Carolyn Scott is a OneGreenThing summer intern who recently graduated from Skidmore College. Today she is sharing her Wonk Superpower passion for research.
Scientific research is often characterized as a solitary endeavor, but my year-long capstone project at Skidmore College underscored the importance of collaboration. The project I was a part of focused on the mycoremediation of lead from drinking water using spent brewers yeast. Throughout my experience working on this project I began to understand the importance of both creativity as well as the importance of collaboration and mentorship in the scientific process.
The Research Objective
The core aim of our project was to explore an eco-friendly and efficient method to address the persistent problem of lead contamination in drinking water. Lead, a toxic metal, poses significant health risks, especially to children. Traditional methods of lead removal can be costly and resource-intensive, prompting our interest in a more sustainable approach. Our research was inspired by a June 2022 paper published by a research team at MIT which investigated the use of inactive brewer’s yeast to remove lead and other heavy metals from water (Stathatou et al., 2022). We decided to focus on the remediation of lead from water and build upon this study by using the waste product from an actual brewery instead of lab grown yeast. Our research also expanded on the amount of times this yeast can be reused to effectively remove lead. The idea we had in mind was possibly to create an at home filter for emergency situations when lead needs to be removed from water at the end of the pipeline.
Common Roots Brewery: A Vital Partner
A critical element of our project was our collaboration with Common Roots Brewery, located close to Skidmore College. Common Roots provided us with all of our yeast from the excess waste product at the end of their brewing process. Through consultation we were able to choose a strain of yeast that is more common and therefore more replicable in this project. Their enthusiasm for the project and expertise was crucial to the success of this research.
The brewery’s support also exemplified how industry partnerships can enhance academic research. Their practical knowledge of yeast properties was invaluable, and helped us to understand so much more about the product our experiment focused on. This partnership highlighted the mutual benefits of collaboration: while we gained access to essential materials and insights, the brewery contributed to innovative environmental solutions that could enhance future sustainability practices.
SAIL Lab: The Heart of Our Research
Equally vital to our project’s success was the support from Lisa Quimby and the Skidmore Advanced Innovation Lab (SAIL). The SAIL lab provided us with the necessary space, advanced equipment, and technical support crucial for our research. Access to state-of-the-art facilities enabled us to conduct precise and reliable experiments, ensuring the accuracy of our results.
Whenever we encountered technical challenges, Lisa was there to assist. Her guidance in troubleshooting issues was indispensable, helping us navigate the complexities of our experimental setup. The support from the SAIL lab was more than just logistical; it was a backbone of our project, demonstrating the importance of having robust institutional support in scientific research.
Mentorship from Tory Chase
Mentorship also played a pivotal role in our project, and we were fortunate to have Tory Chase guiding us throughout the process. Tory’s mentorship was characterized by a balance of support and autonomy. He was deeply committed to our success, offering his expertise and insights in the midst of an incredibly busy schedule, yet he allowed us the freedom to make decisions and learn from our experiences.
This mentorship style was crucial for our development as independent researchers. We learned to take ownership of our project, making critical decisions and troubleshooting issues ourselves, while knowing that Tory was always there to steer us in the right direction if needed. This balance helped us grow both professionally and personally, instilling confidence in our capabilities.
Intriguing Results
The results of our research were promising. We discovered that spent brewers yeast could significantly reduce lead concentrations in water at drinking water pH, making it a viable option for lead remediation. We also had a very surprising and slightly confusing results when it came to finding the capacity of our yeast to continue absorbing more lead over multiple trials. In two of our batches the yeast actually got better at absorbing lead the more lead it absorbed. But in the last batch the amount of lead that the yeast was able to uptake did decrease over the three trials. We did not get to continue our research because of time constraints but the results are interesting enough to warrant further research in my opinion.
These findings could have significant implications for environmental science, particularly in developing sustainable water purification methods. Our work demonstrated that a waste product from one industry could effectively address a critical issue in another, embodying the principles of sustainability and circular economy.
Conclusion
Reflecting on this journey, the importance of collaboration in scientific research becomes evident. The combined expertise and generosity from Common Roots Brewery, the support from Lisa Quimby and the SAIL lab, and the mentorship from Tory Chase were integral to our project’s success. This experience taught us that scientific breakthroughs often occur at the intersection of diverse knowledge and skills. Fostering these collaborative relationships is key to innovative research.
While the research and science of this project was incredibly exciting to be a part of, the support and collaboration we received left such an impact on me. I have learned so much about the importance of having a diverse network for the success of scientific research and that is the most important thing I will take away from this project.
Stathatou, Patritsia M., et al., “Lead removal at trace concentrations from water by inactive yeast cells.” Communications Earth & Environment, vol. 3, no. 1, 13 June 2022, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00463-0.
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