About Me: Hello, I have been teaching High School Chemistry for 21 years, I have my BS in Analytical Chemistry and an MAT in teaching Physical Science. I am presently teaching at Carver Middle High School and have been for 9 years. I love teaching Chemistry and making it relevant and fun for my teenage students. The RET program allows me to improve my research skills with a real-world application which I hope to apply to some project-based learning for my students.

About the Lab:

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are molecules with unique chemical and physical properties with the ability to repel water and are chemically and thermally stable.  Due to their unique chemical and physical properties, they are widely used in products like nonstick cookware, waterproof fabrics, food packaging materials and more. A variety of types and amounts of PFAS are released into the environment through waste. The strong carbon-fluorine bonds are hard to break down and wastewater treatment plants do not have a process to remove them. This is a concern because the bioaccumulation of PFAS may lead to numerous health effects in the immune system, liver, endocrine and cardiovascular system; exposure can also lead to cancer.

The goal of this research is to use Liquid Chromatography Quadruple Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometer (LC-QTOF-MS) to determine the efficiency of Hydrothermal Liquefaction Technology (HLT) in breaking down PFAS in waste material.

Project Title: PFAS Analysis of HTL Products

Weekly Updates:

• Week 1: This week we have spent time learning the goals of RET, and the UN Sustainable Development goals. On day one we started by getting to know each other with breakfast, some ice-breaking activities, and a casual lunch. After lunch, we went to the different labs and met our lab groups to learn about the research we are participating in. We also completed all the lab safety training necessary to work in the Goddard lab. Day 2 we jumped right into reading literature and preparing our proposal for the research. Here are some pictures from our tour and our sample prep.

  

  

  

 

• The rest of the week we spent preparing blanks to run when the LC-QTOF-MS machine is back up and running. Jesse and I are getting the prep method down to a science.
• Week 2: This week has started off with some quantitative calculations to determine the volume of a variety of PFAS molecules so we can determine the pore size needed for adsorption. We also met with the rest of the RET groups and learned a little about what they have done. Sadie, a research assistant, is training us on how to complete the HTL process and isolate the different phases of waste for analysis. During our RET PD we had a lot of fun working in groups and going over strategies to encourage students to work more productively in groups. We jumped right into the project adapting molecular structures kits to work for blind students. It was fun working with other teachers and student teachers both in completing the task and also in discussing what strategies we like and how we can implement them in our classroom. After PD Jesse and I went back to the grad office where I worked on researching 1/2 life of different PFAS/PFOS substances and Jesse finished up the data organization of the zeolite pre volume/PFAS volume. I have also been talking to the teachers and students of WPI about the skills that are lacking when they come to college. I hope to take that information and try to bridge that gap for my students at Carver Middle High School. At this point, the most common responses are, learning how to complete calculations and plot data in excel along with time management.
• Friday, we went on a field trip

  

  to the Polar factory! It was fun and educational, they talked about the thermodynamics of their formula, the pH and also the recycling of all materials. Our tour guide, Mr. Crowley, was the owner of the plant and head a wealth of information on business and science. It was a great experience! 

• Week 3: The QTOF is up and running, but Geoffry, our research Professor is out sick. We will have to wait until he is better to run our samples. Jesse is at a teaching conference in Washington D.C., so Sadie and I are on our own. We prepped standards for the calibration curve using serial dilutions. We have our samples prepped, our controls ready, so next week we will be running the QTOF and getting our results! In the meantime, we are doing more literature review, looking into Aqueous Film-Forming Foams that have been identified as a major source of PFAS. We are looking into their structures, gathering information about their size to compare them to zeolite pore sizes. During the RET PD we started talking about our lesson plans. I have so many ideas, I need to pick one to focus on for the time being. Also, today was FREE ICE CREAM DAY in the campus center! Thursday we practiced running samples using the old LC-MS software. I took notes on the procedure to make it a little easier to run, but Sadie and Jesse did not seem to have a hard time understanding their way around the program.
• Week 4: This week has been super busy! We are working on our posters, lesson plans and running our samples for analysis. Yesterday I completed a serial dilution to run a calibration in the QTOF, Waitner would be so proud of my micropipette skills! Today we will be running the HTL with a spiked sample so we have a control to run through the QTOF. We only have 2 weeks left, time is flying!
• Week 5: Crunch time! Jesse and I are working hard in the lab to extract our samples and run them in the QTOF. Results so far are looking good for the aqueous phase. We have definitely created a good workflow in the lab.  We are also working hard on our posters and lesson plans. The collaboration with the other science teachers has been a fun learning experience. I have so many ideas!

  

  

  

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Week 6: Lorem ipsum

Final Poster:

Lesson Plan: