![\"\"](\"\/eng\/files\/2023\/09\/NG_ZamanLab1-2-424x636.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBy Mandile Mpofu<\/p>\n
In August 2022, Neila Gross summited Mount Kilimanjaro. It was a grueling journey that took her five and a half days to make her way up the highest peak on the African continent and one and a half days to make her way down. On the first day, as she looked across the desolate plane where the mountain stood, uncertainty set in when she realized how far she had to go. And when she looked up and noticed that the mountain\u2019s summit was obscured by the clouds because of its height, one thought took over: \u201cYou can\u2019t do this.\u201d But she set aside her self-doubts and, many pitstops and thousands of feet later, she made it to the top.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt taught me a huge lesson. I feel like when you try and you just go for those big things, whether you fail or you succeed, it can always teach you a huge lesson,\u201d Gross said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t reach the summit, at least you tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
She applies this philosophy to everything she does, including her academic studies as a doctoral candidate in Materials Science and Engineering. Gross works in a laboratory with Muhammad Zaman<\/a>, a professor of biomedical engineering, whose work focuses on environmental factors that influence antibiotic resistance and the public health outcomes of these endemics in refugee camps and informal settlements located in low-to-middle-income countries. It was his encouragement that pushed Gross to apply for a prestigious fellowship, which she received.<\/p>\n The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), which Gross was awarded in the 2022-2023 academic year, is a grant that \u201csupports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers,\u201d according to its website. The fellowship covers Gross\u2019 stipend over three years, offering financial assistance to conduct her research.<\/p>\n In Zaman\u2019s laboratory, Gross researchers how materials, such as heavy metals or microplastics, within wastewater affect antibiotic resistance in bacteria, an idea that emerged from a collaborative Zoom call with her peers and professor.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the support that I have from what feels like all corners of the engineering divisions. There\u2019s support everywhere, wherever you need it,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to be on the giving end of that, just because it has helped me so much.\u201d<\/p>\n Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria are repeatedly exposed to small amounts of antibiotics to which they eventually become resistant via evolutionary processes. In environments such as wastewater where bacteria grow, small doses of antibiotics are introduced through daily human activities, Gross explained. For example, when people take antibiotics, the entire dose is not absorbed into the bloodstream. The residue can then enter wastewater via human excrement.<\/p>\n Actions as routine as washing one\u2019s hands after using antimicrobial sprays can also introduce small quantities of antibiotics into wastewater. While these doses on their own are somewhat inconsequential, an accumulation of them could be concentrated enough to have a notable effect on the bacteria, especially when microplastics are added to the mix.<\/p>\n While Gross is not yet quite sure to what extent microplastics impact antibiotic resistance in bacteria, she has a theory. Bacteria grow in two modes: planktonic and biofilms. Planktonic bacteria are free-living, one-cell bacteria that float in liquids and are found in microbiology labs. Bacteria biofilms are formed when bacteria aggregate into a biofilm, a coagulation that plays a role in\u00a0protecting the bacteria<\/a>\u00a0community. In layman\u2019s terms, Gross describes biofilms as \u201ca slimy goop of stuff\u201d or \u201carmor for bacteria.\u201d Microplastics serve as a substrate upon which biofilms can grow and create an opportunity for the development of what Gross calls \u201ca very powerful armor\u201d that can hinder antibiotic action.<\/p>\n She investigates the types of microplastics found in wastewater \u2014 their chemical composition, shape, and size \u2014 and their effects on bacteria such as E. coli. She also hopes to do the same analysis on the bacteria strain that causes cholera to determine if the increased presence of microplastics worsens mortality rates in areas prone to the disease.<\/p>\n \u201cI have so many ideas, actually. I don’t know how I’ll ever fit them in the amount of time that I have,\u201d she said. \u201cBut that’s the great thing about this NSF grant is that we can now pursue kind of whatever we want.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/eng\/files\/2023\/09\/NG_ZamanLab3-636x424.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/eng\/files\/2023\/09\/NG_ZamanLab2-424x636.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/eng\/files\/2023\/09\/Headshot--424x636.jpg\")
<\/p>\n