HUMAN NOROVIRUSES ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS AND FOURTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE US, AND ARE ESTIMATED TO CAUSE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF LOSSES ANNUALLY. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES TO CONTROLLING THESE VIRUSES, AND ONE OF THEM IS THE ABILITY TO RAPIDLY DETECT THEM IN FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES IN ORDER TO TAKE MEASURES TO PREVENT THEIR SPREAD. A PROBLEM WITH ALL FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL DETECTION OF VIRUSES THAT INFECT ANIMALS IS THE FACT THAT THEY CANNOT BE GROWN TO INCREASE THE EASE OF DETECTING THEM. THEREFORE, THE VIRUSES NEED TO BE PICKED OUT OF LARGE, COMPLEX FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES IN ORDER TO BE DETECTED--A LOT LIKE FINDING AND CAPTURING NEEDLES IN A HAYSTACK.HOWEVER, TRADITIONAL METHODS THAT CAPTURE VIRUSES USING BEADS THAT CAN BE CAPTURED BY A MAGNET DO NOT DO A GOOD JOB CAPTURING THE VIRUSES AND ARE COST PROHIBITIVE. RECENTLY, A NUMBER OF HARMLESS BACTERIA HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO NATURALLY BIND THESE VIRUSES. ONE ASPECT OF OUR PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AND EVALUATE HOW GOOD THESE BACTERIA ARE AT CAPTURING THESE VIRUSES. AS WITH EVERY LIVING THING, BACTERIA CAN BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY AT DIFFERENT TIMES, AND THUS MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE INCONSISTENT. THEREFORE, OUR PROJECT ALSO SEEKS TO ALTER THE GENOMES OF A HARMLESS BACTERIUM TO MAKE IT ABLE TO CONSISTENTLY CAPTURE NOROVIRUSES. FINALLY, OUR PROPOSAL WILL EVALUATE THE RANGE OF VIRUS STRAINS THAT CAN BE DETECTED AND DIRECTLY COMPARE THEIR ABILITY TO CAPTURE VIRUSES TO THE ESTABLISHED MAGNETIC BEAD METHOD. NOT ONLY WOULD USING BACTERIA (WHICH ARE VERY CHEAP TO GROW) BE ECONOMICALLY PREFERABLE TO MAGNETIC BEADS, BUT SOME INITIAL EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT THEY MAY BE MUCH BETTER AT CAPTURING VIRUSES THAN MAGNETIC BEAD METHODS. WE ANTICIPATE CREATING, EVALUATING, AND VALIDATING A METHOD FOR CHEAP BACTERIAL CAPTURE OF NOROVIRUSES THAT HAS POTENTIAL TO EVENTUALLY BE ADOPTED FOR DETECTION OF FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL NOROVIRUSES. A CHEAPER, BETTER PERFORMING METHOD TO CAPTURE THESE VIRUSES MAKESIT EASIER FOR PRODUCERS TO ADOPT AND THUS PREVENT MORE NOROVIRUS OUTBREAKS.