SGER: Inexpensive Nitrate Nutrient Sensor Arrays

PIs已经申请了一笔探索性研究（SGER）的小额拨款，以开发一种廉价的硝酸盐传感器阵列。该提案要求资金用于制造和测试硝酸盐采样的新传感器，该传感器可以成功地纳入BOA设计或作为自主仪器的一部分工作。pi将使用包封在溶胶-凝胶基质中的硝酸还原酶作为溶解营养物质的硝酸特异性和坚固的光学传感器。这种酶用于营养传感已在实验室中得到证实，将这种生物传感器技术与经过验证的BOA设计相结合所需的光电子技术将产生一种强大的实用传感器。溶胶-凝胶传感器可以在很宽的pH范围内工作，具有nMol敏感性，不受盐水干扰，抗浸出，并且应该以市售自主仪器的一小部分成本制造。他们将制造一个硝酸盐传感器作为海洋学仪器进行测试。来自该设备的数据将与市售的硝酸盐传感器进行比较，该传感器与SIO分析设施处理的硝酸盐含量水样一起停泊。更广泛的影响陆地和海洋野外科学都需要低成本、精密的仪器。为了在米到数百米的空间尺度上同步采样环境因素，如营养物质、温度、压力或电导率，需要数百个传感器，这对于大多数研究人员来说既昂贵又困难。传感器的设计和BOA产生的数据将通过发表在适当的文献中与其他研究人员分享，并将供其他研究小组使用。阵列制造和测试设施将包括来自加州大学圣地亚哥分校的本科生实习生和SIO夏季研究奖学金项目的参与，该项目为来自全国各地的学生提供海洋学方面的实践经验。斯托克斯和迪恩还与当地高中教育工作者密切合作，指导年轻学生进行海洋科学项目。

The PIs have requested a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) to develop an inexpensive nitrate sensor array. This proposal requests funds to fabricate and test a new transducer for nitrate sampling that could be incorporated into the successful BOA design or work as part of an autonomous instrument. The PIs will use the enzyme, nitrate reductase, encapsulated within a sol-gel matrix as a nitrate specific and robust optical sensor for dissolved nutrients. The use of this enzyme for nutrient sensing has been proven in the laboratory and the optoelectronics required to couple this biosensor technology to the proven BOA design will produce a robust sensor of great utility. The sol-gel sensor can work in a broad range of pH, has nMol sensitivity, is impervious to saltwater interferents, resists leaching and should be fabricated at a fraction of the cost of commercially available autonomous instruments. They will fabricate a nitrate sensor for testing as an oceanographic instrument. Data from the device will be compared to a commercially available nitrate sensor moored in tandem along with water samples processed for nitrate content by the SIO analytical facility. Broader ImpactsThere is a need for low-cost, precision instruments in both terrestrial and marine field science. In order to synchronously sample environmental factors like nutrients, temperature, pressure, or conductivity on spatial scales of meters to hundreds of meters requires hundreds of sensors which is both prohibitively expensive and logistically difficult with the current technology available to most researchers. The design of the sensors and the data generated by BOA will be shared with other researchers through publication in the appropriate literature and will be available for use by other research teams. The array fabrication and testing facility will include the participation of undergraduate interns from UCSD and the SIO summer research fellowship program that provides hands on experience in oceanography to students from around the country. Stokes and Deane also work closely with local high school educators to mentor young students in marine science projects.