The goal of this project will be for the student to develop a quantitative qPCR assay for plant pathogens. This will involve taking our existing diagnostic kits and using them on spiked plasmid/amplicon samples to develop a standard curve. Field plants will then be compared to this, and an LOD/LOQ will be developed. This will be used along with a positive control to yield information about the level of infection in field crops. Depending on the student's skillset, they may contribute to the project in other ways, such as by developing a PCB board for the machine using PCB Way or doing competitive analysis.

Option #1: Lab Work

1. The learner will need to generate a standard curve using amplicon or plasmid DNA (~5 hours).
2. The learner will use this standard on the diagnostic device. (~10 hours).
3. The learner will write a report and preform statistical analysis on the standard curve to generate an LOD/LOQ (~5 hours).
4. The learner will run plant samples on the assay and will use the previous results to generate a copy number of pathogen per plant (~20 hours).
5. The learner will repeat task four but using traditional qPCR. They will then compare these results to the ones obtained in objective 4 (~20 hours).

The student will be required to submit a report detailing their results (LOD/LOQ) and their exact methods used.

Option #2: Developing a PCB Board

1. The student will be required to take the existing proprietary Pathobox schematics and compile them as a CAD file. (~5 hours).
2. The student will be expected to design and order a custom PCB board for the Pathobox using PCB way (~30 hours).
3. The student will assemble and test a Pathobox using their custom PCB board (~25 hours).

At the end of the project the student must send photos and experimental evidence that their PCB board performed as well as the current wiring schematic. They will also be asked to present their CAD schematic.

Option #3: Competitive Analysis

1. The student will identify market competitors (~10 hours).
2. The student will call producers to determine if they would want the device, and if so, why/why not (40 hours).
3. The student will do additional research to determine why producers feel that way, and if disease trends/ climate change will change this (~10 hours)

At the end of the project the student will have to submit a report with their conclusions and at least three case studies on how they reached this conclusion.

The student will have access to a Bioinformatician to inform their LOQ/LOD calculations. They will also have full access to the Pathoscan staff, who will provide laboratory training for them and will monitor their work. Our laboratory also hosts other companies, so the learner will get to experience a dynamic real-world work environment.