@phdthesis{14641,
  abstract     = {Mutation rates represent the net result of complex interactions among various
cellular processes and can dramatically influence the evolutionary fate of
microbial populations. However, many popular techniques used to study
mutations are subject to the confounding effects of heredity and the subtleties
of adaptation to selection, all of which make it difficult to observe any dynamic
responses of mutation rates to fitness challenges. Furthermore, in spite of the
ubiquity of quorum sensing systems across the bacterial domain and relevance
for many physiological behaviors, the effects of such mechanisms on mutation
rate and adaptation remain poorly understood. In the following work, I
present the development of a microfluidic droplet-based method to measure
single base-pair mutation rates in growing populations of the bacterium
Escherichia coli. I use this method to observe a stress-induced increase in
mutation rate that is mediated by luxS, a highly conserved bacterial quorum
sensing component. I also show that the aforementioned increase in mutation
rate, and its associated control by luxS, corresponds to a higher degree of
adaptability under competitive environments.},
  author       = {Hennessey-Wesen, Mike},
  issn         = {2663-337X},
  keywords     = {microfluidics, miceobiology, mutations, quorum sensing},
  pages        = {104},
  publisher    = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
  title        = {{Adaptive mutation in E. coli modulated by luxS}},
  doi          = {10.15479/at:ista:14641},
  year         = {2023},
}

@techreport{8151,
  abstract     = {The main idea behind the Core Project is to teach first year students at IST scientific communication skills and let them practice by presenting their research within an interdisciplinary environment. Over the course of the first semester, students participated in seminars, where they shared their results with the colleagues from other fields and took part in discussions on relevant subjects. The main focus during this sessions was on delivering the information in a simplified and comprehensible way, going into the very basics of a subject if necessary. At the end, the students were asked to present their research in the written form to exercise their writing skills. The reports were gathered in this document. All of them were reviewed by the  teaching assistants and write-ups illustrating unique stylistic features and, in general, an outstanding level of writing skills, were honorably mentioned in the section "Selected Reports".},
  author       = {Maslov, Mikhail and Kondrashov, Fyodor and Artner, Christina and Hennessey-Wesen, Mike and Kavcic, Bor and Machnik, Nick N and Satapathy, Roshan K and Tomanek, Isabella},
  pages        = {425},
  publisher    = {IST Austria},
  title        = {{Core Project Proceedings}},
  year         = {2020},
}