Home > Faculty/Staff > Dirk Schulze-Makuch
Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Ph.D., P.G.
Position: |
Associate Professor | |
Campus Address: |
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences |
|
Office: |
Webster Building Rm 1148 | |
Phone: |
509-335-1180 | |
E-mail: |
dirksm@wsu.edu | |
Personal Websites: |
Astrobio Lab |
Research interests:
Dr. Schulze-Makuch’s research interests focus on the interaction of microbes with their natural geological environment in an aqueous medium. In particular, he is interested in;- the presence of water-rich environments on other planets and moons of our Solar System and how these environments can serve as a potential habitat for microbial life. Examples include the Martian near-surface and subsurface, water-rich clouds on Venus, and ammonia-water puddles and ethane-methane lakes on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan.
- the transport of microbes including pathogens in a natural ground-water environment and how to protect drinking water wells from these organisms. He is specifically interested in natural and engineered material (such as surfactant modified zeolites), that can be used as artificial barriers to the movement of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.
- In the last year I also expanded my interest into medical sciences applying my expertise of microbial processes to jump-start the human immune system into a response to cancer. I’m also interested in the origin of cancer, which may be linked to bacterial behavior and quorum sensing of microbes within biofilms, which – under stress conditions – decouple from the collective. A first success of our ideas was the publication of a hypothesis paper in Bioscience Hypotheses and the submission of a grant proposal to a cancer foundation in summer of 2009.
Courses:
- GEOL 210: Earth’s History and Evolution
- GEOL 315: Water and Earth
- GEOL 475: Groundwater
- GEOL 445/545: Astrobiology
- GEOL 578: Groundwater Geobiology
Current Graduate Students:
- Carol Turse: carol@turse.org
- Natalia Loukinova: nloukinova@mail.wsu.edu
- Marina Antonio: quim.marina@gmail.com
- Bethany Reiswig: alaskarosebuds@yahoo.com
Selected Publications:
Book
- Schulze-Makuch, D. and Irwin, L.N. (2004 hard cover,
2006 soft cover) Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints.
Springer, Berlin, 172 p. (Academic Science Book).
Schulze-Makuch, D. and Irwin, L.N. (2008) 2nd edition, Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints. Springer, Berlin, 251 p. (Academic Science Book).
Schulze-Makuch, D. (2009) Voids of Eternity: Alien Encounter. (Science Fiction novel).
Schulze-Makuch, D. and Darling, D. (2010) We are not alone: Why we have already discovered extraterrestrial life. One World Publisher (Popular Science Book)
Selected Papers
- Fan, C., Xie, H., Schulze-Makuch, D. and Ackley, S. (2010) A formation mechanism for hematite-rich spherules on Mars. In press at Planetary Space and Science.
- Schulze-Makuch, D. (2010) Io: Is life possible between fire and ice? Journal of Cosmology, vol. 5, in press.
- Antonio, M.R.S. and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2009) The
immune system as key to cancer treatment: triggering its activity with
microbial agents. Bioscience Hypotheses,
vol. 2, no. 6, p. 388-392
- Schulze-Makuch, D. (2009) Classics in Space Medicine:
Review of VISHNIAC W. Extraterrestrial microbiology. Aerosp
Med 1960; 31:678–80. Aviation
Space and Environmental Medicine 80: 672-673.
- Shapiro, R.S. and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2009) The search for alien
life in our solar system: strategies and priorities. Astrobiology, vol.
9, no. 4, 335-343.
- Fairén, A.G., Schulze-Makuch, D., Rodriguez, A.P., Fink,
W., Davila, A.F., Uceda, E.R., Furfaro, R., Amils, R. and McKay, C.P. (2009)
Evidence for Amazonian acidic liquid water on Mars: a reinterpretation of MER
mission results. Planet. Space and Science, vol. 57, no. 3, p. 276-287.
- Fan, C., Schulze-Makuch, D., Xie, H., and Lu, N. (2009)
Investigation of water signatures at gully-exposed sites on Mars by hyperspectral
image analysis. Planetary
Space and Science, vol. 57, no. 1, p. 93-104.
- Lim, D.S.S., B.E. Laval, G. Salter, D. Antoniades, A.L. Forrest, W. Pike, R. Pieters, M. Saffari, D. Reid, D. Schulze-Makuch, D. Andersen, and C.P. McKay. (2009) Limnology of Pavilion Lake, B.C., Canada – Characterization of a microbialite forming environment. Fundamental and Applied Limnology, vol. 173, no. 4, p. 329-351.
- Dohm, J.M., Baker, V.R., Boynton, W.V., Fairén, A.G., Ferris, J.C., Finch, M., Furfaro, R., Hare, T.M., Janes, D.M., Kargel, J.S., Karunatillake, S., Keller, J., Kerry, K., Kim, K., Komatsu, G., Mahaney, W.C., Schulze-Makuch, D., Marinangeli, L., Ori, G.G., and Ruiz, J. (2009) GRS evidence and the possibility of paleooceans on Mars. Planetary Space and Science, vol. 57, no. 5-6, p. 664-684.
- Houtkooper, J.M., and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2009) Possibilities
for the detection of hydrogen peroxide-water based life on Mars by the
Phoenix Lander. Planetary Space & Sciences, vol 57, no.
4, p. 449-453.
- Davila, A.F., Fairen, A.G., Schulze-Makuch, D., and McKay, C.P.
(2008) The ALH84001 case for life on Mars. Book chapter in From Fossils to
Astrobiology (eds. Joseph Seckbach and Maud Walsh), pp. 471-490.
- Abbas, S. and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2008) Amino acid
synthesis in Europa’s
subsurface environment. Int. J. of Astrobiology, vol. 7, no. 3-4, p.
193-203.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Fairén, A.G., and Davila,
A. F. (2008) The case for life on Mars. Int. J. of Astrobiology, vol. 7, no. 2, 117-141.
- Davila, A.F., Fairén, A.G., Duport, L.G., Stoker, C., Amils,
R., Bonaccorsi, R., Zavaleta, J., Lim, D., Schulze-Makuch, D.,
and McKay, C.P. (2008) Subsurface formation of oxidants on Mars and implications
for the preservation of organic biosignatures. EPSL vol. 272, 456-463.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Turse, C., Houtkooper, J.M., and McKay,
C.P. (2008) Testing the H2O2-H2O Hypothesis for Life on Mars with the TEGA instrument
on the Phoenix Lander. Astrobiology 8, 205-214.
- Fan, C., Schulze-Makuch, D., Wolff, J.A., and Fairén,
A.G (2008) A new hypothesis for the origin and redistribution of sulfates
in the equatorial region of Western Mars. Geophysical Research Letters 35,
L06201, doi:10.1029/2007GL033079
- Dohm, J.M., Anderson, R.C., Barlow, N.G., Miyamoto, H., Davies, A.G., Taylor, G.J., Baker, V.R., Boynton, W.V., Keller, J., Kerry, K., Janes, D., Fairén, A.G., Schulze-Makuch, D., Glamoclija, M., Marinangeli, L., Ori, G.C., Strom, R.G., Williams, J.-P., Ferris, J.C., Rodríguez, J.A.P., de Pablo, M.A., and Karunatillake, S. (2008) Recent geological and hydrological activity on Mars: the Tharsis/Elysium Corridor. Planetary Space and Science 56, 985-1013
- Furfaro, R., Dohm, J.M., Fink, W., Baker, V., Schulze-Makuch, D.,
Fairen, A.F., Ferre, P.T., Kargel, J., Hare, T., and Tarbell, M. (2008)
The search for life beyond Earth through fuzzy expert systems. Planetary
Space and Science, 56, 448-472.
- Abdel-Fattah, A., Langford, R., and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2007)
Applications of particle-tracking techniques to bank infiltration: a case study
from El Paso, Texas, USA. Environmental Geology, doi 10.1007/s00254-007-0996-z.
- Rodríguez, J.A.P.,
Tanaka, K.L.,
Kargel, J. S.,
Dohm, J.M.,
Kuzmin, R.,
Fairén, A.G.,
Sasaki, S.,
Komatsu, G., Schulze-Makuch,
D.,
and Jianguo, Y.
(2007) Formation and disruption of aquifers in southwestern Chryse Planitia,
Mars. Icarus 191, no. 2, p. 545-567.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Dohm, J.M., Fan, C., Fairén, A.G.,
Rodriguez, J.A.P., Baker, V.R., and Fink, W. (2007) Exploration of hydrothermal
targets on Mars. Icarus 189: 308-324.
- Houtkooper, J.M. and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2007) A possible biogenic origin for hydrogen peroxide on Mars: the Viking results reinterpreted. Int. J. of Astrobiology 6, no. 2, p. 147-152.
- Marion, G., and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2007) Astrobiology and the search for life in the universe. Book Chapter in Physiology and Biochemistry of Extremophiles (ed. C. Gerday and N. Glansdorff), Chapter 26, pp. 351-358, ASM Press.
- Diaz, B. and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2006) Microbial survival rates of E. coli and D. radiodurans under single and combined stresses of temperature, pressure, and UV radiation, and its relevance to Martian environmental conditions. Astrobiology 6, no. 2, p. 332-347.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., and Irwin, L.N. (2006) The prospect of alien life in exotic forms on other worlds. Naturwissenschaften, vol. 93, no. 4, p. 155-172.
- Muller, A.W.J. and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2006) Thermal energy and the origin of life. Origin of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, vol. 36: 177-189.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Irwin, L.N., Lipps, J.H., LeMone, D., Dohm, J.M., and Fairén, A.G (2005) Scenarios for the evolution of life on Mars. Special Edition on Early Mars of Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets 110, E12S23, doi:10.1029/2005JE002430.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Dohm, J.M., Fairén, A.G., Baker, V.R., Fink, W., and Strom, R.G. (2005) Venus, Mars, and the ices on Mercury and the Moon: astrobiological implications and proposed mission designs. Astrobiology 5, 778-795.
- Schulze-Makuch, D. (2005) Longitudinal dispersivity data and implications for scaling behavior. Ground Water, vol. 43, no. 3, p. 443-456.
- Baker, V.R., Dohm, J.M., Fairén, A.G., Ferre, P.A., Ferris, J.C., Miyamoto, H., and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2005) Extraterrestrial Hydrogeology. Hydrogeology Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 51-68.
- Schulze-Makuch, D. and Grinspoon, D.H. (2005) Biologically Enhanced Energy and Carbon Cycling on Titan? Astrobiology, vol. 5, no. 4., p. 560-567.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Grinspoon, D.H., Abbas, O., Irwin, L.N. and Bullock, M. (2004) A sulfur-based UV adaptation strategy for putative phototrophic life in the Venusian atmosphere. Astrobiology vol 4, no. 1, p. 11-18.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Bowman, R., Pillai, S.D. and Guan, H. (2003) Removal of viruses and bacteria from ground water by surfactant modified zeolite: field applications. Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation vol. 24, no. 4, p. 68-75.
- Guan, H., Schulze-Makuch, D., Schaffer, S., and Pillai, S.D. (2003) The effect of critical pH on virus fate and transport in a saturated porous medium. Ground Water, vol. 41, no. 5, p. 701-708.
- Rzonca, B. and Schulze-Makuch, D. (2003) Correlation between microbial and chemical parameters of some hydrothermal springs in New Mexico, USA. Journal of Hydrology, vol. 280, p. 272-284.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Guan, H., and Pillai, S.D. (2003) Effects of pH and geological medium on bacteriophage MS2 transport in a model aquifer. Geomicrobiology Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, p. 73-84.
- Schulze-Makuch, D., Irwin, L.N., and Guan, H. (2002) Search parameters for the remote detection of extraterrestrial life. Planetary and Space Sciences, vol. 50, p. 675-683, and selected for special publication in Virtual Journal of Geobiology, vol. 1, no. 2, October 2002.
For more information, please see AstroBio Lab website.
Back to top
