2026
Chloe Myers Undergraduate Student, Geology-Regenerative Science, University of Georgia
Research Project: Killing Invasive Hornets to Save Honeybees: Team Hornet to the Rescue
Atta Ur Razzaq Doctoral Student, Chemical Engineering, University of Alabama
Research Project: Green(er) Solvents for Upcycling Waste PVC into Membranes for Water Treatment
Michael Tetteh Doctoral Student, Environmental Science (Chemistry Concentration), Tennessee Tech
Research Project: Assessing and Mitigating Mercury in Tennessee Fisheries via Peptide Sequestration
2025
Mohaanavarshini “Varshini” Samanthavada Chandrasekar Undergraduate Student, Electrical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Research Project: Development of Biosensors for Detecting PFAS Contamination in Water
Fatemah “Naz” Ghiasvand Graduate Student, Environmental Engineering, Tennessee Tech
Research Project: Evaluating the Use of C&D Waste Fines as Soil Amendments for pH Improvement and Airspace Reduction in Landfills
Carolyne Mbogo Graduate Student, Environmental Sciences-Agriculture, Tennessee Tech
Research Project: Optimizing the Mechanochemical Destruction of PFOA and PFOS in Clay Minerals With Reactive Additives
2024
Julia Craven (undergraduate student, Engineering for Sustainability), University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Research Project: Mercury Chronicles: An Exploration of Mercury’s Legacy in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Sarah Lewis (undergraduate student, Environmental Science), University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Research Project: Assessment of Microplastics in the Gulf of Cadiz, Spain
Fangfei Liu (Doctoral student, Environmental Engineering), Vanderbilt University
Research Project: Development of Characteristic-based Leaching Methods for Soils Containing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
2022 (Inaugural Year)
Chance Morris (undergraduate student, Civil Engineering), Tennessee Technological University
Research Project: Water Remediation Utilizing ISA-TSC and SC Chelating Resins
*2026 update: Currently a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the CO School of Mines with an emphasis on PFAS destruction technologies and PFAS analytical method development