View source for Can we get bacteria to solve a problem large enough to challenge a person?

If bacteria can be used to optimize, that is minimize or maximize a function, then we are looking at a significant contribution.  Even if the bacteria can get reasonably good solutions to a function, i.e. a heuristic approach, that is significant.  For example, consider the following very small "fitness" function where the variables ''a, b'' and ''c'' are either 0 or 1 (on or off).

maximize 2 + a - 2*b*c + b

This is an example from a small max 2-sat problem where all the logical constraints have been translated into a fitness function.  What values of ''a, b'' and ''c'' maximize this function?  Did you consider this a challenging problem?  (ans: a = b = 1, c = 0 for an objective value of 4)

Is there a way to program e. coli to evolve where their fitness is measured by this or some other function?  

Is there a way to try, in parallel, the many possible solutions (different values for the 2^n combinations) and choose the one that has maximized the given function?