Dr. R.D. Ellender
- Ph.D. in Veterinary Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, 1969
- M.S. in Microbiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 1966
- B.S. in Microbiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 1965
I have always liked diversity, and my resume reflects this penchant for different types of research ideas.
My latest effort is in bacterial source tracking whose intent is to fingerprint organisms from different animals, to create a library of prints that can be used to pinpoint the animal of origin of fecal contamination of water. This effort has ultimately led to the use of archea as indicators of water pollution, mainly through the research of Jennifer Ufnar, Ph.D.
I have researched the tissue culture of penaeid shrimp, testing traditional as well as molecular procedures to produce cell cultures capable of subcultivation (two publications are indicated below), and my students and I examined the genetics and cell cycle processes that control shrimp cell replication.
In the mid 1990s I studied the microbial decolorization of pulp mill wastewater, examining the enzymes of white rot fungi as alternative methods of wastewater decolorization and later studied a chemical process to remove the color. During this period, I also examined the microbial deterioration of flat, polyethylene roofing material in an attempt to understand the "alligatoring" that occurs as the roof material ages.
My laboratory has also examined several aspects of seafood microbiology. Several publications described the number and the variety of Staphylococcus species found in cooked ready-to-eat crabmeat samples collected from states along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Other research in this area involved a prospective search for E. coli O157:H7 in fishery products, and a determination of the persistence of this organism in various marine environmental samples.
In the recent past, I developed an interest in the Microbial Origin of Life and has produced a course BSC 480/L to express my thought on the subject.
As I noted earlier, I prefer diversity both in research and teaching. I teach using the Internet and one of my courses, General Virology, can be taken on campus and over the Net. All of my courses have been placed on WebCT and I use this technology to teach and to stimulate student interest.