[Biomining/Bioremediation] Discover: Meet the Sudbury scientist who feeds minerals to microbes – by Mike Commito (Sudbury Northern Life – October 22, 2019)

https://www.sudbury.com/

One-on-one with Dr. Mike: A Q&A with microbiologist Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk

As part of Sudbury.com’s ongoing Discover Series, Dr. Mike Commito, Director of Applied Research & Innovation at Cambrian College, who is often referred to simply as Dr. Mike on campus, is sitting down with researchers and entrepreneurs in Sudbury to spotlight the innovative work they’re doing in our community and beyond.

This week, Dr. Mike had the chance to catch up with Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk on the shores of Ramsey Lake at the Vale Living with Lakes Centre at Laurentian University. Dr. Mykytczuk is a microbiologist who studies how bacteria live and adapt to extreme environments. She holds an Industrial Research Chair in Biomining, Bioremediation and Science Communication at Laurentian University.

When she’s not teaching, Dr. Mykytczuk spends most of her time investigating how bacteria can be used in the mining process. Based on her research, Dr. Myktytczuk believes there is a great opportunity for the mining industry in Canada not only to deploy bacteria in remediation efforts to break down tailings and minimize mine waste, but also to utilize this biomining technology as a catalyst during the extraction process.

During the course of their conversation, Dr. Mike and Dr. Mykytczuk talked about her research, the importance of science communication, and how biomining could be the next chapter in Sudbury’s mining environment story. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Mike Commito: You weren’t always an environmental microbiologist: where are you from and how did you get here?

Nadia Mykytczuk: I’ve been asked that question a few times in the last month when I was travelling to international conferences. I present myself as a Sudburian even though I’ve only been here since 2005.

For the rest of this article: https://www.sudbury.com/discover/discover-meet-the-sudbury-scientist-who-feeds-minerals-to-microbes-1762423