User:Michael A. Speer

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Welcome to Mike Speer's User Page

Me hiking up Mt. Shasta. 6AM at tree-line.

My golf-disc recycling enterprise. Look for this stencil on the bottom of your discs. If it's there then the disc was once in my possession, and before that it was probably at the bottom of a water hazard.

Contact Information

• The best way to reach me is by email: mas853atpsudotedu
• Phone (801) 471 - 4870.

Research Info

In Progress

• Development of a Silage Inoculant for Biological Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass.
  • Production of heterologous proteins in Lactobacillus plantarum.
    • Xylanases
    • Ferulic Acid Esterases
    • Laccases
  • Determination of ideal enzyme secretion levels based on a balance between production and survival
    • Optimization of endogenous beneficial enzymes (not regulated under TSCA)
  • Development of conditionally active expression/secretion systems for lactobacillus
  • Determination of optimal inoculation ratios between two recombinant species
  • Development of Aerobic/Anaerobic storage pretreatment strategies

Please check out our Protocols page for more information on exactly what I do.

Publications

• Expect great things Spring 2011

Teaching

• Taught ASM 221 in Fall 2010
  • This is basically a broad engineering course for non-engineers
  • Topics included:
    • Circuits
    • Statics
    • Mechanics of Materials
    • Fluid Dynamics
    • Thermodynamics
  • It was a great time

Other Stuff

General Information

• I graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Biological Systems Engineering in 2007.
• I'm currently a PhD student at Penn State University in the Richard Lab.
• My wife's name is Colleen.

Hobbies

1. Hiking
2. Bicycles
3. Metalurgy
4. Disc Sports
5. Art
6. Editing Protocols

Hobbies I used to have, but can't do anymore because I live in Pennsylvania

1. Windsurfing
2. Skiing (on real mountains)

Useful Websites

Sites for Research

• Richard Lab
• The Parts Registry
• Tm Calculator
• RBS Calculator
• Reverse Complement Generator
• NCBI

Other Sites I think are Cool

• Backyard Metal Casting
• Prometheus' Encyclopedia of Divine Knowledge
• State College Disc Sports
• Librivox
• NPR
• Rio Vista Windsurfing Association