Little Labs, Big Hearts
Science is challenging to define. According to Brittanica, science is "any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world and its phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and systematic experimentation". Further, it ".involves a pursuit of knowledge covering general truths or the operations of fundamental laws". The way researchers collectively approach this investigation into general truths and fundamental laws has evolved throughout time. Throughout history, the advent of new technology, such as the ability to see cells and other microbial species through advanced lenses, has spiralled science into once unimaginable directions. Today, new tools and resources are constantly being developed, all of which seek to improve the efficiency and precision behind experimentation.
Why do students choose to study science? This will, of course, be answered differently depending on who you ask. For many, pursuing a path that involves scientific inquiry is inspired by more than just a journey to a stable paycheck. To some, the interest is predominantly theoretical; a penchant for exploration into unknown, at times seemingly impossible riddles. For others, it has a more practical basis. The ability to quantify the perplexing nature of the world and translate it into usable knowledge is a powerful tool for actionable change. Often, interests will fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. The need to apply problem solving and scientific thought to real-world problems is seen throughout the physical sciences. Medicine, computation, environmental disturbance, engineering, and agriculture are just a few examples of fields that rely on resourceful, innovative, and (where possible) exacting work.
While specific definitions vary, it is generally agreed upon that science, or, that which can be inquired about scientifically, exists all around us. Let us take, for example, a walk down the street. The downward force of gravity keeps us firmly on the ground. The objects that surround us are governed by classical laws of motion. Chemical reactions occur constantly. The melting of sidewalk ice by road salt is functionally possible through freezing point depression, in which salt ions interfere with the structural formation of water molecules to inhibit ice growth. When rabbits hop past us, they do so through anatomically specialized hind legs with fused fibula and tibia bones. These work in conjunction with their forelimbs to allow the animal to leap with great force, and then brake without incurring damage. In most modern vehicles that pass us by, catalytic converters actively convert pollutants from exhaust fumes into majorly detoxified forms, through reactions that alter the chemical composition of the fumes, supported by material designs that maximize their efficiency. Microbial species stain and deteriorate stone structures we see through a process known as bioweathering. All the while, our own bodies exhibit a series of constant metabolic processes that ultimately allow us to move around and perceive our external environment.
Ecology teaches us that all of these, and countless more interacting components, embody intricate systems where many moving parts influence one another on a variety of scales. Laboratories are designed to make it possible for researchers to take these complex interactions and isolate them, so as to attempt to identify and categorize cause and effect.
By doing so, often one tiny puzzle piece at a time, more of the nature of our physical surroundings is revealed. Some of the most versatile tools to help better society are biologically and chemically derived. A stunning example of this is in the origin behind significant genome editing technology CRISPR-Cas, which is based on DNA sequences that were found in a variety of microorganisms to facilitate their own immunity against specific viruses.
With all this in mind, what enables the labs here in Orillia to provide students with the knowledge and tools to conduct excellent research?
Interestingly, when asked what tools are the most important, it is the fundamental pieces of equipment that seem to hold the greatest value in the eyes of our lab instructors. Qurat Baig, a laboratory instructor responsible for running several of the chemistry labs, considers the analytical balance to be the "heart of chemistry". Analytical balances are sensitive weighing scales with the ability to measure very small amounts of substances precisely (generally up to four decimal values). These accurate values make it possible to generate specific chemical reactions and products in the lab. Similarly, the correct use of different glassware is essential to Baig’s teaching. "For really accurate and precise dilutions, you use volumetric glassware. To form precipitates, you can add compounds to [a less precise] beaker. It's important to build an understanding of how you use each."
When discussing organic chemistry labs, Baig remarks that "it's so fascinating to see the chemical reaction you write on the paper, where you see reactants converting into a product. [There is] entirely new functional growth in the product, [and this is] the same concept you apply to drug discovery. The product becomes an entirely different thing in terms of chemical, physical, and medicinal properties. You are basically synthesizing something entirely different [from what you started with]".
Baig went on to tell me about the uniqueness of the Analytical Chemistry II lab. "[It is] very different from the rest of the lab courses we have here. We run all the labs at once, because we have one instrument for each of the lab experiments."
It results in 5 different labs running simultaneously in a single setting.
"It's very demanding, with a different pre-lab talk each time, but the most enjoyable", Baig says. "The analytical chemistry labs are more applicable to real life. [For example], in testing the presence of dye, students do the dye evaluation and test the concentration. They [also] test for paraben in spray lotion, [and] analyze sodium fluoride concentration in mouthwash."
The HPLC, or high-performance liquid chromatography labs, such as is used for testing the concentration of parabens, provides valuable quality control training. "If you plan to move ahead to a graduate degree, or work in a lab setting, this equipment gives you great hands-on experience." In terms of research potential, Baig mentions that the HPLC equipment can be used in a variety of ways, such as to explore protein analysis and study drug mixtures by separating, identifying, and quantifying what is present in a tablet.
"We also have an experiment where we measure the ethanol concentration using high-tech FTIR spectrophotometry. FTIR does not include a lot of sample preparation; you can get a clean measure with pure ethanol, and do not have to undergo a lot of sample prep." Yet another piece of versatile equipment, FTIR can also be used to study pollutants in soil and water samples.
Additionally, Baig uses microchemistry kits, which generate less waste than traditional methods, in her organic chemistry labs. She believes that these, and other techniques explored in chemistry labs here provide students with real-world applications and an advanced understanding of how working in a scientific lab setting would look.
On the other side of the hallway lies our biology lab. I spoke with laboratory instructor Dr. Usha Menon about its equipment, educational labs, and research potential. "We have a variety of equipment for lab procedures", she tells. "PPE, fume hoods, biosafety hoods, and large equipment like incubators to grow microbes and conduct temperature specific experiments". Similar to incubators, environmental chambers, which are also present in the biology lab, facilitate programmable temperature and light conditions for the directed growth of plants, algae, and other organisms.
"We have a variety of microscopes; dissection, compound for general use, and sophisticated ones for specific faculty research. In genetics, we rear Drosophila (fruit flies) and observe them under the microscope."
"We [also] do a lot of DNA extraction… for molecular biology, we have a PCR machine, a gel dock to observe and analyze results, as well as blots [to explore protein or DNA in a sample]... in Molecular Genetics, we have a very interesting lab [involving] a bioinformatics kit from BioRad. We clone a particular gene from a plant species and see, recombinantly, how it is used and expressed."
In contrast to molecular techniques, much of the equipment in the biology lab is specific to field-heavy environmental science research, as Environmental Sustainability is one of the main programs at Lakehead Orillia to use the biology lab. Cell counters are used in freshwater ecology labs to quantify and identify phytoplankton found in our local environment, some of which are toxic, and thus important to assess. The lab has several chest waders, which are used for navigating deep water when taking samples to assess pollutants through the presence of certain biota (such as benthic macroinvertebrates) and other physicochemical factors.
The biology lab is also equipped for a variety of microbiological techniques and studies. The "heart of microbiology", in Dr. Menon's eyes, is the autoclave, which allows for sterilization of glassware and certain plastic materials through high heat."We cannot do any sterile experiments without the autoclave, it helps a lot." According to Dr. Menon, microbiology is one of the most demanding undergraduate labs offered by the university. It provides lots of hands-on experience with aseptic (sterile) techniques through careful handling and culturing of microbes. "Every student will be given an unknown species of bacteria, and by the end of the term, they have to figure out what it is."
Students often put these skills to use in their own research. Microbial biodegradation, as well as accumulation of microplastics in Simcoe County, have been explored in undergraduate theses. Recently, a graduate of the MSc Biology program completed her thesis on heavy metal filtration in a local wetland setting. Currently, 4th year Environmental Sustainability Science student Evelyn McCloy is taking a low-equipment, but highly innovative approach to her research.
"The processing side of things is not intensive", McCloy states. Her research involves looking at the living microbial community in moss found in degraded peatlands and seeing how pollution from mining impacts the community structure.
"I can do that [here] by simply boiling and sieving [samples] in hot water, and specifically using a microscope to identify them. To count them, we essentially add a known concentration of a marker substance. If you count the markers along with it, you can use that to estimate the concentration of testate amoebae."
Testate amoebae are microscopic protists, a group of organisms that do not fall into a distinct category within their domain.
"I'm specifically looking at them because they're the top predator in their environment. They influence the greater microbial food web a lot. There is a reduction in functional diversity in really degraded sites where there are less testate amoebas in their specific niches and more generalist ones that are just there to survive."
The polluted peatlands McCloy is looking at, located around Sudbury, are part of a re-greening project currently being monitored. "We're trying to assess how the community is doing. We've looked at the plants, the bacterial community, but not the [other] microbial communities."
"Top predators can be a really good bioindicator of metal pollution if the response of their community structure is predictable to metal or sulphite pollution. We can use that to create a statistical model to allow us to interpret information about peatland degradation status just by looking at the community structure."
Specifically, McCloy is hoping to develop a transfer function. These have been used in bioindicator studies to assess remediation efforts by looking at community composition prior to pollution.
"Because testate amoebae communities preserve really well, we can look at past communities so we can see whether we're emulating the natural environment. I'm doing the preliminary work for that, seeing if there really is a difference in the communities in degraded and non-degraded peatlands, and what that means. We have a lot of really interesting undergraduate research opportunities here, especially for wetland science and climate change science."
When we look more closely at the lab setup in Orillia, we find there is a wealth of information that can be learned in a small set of spaces. Smaller lab sizes also means more attention from experts for each individual student. Curious and passionate scientific discourse can often be heard amongst faculty, staff, and students. I, for one, am excited to see what knowledge, skills, and creative, local research will continue to come out of our campus.