Dana DiScenza
School: University of Rhode Island
Degree: Ph.d., Chemistry; Master’s, Business Administration (MBA)
Advisor: Mindy Levine
Expected completion date: May 2019
Research: My research focuses on the use of cyclodextrin-promoted fluorescence modulation for the rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of organochlorine pesticides in contaminated marine environments across Rhode Island. We have specifically focused on water from Arcadia Lake, Narragansett Bay, Narragansett Beach, and Providence River. We have also studied the effect of temperature on the performance of this system in areas affected by climate change. This preliminary work will enable us to design a solid-state device for practical detection of environmental toxicants in virtually any complex environment.
Rhode Island EPSCoR is funded by the National Science Foundation under EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Award #OIA-1655221. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.