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Researcher of the month: Emily Piazza

August 29, 2025

“Hello! My name is Emily Piazza, and I am an undergraduate student studying Chemical Engineering. For the past 3 months, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct research in Dr. Blaney’s lab. It has been an honor to work alongside great people and learn so much about the fundamentals of environmental engineering this summer.

My attention was brought to the lab by my advisor (Dr. Blaney) when I expressed my interest in the BS/MS program at UMBC. From the website, I found the group to be welcoming, and the projects aligned with my interest in water treatment/engineering. 

I would like to thank my mentor, Marylia Duarte Batista, for guiding me through the resin generation protocols, procedures for handling equipment, and providing support throughout the summer. It has been especially exciting to see my growth in these 3 months because of her assistance and confidence in my abilities.

Our research has focused on improving hybrid anion-exchange (HAIX) resins for the selectivity and uptake of (ultra)short-chain PFAS by varying dielectric constant and iron oxidation state. We hypothesized that the addition of metal oxides into ion-exchange resins will select for (ultra)short-chain PFAS by disrupting hydrophobic interactions and adding more adsorption sites for PFAS to bind with.

To support my research this summer, I have been awarded the UMBC College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) Summer Student Project Award and had the honor of presenting my poster at their final poster session.

I am grateful to Dr. Blaney’s lab for contributing to my confidence as a researcher and challenging me to expand my knowledge and skills. My hope is to continue working in the lab throughout my master’s degree.

I am truly honored to be recognized as the Researcher of the Month for August and am looking forward to continuing in the lab this fall!”

Congratulations, Emily! In just two months, you’ve done an amazing job in the lab. We’re so proud of your progress and can’t wait to see you continue to shine. Keep up the amazing work!

Blaney lab members attend the ACS Fall 2025 conference

August 18-21, 2025

Blaney lab members had a fantastic time at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2025 conference! Over the week, our team shared their innovative research, connected with students and professors in the area, and came away energized by the new connections, inspiring conversations, and fun time together.

Joowon Kim shared his work on measuring PFAS hydrophocity and evaluating salting-out effects of PFOS by activated carbon.

Dr. Ke He presented on our team’s field validation study of a passive sampler for PFAS analysis.

Donya Hamidi presented her work on passive sampling of zwitterionic PFAS precursors.

Alvin Bett presented on detecting PFAS in estuarine water using a novel equilibrium passive sampler.

The team also had the opportunity to meet students from Dr. Hui Chen’s group. Dr. Chen was a post-doc in our lab just a few years ago!

Beyond the presentations, our team - Donya, Joowon, Alvin, Dr. Ke He, and Dr. Blaney - engaged with researchers and professionals at various sessions and the Environmental Chemistry Division (ENVR) social event.

We’re proud of our team’s great work and are excited to bring the insights and inspiration from ACS Fall 2025 back to the lab.

Emily presents poster as part of her CSSP Award

August 13, 2025

Emily wrapped up her summer research by presenting her work at the concluding poster session of the COEIT Student Summer Project (CSSP) program.

Emily joined our lab just two months ago through the CSSP program and has already made outstanding contributions. Working alongside PhD student Marylia Duarte Batista, she focused on optimizing the protocol for generating hybrid anion-exchange resins for (ultra)short-chain PFAS removal.

We’re proud of Emily’s hard work and look forward to seeing all the great things she will accomplish as she continues conducting research in our lab!

Blaney lab undergraduate researchers present at UMBC’s SURF 2025

August 6, 2025

Jacob, Alvin, Maaike, and Trevor showcased their work at UMBC’s 2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Fest (SURF). The event brought together undergraduate students from across campus to share the results of their summer research projects through poster presentations.

Out students highlighted their impactful contributions to ongoing environmental engineering projects in our lab focused on PFAS monitoring and treatment, and nutrient recovery. Congratulations to all four on their amazing work!

📸 Check out photos from the event:

Jacob Craft presented on “Passive sampler on zwitterionic PFAS using ion-exchange membranes”

Alvin Bett presented on “Detecting PFAS in and around Baltimore Harbor using a novel equilibrium passive sampler”

Maaike Swaters presented on “Influence of ion-exchange membrane characteristics and operating conditions on nutrient recovery from poultry litter using tube-in-tube Donnan Dialysis reactors”

Trevor Gibson presented on “Improving permanganate-based protocols to generate hybrid anion-exchange resins for removal of (ultra)short-chain PFAS in drinking water”

Researcher of the month: Trevor Gibson

July 30, 2025

“Hello! My name is Trevor Gibson and I’m an undergraduate at UMBC majoring in Chemical Engineering on the Environmental track. I’ve had the pleasure of working in Dr. Lee Blaney’s lab since last fall, when Dr. Blaney recognized my passion for the subject while I was taking his Environmental Chemistry class.

I’ve known since AP Chemistry in high school that I’d like to pursue a degree in chemical engineering, since I loved the lab work and found myself interested in the subjects of chemistry and engineering. Since then, I’ve decided that I want to use my skills to help to improve and protect our natural world, so I came to UMBC to take advantage of the environmental track. I didn’t know at the time how happy I would be with that choice; it’s been extremely rewarding to get a chance to be part of Blaney Lab.

Under the mentorship of Marylia Duarte Batista I have been working to generate and test novel hybrid anion-exchange (HAIX) resins for the removal of (ultra)short-chain PFAS from drinking water. Our hypothesis is that by loading conventional anion-exchange resins with metal oxide nanoparticles, we can disrupt the hydrophobic interactions of long-chain PFAS while introducing new adsorption sites to increase the uptake and selectivity for (ultra)short-chain PFAS.

While I didn’t know much about PFAS before starting on this project, I’ve come to recognize the harmful effects they can have on human health and the importance of removing them from our waterways. Our focus on the (ultra)short-chain PFAS is also notable, as their prevalence in the environment has become a growing concern. Having the opportunity to work on a real-world issue such as this while still working toward my degree has felt exciting and meaningful.

I have already produced several HAIX resins with multiple different loading methods and the results have shown promise, with most of our resins outperforming their unmodified counterparts. I had the privilege of presenting some of these findings at UMBC’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) and I’m looking forward to the continued sharing of my research at the upcoming Summer Undergraduate Research Festival (SURF) and other conferences.

As I stated, having the opportunity to work in an environmental lab has been rewarding on its own, but I’ve found even more to appreciate in my time working alongside the Blaney Lab team. I love the passion all the members show for their work and I’ve been inspired by them to put more time and effort into my own. With the guidance of both Dr. Blaney and Marylia I’ve been able to produce several pieces that I’m proud of, including multiple presentations to the group as well as my URCAD and SURF posters. I’m honored to have my achievements recognized as Researcher of the Month and I hope to continue improving both my research and communication skills for the remainder of my time at UMBC!”

Congratulations, Trevor! It’s so exciting to see all the contributions you’ve made in the lab and how much you’ve accomplished since you started. Keep it up - you’re doing a fantastic job!

Researcher of the month: Jacob Craft

June 27, 2025

“Hello, my name is Jacob Craft. I’m an undergraduate student at UMBC majoring in Chemical Engineering on the Environmental & Sustainability track and pursuing a second degree in Environmental Science and Geography. Since last fall, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Donya Hamidi, a Ph.D. candidate, researching the use of ion-exchange membranes as passive samplers for PFAS contaminants in the environment. My time in the lab has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. I’ve had the chance to learn alongside an incredibly supportive group of colleagues who have also become friends over the past year.

Working in the Blaney Lab has been a transformative experience that has helped me learn new research skills and more about myself, my future goals, and the many paths available within environmental engineering. I’ve especially valued being part of a small, close-knit team where collaboration and mentorship are at the heart of everything we do. The guidance and support I’ve received from Dr. Ke, Donya, and Dr. Blaney have shaped my academic journey and professional aspirations.

During my first year of college, before transferring to UMBC, I took a required course that explored a range of ethical issues in engineering. Two moments from that class left a lasting impression on me: seeing images of highly toxic American electronic waste piled in massive junkyards in Ghana and learning about planned obsolescence, when companies intentionally design products to fail after a set period to drive repeat purchases. Confronting these realities sparked a turning point in my academic path. I decided to change my major from biomedical engineering to environmental engineering. Since then, I’ve been driven by the goal of contributing to a more sustainable future, one where long-term environmental well-being takes precedence over short-term profit.

Being part of the lab has allowed me to pursue opportunities that I never would have thought to do before, for example, presenting at URCAD this past spring, allowing me to share the results of my work with people of different knowledge levels and backgrounds, and be able to advocate for why the work we do as environmental engineers is so important.

Before becoming a part of the lab team, I knew very little about PFAS and the threat they pose to life across the food chain; I didn’t even know they were different from microplastics! Now I know a lot about the threat these chemicals pose and am glad to be able to work on the project I am. Using passive sampling techniques with ion-exchange membranes to sample PFAS in water and even soil samples is increasingly important as government bodies strive to set safe standards for our drinking water and our wastewater. Looking forward, I am interested in the final results of the research that I have contributed to, and cannot wait to share more about our results in the upcoming SURF and next year's URCAD.

Being named Researcher of the Month for June is a true honor, and I’m excited to continue learning, contributing, and striving to surpass the goals set before me.”

Congratulations, Jacob! It's inspiring to hear about your journey into environmental engineering and how research has played such a transformative role in your path. You're doing an awesome job in the lab - keep it up!

Congratulations to our award-winning undergraduate students!

May 30, 2025

We’re excited to celebrate two recent awards recognizing the hard work and talent of undergraduate researchers in our group!

Maaike Swaters, undergraduate student working with PhD student Sahar Souizi, received the Undergraduate Student Award in Environmental Chemistry from the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry for her impactful research contributions. Congratulations, Maaike!

Emily Piazza, who recently joined our group to work with PhD student Marylia Duarte Batista, was selected for the UMBC College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) Summer Student Project Award. This award provides funding for Emily to pursue her research project over the summer.

We’re proud of Maaike and Emily and look forward to all they will continue to accomplish in the future!

Researcher of the month: Maaike Swaters

May 30, 2025

“Hi, my name is Maaike Swaters! I'm an undergraduate student majoring in Chemical Engineering, and I've been working in Professor Lee Blaney’s lab for the past nine months. My time in the lab has been incredibly rewarding, not only because I enjoy the research, but also because I’m surrounded by a supportive and inspiring group of people. The research I’ve been doing in the lab has given me a chance to apply what I’ve learned in my classes to real-world environmental challenges. This is exactly why I chose the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability track: I wanted to help make a difference in the world by improving environmental problems. Working in the Blaney lab is giving me that opportunity.

Since last fall, I’ve been working closely with Ph.D. student Sahar Souizi on nutrient recovery from wastewater using Donnan dialysis. I feel incredibly lucky to be mentored by Sahar—she’s taught me so much about experimental work, critical thinking, and scientific communication.

Our project addresses nutrient pollution from agricultural waste, which contributes to serious environmental issues like eutrophication, especially in areas such as the Chesapeake Bay. By using Donnan dialysis, a low-energy membrane separation process, we aim to recover valuable nutrients like phosphate and ammonium from poultry litter. Unlike previous studies that used synthetic waste, our research focuses on real waste streams and explores how to optimize and scale up this process using tube-in-tube reactors for practical, real-world applications.

I have been working individually to determine several key membrane properties in order to optimize the reactor setup, and I presented my findings at UMBC’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD). I was also honored to receive the Undergraduate Student Award in Environmental Chemistry from the American Chemical Society.

I’m so grateful to be a part of Dr. Blaney’s lab, and I hope to continue working here during my master’s degree as well. I’ve really grown during my time here at Blaney lab, and I mean that literally—I’m half an inch taller!”

Congratulations, Maaike, on taking your research to new heights! We’ve been truly impressed by your hard work and impactful research contributions. Keep up the great work!

Celebrating Margaret Siao’s graduation

May 21, 2025

We are thrilled to announce that Margaret Siao has officially graduated with her master’s degree! Margaret’s journey in our lab was remarkable! From her undergraduate studies to completing her master’s, she has processed over 1,000 samples, excelled in both lab and field work, and consistently delivered outstanding presentations. Beyond her own research, Margaret was an invaluable mentor, training several group members in lab procedures.
Congratulations, Margaret! We look forward to seeing all the amazing things you’ll accomplish in the future!

Sahar, Marylia, and Dr. Blaney attend the AEESP 2025 Research and Education Conference

May 20-22, 2025

With over 1,000 attendees, AEESP 2025 Research and Education Conference was held at Duke University in Durham, NC - a dynamic three-day conference packed with activities including oral presentations, poster sessions, plenary talks, workshops, and evening social events.

We’re proud to share that Marylia and Sahar delivered great oral presentations!

Marylia Duarte Batista presented her work on “Development of hybrid anion-exchange resins with enhanced selectivity and capacity for (ultra)short-chain PFAS” as part of the “Advances in PFAS Treatment and Destruction” session.

Sahar Souizi shared her research on “Sustainable nutrient recovery from poultry litter using an enhanced tube-in-tube Donnan dialysis system” as part of the “Resource Recovery from Waste Streams Towards Circular Economy” session.

The conference provided a fantastic opportunity to connect with and learn from an inspiring community of PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, and professors. It was nice to reconnect with Ouriel Ndalamba, a former undergraduate researcher in our lab and now a PhD student at Princeton.

Dr. Blaney, the AEESP president, delivered an inspiring and uplifting speech, reminding us that we all matter - a message that truly resonated with the entire community.

Donya, Sahar, and Joowon attend the 2025 CWEA-CSAWWA Spring meeting

May 15, 2025

We are happy to share that Blaney Lab was well represented at the 2025 CWEA-CSAWWA Spring meeting, held in Brunswick, Maryland. Donya, Sahar, and Joowon participated in the poster presentation and student poster competition and did an excellent job showcasing their research projects.

• Donya Hamidi presented her project on “Salting out and speciation effects on PFAS uptake and selectivity in ion-exchange membrane-based passive samplers”. We are proud to announce that she earned 1st place in the student poster competition! 🥇

• Sahar Souizi presented her work on “Application of tube-in-tube Donnan dialysis reactors for sustainable nutrient recovery from real waste”

• Joowon Kim presented his work on “Salting-out effects of linear and branched perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) isomers onto powdered activated carbon”

Researcher of the month: Joowon Kim

April 29, 2025

“Hello! My name is Joowon Kim, and I am a first-year Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering. I am very honored to be selected as the Researcher of the Month in the Blaney Research Group!

When I was in high school, an incident in South Korea involving unregulated chemicals caused many people to be harmed and live in fear. This experience inspired me to pursue a career researching unregulated and emerging contaminants. I studied environmental engineering and environmental policy during my undergraduate years, and today, I am happily working toward my dream studying Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), a representative class of Contaminants of Emerging Concern.

I am currently focused on understanding the physicochemical properties of various PFAS species to better predict their behavior and fate in aquatic environments. Today, many of our water bodies are contaminated with PFAS, and these compounds pose serious risks to human health. As a result, there has been significant research aimed at PFAS removal and toxicity assessment. However, in order to improve treatment strategies and understand environmental impacts, it is essential to have reliable information on the physicochemical properties of target PFAS. Unfortunately, a significant knowledge gap remains because available data are often inconsistent. To address this gap, I aim to provide robust and reliable physicochemical property data for a wide range of PFAS. Recently, I investigated the isomer-specific salting-out behaviors of PFOS during removal by activated carbon. Currently, I am focusing on developing a method for measuring the water–octanol partition coefficients (Kow) of PFAS to evaluate their hydrophobicity. My long-term goal is to expand this research to include a broader variety of PFAS species and to investigate various key physicochemical properties. Through this work, I aim to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of PFAS behavior in aquatic systems and to support the development of more effective treatment and management strategies.

Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to everyone in the Blaney Research Group. Dr. Blaney always emphasizes the importance of teamwork, reminding us that greater achievements are possible when we work together as a team. Our teamwork is truly incredible, and I am grateful for everyone's kindness, support, and encouragement. The hard work and passion of my labmates continually inspire me. My favorite time each week is our group meeting, where we share funny or interesting stories, present our research updates, and exchange thoughtful feedback. We focus on each other's strengths and achievements, and we encourage one another to grow even further. It is truly an amazing environment, and I am thankful every day for my colleagues and Dr. Blaney!”

Congratulations, Joowon! We’re all so impressed by your hard work and dedication, and grateful for the valuable contributions you’ve made to the lab. You’ve accomplished so much in just your first year! We’re excited to see all that you’ll achieve in the years ahead!

Celebrating our undergraduate researchers at URCAD 2025

April 16, 2025

We are proud of our undergraduate students for their excellent poster presentations at the 2025 Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) at UMBC! Their hard work, dedication, and curiosity were on full display as they shared their research with the campus community. Check out the details of their presentations below:

Trevor Gibson: “Hybrid anion-exchange resins improve the uptake and selectivity for (ultra)short-chain PFAS in drinking water”

Alvin Bett: “Detecting PFAS in Baltimore Harbor using novel passive samplers”

Jacob Craft: “Measuring the selectivity coefficients of 19 PFAS with four anion-exchange membranes”

Maaike Swaters: “Measuring ion-exchange membrane properties that control nutrient recovery by Donnan Dialysis”

Congratulations again to our undergraduate students for representing the lab so well! We’re excited to see where your research journeys take you next!

Blaney Lab members participate in the UMBC Annual Research Symposium 2025 and the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition

April 8, 2025

We are happy to share that our group members participated in the GEARS Research Celebration Day at UMBC, featuring poster presentations at the Annual Research Symposium 2025 and the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. This exciting event brings together graduate researchers from across the university to share their work.

A special shoutout to Joowon Kim for presenting his very first poster since the beginning of his PhD, titled “Salting-out effects of linear and branched perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) isomers onto powdered activated carbon”. Donya Hamidi presented her work on “Ion-exchange membranes as passive samplers for diverse PFAS” and Marylia Duarte Batista presented her collaborative project on “Novel functionalization of conventional sorbents for enhanced selectivity and improved concentration of (ultra)short-chain PFAS”.

In addition to the symposium, we were excited to cheer on Sahar Souizi at the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. She delivered an outstanding presentation on her research, “Sustainable nutrient recovery using tube-in-tube Donnan dialysis reactors,” and impressed both the judges and audience, earning second place in the competition! Congratulations, Sahar!

We are incredibly proud of all our team members for their hard work and dedication to impactful science!

New article featuring Margaret Siao & Donya Hamidi’s research

April 2, 2025

We’re excited to share a UMBC Stories article highlighting the work of Margaret Siao and Donya Hamidi on deploying passive samplers in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to measure PFAS contamination:

“Students Partner with Baltimore Community Members to Measure ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Local Waters”

Check out the full story to learn more about their impactful research!

Researcher of the month: Marylia Duarte Batista

March 31, 2025

"Hi everyone! My name is Marylia Duarte Batista, and I'm a second-year PhD student in Environmental Engineering. Pursuing a PhD has been a dream of mine since the beginning of my undergraduate studies in Brazil, where I had the opportunity to engage in my first research project. From that moment, I fell in love with research and knew I wanted it to be a core part of my career.

Throughout my academic journey, I've worked on different water quality-related research projects. However, joining this lab has been an incredible opportunity to dive into a topic that has intrigued me for years - removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water. My research focuses on modifying the surface chemistry of commercially available anion-exchange resins to enhance selectivity and uptake of (ultra)short-chain PFAS. I learn something new every day! Though diving into a new topic can be challenging, one of the most valuable lessons I've learned here is to embrace challenges with a positive mindset. I remind myself that "everybody deserves a challenge", as Dr. Blaney says, because they help us grow.

Looking back on my journey so far, I feel incredibly grateful for what I've accomplished: completing several experiments, passing my qualifier exam, presenting my first-year results at the ACS Fall 2024 conference, and mentoring five undergraduate research assistants. Although I often tend to focus on how much there is still to do, moments like this remind me of the importance of celebrating progress along the way.

I'm deeply thankful to Dr. Blaney for this opportunity and feel privileged to be part of such an inspiring research group. Working alongside brilliant, hardworking people who support and motivate me every day makes this journey even more special!

By the way, you will be hearing from me often on this website! As the lab's website and social media manager, I have the exciting role of sharing our latest news and updates with you all. Looking forward to keeping you posted - talk to you soon!"

Marylia’s passion for learning, commitment to impactful research, and ability to turn challenges into growth make her a true inspiration in our lab. Her work on PFAS removal and her leadership within the team continue to shine. Thank you for sharing your journey, Marylia — and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!
Donya

Congratulations to Margaret Siao on her master’s thesis defense!

March 28, 2025

We are excited to share that Margaret Siao has successfully defended her master’s thesis! She impressed the audience with her excellent presentation and confident responses to questions.

Margaret was surrounded by colleagues, friends, and family who came to support and celebrate this important milestone. This achievement marks a significant step in her academic and professional career, and we are excited to see all the great things she will accomplish in the future!

Stay tuned for updates on her next steps as she prepares for graduation in the coming months. Congratulations, Margaret!

Researcher of the month: Donya Hamidi

February 27, 2025

“Hey there! I’m Donya Hamidi, a second-year Ph.D. student in Dr. Blaney’s lab and I’m excited to be named Researcher of the Month. I’d love to tell you about the exciting research we’re doing.
I’m working on the passive sampler project alongside Dr. Ke He, Assistant Research Scientist; Margaret Siao, an M.S. student; and Alvin Bett and Jacob Craft, B.S. students.

Our research focuses on developing ion-exchange membranes as a novel passive sampling method to accurately measure environmental concentrations of 19 priority per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater, surface water, stormwater, and porewater. Being part of this amazing research team has not only helped me make great progress toward my research goals but has also been a fantastic opportunity to improve my teamwork and mentoring skills.  

Looking back, the first year of my Ph.D. was quite challenging, as I had to balance core coursework, begin my research project, and prepare for the qualifying exam. But once I got through that, it gave me a huge boost to push forward. Now, halfway through my second year, I’ve accomplished a lot more with the support of my team.

We successfully developed an ion-exchange membrane passive sampler capable of concentrating both short- and long-chain PFAS, established selectivity coefficients for 19 PFAS to quantitatively describe uptake and partitioning, and investigated the effects of solution pH, ionic strength, background ions like Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, SO₄²⁻, HCO₃⁻, and Cl⁻, as well as temperature and dissolved organic matter, on passive sampler performance. One of the most exciting parts of our research so far has been applying a novel approach to calculate Setschenow constants to quantify salting-out effects on PFAS anions.

I had the opportunity to present these findings at the ACS Fall 2024 Conference. I also had the chance to present our research on salting-out phenomena for PFAS interactions with ion-exchange materials at one of the AEESP Distinguished Lecture Series (2024-2025).

To further validate our work, we deployed our passive sampler in real surface water and wastewater sites in and around Baltimore Harbor. After retrieving and analyzing the samplers, our findings confirmed that our approach is effective in real-world conditions.

Passing my qualifying exam at the end of my first year was a big milestone, and since then, I’ve been diving even deeper into my research. Now, we are expanding our work to include cationic and zwitterionic PFAS, optimizing deployment parameters in lab-scale studies, and confirming the ability of our passive samplers to track spatiotemporal variations in PFAS concentrations.

We’ve gathered a lot of exciting data, and I’m looking forward to publishing multiple research papers soon—so stay tuned!

I just want to take a moment to thank my amazing lab members and Prof. Lee Blaney. I am beyond grateful for all your support, guidance, and collaboration. I couldn’t have made it this far without such a great team, and I’m excited for all the research ahead!”

Congratulations, Donya! Thank you for sharing the highlights of your PhD journey so far. Your hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm are inspiring. Keep up the great work!

Researcher of the month: Dr. Ke He

January 20, 2025

We are thrilled to feature Dr. Ke He as our researcher of the month. He is an Assistant Research Scientist in our lab and has been an essential part of our team since 2012, starting as Dr. Blaney's first PhD student. Over the years, he has continued to make significant contributions to the lab. His expertise and dedication are invaluable to our success!

Dr. Ke He works closely with Dr. Blaney as a co-PI to manage multiple collaborative projects, coordinates complex sample analyses, and maintains our critical laboratory instruments, most notably troubleshooting and optimizing our LC-MS/MS system. His support extends to all lab members, providing guidance, sharing knowledge, and ensuring that our experiments run smoothly. All Blaney lab members deeply appreciate his mentorship, excellent technical skills, and generosity in helping others. He truly exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and innovation that drives our research.

Reflecting on his work with Dr. Ke He, Dr. Blaney remarked, “Back on Jan. 13, 2012, Ke (a new PhD student in our department) wrote to me and said, 'Although I do not have a strong background in your research areas (his BS degree was Biotechnology Engineering), I really have a lot of interest in them, and I hope I will be your first graduate student.' His enthusiasm made my decision easy, and what a great decision that turned out to be! Since that time, Ke has achieved so much - impactful papers, exciting presentations, novel proposals, prestigious awards - but, I am most proud of how he handles himself and focuses on helping others. Over the years, he has served as a pillar of integrity, and he brings kindness and respect to every interaction with our lab members and collaborators around the world. Through his example, Ke inspires me to be better. We are fortunate to have him as our lab member and friend!”

Congratulations, Dr. Ke He, and thank you for everything you do for our lab!

Blaney lab members attend the DOD Energy & Environment Innovation Symposium

December 6, 2024

Members of the Blaney lab participated in the DOD Energy & Environment Innovation Symposium held December 3–6, in Washington, DC, and showcased our research projects on PFAS removal and detection.

Dr. Lee Blaney delivered a presentation on our project, “Novel adsorbents for selective PFAS uptake.” This work, involving PhD student Marylia Duarte Batista and undergraduate research assistant Trevor Gibson, is a collaboration with Dr. Wenqing Xu (Villanova University) and Dr. Jessica Ray (University of Washington). Their teams include PhD students Md Ariful Islam, JC Magee, and former Blaney lab undergraduate Kaylyn Stewart.

Dr. Ke He presented a poster titled “Novel functionalization of conventional sorbents for enhanced selectivity and improved concentration of (ultra)short-Chain PFAS,” on the same project.

Margaret Siao also presented a poster titled “Universal calibration of ion-exchange membrane-based passive samplers for PFAS measurements in diverse water sources,” highlighting her passive sampler project.

We are proud of Dr. Blaney, Dr. Ke He and Margaret for sharing exciting findings from our research projects at such a prestigious event with experts in the field!

Highlighting Alvin Bett's participation at the UMBC AIChE Third Annual Lab Collab Meeting

November 11, 2024

We are excited to share that Alvin Bett represented our team at the UMBC AIChE Third Annual Lab Collab Meeting, where he presented a poster showcasing his research. This exciting event serves as a platform to connect CBEE research lab members with undergraduates interested in conducting research.

Alvin had the chance to engage with freshmen and sophomores from various majors within the CBEE department, as well as a few non-chemical engineering majors, sharing insights and answering questions about our research work. Reflecting on the event, Alvin remarked, “The CBEE Lab Collab event was a nice way to prepare for future presentations where the audience may not be familiar with PFAS or passive samplers. I enjoyed talking about our research and answering related questions. Since many people hadn't heard of PFAS, a significant portion of my presentation focused on providing background information to the students. I was also able to talk to other presenters from different labs to learn more about their research projects. I am thankful for this opportunity to meet students and share the wonderful work the Blaney Lab does.”

Blaney Lab attends the 2024-2025 AEESP Distinguished Lecture by Dr. Lynn Katz

November 5, 2024

Several members of the Blaney Lab have attended the 2024-2025 AEESP Distinguished Lecture at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Blaney opened the event with thoughtful introductory remarks about the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP). Dr. Lynn Katz, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and Dr. Blaney’s PhD advisor, delivered an inspiring talk titled "Translating Molecular Science to Practical Applications in Natural Systems and Engineered Processes."

Before the lecture, Ke, Donya, Margaret, Marylia, and Sahar represented our lab by sharing insights from their research during the poster session. It was a great opportunity to connect with fellow researchers. We were also delighted to reconnect with CJ Cole, who participated in our lab as part of the REU program last summer.

Researcher of the month: Sahar Souizi

October 26, 2024

"Two years have flown by, and I can’t believe I’m now a third-year PhD student! I truly couldn’t have navigated all the ups and downs of this journey without the support of my wonderful spouse, Amir, who is also a PhD student in our department and a “spiritual member” of Blaney Lab.

As a family-oriented person, being away from my loved ones to chase my forever dream was a bit tough at first. But soon after joining Blaney Lab, I felt like I had found an academic family here!

I passionately began my research on developing innovative tube-in-tube Donnan dialysis reactors for sustainable nutrient recovery. My first year was all about designing, constructing, and testing the reactors, as well as measuring the fundamental properties of the ion exchange membranes. I had the chance to collaborate on two peer-reviewed papers. Later, I developed a universal model for the Donnan diffusion of ions, aiming to enhance the process and predict its performance under various conditions in a batch-recycle mode, which challenged me to learn new software and the Julia programming language. I’m drafting the manuscript for this work and hope to publish it by the end of the year. I’ve presented my work at several conferences, including the American Chemical Society Fall Meeting in San Francisco (August 2023), where I was honored to receive a Certificate of Merit for outstanding presentation. I also received first place in the poster presentation competition at the CSAWWA/CWEA's Joint Spring Meeting in Perryville (May 2024) and recently presented at the ACS Fall Meeting in Denver (August 2024). Over the past month, I successfully troubleshot our HPIC Integrion for its cationic system, developing a method to analyze all the target cations accurately and efficiently, which saved our project both time and money!

I’m currently focusing on using the tube-in-tube reactors for nutrient recovery from real waste streams, starting with poultry litter, and exploring the best strategies to scale up the Donnan dialysis process. I’m incredibly grateful for Dr. Blaney’s unwavering support, my first mentor Dr. Hui Chen, and my mentees An Dang and Maaike Swaters for all their help. I also appreciate all my “lab siblings”—both those who have graduated and those currently in the lab—for always being there for me.

Looking back, I can see how much I’ve grown, not just in my research skills but also personally. I’ve learned a lot in the lab, but I’ll always remember my first three lessons: 1) Don’t apologize unnecessarily, 2) Believe in Yourself, and 3) Go for it and enjoy the journey!"

Thank you for sharing your journey, incredible achievements, and the valuable lessons you've learned, Sahar! Your hard work, dedication, and growth are evident every day, and it's truly inspiring to all of us. Keep up the amazing work!

We couldn't be prouder of you, Margaret! Your hard work and dedication to the lab inspire us all. We look forward to seeing the results of your current study and have no doubt you will continue achieving great things in the future!

Dr. Blaney confirmed as the 2024-25 AEESP President

September 10, 2024

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Lee Blaney has been confirmed as the 2024-25 President of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP)! This prestigious role reflects Dr. Blaney's dedication to advancing the field of environmental engineering. As President, he will work alongside the newly elected 2024-25 Board of Directors to enhance the visibility of our field and increase recognition of the members. We are incredibly proud of Dr. Blaney and confident that his leadership will make a lasting impact!

Margaret receives Excellence in Master's Research Award from the CBEE department

August 30, 2024

We are proud to announce that Margaret has been awarded the Excellence in Master's Research Award by the CBEE department. This recognition celebrates her outstanding work on the development of ion-exchange membrane-based passive samplers for PFAS monitoring. As part of the award ceremony, Margaret delivered a 15-minute presentation on her research, which sparked a lot of interest from the audience.

Congratulations on this achievement, Margaret! We look forward to seeing the continued success of your research!

Blaney Lab celebrates a week of excellent presentations at ACS Fall 2024 in Denver, CO

August 18-23, 2024

The Blaney Lab had a remarkable experience at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2024 conference held in Denver, CO. Over the course of the event, our team showcased their groundbreaking research through a series of impactful presentations on the following topics (access the abstracts through the links below):

• Sahar Souizi: “Enhanced Donnan dialysis for nutrient recovery via tube-in-tube reactors: Impact of operating conditions and application to real waste”

• Marylia Duarte Batista: “Hybrid anion-exchange resins with enhanced selectivity for (ultra)short-chain PFAS”

• Margaret Siao: “Influence of solution pH and dissolved organic matter on PFAS uptake by ion-exchange membrane-based passive samplers”

• Donya Hamidi: “Salting out of PFAS anions: Calculation of Setschenow constants”

• Dr. Lee Blaney: “UV-activated calcium peroxide system enables simultaneous organophosphorus degradation, phosphate recovery, and carbon fixation”

Sahar, Marylia, Margaret, and Donya were featured in the official Chemical & Engineering News page (Day 4, second photo).

The conference was also a great opportunity for our team to attend insightful presentations, and to connect and learn from knowledgeable researchers. We are grateful for the chance to contribute to the advancements in our field!

Celebrating the achievements of our 2024 BEMORE REU students and undergraduate research assistant

August 7, 2024

We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of our BEMORE REU students, CJ Cole and Portia Ewing, and our undergraduate researcher, Sydney Hofstetter. Their poster presentations at the Summer Undergraduate Research Fest (SURF) showcased the hard work and dedication they brought to our lab this summer. Congratulations to CJ for receiving the Ambitious Analyst award and Portia for the Active Sampler award! We look forward to seeing all the great things they will accomplish in the future!

Sahar and Margaret shine at the 2024 CWEA/CSAWWA Joint Spring Meeting

May 22-23, 2024

Congratulations to Sahar and Margaret for their amazing performance at the 2024 CWEA/CSAWWA Joint Spring Meeting in Perryville, MD! Sahar won first place and Margaret second in the student poster competition. Their hard work and passion have truly paid off, making us incredibly proud!

Celebrating our Spring 2024 lab graduates

May 22-23, 2024

This month, we celebrated the achievements of our recent lab graduates and their exciting next steps in their academic journeys!

• Kaylyn Stewart, B.S. in Chemistry, will start a PhD program at the University of Washington.

• An Dang, B.S. in Chemical Engineering, will start a PhD program at the University of Michigan.

• Jahir Antonio Batista Andrade, PhD in Environmental Engineering, defended his PhD last year and returned to participate in his graduation ceremony. He is working as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

We are incredibly proud of Kaylyn, An, and Jahir for their hard work and dedication. Congratulations to all, and we look forward to seeing the great things you will achieve in the future!

An Dang featured in the UMBC Stories

May 21, 2024

Read about An Dang's exceptional contributions to UMBC's Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering (CBEE), notably her role in organizing this year's student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) regional conference at UMBC. The article is available here.

New articles featuring Dr. Lee Blaney in the Chesapeake Quarterly

May 17, 2024

The latest issue of the Chesapeake Quarterly by Maryland Sea Grant featured two insightful articles with expert commentary from Dr. Lee Blaney.

Check out “Diagnosing the PFAS Problem” and “Strong, Sticky, and Tricky to Measure” for a comprehensive look at the PFAS issue and the advancements in understanding and addressing this environmental threat.

Sydney commences U-RISE Scholarship Program

May 11, 2024

Sydney Hofstetter participated in the induction ceremony for her Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) award. This prestigious program is funded by the National Institute of General and Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sydney will engage in sustained research under the guidance of her mentor, preparing her for the pursuit of her own PhD program in a few years.

The event was marked by a warm and inspiring atmosphere, with rising seniors present to support both the graduating and incoming cohorts. Sydney found it especially moving to hear the success stories of the graduating seniors, who shared their academic journeys and future plans.

We are incredibly proud of Sydney's achievement and look forward to supporting her as she embarks on this remarkable journey. To learn more about the U-RISE program at UMBC, visit https://urise.umbc.edu/.

Kaylyn receives the Faculty Award for Excellence in Chemistry

May 10, 2024

Researcher update of the month: Kaylyn Stewart!

April 2024

“As my undergraduate career comes to a close and I move on to the next chapter, I can’t help but reflect on my time in the Blaney lab. I’ve been a member since September 2021 and have seen the lab evolve, especially as people have earned their degrees and graduated, and new students have started their journey of higher education. I just thought I’d share some major takeaways that I’ve learned.

• Community means more than you know. I’ve been able to learn so much from my lab members, whether it’s lab or life-related. It’s great having a team who you can always reach out to for help, because research can’t be done alone.

• Take advantage of opportunities! There are so many ways to share your research with others, and although it was a bit nerve-racking at first, I grew in so many ways by presenting at conferences and putting myself out there by networking. Something else I learned: coffee definitely helps me get through conferences, especially as someone with a limited social battery.

• Give yourself grace and be patient with your growth as a researcher. There were times when I felt I wasn’t doing enough or understanding things as quickly as I thought I should, but so much comes simply from time, exposure, and continuous effort. It also helped to talk to other senior members of the lab, who were exactly where you were and know everything is a learning process. Rome can’t be built in a day--neither can a researcher.

All in all, I’m thankful for my time in the Blaney lab, and will surely miss my lab members, past and present. Y’all are amazing! Special shoutout to Dr. Hui Chen, who’s been my closest mentor over the years. Thank you for the laughs, stories, food recommendations, and guidance. I’m truly grateful. — Kaylyn <3”

P.S., it’s also been a blast managing the lab website for the past year… thank you for sharing your accomplishments and stories with me so I can share them with the internet!

Dr. Blaney receives UMBC’s Faculty Advancement Award

April 16, 2024

Congratulations, Dr. Blaney! The UMBC Honors and Awards Committee selected him to receive one of two UMBC Marilyn E. Demorest Faculty Advancement Awards for 2023-2024. Hard work does not go unnoticed, especially at UMBC!

An and Alvin represented the Blaney Lab at UMBC’s URCAD

April 10, 2024

An and Alvin both presented their hard work at UMBC’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD). Great work, y’all!

Congrats, Sahar!

April 4, 2024

Sahar participated in UMBC’s GEARS (Graduate Experience, Achievements & Research Symposium), and won Runner-Up for People’s Choice. Margaret also presented her poster at the symposium. Thank you both for sharing your hard work with the UMBC community!

Researcher update of the month: Alvin Bett

March 2024

“Hi, I am Alvin Bett, an undergrad Chemistry Major with a minor in GES, which is the study of geography and integral environmental sciences that make up our world. I have been in the Blaney Lab for now two semesters. I think I should talk about the challenges in my experience so far as an undergrad researcher. When I came into Blaney Lab in the Fall of 2023, I was excited, nervous, and curious. I did not have a big understanding of equilibrium passive samplers. I learned so much through the different batch experiments we do and from the lab meetings with Dr. Blaney and with our group. I also found that although lab work can help me better understand doing research, building my understanding is key to being a better researcher. This helped me in the lab, as well as having meaningful. The next challenge, which is an ongoing battle, is time management. When I first started in the lab I struggled to find time to both finish the work that needed to be done in lab and manage other responsibilities I had outside of lab. As time went on, I soon found the balance between school, lab, and life. I have found the experience as an undergrad researcher to be enlightening not only in understanding PFAS but developing skills of work-life balance and work ethic.”

Thanks for sharing, Alvin! Research has its ups and downs, but it’s amazing how much you’ve learned and accomplished since you joined the lab.

Margaret presented her research for UMBC’s ICARE program

February 23, 2024

Members (and member alumni!) of the lab supported Margaret as she presented a poster on her research with passive samplers for the ICARE program, which aims to increase diversity in the environmental workforce and engage in local environmental research.

Researcher update of the month: Dr. Hui Chen

February 2024

“I am thrilled to share that I have accepted the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at James Madison University, and I will be joining the faculty in Fall 2024.

Becoming a faculty member has been a dream I never thought I could achieve. The journey began in the summer of 2022 when, encouraged by Dr. Blaney, I decided to apply for a faculty position. I spent several weekends crafting the first version of my application materials, including teaching and research statements, a diversity statement, and a cover letter. Starting with minimal knowledge, I sought advice from Dr. Blaney, revised my statements over time, published papers, and by the fall of 2023, my materials had evolved to the tenth version. Passing the zoom interview and on-site interview was a proud moment, and receiving the offer marked the realization of this significant goal. I recognize that this success is the result of collective efforts, and I am deeply grateful for the guidance and support from my advisor, my family members, and especially my 1-year-old daughter, who served as a constant source of inspiration. She also makes me keep the faith in pursuing my career and being a real model for her.

I look forward to this new chapter as an Assistant Professor and am excited about the opportunities for growth, mentorship, and contributing to the academic community at James Madison University. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey.”

We are endlessly proud of you and excited for this new chapter in your career, Hui. Although you are moving your whereabouts to Virginia, your lab family at UMBC won’t be too far away!

Researcher update of the month: Honour Booth

December 2023/January 2024

From Honour Shore Ai Lin Booth: Watchu ‘ono for?

“Not one but two laulau with fast kine chili pepper water on top a bed of sticky brown rice. Spoon meat from the shell. Auntie Cookie’s rum cake. Preserved lemon lemonade. Andagi. Fried ʻulu. Baked ʻulu. Really, ʻulu cooked any way. Pūlehu ribs with thin sliced raw sweet onion and ʻalaea. Mixed Icee with the wet li hing mui. Lūʻau stew over kalo paʻa. REAL Hawaiian style poke – not this saucy stuff y’all are serving with dragonfruit and shredded vegetables on rice…rude!

‘Watchu ʻono for?’ colloquially means ‘What do you want to eat?’, and to be honest the list goes on and on with things that do not exist here in Baltimore, MD. Or anywhere on the East Coast, for that matter. Prior to moving here from Oʻahu, I was assured that I would be able to at least find good pho. So far, the excellence of the pho as advertised by the name of the establishment was misleading. I am very skeptical to begin searching for a good izakaya spot.

Despite the letdown I have experienced finding the foods that I enjoyed eating at home, I have learned that the foods of my fellow islanders do not disappoint. Lamb curry. Jerk chicken…like real kine, not made with the powder seasoning. Maduros served with everything. A continent and half an ocean away, GOOD authentic Caribbean cuisine is hard to come by in Hawaiʻi. Developing a fondness for these delightfully spicy dishes that I could not get at home really reminds me how I convinced myself to move to Maryland in the first place.

Just as much as Hawaiʻi is a paradise destination like none other that so many covet to experience, for someone from an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean the East Coast is just as exotic. I didn’t come to Maryland to enjoy all of the things I love back home. I came here to learn about and appreciate the foods, the people, and the perspectives that can only be found here.”

Just as you appreciate the foods, people, and perspectives of Maryland, your vibrancy and perspective (and new food recommendations!) are equally appreciated. Thanks for adding to our Lab family, Honour!

Dr. He attended the Department of Defense's (DoD) Energy and Environment Innovation Symposium in Arlington, VA.

November 28-December 1, 2023

Dr. He presented his work, titled “Ion-exchange membranes as passive samplers for chemically-diverse PFAS.” Thanks for continuing to represent the Blaney lab!

Researcher update of the month: An Dang

November 2023

From An: “I had the opportunity to attend the 2023 AIChE [American Institute of Chemical Engineers] National Conference in Orlando, Florida. This year, our department was able to send 12 students to the conference to compete in ChemE Jeopardy, ChemE Car, and the K-12 Outreach competition (of which I was a part of). It was my first time at an AIChE conference, so there was a lot to take in. The highlight, of course, was our Jeopardy team winning 2nd place in Nationals, our ChemE Car had successful runs, and our K-12 module won first place for the 9-12 category! I felt extremely proud seeing my peers representing UMBC as we outperformed world-renowned institutions in all categories. And finally, I got to make a lot of memories with the seniors graduating with me!” Keep it up, An, and good luck with grad school applications! We are proud of you.

Kaylyn attended the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) October meeting in Ashburn, VA.

October 10-12, 2023

She and 4 other UMBC undergraduates attended the meeting. She represented our lab well, presenting a poster titled “Proof-of-concept of the selective separation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances via Donnan dialysis.”

Dr. Blaney, Dr. He, and Sahar attended the ACS Fall 2023 National Meeting in San Francisco, CA.

August 13-17, 2023

All three gave oral presentations during the conference. Sahar gave her first oral presentation at the meeting!

Another successful year of the BEMORE program!

August 9, 2023

We hosted two students from UMBC’s BEMORE program throughout the summer—Sydney Braithwaite and Nicholas Berry. The summer concluded with students being able to present their research from the summer at UMBC’s SURF program.

Congratulations, Dr. Jahir A. Batista Andrade and Dr. Michael Fleming!

July 25, 2023

Both Jahir and Michael successfully defended their PhD dissertations! Dr. Fleming will pursue a faculty position at Mercer University in Macon, GA, and Dr. Batista Andrade will pursue a post-doctoral position at the University of Minnesota!

Dr. Blaney, Dr. Chen, and Jahir attended the Association for Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) meeting in Boston, MA.

June 20-23, 2023

Dr. Blaney, the current vice president of AEESP, gave a great talk at the New England Aquarium—even the penguins tuned in! Marylia Duarte, an incoming PhD student at the Blaney lab, also attended the conference.

Dr. He talked about his work on PFAS detection using anion exchange passive samplers at the SETAC North America Annual Meeting, Toronto.

Nov 4, 2019

Ke He talked about his work titled ‘Sorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances onto anion exchange passive samplers’.

Ethan delivered a great talk on occurrence of UV-filters in water, oysters, and sediment in the Chesapeake Bay at SETAC North America Annual Meeting, Toronto.

Nov 4, 2019

Ethan Hain talked about his work titled ‘Occurrence and distribution of UV-filters in water, sediment, and oysters from Chesapeake Bay rivers fed by urban and agricultural areas’.

Fabian presented his work on recovering phosphorus from poultry litter and wastewater sludge using Donnan dialysis at the Summer Undergraduate Research Fest, UMBC, Baltimore

Aug 7, 2019

Fabian Amurrio talked about his work titled ‘Phosphorus Recovery From Poultry Litter and Wastewater Sludge Using Donnan Dialysis’.

Utsav traveled to Australia to present his work on nutrient recovery from human urine and poultry litter at the International Conference on Resource Sustainability, Adelaide, Australia

Jul 1, 2019

Utsav Shashvatt delivered a presentation titled ‘Novel processes to recover nutrients from poultry litter and human urine and ensure resource sustainability in urban systems’.

Jahir talked about his work on method development for determination of UV-filter at the ACS Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting, Baltimore.

May 30, 2019

Jahir talked delivered a great talk titled ‘Determination of eight UV-filters in surface water samples using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with high performance liquid chromatography and UV detection’.

Anna Feerick delivered a great talk on Spatiotemporal analysis of contaminants of emerging concern in Choptank river at the 2019 ACS Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting, Baltimore

May 30, 2019

Anna Feerick delivered a great talk titled ‘Spatiotemporal analysis of contaminants of emerging concern in the Choptank River’.

Congrats to Michael on winning the 1st Prize for best poster at 2019 Mid-Atlantic Prep & IMSD Research Symposium

May 23, 2019

Michael Fleming won the 1st prize for his poster on Improving phosphate recovery from poultry litter extracts through chitosan and bentonite addition during struvite precipitation.

Congrats to Michael Fleming on receiving the Meyerhoff Graduate fellowship for the year 2019-2020

May 15, 2019

Utsav gave a poster presentation on his work recovering nutrients from urine using Donnan dialysis at the AEESP Meeting, Tempe, Arizona.

May 15, 2019

Utsav delivered a poster talk titled ‘Donnan dialysis for the recovery of ammonium, phosphorus, and potassium from source-separated urine’.

Michael talked about his work on use of coagulants to recover phosphorus from poultry litter during struvite precipitation at the 2019 CWEA/CSAWWA joint meeting, Crofton, Maryland.

May 9, 2019

Michael Fleming presented a poster titled “ Improving phosphate recovery from poultry litter extracts through chitosan and bentonite addition during struvite precipitation.’

Mamatha’s poster talk on toxicity of triphenyltin hydroxide and its transformation product during UV-254 and UV-H2O2 processes was well received at the 2019 CWEA/CSAWWA Joint spring Meeting, Crofton, Maryland

May 9, 2019

Mamatha presented her work titled ‘ Residual toxicity of triphenyltin hydroxide and its transformation products in UV-254 and UV-H2O2 processes. 

Congrats to Utsav on winning the 1st prize for best poster at CWEA/CSAWWA Joint Spring Meeting, Crofton, Maryland.

May, 9, 2019

Utsav presented his work titled ‘ Nutrient recovery from waste streams using Donnan dialysis.’

Carys Mitchelmore presented on collaborative work on detection of UV-filters in Coral Tissues, Surface Water and Sediment Samples from Hawaii at SETAC Europe Annual Meeting, Helsinki, Finland.

May 7, 2019

Our collaborator Carys Mitchellmore presented our work titled’ Concentration of organic UV-filters in Coral Tissue (Porites spp.), Surface Water and Sediment Samples from Oahu, Hawaii.

Oral presentation by Anna on detection of contaminants of emerging concern in the Choptank river was received well at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day, UMBC, Baltimore.

Apr 24, 2019

Anna Feerick gave an oral talk titled ‘Antibiotics, Hormones, and Sunscreen in the Choptank River.’

Michael presented his work on enhancing recovery and precipitation of struvite using coagulants at the 257th ACS Spring Meeting, Orlando.

Mar 27, 2019

Michael Fleming presented a poster titled ‘Improving phosphate recovery from poultry litter extracts through chitosan and bentonite addition during struvite precipitation.’

Mamatha presented her work on measuring toxicity of triphenyltin hydroxide during UV-254 and UV-H2O2 processes at the 257th ACS spring National Meeting, Orlando, Florida.

Apr 2, 2019

Mamatha presented her work titled ‘Residual toxicity of triphenyltin hydroxide and its transformation products in UV-254 and UV-H2O2 processes’.

Mamatha presented her work on assessing suitable probes and sensitizers for organoselenium compound such as ebselen at the 257th ACS spring National Meeting, Orlando, Florida.

Apr 2, 2019

Mamatha Hopanna presented her work titled ‘Oral- Assessing the suitability of traditionally employed reactive species sensitizers and probes to study photochemical reaction kinetics of ebselen, an organoselenium compound’.

Utsav presented his work on P(V) recovery using Donnan dialysis at the 257th ACS spring National Meeting, Orlando, Florida.

Apr 2, 2019

Utsav Shashvatt presented his work titled ‘Modeling transport of P(V) ions across anion exchange membranes for nutrient recovery via electrochemical potential gradients in Donnan dialysis’. 

Ethan presented his work on detection of contaminants of emerging concern in the Chesapeake Bay at the 257th ACS spring National Meeting, Orlando, Florida.

Apr 2, 2019

Ethan presented his work titled ‘Contaminants of emerging concern in Chesapeake Bay rivers fed by urban and agricultural areas’.

Dr He spoke about his work on challenges with using filtration during PFAS pretreatment at the 257th ACS spring National Meeting, Orlando, Florida.

Apr 1, 2019

Ke He presented his work titled ‘Retention of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances during filtration: Implications for proper sample pretreatment’.

Michael presented his work on enhancing recovery and precipitation of struvite using coagulants at the 41st Graduate Research Conference, UMBC, Baltimore

Mar 27, 2019

Michael Fleming presented a poster titled ‘Improving phosphate recovery from poultry litter extracts through chitosan and bentonite addition during struvite precipitation.’

Jahir presented his work on developing novel methods for detection of UV-filters in surface water samples at the 41st Graduate Research Conference, UMBC, Baltimore.

March 27, 2019

Jahir Batista presented his work titled ‘Determination of eight UV-filters in surface water samples using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with high performance liquid chromatography and UV detection’ .

Mamatha presented her work on organo-mettalics transformation product using the UV-254 and UV-H2O2 processes at the 41st Graduate Research Conference, UMBC, Baltimore.

March 27, 2019

Mamatha Hopanna presented her work titled ‘Triphenyl tin hydroxide degradation in the UV-254 and UV-H2O2 processes produce toxic transformation products.’ 

Congrats to Utsav on his ‘Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)’ competition win at the 41st Graduate Research Conference at UMBC, Baltimore.

March 27, 2019

Utsav Shashvatt won 3MT competition for his talk on ‘Can we recover phosphorus from waste?’

Poster presentation by Ethan on Source tracking of contaminants of emerging concerns in Chesapeake Bay river at the 41st Graduate Research Conference, UMBC, Baltimore

Mar 27, 2019

Ethan hain presented his work on contaminant of emerging concerns and source-tracking in Chesapeake Bay rivers.

Anna presented her work on detection of emerging concern in water and oysters from the Potomac rivers at AAAS annual meeting, Washington DC.

Feb 17, 2019

Doug spoke on the concerns regarding organic sunscreen in sharks and teleost fishes at the Indian River Lagoon Symposium 2019, Melbourne, Florida.

Feb 7, 2019

Our collaborator gave a presentation titled” Accumulation of Organic Sunscreen Chemicals in Sharks and Teleost Fishes”

Blaney gave a key note speech at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies for Industrial Pollution Control 2018, India

Dec 18, 2018

Lee gave an key note speech and presented on the nutrient recovery research in the Blaney Lab.

Blaney heads to land of Rising Sun!

Dec 15, 2018

Lee was invited to give a seminar at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. He talked about ongoing work on Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the Blaney Lab.

Ke gave a successful talk at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America 39th Annual meeting, at Sacramento, CA

Nov 14, 2018

Ke He gave a platform presentation on “Occurrence and spatial distribution of contaminants of emerging concern in Chesapeake Bay water, sediment, and oysters”.

Anna presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at UMBC

Oct 22, 2018

Congrats to Anna Feerick for being declared the researcher for the week

Oct 22, 2018

Read more about the Anna here https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/undergradresearch/posts/79671

NSF releases Science Nation Video on the nutrient recovery work at Blaney lab

Oct 5, 2018

Check it out here https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/poultrylitter.jsp

STEM BUILD Interns at the Summer Undergraduate Research Fest (SURF) 2018.

Aug 11,2018

Elder-Jerycho Herrera and Yisroel Hollander presented about their work on degradation of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics.

Lee leaves to China for sabbatical

Aug 6, 2018

Lee Blaney starts his sabbatical at Tsinghua University (Beijing, China). We wish him all the best in the new time zone!

Ethan wins the prestigious "Maryland Sea Grant Competitive Graduate Research Fellowship"

July 20, 2018

Ethan has won the fellowship for carrying out his work on detecting CECs in the Chesapeake Bay

Congrats to Ke He on getting his Doctorate !!!

May 23, 2018

Read about how Ke wants to extend his work on water safety after he was awarded the UM School of Medicine postdoc fellowship

May 21, 2018

https://news.umbc.edu/ke-he-extends-water-safety-research-through-um-school-of-medicine-postdoc-fellowship/

Congrats to Ethan, Mamatha, and Temi for winning the 1st and 2nd prize at the 2nd Annual CWEA/CSAWWA Poster Competition.

May 10, 2018

Ethan grabbed the 1st prize for his poster tiltled "Characterization of the residual antimicrobial activity of antibiotics and their transformation products in UV-254 and UV-H2O2 processes" and Mamatha and Temi grabbed the 2nd prize for their poster titled "Photochemistry of organo-selenium and -tin compounds in engineered and natural systems".

Successful presentation by Hannah and Temi at the URCAD 2018

April 26, 2018

Hannah Aris presented a poster titled " Characterization of CMI-7000 Membrane for Implementation in Resource Recovery Systems" and Temitope Ibitoye presented her poster titled " Photo-transformation of five macrolide antibiotics in UV-254 engineered systems".

Nutrient recovery work featured in the P3 National Design Expo, at the United States Science and Engineering Festival (USAEF), Washington D.C.

April 7, 2018

The nutrient recovery team at the Blaney Lab exhibited their innovative project on recovering nutrients from human urine. They were one of the 20 teams from across the country to be at USAEF.

Blaney Lab is back from the 255th American Chemical Society Conference at New Orleans after successful participation

Mar 23, 2018

Lee, Ke, and Utsav gave oral talks, and Mamatha, and Ethan presented posters.

Chemical and Engineering News released the video highlighting the nutrient recovery processed developed at the Blaney Lab

Jan 27, 2018

Checkout the video highlighting how the work at Blaney lab is helping the farmers recover nutrient from chicken litter !

https://cen.acs.org/articles/96/i5/scientists-mining-manure-phosphorus.html

Two Research Grants Awarded to the Blaney Lab

Jan 27, 2018

Blaney awarded with EPA P3 Award, Sustainable Nutrient Recovery from Urine, and a grant from the Air Force, Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program with Dynaflow Inc. to investigate the Disposal of aqueous film-forming foam using hydrodynamic cavitation

Congrats to Lee for being awarded the ACS Leadership Development Award

Jan 27, 2018

Blaney presented at the Morgan State University, Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory

Jan 24, 2018

Blaney presented on the 'Contaminants of emerging concern in the Chesapeake Bay watershed' 

Blaney presented at Chesapeake Bay Program, Scientific Scientific Advisory Committee

Dec 5, 2017

Blaney presented on the 'Sources and occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern and the risk they pose to the Chesapeake Bay'

Blaney presented at George Washington University 

Dec 4, 2017

Blaney presented on the 'antibiotic fate in photolytic processes: solar irradiation of agriculturally-impacted waters and UV-254 treatment of wastewater'

Congrats to Lee for being named Maryland's 2017 Outstanding Young Engineer

Nov 18, 2017

Lee was named 2017 Outstanding Young Engineer by Maryland Academy of Sciences at the Maryland Science Center

Congrats to Temi on being named the UMBC undergraduate researcher of the week

Oct 30, 2017

Temi Ibitoye has been named the researcher of the week fro her work on the Photolysis of Macrolide Antibiotics at 253.7 nm. You can read more here  https://my.umbc.edu/groups/undergradresearch/posts/71595

Ke and Ethan are back from a successful trip to Hawaii for detection of UV-filters from seawater

Oct 30, 2017

They operated from a base on the coconut island and conducted seawater sample collection and extraction of UV- filters from seawater.

Lee presented at the Third International Congress of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICNN’2017)" in Quito, Ecuador

SEPT 6, 2017

Lee talked about his work on "Photolytic, photochemical, and photocatalytic oxidation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in water and wastewater"

Savannah, Samina, Charlie and Chelsea successfully presented at the Summer Undergraduate Research Fest (SURF) 2017

AUG 9, 2017

Ke presented at the Annual National Environmental Monitoring Conference (Washington, DC)

Aug 7, 2017

Ke He presented on simultaneous determination of UV-filters and estrogens in aquatic invertebrates by modified QuEChERS extraction and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Check out WYPR podcast "Downstream from Your Sunscreen" featuring Lee Blaney

July 29, 2017

Lee talks about the ill effects from the Contaminants of Emerging Concern on the ecology.

http://wypr.org/post/downstream-your-sunscreen

Lee Blaney receives the Award for Outstanding Teaching in Environmental Engineering and Science at AEESP 2017.

June 26, 2017

Congratulations to Lee !

Kiranmayi and Lee Blaney present posters at AEESP 2017

June 26, 2017

Ke presented at the 13th Annual LC-MS/MS workshop on Environmental and Food Safety (Buffalo, NY)

June 12, 2017

Ke He talked on the simultaneous determination of UV-filters and estrogens in aquatic invertebrates by modified QuEChERS extraction and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Lee Blaney part of the faculty-led field course in Costa Rica 

June 8, 2017

The course is on climate impacts in Costa Rica. Lee is teaching methods for water quality monitoring in streams of Costa Rica. Other faculties include Matt Fagan and Maggie Holland (both from Geography and Environmental Science, UMBC)

Read the exciting updates from the field course here https://umbcincostarica.wordpress.com/blog/

Kiranmayi Mangalgiri gets her PhD degree !!

May 24, 2017

Proud moment for Blaney Lab as Kiranmayi was conferred with the PhD degree at the UMBC graduate student commencement ceremony !!

Savannah Steinly awarded the 2017-2018 France-Merrick Scholarship

May 23, 2017

Congratulations to Savannah, her work will entail engagement and service with the Baltimore City.

You can read more about the program here http://shrivercenter.umbc.edu/scholarshipsforservice/

Lee Blaney awarded the prestigious 2017 AEESP Award for Outstanding Teaching in Environmental Engineering and Science.

May 17, 2017

Congratulations to Lee for this amazing feat !! 

Daniel Ocasio featured in the UMBC News !

May 15, 2017

Read about Daniel's feats as a undergraduate (B.S., Chemical Engineering) which makes him the 2017 Valedictorian. http://news.umbc.edu/daniel-ocasio/

Daniel Ocasio selected as class of 17 Valedictorian !

May 14, 2017

Congrats to Daniel Ocasio, who will deliver the Valedictorian address at the undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 25th, 2017 !

Kiranmayi Mangalgiri successfully defends her PhD dissertation !!

May 14, 2017

Congrats to Kiranmayi Mangalgiri on her successful defense of her PhD dissertation titled 'Photolytic Fate of Antibiotics in UV-based Engineered and Natural Systems'.

Daniel Ocasio, Hannah Aris, and Savannah Steinly at URCAD 2017

May 14, 2017

Congrats to Daniel Ocasio, Hannah Aris and Savannah Steinly for their successful performance at the UMBC Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) ! Daniel gave a oral presentation, and Hannah and Savannah each gave a poster presentation.

Daniel Ocasio and Hollie Adejumo bag the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship !! 

May 14, 2017

Congrats to both Daniel and Hollie ! Daniel has accepted a PhD position at University of California, Berkeley and Hollie has accepted a PhD position at University of Michigan.

You can read more on the link below-

http://news.umbc.edu/umbcs-2017-nsf-graduate-research-fellows-prepare-for-groundbreaking-careers-from-environmental-engineering-to-computer-science/

Kiranmayi Mangalgiri finishes in the top eight !

May 14, 2017

Congrats to Kiranmayi Mangalgiri who finished in the top eight out of 45 participants in the Three-Minute Thesis finals at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools annual meeting in Annapolis, MD.

Website updates

May 6, 2017

We will be updating the news page shortly.