Urban Aerobiome Microclimates

This image shows the vacuum and environmental sensor setup near the big rock in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, NY. To the immediate left of the big rock there is a yellow vacuum used to collect airborne microbes. On the left side of the photo in the foreground there is a white magnolia tree. Attached to the tree is a closed beach umbrella with the environmental sensors attached. In the background of the photo there are three wooden park benches located in front of a hill with tall dense trees.

Fieldwork in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, NY. Our team uses a BioFlyte vacuum to collect air biomass samples onto an electret filter. Environmental metrics are collected via a PurpleAir sensor and Reed Anemometer.

Project Description

An environmental microbiome is defined as the population of microorganisms that inhabit a specific environment. Recent research has highlighted how low microbiome diversity and exposure are correlated to increases in public health effects, such as asthma, allergies, obesity, cancer, depression, and the transmission of potential pathogens. Our team is developing a prototype methodology for co-evaluating spatiotemporal environmental conditions and microbial metrics to observe the dynamics of airborne microbial colonials within an urban microclimate of New York City.

DNA extraction

Coloring Book Zine

As an interdisciplinary lab, our work on the environmental microbiome engages the public through traditional academic and non-traditional artistic and design-based means. One form of media we find constructive for this is through the use of coloring books that explain the urban aerobione. The coloring book is free to download through this link.

A black-and-white image stating Urban aerobiome Microclimates. The image and lettering are designed to be colored.

Cover of the Aerobiome Team coloring book Zine. Click this link to download a free copy.

Title	Type	Venue	Date	People	Topics	Projects	Link
tHrIVE	PresentationExhibitSymposium	2023 BioDesign Challenge	June 22, 2023 → June 23, 2023	Sheila Atieno Diedre Brown Tori Coleman Ands Sanchez Anshika Srivastava	Holobiont Interactions Microbiomes and the Anthropocene Biological Metrics and Design	Aerobiomes as seen by Honeybees	www.biodesignchallenge.org
tHrIVE wins the Science Sandbox Prize for Public Engagement at the 2023 Biodesign Challenge	Award	Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY	June 23, 2023	Ands Sanchez Sheila Atieno Tori Coleman Diedre Brown Anshika Srivastava	Microbiomes and the Anthropocene	Aerobiomes as seen by Honeybees	www.biodesignchallenge.org
Nature Microbiology Blog Post	Publication	Springer Nature	2023-03-30	Dr. Elizabeth Hénaff	Holobiont Interactions	Aerobiomes as seen by Honeybees	microbiologycommunity.nature.com
Holobiont Urbanism / Urban Bees	Press	PopSci	2023-03-31	Tori Coleman Ands Sanchez Rabtah Jinan Adriana St. Clair	Microbiomes and the Anthropocene	Aerobiomes as seen by Honeybees	www.popsci.com