Possible Summer 2008 Research Projects:
Organic Chemical Contaminants
The concentration of several organic contaminants including pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and petroleum distillates will be determined. This work will be accomplished using extraction methods such as solid phase microextraction (SPME), solid phase extraction (SPE), microwave assisted extraction (MAE) and sonication. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) will be used for detection and quantitation of organic pollutants found in water samples, fish and sediment from the lakes.
Inorganic Chemical Contaminants
The concentrations of lead and mercury in water and fish caught in the lakes will be determined using microwave digestion with cold vapor and atomic absorption spectroscopy.
Microbiology
E. coli, total coliform and total bacterial levels will be determined in the lakes using EPA protocol. The community structure of the bacteria in the water will be determined. An attempt will be made to determine the source of fecal pollutants using DNA sequencing.