1. TEOS Group MENTOR: Eric Graham INTERNS: Martin Gawecki Kathlyn Bland Devin Sevilla

2. The Wonderful World of Bracken Ferns… Or is it??? By Kathlyn Bland

3. Step into my office…

4. Why should we study the Bracken Fern? The Bracken Fern is a worldwide pest which poses many health and agricultural problems for society. Learning more about how this plant responds to changes in its microenvironment, will teach us something about our environment as a whole. The more we know about our environment, the better prepared we will be to react and make wise decisions on how to improve and maintain our natural surroundings.

5. What types of data will be collected? The machine we use to collect data is called the LI-COR 6400. Basically, the “Cadillac” of photosynthetic measurements. It collects several different pieces of data… CO 2 Analyzer Air Flow Temperature Light Sample is 3 cm X 2 cm This is my $30,000 baby!

6. Induction Shade FrondMedium Frond Constant CO 2 level equal to 400µmol/L 10 minutes shade with 20µmol of light Then we raised the light level to 750µmol of light

7. Conductance VS Time Medium Shade FrondShade Frond Conductance is a measurement of the rate which water vapor or CO 2 travels across the stomata (basically small pores) of the plant. You can see that once we increased the light available for photosynthesis, the plant started to increase the rate in which water and CO 2 passed through the stomata, thus they open quite a bit when exposed to full light.

8. A/C i Curves ShadeMedium Shade Relationship between photosynthetic rate and intercellular CO2 concentrations Blue line represents changing CO2 reference level Pink line represents the induction curve This relationship allows us to make conclusions about how gas exchange occurs and how the plant responds changes in its enviornment

9. Shading Experiment Shade Medium

10. Goals We would like to collect enough data to publish a scientific manuscript by the end of Fall 2006. We would like to collect enough data to publish a scientific manuscript by the end of Fall 2006. My main goal is to learn about CENS technology from my peers and how it applies to the biological sciences. My main goal is to learn about CENS technology from my peers and how it applies to the biological sciences.

11. Infrared Gas Sampling for Terrestrial Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapor Concentration Gradients Presented By: Devin Sevilla and Martin Gawecki

12. Problem Statement Determine the concentration of CO 2 and H 2 O vapor in a terrestrial environment at 6-8 different altitudes Determine the concentration of CO 2 and H 2 O vapor in a terrestrial environment at 6-8 different altitudes Sampling can take place during the day or night Sampling can take place during the day or night nighttime sampling is preferable because of less wind-driven gas mixing nighttime sampling is preferable because of less wind-driven gas mixing Sampling must be automated and performed at pre-specified intervals Sampling must be automated and performed at pre-specified intervals

13. Design Approach Hardware Hardware Infrared Gas Analyzer (IRGA) Infrared Gas Analyzer (IRGA) Mechanical Solenoids Mechanical Solenoids Serial-controlled Relay Board Serial-controlled Relay Board Software Software Written in C on Linux Written in C on Linux Software contains 3 components: Software contains 3 components: IRGA controller IRGA controller Relay Board controller Relay Board controller Master timed controller Master timed controller

14. Experimental Setup Mass Flow MeterPumpIRGA Solenoids Controlling Laptop Relay Board Solenoids

15. Experimental Setup

17. IRGA CO 2 Response (Short Term)

18. IRGA CO 2 Response (Long Term)

19. IRGA H 2 O Response (Short Term)

20. IRGA H 2 O Response (Long Term)

21. Sample Data (CO 2 )

22. Sample Data (H 2 O)

23. Preliminary Conclusions Sampling Time – propagation of signal takes: Sampling Time – propagation of signal takes: Approx 40/50 sec (rise and fall) for CO 2 Approx 40/50 sec (rise and fall) for CO 2 Approx 80/240 sec for H 2 O (rise and fall) Approx 80/240 sec for H 2 O (rise and fall) Therefore, a “good” sampling time is 5 minutes. Therefore, a “good” sampling time is 5 minutes. Serial Port Configuration is difficult Serial Port Configuration is difficult Encountered power consumption problem Encountered power consumption problem

24. Future Work Adaptive Sampling Adaptive Sampling More Tubes = More Levels More Tubes = More Levels Lower Power Consumption Lower Power Consumption Better Solenoids Better Solenoids Smaller Pumps Smaller Pumps Compact Size Compact Size Increased Mobility & Modularity Increased Mobility & Modularity

25. Acknowledgements Eric Graham – for always being there Eric Graham – for always being there Eleanor Lee – for using her camera Eleanor Lee – for using her camera Eric Yuen – troubleshooting Eric Yuen – troubleshooting The Dumpster – for things to mount our prototype on The Dumpster – for things to mount our prototype on