Mark Nguyen

Chemical engineering

Hometown: Trabuco Canyon, California, United States

Graduation date: Spring 2020

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FURI | Spring 2020

Biosynthesis of Ethyl Lactate with Escherichia coli as a microbial host

Ethyl lactate is a common green solvent (listed by DOE), currently derived industrially from petrochemicals. Biosynthesis of ethyl lactate would further increase its sustainability if, for example, obtained from E. coli. Four different sets of genes were selected for ethanol synthesis, lactic acid synthesis, esterase, and acyl alcohol transferase. Genes for ester synthesis were derived from different microbial sources. Plasmids were constructed in pET15b and cloned in E. coli BL21-DE3 with ethanol producing plasmid (pACYDuet). Cells were cultivated with high-cell density in M9 medium; supernatants were analyzed through HPLC (for ethanol and lactate) and GC-MS (for esters).

Mentor: Arul Varman

More projects from the current symposium

Sofia Vargas

Computer science

Using Graph Coloring to Optimize Species Reintroduction

A computer program will use graph coloring algorithms to determine where captive bred endangered species should be reintroduced to the wild.

Mentor: Xiaofan Yuan

Program: GCSP research stipend

Narendiran Raghu

Biomedical engineering

Using MRSI to Determine the Chemical Signatures of Hyperintensities

Using MRSI and MRI to determine the location of hyperintensities in various disease models will allow for earlier detection and treatment.

Mentor: Benjamin Bartelle

Program: FURI

Luke Houtz

Mechanical engineering

Prediction of New Methane-Capture Materials Using Large Language Models

Development of efficient methane-capture materials will mitigate global warming trends by removing a gas that traps 28 times more heat than CO2.

Mentor: Houlong Zhuang