My investigation on Bacterial Ecology on waters of Puerto Rico is a collective effort of a team of researchers from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus (UPRM). The team is base out of the Anaerobic Microbiology Laboratory at the UPRM, and conducts water sampling and analysis of microbial populations from different sources across the island. The Anaerobic Microbiology Laboratory is directed by Dr. Luis Ríos Hernández, Anaerobic Microbiologist graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Rios, is my mentor and with his extensive knowledge and experience on polluted aquifers and their microbial populations along with their intrinsic relationships based on metabolic pathways for biodegradation, we hope to identify inhabitant microbes in the waters of Puerto Rico, their relations with physical and chemical factors, possible enteric hosts of these organism, sources of contamination if any, and possible risk of exposure to human beings. We will validate the current contamination indicating methods used by regulating agencies to prove that they, in fact, are the correct methods to apply, base on Puerto Rico’s and many other tropical territories unique biochemical characteristics. To accomplish all of these tasks, Dr. Rios has recruited the help of a graduated marine biologist and undergraduate students from the Department of Biology and Nursing of the UPRM.

The Team:

Dr. Luis Ríos Hernández –Laboratory Director / Mentor / Researcher

Rose – Marine Biologist / Laboratory Technician / Researcher

Tayri – Biology Undergraduate Researcher

Dorcas – Industrial Microbiology Undergraduate Researcher

Franchesca – Industrial Microbiology Undergraduate Researcher

Gustavo – Industrial Microbiology Undergraduate Researcher

Julian – Biology Undergraduate Researcher

Leonardo – Industrial Microbiologist Undergraduate Researcher

Oscar – Nursing Undergraduate Student / Biology Undergraduate Researcher