Microbiomes of the Built Environment (MoBE) From Research to

Microbiomes of the Built Environment
(MoBE) From Research to Application
The National Academies, April 11, 2016
Paula J. Olsiewski, Ph.D.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation NYC‐based philanthropic institution
 Supports original research and broad‐based education related to science, technology, and economic performance
 Strong interest in development of early career scientists
 Develops program strategies and then invites proposals
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Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (cont’d)
 Relies on advisory committees and peer review
 Partners with Federal agencies (DOE, NASA, DHS, NSF, EPA, etc.) and industries (e.g., real estate, health care)
 Usually supports a field or program for ~10 years
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People spend 90% of their time indoors
Let’s look around the room!
Variables: design, materials, occupancy, humidity, air changes per hour…
Sloan MoBE Program Objectives
 Push research frontier spanning Microbiology, Ecology, and Building Sciences, including development of reproducible, reliable techniques and protocols
 Demonstrate excitement and value of field by supporting a small number of research targets of opportunity
 Educate small leadership cohort through multidisciplinary university‐based research 6
Sloan MoBE Program Objectives (cont’d)
 Develop data tools, visualization techniques, and repositories to improve cohesiveness of community and ability to communicate internally and externally  Build a national multidisciplinary community by establishing network of life scientists and building scientists working on these issues
 Develop a compelling, widely accepted research agenda and resources to address it
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Key Findings
 Built environments are understudied, variable, malleable ecosystems
 Occupants, building characteristics and operations matter
 Both top researchers and the public are interested in MoBE!
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Science 345:1048‐1052 (2014)
Public Engagement
A new study of the bugs living on the ISS found that there are more ...
Daily Star Gazette‐ October 26, 2015
The work has widespread implications...
Mapping the Great Indoors
New York Times‐May 27, 2013
BOULDER, Colo. — On a sunny Wednesday, with a faint haze hanging over the Rockies, Noah Fierer eyed the
field site from the back of his ...
Earth's Last Unexplored Wilderness: Your Very Own Home
Discover Magazine‐Jul 3, 2012
Biologists are starting to explore the woolly ecosystems in our homes and hospitals, and figuring out how
they can make us sick or keep us ...
Sampling New York Subway Air for Science
U.S. News & World Report‐Apr 29, 2013
Some day this knowledge will influence design and construction practices
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Sloan MoBE Program Today
~$45 million to date, will conclude in 2017
 Centers: Biology and Built Environment Center (BioBE), U of Oregon; Berkeley Indoor Microbial Ecology Research Consortium (BIMERC), UC Berkeley
 Network: Microbiology of the Built Environment (microBEnet), UC Davis www.microbe.net
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Sloan MoBE Program Today (cont’d)
 Post‐doctoral fellowships
 Data and Metadata: Analytic tools including QIIME & QIITA, UCSD; VAMPS, MBL
 Fungal dimensions: U of Ottawa, UNITE database
 NRC Study crucial to future of the field!
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Questions?  Thank you.
 Olsiewski@sloan.org
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