EIGER FELLOW SINCE AUGUST 2007

In front of the Eiger peak in the Swiss Alps
during internship at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland

EDUCATION

Juniata College, Huntingdon PA
B.S., Environmental Science and Geology, May 2005

ADVISOR

Professor Madeline Schreiber, Department of Geosciences

EIGER INTERNSHIP

May 2008 to August 2008
University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
I worked with Jan Roelof van der Meer to genetically engineer a new E. coli bioassay for arsenic detection in water samples, and this strain produces luciferase and a luciferase substrate in the presence of arsenic in solution. Additionally, I worked with Jan and two researchers in microfluidics from EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) to determine the feasibility of applying a fluorescent E. coli bioassay to a microfluidics device for the detection of arsenic in small volume samples. I also attended the FACEiT course "Molecular Methods and Biological Tools in Environmental Impact Analysis" run by Jan Roelof van der Meer and a slew of faculty from universities all over Europe.

CURRENT RESEARCH

Elizabeth Diesel's research focuses on understanding arsenic bioavailability to two organisms, a mollusk (Corbicula fluminea) and a bacterium (Escherichia
coli) as well as the hydrogeochemical controls on arsenic bioavailability.
Bioassays using these two organisms have been developed to determine arsenic bioavailability: the E. coli was genetically engineered so that it will produce luminescence when it is exposed to arsenic in solution, and the amount of bioluminescence produced is proportional to the amount of arsenic in solution and the exposure time, and the C. fluminea, an invasive species of clam, has been shown to bioaccumulate arsenic from exposure solutions.  Using these two assays, the bioavailability of various arsenic species and forms will be determined, as well the controls on arsenic bioavailability.

CONTACT INFORMATION

diesel@vt.edu

Page last updated 11/10/09