Date of Award

6-8-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2026

Departments

Computer Engineering; Computer Science and Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Christopher Kitts

Second Advisor

Michael Neumann

Third Advisor

Michael Schimpf

Abstract

Environmental DNA sampling is a powerful and minimally invasive tool for biodiversity assessment and species monitoring. However, existing environmental DNA collection systems are costly, difficult to deploy at depth at low cost and with small teams, non-standardized, and inaccessible to non-technical users. This report presents GUNK, the Georeferenced Underwater Nucleic-acid Kollector, a submersible environmental DNA sampler developed in collaboration with ConservationXLabs and the Santa Clara University Robotics Systems Laboratory. GUNK is designed to address three primary goals: reaching sampling depths unachievable by existing low-cost solutions, reducing the financial barrier associated with environmental DNA research, and ensuring the system is easily operated by people without technical backgrounds.

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