University of Washington Tacoma Annual Research Report FY2012

Excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service are the foundations of UW Tacoma. In a vigorous university, scholarship takes many forms and individual faculty scholarship follows distinct trajectories throughout their career. Despite this healthy diversity, faculty scholarship shares the core common value of active engagement in one’s intellectual community. Preparation of research proposals is a valued form of scholarship at UWT, providing important opportunities to hone faculty research through peer-based evaluations. The purpose of this report is to catalog the amount and recent trends in UWT research activity as evidenced by proposal writing. In the last five years, UW Tacoma faculty and staff have more than doubled proposal submissions from 20 proposals submitted in Fiscal Year 2008 to 43 proposals in Fiscal Year 2012. So far, 7 proposals have been submitted in the first two months of FY 2013. The average size of the proposals has grown three-fold: from $116K in FY2008 to$372K in FY2012. Non-academic campus units submitted 3-5 proposals per year totaling more than $28M over the last five years. 41 different UW Tacoma faculty have submitted proposals since 2008. In FY2011, 5 faculty submitted proposals for the first time, and in FY2012, 3 faculty submitted proposals for the first time. In addition to the proposals and awards included in this report, many faculty at UWT collaborate as key personnel on proposals initiated by Principal Investigators from other UW departments and campuses. These projects are not included in proposals and awards detailed in this report. Nearly every UWT program has an active award in this category, and this type of work contributes to the research enterprise at UWT by allowing faculty here to participate in large studies and projects across UW campuses. Not only are UW Tacoma faculty submitting more proposals than ever before, but they have been requesting larger budgets and they are successfully competing for those awards as demonstrated by the large increase in award revenue. Award revenue has increased over the last five years as well from$307K in FY 2008 to $1,748K in FY 2012, lead by expanding programs in Education and the creation of the Center for Urban Waters. Nearly every program at UWT has seen increases in proposal submissions and award revenue. In FY 2012, 37% of award revenue came from federal sponsors, 42% of award revenue came from Washington State agencies, and 21% came from other sources

Building the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound: A new resource for ecosystem recovery

Advances in online communication and digital media are changing the way ecosystem information is shared and understood. New and emerging technologies provide opportunities for networked science that can greatly benefit Puget Sound and Salish Sea ecosystem recovery through improved information flow and unprecedented access to scientific literature and data. The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound (www.eopugetsound.org) is an online resource published by the University of Washington in collaboration with the Puget Sound Partnership. Its mission is to synthesize and document the state of the science of ecosystem recovery in the region. Through a topic editor system inspired by efforts such as the Encyclopedia of Earth and Encyclopedia of Life, an editorial board of leading scientists recruits and reviews content concerning interdisciplinary topics related to Puget Sound protection and restoration. These topics include Biology: such as the status of species, habitats and foodwebs; Chemistry: marine, freshwater, sediment, pollution and stormwater; Physical environment: geology, bathymetry, cartography, meteorology, physical oceanography and hydrology; Climate change: effects on the watershed and marine environment; Ecosystem-based management: including conservation assessment and ecosystem indicators; Social sciences: such as human wellbeing, fisheries, culture, and history. The Encyclopedia was formally launched in October 2012 by the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute and receives major support from the Environmental Protection Agency. This presentation will describe the Encyclopedia’s editorial structure, its ongoing synthesis work and lessons learned during its initial startup period

Science, Policy and Partnerships

Successful recovery of the Salish Sea requires collaboration between scientists (both biophysical and social) and policy/decision makers. Without this relationship we find ourselves with scientific research that is not relevant to decision making and decisions made without a strong scientific foundation, and without the support of the science community. While there is a great deal of good scientific work currently available to enhance ecosystem recovery decision-making, many of the questions that decision makers currently face require further investigation to address critical uncertainties, or at minimum, collection of data through environmental monitoring or social surveys to fill important gaps. However, it is critical that science does not impede early ecosystem-scale recovery actions; we do have sufficient knowledge to take action. In this panel session we will discuss the relationships between science and policy communities in ecosystem recovery efforts in the Salish Sea, including the science foundation for early action and the science and policy knowledge gaps for recovery at the scale of the Salish Sea. Panel members will include both US and Canadian professionals involved in the science and policy of ecosystem-based management for the Salish Sea. Panelists will consider and discuss such topics as:• An overview of Salish Sea status and trends and what they are really telling us and how should the status and trends influence policy and science• Examples of successes and challenges in science/policy collaboration. • Social constructs and behaviors needed for successful ecosystem recovery• Identified opportunities, specific approaches, and current challenges for science to more effectively inform policy decision-making. Panelists:Katharine Wellman –Moderator, Vice Chair Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel John Stein, Chair Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel Joel Baker, Puget Sound Institute, University of Washington Angela Bonifaci, US Environmental Protection Agency Tracy Collier, Puget Sound Partnership Thomas Leschine, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of WashingtonIan Perry, Department of Fish and Oceans, Canada Terre Satterfield, University of British Columbi

Chronological Age-Grading of Three Species of Stored-Product Beetles by Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

The accuracy of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for predicting the chronological age of adults of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.); the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.); and the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), three pests of stored grain, was examined. NIRS-predicted age correlated well with actual age of these three species. Age predictions in S. oryzae by using the NIRS method are not dependent upon adult sex or temperatures to which adult weevils are exposed. Results indicated that water content decreased with increasing age in rice weevil adults, and excluding wavelengths at which water absorbs NIR radiation reduced the accuracy of correct classification. Additionally, removing cuticular lipids from insects resulted in a significant decrease in classification accuracy of weevils, indicating that these compounds may be partly responsible for the ability of NIRS to differentiate young from old beetles. NIRS is a nondestructive technique that can be used to age-grade large numbers of adult stored-product beetles, information that could help to increase the accuracy of population models for these pest species

Insect Fragments in Flour: Relationship to Lesser Grain Borer (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) Infestation Level in Wheat and Rapid Detection Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

We determined that the number of insect fragments, quantified using the standard flotation method, in flour milled from wheat infested with larvae, pupae, or preemergent adults of the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), was proportional to infestation level. Wheat infested with a single preemergent adult contributed 28 and 10X as many fragments as wheat infested with a single larva or pupa, respectively. Using regression models that were developed from these data, we predicted that the maximum infestation level that would result in flour with fragment counts below the Food and Drug Administration defect action level (75 fragments/50 g of flour) was 0.95 and 1.5% (380-640 infested kernels/kg of wheat) for pupae and larvae, but it decreased to 0.05% (20 infested kernels/kg) when the grain was infested with preemergent adults. We also reexamined the accuracy and sensitivity of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for detecting insect fragments in flour by testing three different NIR spectrometers. NIRS-predicted numbers of insect fragments were correlated with the actual number of fragments. NIRS is less precise than the standard flotation method, but it is rapid, nondestructive, does not require extensive sample preparation, and could easily be automated for a more sophisticated sampling protocol for flour based on prescreening samples with NIRS followed up by use of the standard flotation method when necessary

The use of TOMS-modified VAS data for large-scale NWP

Collocation statistics obtained by comparing VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) temperature soundings with those from nearby rawinsondes indicate good agreement. However, the VAS soundings exhibited a substantial cold bias in the middle and upper troposphere. The error makes promising the use of the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) to obtain an independent estimate of tropopause pressure for use in the retrieval program. Good agreement is found between TOMS data and tropopause pressure. A quantitative assessment for the correlation of tropopause pressure, obtained from TOMS by regression and from rawinsondes over Europe, is reported

Chronological Age-Grading of House Flies by Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

The sensitivity and accuracy of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was compared with that of the pteridine fluorescence technique for estimating the chronological age of house flies, Musca domestica (L.). Although results with both techniques were significantly correlated with fly age, confidence limits on predicted ages generally were smaller with NIRS. Young flies could be readily differentiated from old flies by using NIRS. Age predictions using the pteridine method are dependent upon size, sex, and temperature at which adult flies are exposed. In contrast, those factors do not need to be determined for age-grading using NIRS. Classification accuracy using the NIRS method was similar for whole flies, fresh heads, dried heads, and ethanol-preserved heads. The NIRS method was also suitable for predicting age of stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), and face flies, Musca autumnalis De Geer. NIRS has several advantages over the measurement of pteridine levels for age-grading field-collected flies, including speed and portability of instrumentation, and not needing to determine sex, size, and temperatures to which adult flies were exposed

Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Puget Sound: A Comparison of Spatial and Temporal Levels and Occurrence

The occurrence and fate of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the environment is a function of source strength, hydrodynamics, and susceptibility to environmental degradation. Puget Sound is an ideal location for the investigation of CECs due to the wide variety and magnitude of anthropogenic impacts on source strength. In this study, the spatial and temporal variability of a suite of CECs was investigated in samples collected in the estuarine waters of Puget Sound. The investigated CECs were comprised of approximately 20 pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, ibuprofen), food ingredients (caffeine, sucralose), metabolites (paraxanthine, cotinine), and herbicides (atrazine, mecoprop). Spatial variability was investigated via a 3-day, “snapshot” sampling event coordinated with citizen scientists in June of 2013 that encompassed sampling locations ranging from Padilla Bay in Anacortes to Budd Inlet in South Puget Sound. Temporal variability was investigated through repeated monitoring of the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma over approximately 6 months. Approximately 1 liter of water was collected at all sampling locations, filtered through 0.2 micron filters, adjusted to pH 8, extracted with solid phase extraction, and eluted with organic solvent. Final extract volumes were approximately 1.5 ml, (a concentration factor of approximately 1000). Extracts were analyzed with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (triple quadrupole mass analyzers). Method detection limits for most CECs investigated were below 5 ng/L (mass CEC per sample volume). Some of the CECs investigated were ubiquitous (Detection Frequency greater than 75%) in both the spatial and temporal variability sample sets, including caffeine, sucralose, mecoprop, and sulfamethoxazole. However, the measured CEC concentrations exhibited pronounced differences depending on the CEC, from mean concentrations of ~25 ng/L for sucralose to below 0.25 ng/L for mecoprop in the snapshot samples. In the snapshot samples, positive correlations (R2 greater than 0.6) were observed between carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine and sucralose, and theobromine and paraxanthine. These measurements of CECs represent some of the first of their kind in Puget Sound and demonstrate variability, or lack thereof, in CEC concentrations in space and time