(Reprinted from the MSU Today by Joel Haist)
Under the direction of Evangelyn Alocilja, assistant professor of Biosystems Engineering, the Spartan Engineering Consultant team of Kathryn Streams, Molly O'Flaherty, Megan Laird, Maria Suparno and Nichole Ritchie traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to compete with 38 teams total from universities around the world in the 11th International Environment Design Contest. The MSU students competed against two teams in their task category.
to New Mexico State Secretary of the
Department of Energy.
Team members, Maria Suparno, Megan Laird and Molly O'Flaherty pose with display.
The first-place finish in New Mexico followed a second-place award the students received at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum held at MSU April 6. Both recognitions were for developing "CHRIS," a computer system that can rapidly determine if the outside of fresh produce has E. coli bacteria.
"There is an enzyme associated with the E. coli bacteria present in the intestines of warm-blooded animals," Streams said. "When the E.coli enzyme is combined with a certain chemical it reacts with that chemical and breaks down to emit light.
We wash the fresh produce in a nutrient broth and combine it with this chemical. Finally, using a luminometer built into our machine, we check for any light being emitted from the concentration which would mean E. coli is present."
"At the competition we gave a 15-minute oral presentation and had to answer questions from 16 judges on the first day," said Molly O'Flaherty, a senior from Plymouth. "We also had to create a poster model and test several different lab specimens for levels of E. coli with our automated process."
Laird said their research was important because the laws regarding food safety are becoming stricter and the Food and Drug Administration is trying to improve the prevention and detection of foodborne illnesses.
After winning the trophy and prize money the students decided to donate the entire $2,500 to send next year's team back to the competition, because of the precedent set by the previous team.
"The winnings from the team before us helped fund our project because it is not easy to find corporate sponsors," Laird said.
"We wanted to give them a good start next year, so we also packed up all our lab equipment for them to use," O'Flaherty said.
Overall the five seniors said the experience was worth the incredible amounts of time and energy they put into it. "My experience in this project will benefit me when dealing with job interviews in the future, especially because this was an international competition," said Maria Suparno, a senior from Indonesia. "I am glad that I was able to work with such smart and enjoyable people."
The New Mexico trip was the highlight of my year," said Nichole Ritchie, a senior from Howell. "I know that I have made lifelong friends on the Spartan Engineering Consultants team in the process of this design project."
The Students
Kathryn Streams will graduate in December with a degree in Biosystems Engineering with an environmental engineering cognate. She is the daughter of Rick and Sue Streams of Onsted, Michigan and Holly Streams of Cincinnati, Ohio. She graduated from Tiffen Columbian High School in 1997. At MSU she is the student secretary of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and a member of Alpha Epsilon, the national honor society for Biosystems Engineers. She also participated in a marathon to raise money for leukemia research.
Megan Laird will graduate in December with a degree in Biosystems Engineering. She is the daughter of David and Sandra Laird of Dexter and is a 1997 graduate of Dexter High School. At MSU she is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a coed community service fraternity; the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an organization recognizing academic and service achievements; and the ASAE club.
Molly O'Flaherty graduated in May with a degree in Biosystems Engineering with a Natural Resources/Environmental cognate. She is the daughter of Chuck and Christal O'Flaherty of Plymouth and graduated from Plymouth-Canton High School in 1996.
Maria Suparno graduated in May with a degree in Biosystems engineering. She is the daughter of Suparno and Tjhin Meiliana of Indonesia and is a 1996 graduate of New Town Secondary School in Singapore
Nichole Ritchie will graduate in December with a degree in Biosystems Engineering with a Biomedical Engineering cognate. She is the daughter of Martin and Barbara Ritchie of Howell and is a 1997 graduate of Pinckney High School. At MSU she is a member of Tau Beta Pi, a National Engineering Honor Society and the MSU Honors College. She received the Award for Outstanding Senior in Biosystems Engineering this year.
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May 23, 2001
