Waterways, Pathogens, and People

Isabella Errigo is passionate about the environment and how people interact with their surroundings. She recently spent time in Ecuador studying one interaction in particular. Errigo’s Honors Thesis, “Mapping Waterborne Pathogens in Ecuador to Reduce Infection and Elevate Human Quality of Life” is proving so valuable that her project will be extended and continued by a team at a local university in-country. Errigo is an Environmental Science student minoring in International Development and plans on graduating in April 2020.

What are some basic things we should know about you?
“I am a senior at BYU studying Environmental Science and International Development. I am most passionate about how people relate to the environment around them as well as the intersection of human health and environmental health particularly in the developing world. Coming from Chicago, it was a big adjustment living in the mountains, but now that I am adjusted I love it. I frequently go hiking and camping, especially in southern Utah.”

Among the International Development students at BYU you are a bit of a rock star since you are a TA for the introductory class. Many don’t realize this, but it is a competitive position. What other achievements have you accomplished during your undergraduate career?
“Most notably I have spoken at the United Nations on SDG 13-Climate Action and received the Outstanding Delegation Award in the National Model United Nations Award at the Xi'an, China Conference. Most recently I received the American Geophysical Union Young Researcher Award, received a CURA grant, was awarded the title of Kennedy Scholar for this year (2019-2020), and I am the President of the Environmental Science Club.”

How has the Honors Program added to your experience as an undergraduate?
“I originally decided to join the Honors Program because I have always wanted to go to graduate school and knew that defending an Honors thesis would be a really great learning experience. My favorite part of my Honors Experience so far has been the unexpected connections courses! I loved meeting faculty and students from across campus, as well as learning from their unique perspectives. In the Honors Program I’ve learned how to connect human health, environmental science, and international development (my three biggest passions) and apply them to my projects and my life. As a result, I was able to go to Ecuador and work on a combination of my three greatest passions and apply them toward my thesis.”

Speaking of your Honors Thesis, tell us more about it! How did you decide to do this specific project?
“I work in a water quality lab on campus where we study the impacts of climate change on water quality and ecology. A girl that works in my lab had served a mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador and was really interested in conducting research regarding the quantity and distribution of the bacteria in the river systems that run through the city. We were discussing her travel plans and her ideas for the study and she mentioned her concern about going to Ecuador and carrying out the project alone. We decided to work together on the project and collaborate to further develop what we would do and how we would do it.”

What was your experience like in country? How did it go with collecting the data?
“Upon arrival in country we went to the university we would be working with and met the professors and students. It was really fun to get to use our Spanish in a new way (both of us had served Spanish speaking missions). At the beginning we were staying in an apartment provided for us by a public health organization we partnered with, but it was not in a very safe neighborhood. The professors we were working with offered for us to stay in their home for the rest of the time we were there. That was the BEST surprise and change we could have made. Living with them helped us be able to talk through the project more, practice more Spanish, learn how to prepare and eat the best Venezuelan food (the couple was from Venezuela), and overall have a more enriching and cultural experience.”

“The sampling worked out really well and we ended up leaving half of the equipment in Ecuador for the project to be continued. We carried out our campaign at the beginning of the dry season, and now the professors and students can carry out a second sampling campaign at the beginning of the rainy season. The funniest, and most unexpected, things that happened always occurred during sampling. We sampled 20 sites once a week for three weeks and we were able to interact with a lot of people. We got special permission to enter a government site and a gated community where the foreign diplomats to Ecuador live. We spoke with a lot of locals who were curious about why we were going to the river banks with all the equipment we were carrying. Overall, it was a very successful and educational experience and I am so glad I was able to do it!”

What are your preliminary findings or conclusions?
“There is a LOT of E. coli in the water. We had to dilute the samples 1:100 meaning there was only 1 mL of sample per 100 mL (we mixed 99 mL of purified water in with the sample) and even then some of the results came back fully positive. When a result is fully positive it means we can't specifically quantify the number of colony-forming units (CFU) of E. coli, we are only able to quantify the smallest potential amount. In a few of the samples, there were more than 240,000 CFU of E. coli, that means the water could contain 5 million CFU of E. coli per 100 mL or 250,000 CFU of E. coli per 100 mL. But there was too much for us to be able to quantify a specific number. This water is considered primary contact water, meaning that people swim in it, fish in it, etc. In the United States of America, the EPA set a limit of no more than 240 CFU of E. coli in primary contact water. That means that in some of the rivers and streams in Guayaquil have 100 times more E. coli than the legal limit in the USA.”

What would you recommend to other people wanting to do a similar project?
1) “Start preparing early”
2) “Get to know your professors and express your concerns to them, they care and want to help!”
3) “Enjoy the experience, don't let it stress you out. This is supposed to be a chance for you to learn”
4) “Make good contacts in country”
5) “Be willing to make changes to your project as it is carried out, they often change and that is not something you can control!”
6) “Have fun, I loved my time sampling in Ecuador and learned so much about carrying out a full scientific process. It should be hard work but it also must be enjoyable!”

While Errigo finishes her time at BYU, she is looking forward to writing and defending her Honors Thesis.