![\"\"](\"http:\/\/d45h139.public.uconn.edu\/sites\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/shor1b.jpg\" "\\"shor1b\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cThrough the detection of chemical trails, researchers have established that ants can sense and follow the migration paths of other ants,\u201d says Kristina. \u201cSo, we want to know, do protozoa coordinate their movements in a similar way?\u201d Despite their lowly place near the bottom of the food chain, protozoa play an important part in nutrient cycling. \u201cProtozoan migration patterns influence transfer of nutrients through the food chain,\u201d explains Grant. \u201cIf we can figure out whether chemical trails determine the movement of protozoa, perhaps we can predict or even manipulate their migration.\u00a0 At the very least it would be better understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their first task was to design and build a microfluidic device to observe the sequential movement of individual protozoa. \u201cWe wanted to force a single protozoan to choose between two paths at an intersection. To do this, we built a device with diverging channels and constrictions that permit only one protozoan to pass through at one time,\u201d Grant explains.<\/p>\n
The team also modified its observation method to capture dynamic activity. \u00a0\u201cOriginally, the observation device was set up so that a microscope would take pictures of the intersection and the two reservoirs at the ends of the fork. But we needed to be able to capture the movement of the protozoa in a more continuous manner, to determine the timing of migration choices,\u201d Kristina explains. \u201cSo we exchanged the still-frame camera shots for a video recording of the device from end to end.\u201d<\/p>\n
The researchers then selected their test subject. \u201cProtozoa move in a way that is adapted to their environment; benthic protozoa live among the bottom sediments of a water body, so they more or less \u2018walk\u2019 on surfaces, whereas pelagic protozoa live within open water and propel themselves through liquid,\u201d says Kristina. \u201cNaturally, we selected a benthic protozoa, Euplotes vannus<\/em>, because we needed the protozoa to be able to move along the surface of the device.\u201d<\/p>\n Coping with the Unexpected<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It was then, at the onset of their research, that Grant and Kristina began to run into difficulties. \u201cWell, I guess there\u2019s no other way to describe it: we couldn\u2019t keep our protozoa alive long enough to consistently complete the Y-maze,\u201d says Grant with a laugh. \u201cEuplotes vannus<\/em>, which can typically be found inhabiting the soils of swamps and rivers, just didn\u2019t seem to adapt very well to the environment we were trying to set up for them in this experiment,\u201d adds Kristina. \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising, since even the smallest environmental fluctuations can wipe out an entire protozoa colony. In the end, we wound up spending most of our time trying to perfect the procedural method for culturing and harvesting live protozoa.\u201d<\/p>\n Grant notes that researchers learn to take things with a grain of salt. \u201cAlthough this study didn\u2019t go in the direction we intended, it was by no means a loss,\u201d he continued. \u201cOur findings have, without a doubt, contributed to establishing procedural guidelines for maintaining a laboratory environment habitable by Euplotes vannus.<\/em> As a researcher you are always learning, in this case we were learning how to deal with \u2018protozoa death issues\u2019 and we\u2019re okay with that,\u201d he concludes.<\/p>\n Future Plans<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Kristina, who graduated with her B.S. on May 8th<\/sup>, plans to work for a few years before going back to school to get an MBA. \u201cI\u2019d really like to put my chemical engineering background to good use in a business environment; after getting my MBA I can see myself as a \u2018morally conscious\u2019 businesswoman,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m interested in trying to find a balance between profitable business and environmental sustainability. For example, I really admire the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company; they built their production plant one mile away from a train depot to allow for very low vehicular transportation. Reducing environmental impact is very important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Grant will continue his doctoral studies in Environmental Engineering at UConn. He, too, hopes to contribute to environmental sustainability. \u201cThe knowledge I have gained by crossing the boundary into biological research will be priceless. By learning how to use microfluidic devices, I can apply these strategies to environmental research. I\u2019m very interested in investigating the predictability of red algae blooms, which have a devastating impact on marine environments. Knowing how to use devices to analyze the movements and growth of microscopic organisms means I can now apply these methods to algae research.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Two UConn students are investigating the possibility that protozoa, single-cell organisms, communicate among themselves via chemical signaling. Grant Bouchillon, a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering, joined up with undergraduate Chemical Engineering senior Kristina Gillick earlier this year to investigate this intriguing scenario.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":200636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1866],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2110],"class_list":["post-6582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engr"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-17 19:24:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6582"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225037,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6582\/revisions\/225037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/200636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6582"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=6582"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}