In Collaboration with Gamry

When: 
July 29 – August 1, 2024 (Monday-Thursday)

Where: 
Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
Washington State University - Pullman, WA, USA

Cost:  $1595

Pre-Registration available on our website

• Learn how to quantify electron transfer in biofilms
• Hands-on with EAB reactors and potentiostats
• Biofilm-focused protocols for CV, SWV, EIS, eQCM, RDE, and more

Course Overview

The goal of this short course is to provide the participants with the electrochemical techniques used to study extracellular electron transfer in the electrochemically active biofilms that are used in microbial fuel cells and other bioelectrochemical systems. We define electrochemically active biofilms as biofilms that exchange electrons with conductive surfaces, i.e. electrodes. Following the electrochemical conventions, and recognizing that electrodes can be considered reactants in these bioelectrochemical processes, biofilms that deliver electrons to the biofilm electrode are called anodic, i.e. electrode-reducing, biofilms, while biofilms that accept electrons from the biofilm electrode are called cathodic, i.e. electrode-oxidizing, biofilms.

Laboratory sessions and lectures will illustrate the electrochemical principles of the measurements, explain how biofilms are grown on electrodes and demonstrate how they are characterized. In the workshop, we will teach how to grow these electrochemically active biofilms in bioelectrochemical systems and the critical choices made in the experimental setup that affect the experimental results. The short course will cover reactor configurations used in bioelectrochemical systems research and demonstrate how to use selected voltammetric techniques to study extracellular electron transfer in bioelectrochemical systems. Finally, in the short course we will address some critical concerns about the proposed electron transfer mechanisms in bioelectrochemical systems and the prospects of bioelectrochemical systems as energy-converting and energy-harvesting devices.

The short course is offered by the Biofilm Engineering Research Group at the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University. Members of this group have extensive experience in studying biofilms and electrochemistry. The short course is offered by Dr. Haluk Beyenal of the Chemical Engineering Department at Washington State University (https://www.biofilms.wsu.edu), Dr. Zbigniew Lewandowski of the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University and and Dr. Jerome T. Babauta from Gamry© Instruments.

All topics covered during the short course will also be presented in the short course materials.

A limited number of fellowships are available for qualified graduate students.

Agenda

The workshop will be held from Monday to Thursday. Daily activities will include lectures and laboratory sessions.

The Lectures will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to electrochemically active biofilms
• Basic electrochemistry needed to understand biofilms on electrodes
• Electrochemically active biofilms and reactor configurations
• Electrode acclimatization and growing electrochemically active biofilms
• Electrochemical techniques for studying extracellular electron transfer of electrochemically active biofilms
• Cyclic voltammetry
• Square wave voltammetry
• Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
• Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (e-QCM)
• Rotating disk electrode (RDE)
• Microbiologically influenced corrosion
• Microbial community analysis

The lab sessions and demonstrations will cover the following topics:

• How to grow electrochemically active biofilms
• Cyclic voltammetry
• Square wave voltammetry
• Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
• Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (e-QCM)
• Rotating disk electrode (RDE)
• Microbiologically influenced corrosion
• Microelectrodes
• Microscopy
• Future techniques coupled to study electrochemically active biofilms
• Modeling electrochemically active biofilms
• Limitations of electrochemical techniques

Instructors and Organizers

The workshop will be held at the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University and is organized and instructed by:
Professor Haluk Beyenal, Washington State University, Pullman 
Professor Zbigniew Lewandowski, Montana State University, Bozeman
Dr. Jerome Babauta, Gamry©, Seattle, WA

Haluk Beyenal is a professor of Chemical Engineering in the School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at Washington State University. He has conducted research on biofilms since 1990 and on microsensors and biofilm structure and function since 1996. He has authored and co-authored more than 170 research papers and several book chapters on biofilms and biofilm processes. Recently he received an NSF-CAREER award to study electrochemically active biofilms.  

Zbigniew Lewandowski is the workshop director and a professor in the Civil Engineering Department and the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University.  He is also the principal investigator of the Biofilm Structure and Function Research Group at the Center for Biofilm Engineering. He has 30 years of experience in biofilm studies, and has authored and co-authored more than 100 research papers and several book chapters on biofilms and biofilm processes.

Jerome T. Babauta is an expert in biofilm electrochemistry and the integration of tools to study biofilms with electrochemical methods. He obtained his PhD in quantifying electron transfer processes within electrochemically active biofilms. The bulk of the work explored the microscale gradients operating within both anodic and cathodic biofilms and their impact on extracellular electron transfer. He has combined tools such as microsensors, quartz crystal microbalances, and rotating electrodes with traditional electrochemical methods to develop new ways to study electrochemically active biofilms. Currently, his primary interest is to understand the fundamentals of biofilm impedance for electrochemically active biofilms operating in a wide range of research topics including bioelectrochemical systems, metal corrosion, and biofilm control.

Location

The short course will be held at the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University. The campus is located at the center of the Pullman area. Directions and a map of the area will be sent to registered participants with the registration materials.

Accommodations

Participants are encouraged to stay at one of the following hotels

• Cougar Land Motel – 150 W. Main St., Pullman, WA – (509) 334-3535
• Quality Inn Paradise Creek – 1400 SE Bishop Blvd., Pullman, WA – (509) 332-0500
• Holiday Inn Express – 1190 SE Bishop Blvd., Pullman, WA – (509) 334-4437
• Residence Inn by Marriott Pullman  – 1255 NE North Fairway Rd, Pullman, WA 99163 – (509) 332-4400
• Courtyard by Marriott Pullman – 1295 NE North Fairway Rd, Pullman, WA 99163 – (509) 332-1500

These establishments are within walking distance of the Washington State University campus.

Spokane, WA is a large regional city with an international airport about 1.5 hours North of Pullman by automobile or bus. Often it is less expensive to fly to Spokane and then take a bus to Pullman. Online reservations for the bus can be made at Wheatland Express

Fee and registration

You can pre-register on our web site at https://www.gamry.com/2024-biofilms-course

The total cost of the short course is $1,595, which includes the short course materials and coffee during breaks. To register and pay for the course, please go thru Gamry's Online Store

Because of space limitations, the number of participants is limited and reservations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.  

Cancellation
The organizers reserve the right to cancel the workshop because of insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances. If the workshop is cancelled, the organizers will refund all registration fees, but cannot be held responsible for any other related costs, charges, or expenses, including cancellation/change charges imposed by airlines or travel agencies.

For more information, please contact:
Haluk Beyenal
Gene and Linda Voiland School of  Chemical Engineering
  and Bioengineering
PO Box 642710
Washington State University
Pullman, WA  99164-2710
Phone: (509) 335-6607
Fax: (509) 335-4806 
E-mail: beyenal@wsu.edu

The deadline for registration is June 1, 2024

Additional conditions

The registrants are responsible for accommodations, meals, and transportation. The organizers are not liable in case of an accident. It is therefore important that the participants carry appropriate health and travel insurance.