Research Initiation Award: Characteristics of the Annual Airborne Pollen Spectrum in Northeast Florida

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Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to work towards establishing research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics undergraduate education and research. It is expected that the award will further the faculty member's research capability, improve research and teaching at the institution. and involve undergraduate students in research experiences. This project at Edward Waters College intends to characterize the pattern of urban airborne pollen in northeast Florida. The proposed work will result in the construction of a calendar of airborne pollen, provide hands-on research activity for undergraduate students and increase the research capacity of Edward Waters college. The proposed work will expose undergraduate students to forensic ecology and botany.The proposed project will be a 2-year study to examine the morphological structure of the anemophilous (wind pollinated) pollen grains in Northeast Florida. Many published palynological studies done in the Tampa Bay area and the southern parts of Florida. However, there are no published materials on the Northeast area of the state. A Burkard volumetric sampler will be used to trap airborne pollen grains. The sampler will be on the roof of Edward Waters College. This area is in the poorest, most urban, and predominantly African American area of Jacksonville and is known as Health Zone 1 by public health officials. Another sampler will be place on the roof of a building in the wealthiest Health Zones (Health Zone 6) to compare pollen grain concentrations. Pollen concentration will be determined after transferring samples onto microscope slides for staining with Caberla’s solution and then identification and quantification using the single longitudinal traverse method. This seminal aeropalynological study will allow characterization of the local vegetation in Northeast Florida. Undergraduates will gain an appreciation of Forensic palynology in which they can use this ideal biomarker for associating people and objects to specific places. Undergraduate students will experience how meteorological conditions can influence the pollen season. Global warming and climate change will affect the pollen patterns and will affect the most vulnerable population such as residents of Health Zone 1. Long-term pollen monitoring through this volumetric method would generate data to establish a phenological pollen calendar for Northeast Florida. The determination of the pollen content in the air and the data analysis will enable the characterization of pollen types with a view to correlating the results with pollen allergy data from the Department of Health.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.