Laboratory AssistantAt — Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

The intern will be a key person in our project to understand concentrations and bioaccumulation of toxic DDT compounds in the waters and aquatic food web offshore Southern California.  These DDT compounds arose from historical contamination in the area.  The intern will assist in extracting and processing samples previously taken recently in the laboratory, in measuring concentrations of these chemicals via suitable instrumental analysis techniques, in ensuring acceptable data quality assurance/quality control, and in data analysis and interpretation of the measured results.

Tasks:

--Laboratory work in a state-of-the-art trace environmental chemical facility for processing and analyzing samples;
--Data analysis to evaluate quality assurance/quality control of processed samples;
--Data interpretation and statistical analysis using suitable software tools;
--Writing and editing of reports.

Training:

The student will be trained in all aspects of the required work. We will provide OSHA-mandated safety training before the student is allowed to work in the laboratory. The student will be paired with experienced PhD-level scientists and their designates, who will provide hands-on training on how to process environmental samples for the desired applications (e.g., using pressurized solvent extraction, column cleanup via gel permeation chromatography and low-pressure alumina-silica chromatography, solvent exchange and reduction, and instrumental analysis via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Practice on test samples will be done and verified prior to work on actual samples. Quality assurance/quality control will be emphasized e.g., rigorous blanks to prevent and assess contamination during processing, spiked matrix samples to ascertain recoveries, reference material analysis to determine absolute performance levels. The student will also undergo regular one-on-one mentor meetings (e.g., biweekly) to gauge progress and address issues as they arise, and will be part of team meetings to discuss status and evolution of the project and provide updates to clients and stakeholders. These team meetings will also be used to prepare the intern for written and oral reports to disseminate results of the work.

Learning Outcomes:

--understand and apply appropriate laboratory practices for trace environmental chemical analysis;
--exercise acceptable quality assurance/quality control for scientific laboratory data;
--develop professional oral and written communications skills for working in group settings, and to disseminate scientific results to stakeholder audiences.