Chris Martenson and Roseanne Meisner began the group's study of the Microbiology of Rice Creek.  The collected samples at several points along the Creek, and developed cultures from them in Dr. Luti Erbeznik's microbiology laboratory.  Their work showed significant levels of colliform bacteria in the water in the vicinity of the inactive hog farm.

These students also began to techniques to use the techniques of PCR to develop DNA fingerprints of the many species of microbes that cannot be cultured using standard techniques.  These modern biochemical techniques hold the promise of allowing the group to determine the species (including humans) from which contaminating fecal colliform bacteria have come.   

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