NOVA Visits AU Detection and Food Safety Center

Barbara Moran, senior researcher for the PBS television show, "NOVA," recently visited Auburn University's Wilmore Laboratories for a presentation on the institution's Detection and Food Safety (AUDFS) Center.

Bryan Chin, professor in materials engineering, along with other AUDFS members, shared the center's research and technologies with Moran. These included commercialized technologies such as test strips to detect mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), a meat species identification kit, and a hand held bacterial detector for salmonella, as well as future technologies such as radio frequency identification sensor tags.

Vitaly Vodyanoy, professor in veterinary medicine and member of AUDFS, also showcased his laboratory in Greene Hall and his newly commercialized microscope that uses light microscopy to view live cells and cell processes as they occur. The presentations were followed by an extensive question and answer session.

Moran was on Auburn's campus as part of the CASE Media Fellowship, a media opportunity which invited journalists to spend three days at Auburn touring and learning about the research and initiatives that fell under the topic, "The War on Terrorism: Research Initiatives to Protect America."

Seen in more than 100 countries, "NOVA" is the most watched science television series in the world, the most watched documentary series on PBS, and is one of television's most acclaimed series.