Biological Technician

Melanie Towers

Growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan, Melanie Towers remembers that she and her brother were frequently encouraged to play outside. "I was always out playing in the dirt with snakes, mice, frogs, and lizards, whatever animal I happened to find. My parents felt it was important for me to explore the natural world.” Those years of exploration led to a love of biology in high school and, many years later, an advanced Biotechnology diploma from the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology.

Today Melanie is a Microbiology Research Technician with Droycon Bioconcepts Incorporated in Regina. The spring, summer, and early fall months are Melanie’s busiest period. This is when she spends much of her time in the lab conducting tests. Most of her testing pertains to the bacterial content of commercial and private water wells in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. As a microbiological technician, Melanie tests for biofouling in wells. "There are lots of microbes that grow in water wells, but when one type of microbe grows too quickly, it can plug up the well—that’s called biofouling.”

Melanie’s job is to test bacterial samples of the blocked well and determine which microbes are causing the problem. She uses a reactivity test to measure the water samples for a variety of bacteria, as well as the rate of activity. One of the pluses of Melanie’s work is the assignments she’s given: "Every morning I come into work and I never know what’s going to be thrown at me!” A good example of this is a project involving five water treatment plants in northern Saskatchewan. Melanie travelled to the remote plants many times to teach staff how to use a new procedure to test for coliform bacteria in their water. Until then, these plants were sending their water samples to the laboratory in Saskatoon, and it could take up to two weeks to get the results back.

The lapse in time to get the samples to the lab can affect the samples’ microbial makeup and make for an inaccurate reading of the water’s bacterial content. In addition, the delay in getting results back to the community may be detrimental to the quality of the drinking water. "Our company’s motto is to bring the laboratory to the sample, not the other way around. We are teaching these communities to test for the bacteria on their own.” The quicker turnaround time means the plant can treat its water sooner if coliform bacteria are present.

It’s unique projects like this that help Melanie feel she is making a positive contribution to the environment. "Helping these people conduct their own test for coliform bacteria means they can attack a problem more quickly.” And in doing so, the community and the environment that come into contact with the water are protected. "It feels good to know I’ve had a hand in protecting the area’s natural environment.”