Student Presenter(s): Daniel Singh
Faculty Mentor: Bryan Gibb
Department: Life Sciences
School/College: College of Arts and Sciences, Long Island
Dinoflagellates are a subgroup of algae. While most are saltwater plankton, different species may be found in freshwater environments. The research done in this project focused mainly on the ability of certain dinoflagellates to undergo bioluminescence. Special attention was given to how bright and for how long each culture of dinoflagellates was able to luminesce. Multiple forms of media were prepared and tested which included commercial sources of water and salt, as well as locally harvested seawater. In order to better study the dinoflagellates the construction of a custom luminometer was started. a team of engineers was brought onto the project to aid in the construction of a growth chamber with a number of controllable variables such as temperature and time exposed to light. A number of art piece like displays were designed in order to makes the dinoflagellates bioluminesce in visually pleasing ways. One of the main goals of this project was the culmination of all these projects in order to design a kit that could be used to cultivate and display dinoflagellates in a classroom setting.