Aerial Drone Water Sampling
I am currently working to design, develop, prototype, and implement a retrofit for commercially available drone platforms that is capable of collecting multiple surface water samples in a way that avoids cross contamination between sites and ensures that data quality standards are met. The effort currently has two initial designs that are capable of taking 10 samples of 15 or 50 mL though the number and volume of samples could be readily scaled up or down. These preliminary designs are expected to reduce the cost of coastal or inland surface water sampling by two orders of magnitude when compared to standard practices involving teams of highly qualified scientists or engineers driving, parking, walking, and wading to collect samples. This significant reduction in the cost and time needed to carry out sampling will allow for the collection or characterization of more water samples more frequently and is expected to yield the required resolution to apply powerful data analysis and visualization tools. I am currently involved in the patent application process and hope to share more detailed information regarding the technology and next steps soon.
Molecular Diagnostic Tools
Risk to swimmers and surfers is currently largely evaluated by monitoring broad classes of bacteria associated with the presence of waste from warm-blooded organisms (e.g. fecal coliform), culture-based analytical methods developed in the 1970s requiring the growth of microbial colonies, and thresholds intended to represent acceptable rates of human illness. A recent high-profile epidemiological study has identified a series of specific microbial indicators that more effectively reflect human health risk than the broad bacteria classes currently monitored. Limited municipal funds are currently being allocated to very expensive centralized laboratory analysis of HF183 Bacteroides using EPA Method 1696 at a cost of approximately $200 per sample. I am currently working to repurpose and adapt recent technological developments in molecular diagnostics to address these key microbial indicators. I have been working with a partner molecular diagnostic firm to develop tests or assays that can be run by individuals with limited training on robust and low cost desktop DNA sequencing instruments. This effort is expected to bring analytical costs down by almost an order of magnitude and allow for entities to run their analyses locally instead of relying on sample couriers and large centralized labs. I anticipate working to integrate microbial diagnostic and sensor technologies into field collection systems as the field continues to move forward.
Marine Environmental DNA (eDNA)
I am currently working with a partner non-profit marine exploration organization to develop a modular water capture system capable of collection multiple deep sea water samples using their existing fleet of subsurface remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). The capacity to take multiple geolocated water samples at various depths will enhance efforts to locate high value and difficult to find marine organisms, track their movements, and support breeding programs. This water sampling capability, when paired with rapidly evolving environmental DNA evaluation technologies and techniques, is also expected to support efforts to locate organisms with high pharmaceutical value such as some deep sea sponges.