FWC $200K Grants Gives UF Scientists Green Light to Develop New Technology

Two University of Florida scientists are the recipients of a $200,000 grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). They will use that money over the next 10 months to develop the methodology leading to a device that detects and measures the number of toxins in the air from red tides.

“Karenia brevis blooms are a concern for tourists, residents, and businesses of coastal areas where these blooms occur,” said H. Dail Laughinghouse IV, an assistant professor of applied phycology and Extension specialist in HABs at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. “The end result in developing this methodology is to help the coastal residents, tourists and businesses have a better understanding of the potential exposure to aerosolized toxins in the areas they live, do business, or plan to visit.”

Laughinghouse is collaborating with Myoseon Jang, a UF associate professor in environmental engineering sciences at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. The two will lay the framework for a portable testing device that detects, measures, and monitors the toxin (brevetoxin) in the air that is responsible for impacting humans and animals due to red tide events.

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