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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 update 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!
Researcher update of the month: Margaret Siao
September 25, 2024
“Hi everyone! My name is Margaret Siao and I am currently in my last year as a Master’s student! In fact, even though I’m now a Master's student I actually joined when I was an undergrad here at UMBC in summer 2022. When I first joined, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the future, especially having many opportunities limited during COVID. I’m really glad that Dr. Blaney took a chance on me when I emailed him out of the blue in Fall 2021, especially since I never met him before. Since joining this lab, I feel that I’ve grown quite a bit, both professionally and as a person. After processing over 1000 samples in the lab, I had the opportunity to stay on for my Master’s in the ICARE program to do field work! My current research lets me hop around the Baltimore Harbor to do water testing for PFAS contamination with my lab mates. As a long time resident of Baltimore City, it’s exciting being able to go on the water as there really aren’t that many opportunities to do so, and I’m glad to be able to share it with others. Being able to see the different facets research can offer is fascinating and has inspired me to pursue my education in a PhD program!
As I wrap up my last year here at UMBC, I just want to thank my lab members, both current and previous ones. I am extremely grateful to you all as you have been extremely supportive of my journey to decide the next steps of my future. Let’s make this last year a blast!”
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 recent 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
Kaylyn was selected to receive the Faculty Award for Excellence in Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UMBC. This award highlights Kaylyn's dedication and outstanding performance in both her coursework and research.
Congratulations, Kaylyn! We are so proud of you and look forward to seeing all the amazing things you will undoubtedly achieve in the future.
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
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.
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-
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.