Project Description: |
Pharmaceutical contamination of the environment is a rapidly emerging concern that poses a daunting public health challenge. Antibiotic contaminants in soils and natural waters are particularly worrisome because of their potential to induce antibiotic resistance in strains of pathogenic bacteria. One source of these drugs is contamination from dairy, swine and poultry operations where veterinary antibiotic use is common. An important question relates to the mobility, fate and transport of antibiotics in soil mineral systems. Research to date at Hope College has focused on the adsorption and attachment mechanisms of some cephalosporin antibiotics to the surfaces of the common soil minerals of quartz, feldspars, and other oxides. The Summer 2009 research will be a continuation of the adsorption research, and will expand previous experiments to other antibiotics and mineral substrates. The majority (>90%) of the activity will be laboratory work and include batch experiments and chemical analysis using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. X-ray diffraction will also be utilized. Interested applicants must have completed at least one year of introductory chemistry and lab. Preference may be given to students who have completed at least one semester of organic chemistry. This position is open to HOPE students only. |
