Author: Katie Loethen Major: Biological Engineering
Placing Processed Samples in the Programmed PCR Machine
My name is Katie Loethen, and I am a Biological Engineering student in the College of Engineering. I am doing research with Dr. Wen Zhang in the Civil Engineering department. I have completed my first semester of Honors College grant funding.
When writing about my research, I always recall the day that school “shut down” on March 13, 2020, due to the first coronavirus cases being detected in Arkansas. This delayed my plans to connect with professors about research but also demanded creative problem solving from all of us. While I would trade Covid-19 for almost anything else, under its immense pressure, the response of scientific cooperation and development was phenomenal. As an Honors engineering student looking for a thesis, I was in a unique position to be able to assist in the development of wastewater pathology for SARS-CoV-2, Coronavirus.
This opportunity arose when I reached out to my hydraulics professor, Dr. Zhang, to see if she had the capacity to be my Honors thesis mentor, and we met over Zoom in June 2020 to talk about upcoming work she would have. I was familiar with her research on algae coagulation, disinfection byproducts, lead sewer pipes, and more, but when we met, Dr. Zhang told me about a brand-new project to detect SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater. I had past research experience that had included DNA extraction from bacteria which is similar in procedure to RNA extraction from a virus. The primary detection method is RT-qPCR, the same mechanism used for individual Covid testing, but we needed to develop concentrating and extracting methods so we could measure the virus in dilute wastewater samples. One of the most important resources for my research was the unique agreement among academic and scientific researchers to make all SARS-CoV-2 research publicly available. By November 2020, we had consistent and dependable operating procedures for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.
The goal of the research was initially to validate if SARS-CoV-2 RNA is detectable in local municipal wastewater, and we were able to validate that early, alongside international research. The goal transitioned to assessing if we could find a trend in detected SARS-CoV-2 concentrations that correlates with the population testing results for local Covid cases.
During the Spring of 2021, data collection continued. The innovation and development were complete, but I did have the new opportunity to make trips to collect samples from the Noland wastewater treatment plant in Fayetteville. It was interesting to visit the wastewater treatment plant while I was taking the course Environmental Engineering which addresses the chemical, physical, and biological processes in wastewater treatment. Samples were taken twice a week from the plant, so we can develop a graph of SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration over time.
It was difficult to find time for research this semester. It is inexplicable how I had no time despite having the same number of class hours as past semesters. There were days when I did not have time to commute due to classes and assignments, so I would spend an entire day inside my house. The sampling and lab procedures were accomplished thanks to dividing tasks between myself, another Honors researcher, Devyn Meyer, and a graduate research assistant, Aaron Long.
For the Summer, I am taking a research break to work at the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment in the water quality office as a wastewater engineering intern. I believe that one reason I was offered this position is the exposure to wastewater treatment plants that I got through my research. When I return to school and research in the Fall, we will be collecting any more data we need from RT-qPCR then completing analysis on the concentration trends over time.