ESE master’s student receives Fulbright grant for research in Canada
| June 24, 2011 | |
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Pearl Kaplan, master’s degree candidate in environmental sciences and engineering at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has received a Fulbright grant to conduct research in Montréal, Canada.
Pearl Kaplan
Kaplan, a native of West Chester, Pa., will work with Viviane Yargeau, PhD, associate professor of chemical engineering at McGill University, to determine the toxicity of ozonated wastewater containing pharmaceuticals. The environmental impacts of wastewater containing pharmaceuticals and their transformation products are not well understood, and Kaplan’s research will help assess environmental and human health risks associated with these contaminants. The City of Montréal, operating the third largest wastewater treatment plant in the world, is currently adopting the practice of using ozone as a disinfectant to treat water, which is directly released into the St. Lawrence River.
“Protecting the St. Lawrence watershed is very important,” Kaplan said, “as it provides drinking water, recreation and a natural habitat for aquatic organisms. I am excited to have the opportunity to conduct this research as it will provide an international perspective on how water quality is monitored and environmental risks are managed.”
Seventeen University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students and recent graduates received 2011-2012 Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards to study, teach or conduct research in other countries. Nationwide, the program chose more than 1,700 recipients for their academic or professional achievement and leadership potential. The Fulbright operates in more than 135 countries.
The late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas established the program in 1946 to build mutual understanding among people of the United States and the world. The Fulbright program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. At UNC, it is administered by the Center for Global Initiatives.
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu. |
