These profiles
will introduce you to some of the researchers and projects
currently being sponsored by Delaware EPSCoR. Click on
a project below for a description.
 Black Carbon-Mediated Reduction of Environmental Contaminants
Investigators: Pei Chiu and Doug Doren
Black carbon comprises a collection of carbon-rich nanoparticles (particles on the order of one billionth of a meter in size) that play a pivotal role in determining the fate and transport of organic pollutants in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Controlled Assembly of Polypeptidic Nanostructures
with Applications in Environmental Sensing
Investigators: Kristi L. Kiick and Thomas P. Beebe, Jr.
Biomolecule assembly has become an increasingly prominent method for the production of nanostructures (structures on the order of one billionth of a meter in size), owing to the structural definition of biomolecules and the refinement of rules to guide their design. Prescribed functional group placement on multiple length scales, however, remains a significant challenge.
Integrated Water-Quality Monitoring, Habitat Mapping, and Fish Tracking with an Automated Underwater Vehicle
Investigators: Arthur Trembanis, Dominic DiToro, and Timothy E. Targett
Diel-cycling hypoxia (low oxygen levels that fluctuate over a 24-hour period) has become increasingly common in shallow estuaries worldwide. In particular, the Delaware Inland Bays have seen an acute increase in both the spatial extent and temporal duration of severe hypoxia.
Interfacial Interaction of
Engineered Nanoparticles with Marine Organisms
Investigators: Ismat Shah, Patricia Deleon, Adam Marsh, and Xinqaio Jia
The purpose of our project is to understand the interaction between selected engineered nanoparticles (particles on the order of one billionth of a meter in size) and marine organisms. The selected engineered inorganic nanoparticles will include titanium dioxide (TiO2) and silver.
Metal Sulfide Clusters and Nanoparticles:
Dynamic Nucleation and Growth in The Aquatic Environment
Investigators: George W. Luther III and Douglas P. Ridge
Aqueous clusters of metal sulfides can contribute significantly to the total dissolved metal load in aquatic environments, including oxic (oxygen-containing) waterways. Preliminary research has described the chemical and physical properties of some metal sulfide complexes (iron sulfide, zinc sulfide, and copper sulfide).
Nickel Translocation in Alyssum murale:
The Missing Biochemical Link
Investigators: Harsh P. Bais and Donald L. Sparks
Plants that hyperaccumulate nickel (that is, take up nickel from the soil at a greater-than-average rate) offer a unique source for decontamination of soil. Previous literature indicates that the nickel-hyperaccumulating plant Alyssum murale shows exceptional potential to accumulate nickel in its aerial parts.
Nitrate Reductase Activity in Mixed Harmful Algal Populations from Delaware’s Inland Bays
Investigators: Kathryn J. Coyne and Gulnihal Ozbay
Many species of algae undergo diel vertical migration, moving to the surface of the water column during daylight and downward at nighttime. In a stratified water column, diel vertical migration allows these species to access ammonium-rich nitrogen sources at depth and new nitrogen in the form of nitrate at the water’s surface.
The Oxidation of Carbon Nanotubes and Its Environmental Implications
Investigators: C. P. Huang, Thomas P. Beebe, Jr., and Donald L. Sparks
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are among the most commonly used commercial nanomaterials due to their unique chemical structure and their electrical and optical properties. CNTs are supposed to be highly hydrophobic--that is, they are difficult to disperse in water. However, upon exposure to the environment, CNTs can be chemically transformed by a number of environmental agents.
Using Block Copolymer Network Templates as Protein Capture Devices to Accelerate the Development of Environmental Proteomics
Investigators: Thomas H. Epps III and Thomas E. Hanson
Block copolymer network membranes present a unique opportunity to create novel nanomaterials (materials on the order of one billionth of a meter in size) for protein capture and enrichment. These materials will advance the study of environmental proteomics, where sensing environmental stresses requires new technologies to capture and analyze proteins and protein fragments at nanomolar and subnanomolar levels.
Viral-Host Interactions Across a Gradient of Geothermal Environments
Investigators: Eric Wommack, S. Craig Cary, and Donald L. Sparks
Bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria and archaea) are the most dominant life forms on Earth. A growing body of evidence indicates that in marine environments viruses influence the productivity, composition, and diversity of coexisting communities of microbial hosts.
Whole Genome Amplification for Examining the Structure and Function of Microbial Communities on Metal Oxides
Investigators: David Kirchman, Barbara Campbell, and Donald L. Sparks
Microbes are important in the transformations of many metals in natural systems. These reactions are intimately associated with the surface of particles at water interfaces and, in the case of the toxic arsenic compounds, hypothesized to occur in association with metal oxides, specifically manganese oxide.
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Research Profiles
