DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL SENSOR FOR RAPID ONSITE DETECTION OF MICROCYSTIN IN RURAL LIVESTOCK PONDS: A SEED GRANT TO SUPPORT SENSOR DEVELOPMENT

With climate change, the sustainability of water resources, particularly smaller waterbodies such as livestock ponds, is under threat. These waterbodies harbor harmful algal blooms (HABs) that produce toxins that are dangerous to livestock. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to develop a low-cost single-use electronic sensor for rapid onsite detection of microcystins, a toxin from Microcystis sp, before infecting the livestock by collaborating with experts in piezoelectric (PZT) and bio-sensing device fabrication and testing. The long-term vision is to equip livestock producers, Extension and water agents, and NRCS members with a sensing device to accurately detect microcystins in livestock ponds and assist livestock producers in avoiding costly losses.Design, develop and fabricate a low-cost lab-on-a-chip PZT cantilevers-based sensors to detect and quantify microcystins on-site.Validate the sensor at multiple livestock ponds with varying concentrations of microcystins with field sampling and laboratory analysis.