AOAC OMB Nomination Review (June 12, 2019)

K ARIUKI , 4 OF 15

2. Programs Implemented 

Total metals in soil program

 Test Methods for the Examination of Composting and Compost (TMECC)  Ascorbic acid phosphate method recommended for ortho-phosphate analysis  Ion-Selective Electrode (ISE) for Nitrates, and Ammonia-N analysis  Researchers sample analysis program Implemented a flow injected sample dilution on Inductively Coupled Plasma- Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) lengthening the ICP’s Torch life from a few months to one and half years.  Increased the ICP-AES sample throughput efficiency by 35%  Revised the existing plant tissue analysis method to increase efficiency  Introduced volumetric calibration analytical standards preparation  Reconfigured the ICP-AES and Flow Injection Analyzer (FIA) instruments to match a 33-sample set sample extraction racks configuration Wrote a visual basics based macros for post-analysis data processing and automatic QA/QC evaluation  Conducted validation studies according to established standard operating procedure (SOP)  QA testing of the reagents used in our methods  Initiated Standard Addition procedure for quality assurance  Established and maintained quality standards

3. Operational Process Improvement 

Quality Assurance Quality Control (QA/QC) 

Safety and Hazardous Waste 

Initiated analytical instrument waste disposal protocol in compliance with Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)  Replaced the toxic SMP buffer with Modified Mehlich buffer  Enforced EHS safety standards in the laboratory

Maintenance

 ICP (Spectro Ciros CCD): o

Maintained the sample introduction and optics system for precision and accuracy optimization o Monitored the integrity of Vacuum UV visible (VUV Vis) environment in regard to hard emission analytical precision and accuracy o Monitored the exhaust flow to ensure smooth ICP operation

 Lachat (Quick Chem 8500)