Ingram Laboratory
Research
Ella
Ingram, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Applied Biology & Biomedical Engineering
Sustainability of water resources is an increasingly global concern. In
the Terre Haute area, natural and constructed wetlands perform
important roles in water remediation and flow control, particularly in
areas highly impacted by agricultural practices. The functioning of
these wetlands is not well characterized, and this project seeks to
contribute to knowledge regarding how such wetlands perform their
roles. The student researcher will be responsible for implementing
ecosystem monitoring via multiple mechanisms, in conjunction with other
researchers collecting chemical data, and for continuing microbe
monitoring protocols. Monitoring strategies can include various
measures such as algal growth and accumulation, amphibian community
assessment, microbial identification via genetic techniques. Algal
identification protocols will provide additional information regarding
the diversity of species in the local wetlands. Amphibian community
assessment might involve active or passive capture, Microbe monitoring
will involve water sampling and estimating diversity via 16S rRNA
comparisons. The student research can expect to learn basic chemical
analyses, species identification strategies, biological indicator
protocols, light microscopy techniques, and standard genetic and
molecular techniques for identifying organisms. Significant field work
will be a part of the project.
