Masters student in the School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University

(2014) H. BSc in the Honours Biology program at McMaster University

Office: ETB 303

Email: gohsc@mcmaster.ca

Water quality monitoring is vital for natural water preservation efforts and to eliminate the risk of water-related diseases. Failure to accurately detect water contaminants may delay reactive remedial action and prolong public exposure to potentially fatal health consequences. The MacWater group by McMaster University is a collaborative research project which includes Guelph University and Environment Canada to provide a low-cost, real-time, portable solution for water quality monitoring in the field. Examples of some devices that have or are currently being developed by the group are: a low cost dissolved oxygen sensor, a miniaturized Raman spectrometer and microfluidic high content screening platforms for detecting bacteria. However, biofouling continues to be an ongoing challenge in the usage of these devices for long-term water monitoring. Described as the unwanted accumulation of proteins and aquatic organisms on wetted surfaces, biofouling limits sensor and microfluidic accuracy over time. Manual cleaning of sensors is not ideal for long-term water quality monitoring and is costly.

Surface modification is a well explored field that chemically alters substrate surface properties to be catered towards specific applications. Sharon's research project is to develop a stable solvent-free antifouling strategy with the potential to modify a variety of polymer-based materials. This is also especially useful for multi-material devices as it will simplify the coating process.

Fall 2014; Sharon will be a visiting scholar in Soochow University, Suzhou, China from Feb 20-June 30, 2015