IN JULY 2016 AS A NON-TENURE TRACK ASSISTANT RESEARCH PROFESSOR AT MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY (MSU) I SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL IN RESPONSE TO SOLICITATION NNH16ZDA001N-EXO:EXOBIOLOGY. THIS PROPOSAL ENTITLED "ECOPHYSIOLOGY CELL DIFFERENTIATION AND GENOMICS OF MULTICELLULAR MAGNETOTACTIC BACTERIA" WAS SELECTED FOR FUNDING ON APR. 7TH 2017. I WAS SELECTED FOR AN EARLY CAREER FELLOWSHIP CONTINGENT ON OBTAINING A PERMANENT OR EQUIVALENT POSITION. ON NOV. 1ST 2016 I STARTED A TENURE TRACK ASSISTANT PROFESSORSHIP POSITION IN MSU'S DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY. I THEREBY MEET ALL QUALIFICATIONS TO APPLY TO THE EARLY CAREER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. I PROPOSE TO USE THE REQUESTED FUNDING TO DEVELOP NOVEL TOOLS FOR BIOORTHOGONAL LABELING OF EXTREMOPHILIC MICROBES LIVING IN GEOTHERMAL HOT SPRINGS OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK AND OTHER HABITATS. THESE NEW TOOLS WILL ENABLE MY LAB AND OTHER RESEARCHERS TO SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY DNA- AND PROTEIN-SYNTHESIZING MICROBES DIRECTLY IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND ENRICH THE DNA AND PROTEIN THAT HAS BEEN NEWLY MADE IN REACTION TO SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL PERTURBATION (E.G. SHITS IN PH TEMPERATURE ABUNDANCE OF A SUBSTRATE ETC.). GEOTHERMAL SPRINGS ARE AN IDEAL STUDY SITE TO DEVELOP AND APPLY BIOORTHOGONAL LABELING TOOLS BECAUSE THEY CONSTITUTE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS PRESENT SINCE THE DAWN OF BIOLOGY AND THEY ARE AMONG THE MOST EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS ON OUR PLANET IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURE AND PH. COMPARED TO MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES IN OTHER SETTINGS E.G. MARINE SEDIMENTS OR SOILS MICROBIAL NETWORKS IN HOT SPRINGS ARE SIMPLE (10-100 ABUNDANT TAXA AS COMPARED TO 1 000S). META-OMICS CAN PROVIDE A SYSTEMS-WIDE UNDERSTANDING OF HOT SPRINGS; THIS IS NOT TRUE FOR MOST NATURAL SAMPLES. IN GEOTHERMAL FEATURES IT IS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE TO CHARACTERIZE THE ROLE EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER PLAYS IN THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ON EXTREMOPHILES IS OF HIGH RELEVANCE TO THE EXOBIOLOGY MISSION. SPECIFICALLY THE PROPOSED RESEARCH FOCUSES ON UNDERSTANDING "THE PHYLOGENY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF MICROORGANISMS INCLUDING EXTREMOPHILES WHOSE CHARACTERISTICS MAY REFLECT THE NATURE OF PRIMITIVE ENVIRONMENTS" AND STUDYING "MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND THE INTERACTIONS WITHIN SUCH COMMUNITIES THAT DRIVE MAJOR GEOCHEMICAL CYCLES". TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIOTIC AND GEOCHEMICAL FACTORS THAT DRIVE MICROBIAL ACTIVITY ARE ESSENTIAL. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL DEVELOP TEST AND APPLY NOVEL TOOLS THAT WILL ALLOW MY LAB AND OTHER EXOBIOLOGY RESEARCHERS TO APPROACH THIS FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION BOTH FROM A NEW AND EXCITING ANGLE AS WELL AS IN A CHEAP AND EASY-TO-DO WAY. IN ADDITION A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ULTIMATELY LIMITS CELLULAR ACTIVITY IS ESSENTIAL TO THE EXOBIOLOGY MISSION. ONLY WHEN WE APPRECIATE THE LIMITS TO LIFE ON OUR OWN PLANET ARE WE ABLE TO FORM EDUCATED HYPOTHESES ON HOW LIFE ON OTHER WORLDS MIGHT LOOK LIKE AND WHAT LIMITS TO LIFE EXIST IN TERMS OF ENERGY SPACE AND TIME. THE REQUESTED FUNDING WILL GO TOWARDS SUPPORTING THE SALARY (AND HEALTH BENEFITS) OF ONE GRADUATE STUDENT FOR ONE AND A HALF YEARS AND ACQUIRE EQUIPMENT AND CONSUMABLES NECESSARY TO CONDUCT THE PROPOSED RESEARCH. SALARY SUPPORT FOR THE PI IS NOT REQUESTED.