CMOP Undergraduate Intern Mentoring Opportunity
Deadline: March 26, 2009
Selections Announced: April 3, 2009
Name/Title/Institution(s) of senior mentor(s): Paul G. Tratnyek, Professor, OHSU
Name/Title/Institution(s) of frontline mentor(s): James T. Nurmi, Research Scientist, OHSU
Project Title: ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY OF MICROBE-MINERAL INTERACTIONS
Context for Project: Recently, it has become recognized that there are both engineered and naturally
occurring nanoparticles in our environment. It is important to know the fate and transport of these
particles in order to assess the ecological risks of these particles in our environment. Detecting and
characterizing the fate of these particles has become one of the top research priorities in environmental
science. A key question that has received almost no investigation is the interaction between
environmental nanoparticles and bacteria.
Brief Description. The summer student will be working on a project that falls under CMOP’s major
theme, Enabling Technologies. The student will use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize the
surfaces of naturally nano-sized particles obtained from various locations throughout the Columbia Riverocean system. AFM is a less invasive alternative to electron microscopy (EM) for characterizing the
interactions between the surfaces of particles and adherent microbes. For example, monitoring of relative
changes in morphologies when the particles are exposed cultures for various times, and the determination
of interaction forces between the AFM tip and the individual particles lead to information on the intrinsic
properties of the naturally occurring nanoparticles.
Proposed Outcomes/Broader Impact: There are three important outcomes for this work: (i)
development of an AFM technique to study environmental nanoparticles, and; (ii) detection and
quantification of environmental nanoparticles found in the Columbia River-Ocean system, and (iii)
preliminary characterization of nanoparticle-microbe interactions in Columbia water samples. If progress
is made on this project, a major publication in one of the “tier A” journals would be the outcome.
Proposed timeline (within a 10 week span):
Week 1. Literature search for the use of AFM for detecting nanoparticles and microbial interactions
thereof. Start learning how the AFM works.
Week 2-3. AFM method development with known nanoparticle standards. Method development.
Weeks 4-6. Collect samples from strategic points along Columbia river. Run AFM on Columbia River
samples. Week 6, present data at group meeting.
Weeks 6-9. Collect data. Start preparing report and oral presentation
Week 10. Present data and discuss results. Give report
Intern academic experience and skill set should include: Chemistry/Science or Engineer majors.
Previous AFM work would be ideal.
2/16/2016
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