Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Scope of work for Joint Venture Agreement between University of Kentucky and USDA Forest
Service – Development of techniques for analysis of epiphytic mosses for the purpose of source
apportionment of airborne pollutants.
UK PI – Jason Unrine
USDA-FS PI – Sarah Jovan
April 18, 2022
Period of performance – July 1st 2022-June 30th 2024
Budget - $150,000 from USDA forest service, UK cost share (indirect costs) $67,500
This joint venture agreement between the Forest Service and UK concerns joint research into
methods for using epiphytic moss for source apportionment of airborne pollutants. The Forest
Service is conducting research, led by Dr. Sarah Jovan, on the use of epiphytic mosses as
bioindicators of air quality in communities in the Pacific Northwest region. The Forest Service
will collect moss samples and samples collected on filter media from communities of interest in
and send them to the University of Kentucky for analysis. The University of Kentucky will hire a
postdoctoral scholar to be supervised and mentored by Dr. Jason Unrine. The postdoc will
explore novel methods for characterization of metal-bearing particulates in the moss samples
for the purpose of source apportionment. Methods to be explored include particle size
fractionation followed by ICP-MS analysis, single particle ICP-MS analysis of extracted particles
(sp-ICP-MS), and high-resolution scanning TEM including fast Fourier transform crystallography,
and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The analytical equipment for this project is
located within the Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory in the Department of
Plant and Soil Sciences at UK along with the Electron Microscopy core facility. The postdoc will
also explore the use of machine learning techniques for the classification and source
apportionment of particulates found in the samples. It is expected that the research will be
jointly published by UK and the Forest Service in a high-quality peer-reviewed journal.
Status | Active |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 7/28/22 → 9/30/25 |
Funding
- Forest Service: $150,000.00
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