Congratulations to the Poster Awards winners. These posters won BEST posters at the 13th Annual QU Sigma Xi Conference (2024)

Seasonal Determination of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in the Quinnipiac River using Solid Phase Extraction and GC-MS By Zimber, Isabelle, Student status: Quinnipiac University Undergraduate student, Department: Quinnipiac University Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Mentor: Joanna Kinsey

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a group of chemicals that include drugs, cosmetics as well as cleaning products. PPCPs primarily enter surface water from wastewater treatment plants, runoff, and septic systems. These emerging contaminants can be found in low (ng/L-μg/L) concentrations and can potentially cause adverse health effects to the local wildlife and humans. Water samples were collected at seven different sites along the Quinnipiac River, spanning from New Haven, CT to Meriden, CT. Samples were taken above and below water treatment plants. Seasonality was compared by sampling five times between June and August of 2023 and three times between November 2023 and January 2024. At each location, pH, salinity, and temperature of the water was measured.  Collected water samples were analyzed for dissolved organic carbon, absorbance and fluorescence, nitrate and nitrite concentrations, and fecal coliform bacteria counts. In order to determine the presence of PPCPs in the water, approximately 400-600 mL of water was concentrated using solid phase  extraction (SPE). The eluent was analyzed on a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The results showed measurable amounts of several PPCPs, as well as fertilizers, hydrocarbons, and precursors to various plastics.

Expression and Characterization of the Copper Oxidase found in Staphylococcus aureus By Taylor, Nicholas Student status: Quinnipiac University Graduate student, Department: Quinnipiac University Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Mentor: Dr. Robert Collins

A rising concern in modern medicine is the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, one example being methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Within S. aureus, there is a widely understudied multicopper oxidase, denoted as SaMCO, and is believed to be involved in copper homeostasis by oxidizing Cu(I) to the less toxic Cu(II), which has been observed and investigated in other bacterium. Inhibition of this enzyme may be one strategy for new treatment approaches against MRSA, but further investigation is needed. To better characterize SaMCO, investigation of the oxidative potential, optimal activity conditions, potential substrates, along with protein domain analysis will allow for better understanding of the structure and function of this widely understudied protein. From studies conducted so far, an optimized expression procedure in protein in E. coli was determined, oxidative activity is dependent on the protein’s N-terminal region, and the protein’s ability to oxidize different substrates such as metals was exemplified.

Microscale Quantification of Iron in Iron Supplements using Black and Green Tea Extracts By Fassett, Alexandra Quinnipiac University Undergraduate student, Department: Quinnipiac University Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Mentor: Dr. Robert Hansen

Iron deficiency is a significant global health concern, affecting billions and causing anemia, fatigue, and impaired cognitive function. Precise determination of iron concentration in supplements is crucial  for ensuring proper dosing and preventing adverse effects. In the context of chemistry education, the 
determination of iron in supplements is also a common experiment for laboratory courses in analytical 
chemistry. Most methods to measure iron concentrations either involve specialized instrumentation or 
hazardous reagents. These limitations preclude the inclusion of iron determination experiments in 
schools with resource constraints. To overcome these limitations, there has been recent interest in the 
use of polyphenols as reagents for the colorimetric determination of iron. Most of the experiments 
reported use large volumes (10-1000 mL) of reagents. In this research, we adapted an iron 
determination experiment using black tea as a reagent to use microscale techniques. The use of 
microscale techniques can minimize the volumes of reagents used and waste generated while 
maintaining adequate levels of precision and accuracy. We also optimized the reaction conditions to 
simplify the procedure of this iron determination experiment. We will present the results of this 
redevelopment and report on its implementation in an analytical chemistry course. We will also discuss 
future directions for this work. By establishing a sustainable and educational lab experiment, this 
research contributes to an analytical chemistry curriculum that incorporates principles of green 
chemistry. Findings from this work could also lead to a cost-effective and resource-efficient method for 
iron determination that can be used in areas with limited resources.