Environmental Auditor Go Back Letter to Employers: I have several years of experience in India as an environmental auditor for various industries. I also used to advise them how to abate pollution and run their effluent treatment plants efficiently. Name:  Jagruti Gandhi Contact Information E-mail:   jpgandhi27@hotmail.com Target Work Locations: #1 -  Losaneles, CA #2 -  Jersey city, NJ Willing to Relocate?  Yes Date Available:  07/01/2005 Resume: CURRICULUM VITAE NAME Ms. Jagruti P. Gandhi, MS, Ph.D. E Mail, Telephone number 251-343-2860 jpgandhi27@hotmail.com ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS MS, Ph. D. (MICROBIOLOGY, M. S. University, Baroda, India) PRESENT OCCUPATION: POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW (August 2003 - continued) at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Mobile, University of South Alabama, Mobile Al 36688. RESEARCH PROJECT: COLD INDUCED HIBERNATION OF MARINE MICROORGANISMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO: A STUDY OF CELL-CELL COMMUNICATION AND DORMANCY IN Vibrio vulnificus Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic (salt loving) gram negative bacterium that has emerged as an increasingly important pathogen. It is associated with serious wound infections and septicemia can become fatal in humans. The mortality rate is more than 50% according to CDC. Our project involves the understanding of this dormancy in this important pathogen. We have found a cold induced bioactive compound and we are planning to determine its nature and its role in dormancy. Our research will also involve the mapping of the genetic programs defining the synthesis of these compounds and the mechanism that trigger dormancy and rejuvenation. A clear understanding of phenomenon of dormancy will help answer many questions associated with the pathogenesis of this important human pathogen. APRIL, 2002 - JULY 2003 RESEARCH ASSOCIATE : Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. RESEARCH PROJECT: • Development of 'BIOSENSOR' to detect Vibrio vulnificus in the water samples in the estuarine waters in Florida. This biosensor was able to detect this target organism in the oysters and any water sample that can be a potential source of contamination. • Another project I worked was to analyze and monitor the water samples from pristine sites in North East Florida estuaries for three important pathogenic species of vibrios namely, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio cholerae. Various molecular techniques namely Southern Hybridisation and species specific primers were used to detect these three species of vibrios. JANUARY 2001 TO MARCH 2002: RESEARCH ASSOCIATE : Arkansas State University (ASU), Jonesboro, Arkansas RESEARCH PROJECTS AT ASU: BIOREMEDIATION: One of the projects that I was working on was bioremediation of atrazine a widely used herbicide in USA for the control of broad leaf. A new Streptomyces strain was isolated that degraded atrazine. MICROBIAL DIVERSITY: It was for the first time that we looked at the microbial diversity in the cloacal samples of the wintering birds in North East Arkansas using ecolog platesTM. USDA: While at Arkansas State University, I was invited as a visiting scientist at USDA, Stoneville, Mississippi to work under the guidance of Dr. Zablosowitz on bioremediation of atrazine (C14 labelled) using Streptomyces sp. isolated from plant litter. WORK EXPERIENCE: (INDIA) CONSULTANT : ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL Headed the Microbiology Department at Kadam Environmental Consultants (1997-2000), a leading consulting organization in the field of Environmental Pollution Control. It is one of the few registered Environmental Auditors with the Gujarat State Pollution Control Board, equivalent to a state level EPA in the USA. I was personally registered as a Microbiology Auditor. This involves auditing the environmental management systems of a wide variety of industries and reporting on them to the Gujarat State High Court. My work as an auditor involved: • Auditing industries making a wide range of products e.g. Pesticides, Pharmaceuticals, Insecticides, Dyes, Auto tires, Steel Industry, Petrochemical Industry, Worsted Suiting mill, Common Effluent Treatment Plant facility etc. A detailed auditing of these industries was carried out in the areas of Effluent treatment, Air emissions, and Solid and Hazardous waste management. • Checking the efficiency of effluent treatment plants: I periodically monitored the efficiency of the biomass prevailing in the aeration tank in terms of reduction of COD (Chemical oxygen demand) and BOD ( Biological oxygen demand) of the incoming effluent. • Identifying various toxic streams and suggesting a suitable and economical chemical treatment methods to make them acceptable for the secondary biological treatment. • Designing a number of simulated laboratory scale experiments to treat the effluent from a pesticide and dyes industry to achieve the design parameters. ' Treatability Studies ' of effluents from Dyes, Pesticide, Pharmaceutical, and Steel industry were conducted in the laboratory. Various chemical methods were employed to treat the effluent in order to achieve the design parameters ( Namely COD, BOD, Total Suspended Solids, Heavy metals, Total dissolved solids) and comply with the norms of the pollution board. • RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: (PHARMACEUTICAL) I joined "Sarabhai Research Center" the Research & Development Center of a reputed pharmaceutical company after completing. During my 14 years with the research Center and later with the Quality Control laboratory, I have hands on experience in20 • Strain improvement using mutagenic techniques to yield higher production of antibiotics • New drug screening for human and plant pathogens including H37RV a human strain responsible for Tuberculosis • Microbiological assays to determine the efficacy of antibiotics • Ames test to determine the carcinogenic potential of new drugs • Testing of raw materials for quality control AWARD AND PATENT: I was invited as a visiting scientist at Texas A & M University, College Station in 1995. The research on 'Lime pre treatment of biomass to improve rumen digestibility' carried out at Texas A & M University was an important part of the project that won the 'PRESIDENTIAL GREEN CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE AWARD' in 1996. IT WAS AWARDED TO PROF. MARK HOLTZAPPLE, TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY, AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. A worldwide patent of this research work carried out at Texas A & M university has been obtained including India. PUBLICATIONS / REVIEW// PRESENATIONS: 1) Characterization of extracellular thermostable xylanase from Chaetomium globosum. 1994, Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology. Vol.60, pp. 55-60. 2) Localisation of xylanolytic enzymes in Chaetomium globosum. 1997, Journal of Basic microbiology , vol.37 No 1 pp 79-84. 3) Lime treatment of agricultural residues to improve rumen digestibility. 1997, Animal Feed Science and Technology. Vol. 68. Pp. 195 96 211 4) Community Level Physiological Profiles of Cloacal Microbes in Songbirds (Order: Passeriformes): Variation Due to Host Species, Host Diet, and Habitat." Jonathan Maul, Jagruti P Gandhi, J. L. Farris. Accepted in Microbial Ecology and will be published in Jan 2005. 5) Methods for isolation and confirmation of Vibrio vulnificus from oysters and environmental sources: a review : 2004, Valerie J. Harwood, Jagruti P. Gandhi and Anita C. Wright Journal of Microbiological Methods Vol.59: pp 301-316. 6) Review of the scientific paper: I reviewed the manuscript titled =93 Culturable heterotrophic bacteria in the Mediterranean area (Southern Adriatic Sea Italian coasts)=94 that was submitted to Canadian Journal of Microbiology. 7) Reviewed papers for Journal of Bactriology 8) Presentation at the National (USA) and International conferences • I presented a paper on ' Calcium Hydroxide Treatment of Millet Straw to Improve its Rumen Digestibility' at the 22nd Biennial conference on Animal Production at Armidale, NSW, Australia on 20th April 1998. • Presented my research work titled =93The effect of freshwater mussels filter feeding on seston and microbial biomass and diversity from a successful mussel refuge=94. At mid year meeting of the southern division of the American Fisheries Society at Little Rock, Arkansas, USA in February, 2002. • Cloacal microbial flora in breeding and wintering birds: Overall prevelance and relationship to condition index, fluctuating asymmetry and habitat. JONNATHAN MAUL, JAGRUTI P. GANDHI, AND JERRY L. FARRIS, Environmental Science Program, Arkansas State University, State University, has been presented at the North American Ornithological conference at New Orleans on 24th September, 2002. • Incidence of pathogenic vibrio species in Guana Tolomato Matanzas national estuarine research reserve: method comparison for identification of environmental vibrios. J. P. Gandhi, V. J. Harwood, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL Presented at Florida branch of ASM, Dec. 2002. • Isolation and Molecular Confirmation of Vibrio cholerae, V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus from Brackish Waters in Florida. J. P. Gandhi, V. J. Harwood; University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. Presented at the 103rd conference of American Society for Microbiology in Washington D. C. May 18-22, 2003. • Predicting the Presence of Vibrio vulnificus in Estuarine Waters of Florida using Physical Parameters and Indicator Organisms. K. V. Gordon, V. Chivukula, J. P. Gandhi, V. J. Harwood; University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. 104th conference of American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans, May 24-26, 2004.