Probe array development
Project Managers: Shana Goffredi/Chris Scholin
Lead Scientist: Chris Scholin

This project is a three-year program to continue development of DNA probe array technology for use with the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP). Science missions projected by the Chavez, DeLong, Vrijenhoek and Scholin labs will serve as guides for merging probe development with construction and deployment of the second generation ESP. This requires the development of new probes targeting organisms from archaea to metazoans, found in the coastal waters of Monterey Bay and other regions of the world. It also requires the refinement of existing DNA probe array technology in terms of probe attachment and signaling chemistries given the sample processing capabilities and limitations of the ESP itself. Successful deployment of a diverse set of probes on the ESP will complement concurrent chemical and physical measurements and provide an entirely new way of sensing microorganisms in the ocean, such as is projected for both water column and benthic MOOS Science Experiments.