembri, vice president of media services for AT&T. "Helping to create a well-deserved opportunity for Imani to continue her studies in the field of communications is on track with what we hoped to accomplish as the DAL's education sponsor."

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T | DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T's Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

About the American Advertising Federation Tenth District

The Tenth District of the American Advertising Federation represents the affiliate advertising clubs and federations of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The AAF is the only national grassroots trade association to encompass all segments of the advertising industry, including advertisers, agencies, corporate marketing departments, broadcast and print media companies, industry suppliers, college chapters and national trade associations engaged in various advertising pursuits.

About the Dallas Ad League

The Dallas Advertising League (DAL), founded in June 1908, is one of the oldest professional and civic organizations in the city of Dallas. With nearly 1,000 members, the Dallas Ad League celebrated its 100th year in 2008. By working to elevate the success of the advertising community, the DAL continues to make vital local and regional contributions. Throughout its history, the DAL has worked with local advertising and city leaders to further city goals and the business of advertising and has provided personal and professional development opportunities for its members. For more information, visit the DAL's website at www.dallasadleague.org.

SOURCE Dallas Ad League

Contact

Sheri Smith of Publicis PR/DAL PR Chair, +1-469-366-2493, sheri.smith@publicis-pr.com, or Frank Kopec of Dallas Ad League, +1-972-488-8227, frank@dallasadleague.org