At the invitation of Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy (KLDARRE), Ministry of Agriculture and Energy Microorganism Innovation Team of BIOMA, Professor Paul A. Lawson from University of Oklahoma, U.S, conducted an academic visit to BIOMA from July 12^th to July 20^th. During the visit, Professor Lawson made six special reports on the diversity and cultivation methods of microorganism, the classification status of microbial polyphase taxonomy and clostridium system. He also had in-depth communication with laboratory staff. These wonderful reports received unanimous praise from the participants. The academic discussion at the symposium was heated and Professor Lawson had an in-depth exchange of views and lively discussion with experts and graduate students. He also put forward important academic ideas and suggestions for scientific research on energy microbiological classification and environmental microbiology. In view of Professor Lawson's achievements on prototypical microbial taxonomy, we employed Professor Lawson as a visiting professor at the key laboratory so that the two sides can conduct in-depth cooperation and exchanges on the separation and identification of energy microorganisms. During this period, team members such as Cheng Lei, Ma Shichun, Huang Yan and graduate student Zhang Xue also made academic reports respectively.

Brief Introduction of Lawson: Professor Lawson is an internationally renowned anaerobic microbiologist, committee member of International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, founding member of BISMIS, associate editor of International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. Professor Lawson has been working on systematic taxonomic research of the prokaryotic microbial resources, he concentrates his study on the collection, preservation and systematic taxonomic study of the prokaryotic microorganisms (focusing on anaerobic bacteria) in the special environment of hot spring, breeding waste and intestinal tract. So far, Professor Lawson has published nearly 200 SCI papers with more than 7,000 Citations (Google scholar search).

Editor: MENG Qingda
Source：Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture