Dr. Lauren Czaplicki joins us for a conversation about her PhD research exploring soil fungal communities at contaminated superfund sites, and their implications for the field of mycoremediation.  Studying and being advised in both mycology and environmental engineering, Lauren went on a journey of academic exploration beginning with popular notions of wood degrading white rot fungi as the prime candidates for fungal bioremediation.  Her research however, yielded surprising results about which fungi seemed most poised to degrade contaminants in creosote soaked soils, as well as insights into biostimulation, the practice of feeding existing wild microbes to perform environmental remediation.  Throughout the discussion Lauren also explains various molecular biology and environmental genetics techniques from past to present that can be used for assessing fungi and other microbes for bioremediation potential, and how she utilized them in her own research.  We also talk about future directions for utilizing next generation genetics techniques in bioremediation and environmental research in general. Read Lauren’s Research Here: History of Molecular Approaches to Bioremediation - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5364726/ Superfund Site Soil Fungi - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5130160/ Carbon Amendment Mycostimulation - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330244/ Other Research Discussed: Harms et al 2011 - Fungi in Bioremediation Review - http://www.growingempowered.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Untapped-Potential-of-Exploiting-Fungi-in-Bioremediation-of-Hazardous-Chemicals.pdf