TXST graduate students collaborate for NASA mission to the International Space Station

Robert J.C. McLean

McLean is a regent’s professor in the Department of Biology at TXST where he also serves as the principal investigator for this investigation. His work focuses mainly on bacterial communities on surfaces (biofilms), and more recently, microbial interactions during mixed species growth.

“Specifically with the space program — if we are going to travel beyond low Earth orbit, we need to be able to resolve issues with biofilms, otherwise they may interfere or even cause the outright failure of key life support systems,” McLean said.

Over his 35-year academic career, McLean has supervised one Ph.D. dissertation and 41 M.S. theses. His passion for passing his knowledge down to the next generation of biologists is evident in his enthusiasm for collaborating with them.

“I am excited to have the privilege of working with graduate students, both in my own lab and externally.”

Taylor M. Ranson

Ranson is pursuing her master’s of science in biology at TXST where she researches space microbiology. She is an instructional assistant, teaching a section of a microbiology lab. As a graduate research assistant in McLean’s lab, her role entails processing and imaging biocells when they return from the ISS to gain a better understanding of how biofilms form in microgravity.

“To do this, I take the biocell that contains the biofilms and observe it with the confocal microscope,” Ranson said. “The confocal microscope is an essential step in this experiment as it provides a visual analysis of the biofilms to assess the density and longevity at different time points. After this, I remove the biofilms from the stainless-steel coupons, and take the coupons to the JEOL SEM microscope to obtain images of the corrosion.”

Ranson also credits her mentor, McLean, for the rapid progress she has made in her research and personal development.

“He doesn’t just care about your academics and lab performance,” she said. “He pushes his students to better themselves but also to practice self-care. He saw the potential in me and encouraged me to take on presentations at conferences while also assisting me in publishing my research. It has truly been a privilege to work alongside him and learn from him.”

Evan G. Ortiz

Ortiz is currently pursuing a master’s of science in biology and serves as the bioinformatician for this project. He adds to the team's capabilities through data analytics, with a focus on microscopy image analysis. Ortiz’s work with Jelena Tesic, Ph.D., on corrosion measurements has the potential to play a key role in detecting microbial corrosion, which is a multi-billion-dollar problem worldwide.

“Our collaboration with Dr. Jelena Tesic's Data Lab team at TXST is dedicated to developing state-of-the-art image analysis applications,” Ortiz said. “Together, we extract details from biofilm microscopy images, uncovering the impact of microbial-induced corrosion in spaceflight conditions. The combination of our expertise in biofilm microbiology and computational image analysis is pivotal to yielding novel insights crucial for future space missions.”

Ortiz credits his graduate program at TXST for the opportunities he has been given.

“In my master's program, I have had the privilege to engage in cutting-edge research alongside a community of bright and inspiring individuals,” he said. “This transformative experience has played a key role in shaping my professional development, providing me with a solid foundation to further contribute to our understanding of life in space.”

Ortiz also credits McLean, describing him as a “trailblazer in the field of biofilms.”

“His pioneering work during the STS-95 mission in 1998 is marked as one of the initial investigations into the impact of spaceflight on biofilms,” he said. “Grand as he may be, Dr. McLean is profoundly humble and easygoing. His mentorship has molded my perception of what it means to be a scientist.”