Although often shunted by the public due to their association with diseases, bacteria as a whole are much more beneficial to humans than many people realize. Our group seeks to understand the processes of microorganisms and to apply them for our benefit. One clear application is the production of biofuels, which both addresses the energy crisis while helping the environment. Another focus area of our group is to use good bacteria to combat bad bacteria. For instance, we work with a bacteria that eats other bacteria, including human pathogens. Finally, we are also seeking to use virulence factors for our good, which is the basis of the relatively new field of science and research called pathobiotechnology.