{"id":146,"date":"2017-04-27T13:19:37","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T13:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/?page_id=146"},"modified":"2021-06-17T02:40:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T02:40:03","slug":"project-highlights","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/project-highlights\/","title":{"rendered":"Project Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer 2018:<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Summer 2019:<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Alexander J. Leonard:<\/strong>\u00a0Earth and Environmental Science (BS) at Virginia Wesleyan University ’21\u00a0Batten Fellow at the Batten Honors College.
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Angela Tsao:<\/strong> Computer\/cognitive science major with a joint M.S. in artificial intelligence through the University of Georgia’s accelerated dual-degree program, pursuing certificates in sustainability and international agriculture. She is interested in ecological modelling for research and education purposes, and believes in that innovative technology will revolutionize our study of the natural world. She is most excited by the potential for virtual and augmented reality to transform the way we interact with data and each other.
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Lillian Michaud:<\/strong> Currently a Junior at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Water: Resources, Policy, and Management.\u00a0 Her studies are focused on water economics and policy and aquatic ecosystems. \u00a0She is currently the spring 2019 intern at the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech, with a special focus on working with faculty to gain exposure to different careers related to water resources. \u00a0After finishing her degree at Virginia Tech, she plans to attend graduate school to further her education and experience in water policy and management.\u00a0 Lily hopes to help create a more sustainable future for water resources through improved policy. She is beyond excited to join Dr. Wang in his research in China to gain both research experience and cultural enrichment! In addition to her water-related passions, Lily loves to play Ultimate Frisbee, go on adventures, and play music.
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Parker Bartz:<\/strong>\u00a0Biochemistry and Italian major at Vassar College, New York. He is interested in green chemistry, biochemical engineering, and environmental engineering.
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Robert McElhinny:<\/strong>\u00a0Master student majoring in Civil Engineering at Old Dominion University. His research focuses on the protection and restoration of streams and wetlands. Currently, he is a full-time employee of a consulting firm performing remedial investigations at the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also called Superfund, sites.
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Summer 2021<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Ms. Kati Burton, a senior at Virginia Tech, is pursuing a double-major B.S. degree in: 1) Water: Resources, Policy, and Management; and 2) Environmental Economics: Management and Policy. Kati is expecting to graduate in May 2022 and plans to get a M.S. degree in Applied\/Environmental Economics. In summer 2000, Kati worked on a research project focusing on the home value losses resulted from the Elk River chemical spill in West Virginia in 2008. Kati is very interested in topics where water quality and social issues intersect such as sacrifice zones in rural Appalachia, and sustainability on a broad level and how corporate responsibility can advance green policies. In free time, Kati likes to run, hike, practice yoga, and volunteer in Blacksburg, Virginia through a service sorority as a part of.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Nick\u00a0Ingold, EIT, is currently pursuing a M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering at Old Dominion University (ODU).\u00a0\u00a0His focus and interest is in Water Resources (hydraulics and hydrology).\u00a0\u00a0Nick\u00a0is currently working for the County of Currituck in North Carolina as an Engineer Technician, where he assists in managing various utility projects related to the municipality\u2019s water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. Prior to his graduate study,\u00a0Nick\u00a0attended the Virginia Military Institute and earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering.\u00a0\u00a0Following his undergraduate study,\u00a0Nick\u00a0served in the United States Marine Corps as a Combat Engineer Officer, where he completed multiple construction projects throughout Okinawa, Thailand, and the Philippines.\u00a0Outside of work and academics,\u00a0Nick\u2019s other passions are surfing, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with his wife, Samantha, and their two dogs, Kunu and Hank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ms. Pushpita Kumkum has more than 5 years of research experience, focusing on water and wastewater contamination issues. Her portfolio includes several projects funded by National Science Foundation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).\u00a0Pushpita is currently a PhD candidate in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Old Dominion University\u00a0(ODU). She graduated from University of Akron, Ohio with a\u00a0Master of Science\u00a0in Civil Engineering in 2013. Her Master\u2019s thesis was based on\u00a0fate and\u00a0transformation of pharmaceuticals during drinking and\u00a0wastewater\u00a0treatment. This was an NSF funded\u00a0project,\u00a0and the goal of the project was to evaluate the formation mechanisms of iodinated disinfection by-products from x-ray contrast media. Pushpita started working\u00a0in ODU\u00a0as a volunteer student lead for participating at a nationwide design competition called \u201cP3 \u2013 People, Prosperity and the Planet\u201d organized by EPA. Inspired by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, Pushpita\u2019s team proposed to design and develop a low-cost household water filter using biochar to introduce a user-friendly\u00a0cost-effective\u00a0system for removing lead from drinking water.\u00a0The proposed idea received the Phase I award from EPA for the conceptual model\u00a0and the research work is published in the Journal of Health and Pollution.\u00a0Pushpita\u00a0has worked\u00a0in collaboration\u00a0with a research group from The University of Padova, Italy\u00a0that explored the increase of microalgal growth in tannery wastewater by pretreatment with biochar.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pushpita worked\u00a0on developing an\u00a0on-site\u00a0engineered solution to treat landfill leachate and stormwater to lower down the concentration of contaminants to the acceptable limit of discharge. She also investigated the degradation of microplastics (i.e.,\u00a0polyethylene) in contact with zero-valent iron (ZVI).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pushpita is actively involved in professional organizations\u00a0such as Water Environment Federation,\u00a0American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).\u00a0She has also participated in various community outreach program, i.e., presenting in environmental activist\u2019s group meeting, demonstration in public schools etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traveling\u00a0with family, making crafts and taking pictures and editing videos of her\u00a0two beautiful daughters are her favorite pastime.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Michaela Verwers is currently pursuing a B.S. degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Sustainability at Iowa State University. After finishing her degree in the Spring of 2022 she plans to search for a job in green chemistry or sustainable development. In addition to this international research experience, she works as a research assistant at the Bioeconomy Institute in Ames, Iowa. Outside of class, she enjoys thrifting, keeping plants, playing volleyball with friends, and caring for her cats, Layla and Tofu.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summer 2018: Summer 2019: Summer 2021 Nick\u00a0Ingold, EIT, is currently pursuing a M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering at Old Dominion University (ODU).\u00a0\u00a0His focus and interest is in Water Resources (hydraulics and hydrology).\u00a0\u00a0Nick\u00a0is currently working for the County of Currituck in Continue reading Project Highlights<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2958,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2958"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":628,"href":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146\/revisions\/628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fs.wp.odu.edu\/x4wang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}