ORNL–Historic Oak Ridge National Lab Facilities Rely on Advance Microbial Detection for Employee Safety

Assured Bio Labs was recently awarded the microbial contamination laboratory contract from UCOR. UCOR is URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC. They are the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) cleanup contractor for the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation, primarily focused on cleanup of East Tennessee Technology Park (the former Oak Ridge K-25 Site). They will use a variety of tools including M-TRAP with the SIM report to determine the level of mold exposure in the historic ORNL facilities. They will also utilize our selective culturing capabilities for isolating harmful bacteria. We look forward to working with them and gaining knowledge on every project.

For the last five years, AssuredBio has provided the Department of Energy with unique testing capabilities and analytical tests to detect microbial contamination. We have tackled radioactive microbes, mold in the Supercomputer facility, scientific labs and office buildings. Dr. Sobek says that he is appreciate of the confidence that the DOE has in the lab and looks forward to serving UCOR.

About the Author: Edward Sobek, PhD, MBA

Dr. Edward Sobek has 25 years of experience in microbiology and indoor air quality. He has a master’s degree in Plant Pathology from Iowa State University, where he studied Fusarium disease transmission in field crops. He received his doctorate degree from Texas Tech University where he studied the ecology of desert molds (mitosporic fungi). He obtained his Executive MBA in Healthcare leadership from the University of Tennessee's presidious Haslam School of Business in 2016. Dr. Sobek is an active researcher. He holds the appointment of Senior Research Scientist with the University of Tennessee’s Center for Environmental Biotechnology CEB and has developed and patented several mold detection technologies. He is a sought after speaker on the scientific circuit by educational and governmental organizations that are anxious to learn how to use DNA to detect mold in residential and commercial properties. He has also published a variety of scientific papers, book chapters, white papers, and trade articles for the IAQ industry.