![\"Devyn](\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/Barraza1-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cBiofilm is like a layer of living film. Plaque on your teeth is a biofilm,\u201d says Barraza, of Plainville Massachusetts<\/strong>. \u201cThe importance of the work is that it ties into the larger picture of Narragansett Bay restoration and monitoring. Also, there\u2019s been little research on biofilm in this region, so studying it can provide novel data and information for many fields, such as industrial, medical, and commercial.\u201d<\/p>\n Barraza presented her research at the recent 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s 2019 Showcase of Undergraduate Research, Scholarly, and Creative Works, and took top honors for her poster in the STEM category. She also represented the SURF program and presented her poster at the annual National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research conference in Columbia, South Carolina.<\/p>\n Microorganisms weren\u2019t Barraza\u2019s primary focus when she first came to 溏心vlog免费B站. A biological sciences major, she had planned on attending medical school after graduation. But during her sophomore year, she got her first glimpse at the importance of marine microorganisms in the biology class The Invisible Living Ocean, taught by Professors Tatiana Rynearson and Chris Lane.<\/p>\n \u201cThe class was very detailed about marine microorganisms \u2013 bacteria, fungi, phytoplankton \u2013 and the ocean in general,\u201d she says. \u201cHow these systems work together and the important role these invisible creatures play. I was learning a lot of interesting things, and it got me intrigued in the whole field.\u201d<\/p>\n Barraza switched her major to biology, added classes in marine biology and microbiology, and pursued a minor in writing and rhetoric, hoping to combine interests in communications and research. \u201cI originally was thinking I wanted to focus on helping people, so I thought I\u2019d be a doctor,\u201d she says. \u201cThen I started thinking I could do the most help by helping the environment that we all live in.\u201d<\/p>\n Last spring, she took part in the 溏心vlog免费B站 Graduate School of Oceanography\u2019s long-running plankton survey, which has been collecting weekly samples from Narragansett Bay since the 1950s. Another student on the plankton survey told Barraza about an opportunity to work over the summer in the Water for the World engineering lab, taking part in biofilm research. She jumped at the chance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe knowledge I have gained from this program is irreplaceable and I have loved everything about it,\u201d says Barraza. \u201cIt has encouraged and solidified my passion for research, and it has allowed me to take all the information I\u2019ve learned the past three years and apply it to real-life experimental investigation techniques and protocol development.\u201d<\/p>\n Biofouling caused by biofilm is a wide-scale problem, says Kurtz, Barraza\u2019s SURF mentor and a doctoral candidate in civil and environmental engineering. With advancements in technology, water sensors, such as those being developed by C-AIM, remain in the water for long periods and are more susceptible to biofouling that can cause faulty readings and other challenges, Kurtz says. (溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s team is collaborating on the research with scientists at Bryant and Salve Regina universities.)<\/p>\n To come up with a strategy to prevent biofouling, the team\u2019s research last summer focused on understanding the biomolecular composition and spatial distribution of biofilm as it formed on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a material similar to that being considered for use in the microfluidic sensors. For testing, biofilm was grown on six, 1mm-thick PDMS plates that were submerged in two tank environments \u2013 an unfiltered seawater tank and a tank with filtered seawater and marine life. Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, changes were detected in the molecular composition of the biofilm due to the different tank environments. Also, spatial distribution of the biofilm was inspected using dyes to stain molecules in the biofilm, such as proteins and lipids.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been able to start determining what is in the biofilm,\u201d says Barraza. \u201cThe end goal would be to come up with a way to prevent it from forming. That would be the best, but we\u2019re uncertain if that is possible. So, we\u2019re looking more at ways to reduce biofilm formation, maintain the sensors or find a solution that can quickly remove the biofilm.\u201d<\/p>\n Barraza is the first biology undergraduate to work on the project, and Kurtz says she has brought a different perspective to the research, opening avenues for collaboration and innovation. \u201cIt\u2019s been great having her bring her fundamental biology experience to the table,\u201d Kurtz says. \u201cIt’s also great to have someone who loves to work in the lab. I sometimes get updates from her at 10 o\u2019clock on Friday nights. She\u2019s just very passionate about the work.\u201d<\/p>\n As the research progresses, silver and gold nanoparticles will be studied to test their effect on preventing growth of the biofilm. Researchers will also compare biofilm growth in different parts of Narragansett Bay, says Barraza, who\u2019s continuing her research thanks to an extension of her fellowship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Nov. 12, 2019 \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 biology major Devyn Barraza knows the problems pollutants have caused in Narragansett Bay \u2013 toxic algae blooms that have killed fish, runoff that has closed beaches \u2013 and the crucial need for water monitoring. Last summer, Barraza \u201920 got a chance to play a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[12,25,5],"class_list":["post-75195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-college-of-engineering","tag-college-of-the-environment-and-life-sciences"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}