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Presenters & Abstracts: College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Delving into the Significance
- Cataleena TchiengWildlifeUndergraduate Student
- Florencia LopezAnthropologyUndergraduate Student
Understanding the significance of basket weaving such as the materials that are used and the importance that it holds for indigenous communities.
Demonstration of Lead Binding for Bioremediation in Engineered RsaA S-Layer Proteins on C. vibrioides
- Azariah CoblentzChemistryUndergraduate Student
- Chris DeAlbaBiologyUndergraduate Student
- Elizabeth BaileyBiologyUndergraduate Student
- Wesley JenkinsBiologyFaculty
- Jenny A CappuccioChemistryFaculty
Heavy metal contamination of soils and waterways due to industrial processes, such as mining, continues to be a problem in the U.S., such as Flint Michigan. Microbial surface layers (S-layers) have shown promise for binding and sequestering heavy metals. Modifications to the S-later protein (RsaA), in C. vibrioides, could increase this efficiency. Our modified strains absorbed more lead per cell mass. Strains HCm 021, 027, 028 absorbed 197.78 ±2.14, 231.32 ±3.10, and 168.69 ±22.65 (ppm Pb+2/g cells) versus 90.55 +/- 1.07 (ppm/g) for the wild-type. Future goals of this project include determining association constants of lead to cells, and construction of a bioremediation filter.
Design of a ChiA surface expression system for enhanced biofuel feedstocks.
- Kristian BowmanBiologyUndergraduate Student
The ChiA protein from Serratia marcescens is responsible for the hydrolysis of 1,4 glycosidic bonds in N-acetyl-glucosamine chains, that comprise chitin. Chitin, being the second most abundant polymer, has untouched potential as a source for biofuel feedstocks. Here we aim to enhance chitinase activity through displaying the ChiA on the surface layer proteins (S-layers) of Caulobacter vibrioides. The S-layer of C. vibrioides is a nanometer scale hexagonal 2-D crystalline lattice composed of a single protein, RsaA, and covers the entire surface of the organism. In this study, the chiA gene isolated from S. marcescens was designed and amplified for expression in the C. vibrioides S-layer.
Design of Possible Organic Photovoltaic Compounds and Their Initial Computational Assessment
- Albert Ochoa CastilloChemistryUndergraduate Student
The excessive use of fossil fuels has surged the need for alternative energy sources, such as solar energy. Here, possible organic photovoltaic (OPV) compounds were designed and their initial computational assessment was done. Density Functional Theory was used to calculate the HOMO-LUMO gap of the 26 compounds designed. Semiconductors such as naphthalene, 1,1’-biphenyl, and ɑ-septithiophene were used as the backbone and the main electron-withdrawing group (EWG) used was thien[3,4-c] [1,2,5]thiadiazole-2-sIV(8CI,9CI), among other thieno-thiadiazole derivatives.
Designing a Radiant Heating System that Recovers Waste Heat from Shower Wastewater
- Tanya Garcia`Environmental Resources EngineeringUndergraduate Student
- Alyssa VirgilEnvironmental Resources EngineeringUndergraduate Student
- Zachary RamseyEnvironmental Resources EngineeringUndergraduate Student
To design a hydronic floor heating system that maximizes the amount of heat transfer from the shower wastewater to the bathroom floor.
Detection of Trace Metals in Seawater: The Importance of UV-Oxidation
- Parisa GhaffariChemistry DepartmentUndergraduate Student
- Claire P. TillChemistry DepartmentFaculty
According to oceanographic research, trace metals are essential in life of marine phytoplankton, since many trace metals are micronutrients that are essential for biological processes. However, due to extremely low concentrations of trace metals in seawater, it is difficult to measure their concentrations; therefore, specific analysis methods must be performed in order to determine the concentrations of trace metals. Preliminary data on the effectiveness of UV irradiation to the recovery and analysis of cobalt and copper will be presented.
Determination of Bioaccumulated Trace Metals in Marine Macroalgae
- Brittney MitchellChemistry and BiologyUndergraduate Student
- Maxwell PlunkettChemistryUndergraduate Student
- Claire TillChemistryFaculty
Trace metal bioaccumulation negatively impacts marine ecosystem health and increases the risk of human exposure to contaminants. Pollution trends can be investigated by measuring trace metal bioaccumulation in algae, but little is known about which algal groups are the most reliable bioindicators. The objectives of this study were to use dry ashing, wet digestive, and spectroscopic techniques to determine the concentrations Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn across major macroalgae groups in Humboldt Bay, and evaluate bioindicator ability using BSAF values. Our results indicate that Chlorophyta and Rhodophyta are the most sensitive and suitable bioindicators for trace metal pollution.
Determination of Metal Accumulation and Loading in the Oxidation Ponds at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility
- Pedro AlvaroChemistryUndergraduate Student
The determination of temporal variations of metals, in the primary effluent and oxidation ponds, were collected biweekly (2007-2008) and weekly (2012-2013) at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility. The data demonstrates the removal of contaminant metals in the oxidation ponds through sludge deposition as well as the role weather events play in elevated metal concentrations. The sludge in the oxidation pond systems where also measured to allow the projection of the accumulation of metals in the sludge within the system 30 years from now.
Determining Habitat Prferences of Great Egrets through Foraging Rates
- Marian PorterWildlifeUndergraduate Student
My research project looked into determining habitat preferences of Great Egrets through foraging rates across Arcata, CA. The three habitats I chose were the Arcata Marsh, Mad River Slough, and Agricultural Fields.
Determining Iron Concentrations in Seawater using Flow Injection Analysis
- Laura MartinChemistryUndergraduate Student
- Laurel TappertChemistryUndergraduate Student
Iron concentrations in the ocean are important for the health and success of the ocean because it is an essential micronutrient for phytoplankton. However, iron is insoluble in oxygenated seawater and so most iron precipitates and sinks out of the water column. Here we present a method to analyze these low concentrations of iron using flow injection analysis, which we built following Lohan et al. (2006).