Maybe it was just good timing.
Whether deliberate or not, University of Toledo’s “Research Experiences for Undergraduates Poster Gala” at its Lake Erie Center Thursday coincided with the city’s discovery this week that microcystin is present in the raw Lake Erie water near Toledo’s water-system intake.
The inaugural science-fair-style event drew interested local residents and even university Dean Nagi Naganathan, all of whom had the chance to learn about cutting-edge research into algal blooms, water quality, invasive species in the Great Lakes, and other matters of environmental importance for Lake Erie and northwestern Ohio.
“We’re really ecstatic because we think it really went well for the first year,” said professor Carol Stepien, who along with professor Kevin Czajkowski spearheaded the program.
Two of this year’s projects focused specifically on the toxin microcystin, which has been the subject of renewed concern in Toledo since it was detected in the Lake Erie raw water supply on Monday.
Josephine Johnson of Central State University did an experiment on the efficacy of Brita filters in lowering the concentration of microcystin in drinking water. She found that filtering water several times through a brand-new Brita filter is effective.
“The Brita filter is able to bring the toxin concentration below safe drinking and detecting limits (0.25 parts per billion),” she said. After passing the water through four times, the toxin concentrations went well below danger level. She also found a Brita filter older than two months was not effective in lowering levels of microcystin.
Jessica Garcia of Notre Dame College in Cleveland analyzed data from 2008-14 to track the increase in algal blooms in Lake Erie.
“It’s not just phosphorus affecting the microcystin growth, it’s phosphorus and nitrogen,” she said. “The combination is why the algal blooms have come back.”
The two women presented alongside nine other students from across the country.
The 11 presenters were selected from about 200 applications from students in 31 states and Puerto Rico.
The nine-week Research Experiences for Undergraduates summer program brought the students to UT. Among them were a veteran, a mother of three, and other nontraditional students.
“We chose people who needed opportunity,” said Ms. Stepien, adding that some didn’t have the resources to conduct research at their own universities.
Contact Andrew Koenig at: akoenig@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.
First Published July 31, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
