EAGER: Empowering Citizen Scientists to Monitor Environmental Waterborne Pathogens by DotLens Smartphone Microscopy

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AbstractPI: Shih, Wei-Chuan Proposal No 1643391 It is proposed to use imaging capability of smartphone as a microscope for detecting and measuring waterborne parasite in surface waters. A smartphone microscopy kit for environmental water quality monitoring of two waterborne pathogens, Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum will be developed. Both high school teachers and students in high school will be taught on sampling, measurement and analysis of water samples. It is proposed to use the imaging capability of smartphone as a microscope by adding a simple polymeric lens that will bridge the gap between macro and micro imaging. The lens coupled with a simple microscope state and image processing app will enable resolution of 2-3 microns. The parasites being three to two times larger, can be resolved on a fixed position microscope stage. An image processing software in the form of an app will make for an easy interface for the user. Details of a smartphone microscopy kit for environmental water quality monitoring of two waterborne pathogens, Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum will be developed, and disseminated via various methods. The imaging approach simplifies the measurement of parasites. Also cross-platform tools and methods that can be replicated by citizen scientists using any smartphone will also be developed. Successful monitoring of the pathogenic species can potentially contribute to community public health management and prevent disease outbreaks. The capability of performing high-quality microscopy using a smartphone will find other applications in biology, biomedicine, and environmental science and technology, and K-12 STEM education. The simplicity of the proposed smartphone microscope will enable citizen scientists to replicate and create their own experiments and measurements. The project has a strong outreach and education component, covering K-12 STEM education and research participation by undergraduate students and teachers. The PI will collaborate with Alief Independent School District on piloting a smartphone microscopy based curriculum.