Research has been one of the most
rewarding experiences of my undergraduate career. My initial interest in this
project began in the Spring of 2013 when I started a research project under Dr.
Gregory Foster. We investigated the Bioaccumulation of Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCBs) in the Potomac River Fishery, including levels, species
differences and the proximity to wastewater discharge for the Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry. I was thrilled when Dr. Foster approached me with
another research opportunity that would allow me to work alongside him as well
as a way to continue my previous research with him. After further discussion on
the topic, we found that a lipid profile is vital to assess the mechanism in
which PCBs bio-accumulate in organisms. In order to do so, we must first
isolate, characterize and analyze the various lipid classes found in the fish
tissue. From this data we will be able to correlate the lipid composition to
PCB concentrations. I was overly excited when I was able to get an OSCAR
research grant for the Fall 2014 semester! My project primarily focuses on
understanding the relationship between PCB bioaccumulation and lipid
composition in fish. Further, we can gain insight into how this correlation
affects populations of aquatic organisms, and has the potential to show how it
affects humans who are consuming these organisms.
This week I completed the first part
of our experimental procedure. I spent over eighteen hours in the laboratory
prepping and preforming the experiment. This included my least favorite part:
the physical homogenization of the fish samples in a blender. This week I
processed samples of Blue Gill that were collected from Gunston Cove, Virginia.
So far I have been able to isolate the total lipids, neutral lipids and polar
lipids from the fish tissue. Next week I will be able to separate out the free
fatty acids from the isolated lipids. Once this procedure is finished, I will
be able to run my samples through the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy
(GC-MS) at the Prince William Campus to get my lipid profile of the Blue Gill
species. I am very excited to see the outcomes and compare these results to the
data I collected from the previous semester!
