NSF Award
2226714
Community-engaged soil sensing is essential for confronting the challenge of toxic pollution—specifically arsenic and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—in human environments. This project uses bacteria as sensors of soil contaminants, ultimately leading to the production of paper-based “test strips” that generate a quantitative reading of contaminant concentrations in soil. Such biosensors can support basic science as well as community-engaged investigations of exposure pathways. The project uses a “responsible research and innovation” (RRI) framework, which means including stakeholders—particularly citizen scientists—in the research process to enhance capacity to anticipate consequences of different sensor designs, reflect on the researchers’ assumptions, and respond to stakeholder needs and values.<br/><br/>This work aims to create a biohybrid device that can exploit and tune the strengths of both electronic and biological sensing with the invention of a dynamic bioelectronic interface. By separating the actuation and sensing stages with different bacteria, a transfer function between signal gain and system stability can be engineered and customized toward community sensing needs. Development of the device involves pursuit of four interdependent aims: 1) engaging stakeholders through citizen science and an advisory board in order to inform research priorities and approaches, 2) using two different bacteria that function as the sensing front end (E.coli) and electroactive backend (S. oneidensis) to produce arsenic detection at detection levels comparable to current standards, 3) experimentation with electroactive bacteria species (P. aeroginosa) to advance toward a PFAS biosensor, and 4) iterative development of a paper-based sensor design that is suitable for community-based environmental monitoring.<br/><br/>This award was made through the "Signals in the Soil (SitS)" solicitation, a collaborative partnership between the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA).<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
