Jason is working on the Baltimore watershed restoration project. His focus is on understanding the sources and movement of key contaminants in the urban stormwater collection system in the sub-watershed 263 in Baltimore City. His work involves both collection of water samples and analysis of key priority and emerging contaminants, and modeling of the fate and transport using GIS based techniques. Jason has an undergraduate degree in hydrology and a MS in information systems. He is currently enrolled in the MS program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMBC.
Nii is working on a novel project involving magnetic activated carbon that can be added to sediments to accumulate hydrophobic compounds such as PCBs, PAHs, pesticides, and methyl mercury. The magnetic property of the carbon then allows easy removal of the carbon along with the sorbed contaminants from the sediments using a magnetically assisted collection device. This technology if succesfully demonstrated can provide an attractive alternative to dredging and disposal of contaminated sediments. Nii is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at UMBC.
Prasad is investigating the biological and photochemical degradation process of caffeine in natural streams. Caffeine can be used as a tracer to identify wastewater contamination in urban streams and stormwater effluents. However, a clearer understanding of biological, chemical, and physical fate processes of this compound is needed to be able to understand its movement in natural streams and man-made conduits. Prasad is an undergraduate student in biochemistry at UMBC.
Ahsan is investigating the kinetics of adsorption of PCBs in carbonaceous sorbents like activated carbon, coal, and coke. The aim of this research is to provide a better understanding of the mechanism of PCB adsorption process in carbonaceous particles. Results of this work will help us understand better the process of transfer of PCBs from contaminated sediment to sorbent carbonaceous particles that may be naturally present in the contaminated sediments or is added as an amendment for in-situ stabiliation treatment. Ahsan is an undergraduate student in Biocemistry at UMBC.
Wallace is working on the Baltimore watershed restoration project. He has been involved over the summer in the collection of field water samples and stream guage data from the Gwynns Falls Watershed in Baltimore City. He is an undergraduate student in Biochemistry and is a recipient of the Myerhoff Scholarship.